Browning Buckmark vs. Ruger Mark IV

I bought a bull barrel 22/45 used so I got a good deal. Then later I found out they had some models with removable grips...The grips dont bother me as they are fixed. I dont feel like doing the mod

 

OK, this is an older thread but I'll toss in.

I've owned a small pile of Ruger Standard pistols and MKII's over the decades and they are outstanding pistols. I'll come back to that in a moment.
I've shot and worked on Browning Buckmark pistols and they are decent pistols but I prefer the Ruger over the Browning.

The Ruger Standard Pistol (sometimes erroneously called a Mark I) is a brilliant design. The receiver is a simple tube with the barrel threaded in one end. This results in a rigid barrel/receiver with the longest possible sight radius. It is also inexpensive to manufacture and yet very durable.
The grip frame is made of two heavy stamped steel halves welded together which is also inexpensive to produce and yet very durable. The one place where Ruger spent money in the design is the barrel. Ruger uses high quality steel in their barrel blanks.
The lockwork (trigger, trigger bar/disconnector, hammer & sear) is simple and reliable. The round cross section bolt is both easy to manufacture and reliable. The entire pistol is an efficient design that works.
Complaints concerning the re-assembly procedure of a Standard, MKII & MKIII are a bit over the top. The guns are not difficult to re-assemble and once you understand the relationship of the components, re-assembly becomes second nature.

Personally I feel the MKII was the pinnacle of the series. The heel magazine release is simple and reliable. The loaded chamber indicator on the MKIII is unnecessary. There are plenty of good used MKII's out there and I would seek out one of those before I purchased a MKIII or MKIV.

With a little bit of work the MKII can be made into an extremely good target pistol. Back in my younger days I won a few small bets with my MKII up against S&W model 41 users. With a little bit of work on the action and the right ammo, a Ruger will hold its own against some very good target pistols!

 

I have a MkII bought new ~1986 and it's always been a great gun. A buddy recently bought a MkIV with the threaded barrel. That thing's trigger is one of the worst factory pulls I've ever felt. Think mil-spec AR trigger. gritty and hard with no idea when it will release. He bought volquartsen parts and upgraded it as it was unbearable in its factory state.

 

I have or have had a Buck Mark, Ruger Mark II, Ruger Mark III Lite, S&W 22A, Beretta 21A, S&W M&P 22, S&W M&P Compact, along with a couple 22 Revolvers. I think the Buck Mark was the best of them. I put on a TacSol barrel and ran it suppressed for a long time. Sold it, bought the Ruger Mark III Lite and built the Mark III up with a bunch of Volquartsen stuff. If I had it to do over again, I'd keep the Buck Mark. I may build up another, or buy one of the new threaded models.