Buckmark, re-assembly problem

[asterix3]

Hi, Sandra here !  I am a Newbie taking apart the Buckmark for the first time for cleaning.  Great, 2 screws, took slide out , no problem.  Then the spring came flying out with the little plastic buffer!!!!  Oh, well, cleaned the gun, but it took me 2 hours to get the spring back in! I had to use needle nose pliers and extra pair of hands to get it back together!!!  Is there a trick?  I took it to the range and shot 300 rounds, and i had to clean it....can i buy the spring-guide rod in one piece???  Went to You tube and some videos had the spring-guide rod in one piece on the table, and some videos had spring separated from guide rod.......any help would be appreciated.....Next time, i will just use a boresnake and not take the gun totally apart!!!!

[alfsauve]

I'll look later tonight, Sandra.    I don't remember having any problems/difficulties with mine, but I've been so head-over-heels, with big bore revolvers my .22's have been neglected lately.

[DaverZ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu0cbV5WXIA

http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=field+stripping+a+browning+buck+mark

[PegLeg45]

Did you remove the barrel? I read that on some newer models the barrel will bind up with the recoil spring guide rod and has to be loosened a little to get it together.

There's not really a trick to it...basically, practice makes perfect, and it really depends on what year yours was made. The pre 2001 type (with the solid steel slid is way easier than the post-2001 type with the plastic insert inside the hollowed out slide. This is one of those things that is way hard to describe in typed words than to show in person.

The first video that DaverZ posted shows it pretty good at about the 3:00 mark.


Sandra, check your messages. I sent you a PM with my email. PM me your email and I'll send you a 14 page guide to dissecting the Buck Mark. It covers both the old and new slides.

Peg

**EDIT**
Here is the web page of the guy that wrote the PDF guide.

http://chim.embarqspace.com/#/page-12/4529737053

These photos go well beyond what is required for dis-assembly for routine cleaning, but it helps to see how the gun goes together.

I have one completely apart in a box at the moment. It belongs to friend that went to the Michael Bane School of Gunsmithing.   He "polished" the inner surfaces, trying to get a better trigger, and now the hammer/sear won't engage each other. I'm probably going to have to order all new innards from Brownells to get it working again.

[tombogan03884]

I don't know if you have your owners manual, here is a link to the online PDF

http://media.browning.com/pdf/om/08_243_bfa_buckmark_pistol.pdf

[Sponsor]

[PegLeg45]

As to the trick, I've always had better luck putting the buffer in at the back and then dropping the spring/rod into the slide rear first. You have to compress the spring a little bit to get the plastic block on the front of the rod to settle down into the notch in the slide.

Here are some pics for reference:

[alfsauve]

Looks like you got some pretty good references.   I'll bow to their knowledge. 

Alf  <temporarily drinking the big bore revolver koolaide

[asterix3]

Great guns!  thanks for all the tips and links to how to put the BM back together!!!  I especially like the comment about the M. Bane school of gunsmithing!  I have enjoyed all of his podcasts and learn so much from them!  I have the manual for the BM, and of course i did not read it....looking over it now, it does say, not to take the BM totally apart!  live and learn....but how else are we to maintain it, can't take it to a gun shop all the time!!! 

[asterix3]

I think i found the problem with the Buckmark re-assembly of spring unit.....when i took it apart, and the spring came flying out, i must have lost the Recoil Spring Guide Rod Retaining ring....part ref. no. 43 in the Browning gun part list....this little ring keeps the spring from "falling" out.....so if i get this part, than the problem will be fixed!!!!  There is a really nice schematic drawing in the Browning gun part pdf.....really amazing when you blow up the drawing at 400 percent....i did not know there was a retaining ring!!!!  Sandra.

[Badgersmilk]

I hope you have luck finding it.  If not, Midway usually has better prices, but Brownells will have it if not.

http://www.midwayusa.com/

http://www.brownells.com/  Brownells is always my absolute last resort.  I think theres only ever been one time I had to order from them because I counldn't find a part someplace else cheaper.  Midway is getting higher to.    Good luck with your hunt!