I’m just thinking out loud here, but if it only jams on the last two rounds in the magazine, I’m suspect of the magazine springs. Maybe they have become week over the last 14 years and don’t have enough tension to adequately and promptly raise the last two rounds in the magazine before the rounds are pushed forward by the bolt. At the very least, It would be an inexpensive place to start. And as always, a thorough disassembly, cleaning and lube of the firearm and the magazines. It’s ambiguous in your post if you disassembled or not and I’d recommend a lube designed for firearms over WD-40 (Slip 2000, Frog Lube, CLP, etc) and Hornady One Shot for the magazines.

To answer some of your questions.

I see the wear on the feed ramp/chamber you’re taking about, but I wouldn’t call it excessive.

I don’t know if all .22 L.R. Ammo has ridges, but the two varieties I have on hand do, CCI Standard Velocity and 40 gr Target MiniMags.

 

I have thought about that too. Before cleaning, they felt gritty moving the Magazine Follower up and down the magazine. After a good cleaning and lubing, they moved very easy. Again, I need to get to the range to test.

But I am wondering about the wear on the feed ramp and the barrel. That just doesn't seem right to me. Almost like the parts did not get hardened at manufacturing. That is why I am asking the question of others. Do other Buckmarks have this wear after so few rounds, and can they be smoothed out? Maybe I need to replace.

 

Your first picture shows the front sight base screw coming out. That may be your problem.

PS check your grip screws. They also need to be tight.

 

Your first picture shows the front sight base screw coming out. That may be your problem,

That picture is NOT MY GUN as mentioned. Just a picture for reference as to what it does.

 

1. Clean your mags but DON'T lubricate them.
2. DON'T use WD40 as a lubricant....because it isn't.
3. Disassemble to clean. DON'T just hose it down with Gun Scrubber then spray it with a CLP.
4. Clean the CHAMBER really well.
Feed Ramp and Breech Face look good to me.

 

I knew I shouldn't have mentioned WD40. Thanks.

 

OK, well I agree the feed ramp looks gouged. Mine does not have that central groove. You may also have a magazine problem. The scratches on the cases look like they come from the magazine lips. I would not open them up as you said you did. I would try closing the down.

 

Thanks.

 

I do not have a Buckmark for reference, but here is the chamber of my Ruger Mk2. I’m not sure how many rounds this pistol has seen because I bought it used, but it’s a 1982 model year, so let’s assume at least 1000 rounds. I’ve got more wear on my breechface, and less on the feed ramp, but I still don’t think yours is atypical.

 

Wow on your feed ramp. Can't tell if it was manufactured that way or wore that much. Hope it was manufactured that way.

 

Please read this thread. Might also be the problem

New Buck Mark loading issue | Rimfire Central Firearm Forum

 

I had read that thread, but I went through it again. I did find a nugget of information this time. Thanks.

 

Sometimes debris can build up on the inside front of the magazine causing bullet tips to drag because the mag spring isn’t strong enough to overcome it fast enough. You would think this would cause the bullet noses to be down I know but when I use solvent and a q- tip to clean the inside front of the mag well it has cured it for me in the past. Just something to try if you haven’t already. Goodluck

 

Sometimes debris can build up on the inside front of the magazine causing bullet tips to drag because the mag spring isn’t strong enough to overcome it fast enough. You would think this would cause the bullet noses to be down I know but when I use solvent and a q- tip to clean the inside front of the mag well it has cured it for me in the past. Just something to try if you haven’t already. Goodluck

Yup, I cleaned the magazine well. Thanks.

 

Your barrel ramp is normal for a Buck Mark barrel and the chamber has adequate chamfer. The groove is not from wear, typically most ammo barely touches the ramp. All of the barrels in this photo have fired many, many rounds on several different frames and feed just fine. I do not know why ATI puts the 'groove' in the ramp, it certainly isn't to guide the bullet into the chamber. !!! DO NOT BLEND THE EDGE OF THE CHAMBER DOWN TO THE FACE OF THE RAMP !!! Like a 1911, the Buck Mark needs the step between the ramp and the chamber to cause the round to 'bump' up into the chamber horizontally. Too much chamfer can leave the case unsupported causing case blowouts.

The rounds in your photo appear to show they have been gouged by the bottom edge of the extractor which will prevent the round from sliding up under the extractor causing the feed jam illustrated in the first photo. The photo of your breach face has the bottom edge of the extractor in shadow, but it looks like the bottom edge is very square, it should look like the extractor in this photo.

Take the slide off your Buck Mark and slide a live round up under the extractor while noting how much force is required and where the extractor touches the case. There should only be enough tension between the extractor and the case to hold a loaded round in place with the slide held horizontally. The extractor claw edge should touch the case just ahead of the rim. The extractor should pivot in and out with only moderate resistance. You should be able to move it easily with your fingertip.

Nolan

 

Excellent information - just what I was looking for. I will check my extractor. Thank you.

 

The only time my 1989 Buckmark had feed malfunctions was when the recoil buffer broke. Might check that out.

 

I don't see the "recoil buffer" listed in the parts list. Can you identify it in the picture?

 

Part number 4. It's a little kind of plastic or polymer piece. Like $4 I think on numrich but there are two different kinds apparently.

Mine used the black one Type 1

Browning Buckmark & Challenger III Buffer Type 1

Check out the deal on Browning Buckmark & Challenger III Buffer Type 1 at MGW

www.midwestgunworks.com

I believe this is type 2. And it's for newer year models

Browning Buckmark & Rifle Buffer (00)

Check out the deal on Browning Buckmark & Rifle Buffer (00) at MGW

www.midwestgunworks.com

Here is the part listed on Numrich

Buffer, New Style, New Factory Original

BROWNING BUCKMARK RIFLE Buffer, New Style, New Factory Original

www.gunpartscorp.com

I am not sure if they are interchangeable. I would think so. But you never know.

 

Thank you. I will check mine.

 

My Buckmark started doing that around 100 rounds in as well. I thought it was mags, maybe dirty chamber...ended up tearing it down and taking the recoil spring and slide off. Absolutely filthy, gunked up, ick. Cleaned all that out, reassembled it, lubed it, and it's run ever since without a hitch.

I think it needs a certain minimum velocity to "pop" the round out of the magazine before it has a chance to tip up. I assume that it did it on the last 1 or 2 rounds because the prior rounds were getting that extra little bit of oomph from the mag spring and when it was mostly decompressed it just wasn't enough to compensate for the slow slide.

I could also just be inventing an imaginary explanation that has nothing to do with the actual problem...but it seems to keep working out so I'm gonna keep on thinking it.

 

My Buckmark started doing that around 100 rounds in as well. I thought it was mags, maybe dirty chamber...ended up tearing it down and taking the recoil spring and slide off. Absolutely filthy, gunked up, ick. Cleaned all that out, reassembled it, lubed it, and it's run ever since without a hitch.

I think it needs a certain minimum velocity to "pop" the round out of the magazine before it has a chance to tip up. I assume that it did it on the last 1 or 2 rounds because the prior rounds were getting that extra little bit of oomph from the mag spring and when it was mostly decompressed it just wasn't enough to compensate for the slow slide.

I could also just be inventing an imaginary explanation that has nothing to do with the actual problem...but it seems to keep working out so I'm gonna keep on thinking it.

I have been thinking cleaning might have been an issue also. I read through the forums and there seem to be people who hardly clean the gun at all, and others that tear down to clean; and both have guns that work fine. I clean the barrel and the feed area; and add a little lubrication after every time I use it. Just what I was taught growing up. With these problems I have been having, I noticed a lot of "ick" also. Not having issues with any of my other caliber guns, I think the dirty .22lr ammo along with the lubrication may be the problem. See the picture. I have read some people in the forums using a dry lubricant; maybe that would reduce or prevent this.

I think the gunk along with more "oomph" would eliminate the issue. I do use 1070 fps ammo already. Thinking it is the gunk along with the Federal bulk dirty ammo and the lubrication.

Thanks for your thoughts. I have to get to the range and get this tested again.

 

With it only happening on the last 2 rounds I would think Mag Spring. Tandemkross makes a heavier spring for the Buckmark and Mark guns. Might be a easy thing to try.

 

With it only happening on the last 2 rounds I would think Mag Spring. Tandemkross makes a heavier spring for the Buckmark and Mark guns. Might be a easy thing to try.

Thanks.

 

I always polish that little sharp edge off the bottom of the chamber, above the ramp. I've never had a ruptured case, and its eliminated the cartridge damage seen in the pics earlier on in this thread. I've done it on my ruger 5.7, ruger lcp max .380, 10/22's, and my sig p322. Oddly, the only gun I've ever had a ruptured case is my sig P365 and i did not touch that gun because its never had issue with feeding.

 

Thanks.

 

So what turned out to be the problem with your Buckmark?

 

So what turned out to be the problem with your Buckmark?

Thanks for reminding me. I kept forgetting to update this thread.

I made it to the range and shot 60 of Federal Bulk ammo. It is the 36 grain with a muzzle velocity rated at 1260 fps. This is what I was shooting when I had all the problems. I shot 60 total rounds in 2 magazines. I ran only 5 bullets at a time in the magazines, as that is when the problems would happen. I had ONE 45 degree jam.

So this is what I did that I believe fixed it:

1. A Good Cleaning: I had been taught to clean and oil a gun after every use. I believe I lubricated the gun too much and that lubrication mixed with the residue from the ammo to create a sticky, almost gummy, mess (see the picture I had posted above). It had accumulated where the RECOIL SPRING GUIDE ROD goes into the slide. It slowed the slide down just enough so it could not push the bullet into the barrel. That is when I took WD40 using the pressurized spray to CLEAN that area and get rid of the oily gunk. Then I VERY lightly oiled the slide rails. I think this gun would do better with a dry lubricant, or maybe something like MILITEC. And then not cleaning and lubricating too often.

2. Magazine Cleaning: When I pulled down on the magazine button, there was a gritty feeling. I CLEANED with WD40 to get the oil out and then cleaned the slot with Hoppes No. 9 and foam swabs. Again, I VERY lightly oiled slot.

So the combination of #1 and #2 above, I believe fixed the 45 jam on the last or second to last bullet in a magazine.


My opinion: I have read where people talk about Browning and the quality. It's why I bought this gun. But I have never seen a gun where when you take the grips off, 3 parts fall off the gun! This gun is going to get traded in on some other .22lr. Not sure what yet.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my thread. It really helped me to learn about this gun and figure out what was causing the problem. Great group of people.

 

I know guns are no different than anything else like Baskin Robbins everyone likes a different flavor. For myself I will never understand people's love affair with the Marlin model 60 (I own two of them) LOL.

With that said I have owned my Buckmark for over thirty years and it's reliable and accurate. Light trigger pull. Etc. I only took the grips off once to replace the slide lever one time. Other than that you just take off the two top screws spray the slide and spring with a good aerosol cleaner. Hoppes makes one. You can also take the barrel off if you want and give it a good scrubbing from the bore with Hoppes #9 and a bore brush or leave it on and use a bore snake. Plus use a nylon brush on other gunk like the feed ramp. Then run a super light coat of Hoppe's gun oil on a patch thru the barrel. Then some dry patches. Then very carefully super lightly oil the mating parts and spring. Like barely get a barrel patch wet and then rub a very light film of oil. Put it back together.

I really think the problem is all the WD-40 and oil you've been spraying into it over time getting into all the moving parts and leaking down into the trigger and behind the grips collecting dirt and grime. You will have the same issues with any future pistol. Good luck

 

Thanks.

 

I bought a eagle claw extracter from tandem cross very sharp. It would grip the bullet and make it jam at 45% . Maybe I could have polish it. But put the Browning back in and had no problem. I am not knocking tandem cross they make good quality equipment. Sometimes change doesn't work.

 

My Buck Mark does this ,it was really bad until it was pointed out the buffer issue I was unaware of. Mine has factory polished feed ramp .

My thread below describes it, mine has very little round count 300-500 tops and was not dirty at all inside but the buffer had came apart .

After detail cleaning with CLP , new rubber buffer .The new ones are flexible. I ran 30 rounds ,fourth mag second round Jammed just like OP in this thread.

Cleared it and fired nine more no issue.
CCI SV moly coated Target

I'm wondering if the guide rod and spring guide play a roll in this. I plan to get a new spring guide and Striplin Gunworks one piece guide rod. See if it makes a difference.

I'm not sure if a tiny amount of silicone lube inside the channel of sight bracket where the guide rubs may help. It's plastic rubbing the coated aluminum .