Buckmark failure to feed...looking for suggestions

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idek

New member
I've had a Browning Buckmark for about a year (I bought it new). It ate everything reliably for the first several months, but gradually I started having more issues with FTEs. I admittedly wasn't cleaning the gun as often as I probably should have, so I made a point to thoroughly clean and oil everything.

After that, it was ejecting fine, but then the next round wasn't getting picked up from the magazine. I just have two magazines at the moment, but the problem occurs regardless of which one I'm using.

If it matters, I've been shooting Winchester Wildcat ammo. I know it's cheap and I personally don't like it much, but it shot reliably in the gun in the past.

Any suggestions for fixing the feeding problems?
 
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stephen426

New member
Yeah... Make sure the magazine is ALL THE WAY IN. The base of the magazine is supposed to be flush with the frame. If that isn't the issue, then you have my apologies. I also went to the range a few times without cleaning my Buckmark and the feed ramp got a little crudded up. Get a Q-Tip and some Hoppes to clean the feed ramp.
 
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dahermit

New member
The slide is secured with two screws and two cup-shaped "star", lock-washers. If they (the star lock-washers), become compressed from over torquing, the slide will bind. That could be causing your problem. Check to see if the slide is binding.
 
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Poodleshooter

New member
Check RimfireCentral for help.
They've got a fairly extensive Buckmark troubleshooting section.
"Bolt overs" are usually a magazine insertion problem,but could also happen if the sight rail is loose and allows the bolt to ride slightly high.
 
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idek

New member
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try cleaning the feed ramp, check the bolts, and make sure the rail is on correctly.

I think I'm getting the magazine in securely. And I was double checking it when I started having problems.

One other thing I've noticed (and maybe it's always been this way) is that when I pull the slide back, there is a bit of a hitch after about 1" of movement, before it continues the rest of the way. Is this normal?
 
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ET.

New member
I'm away from home through the weekend so I can't grab my wife's buckmark & check for the hitch phenomenon, but I do know that those two lock washers that keep the sight rail screws snug get lost, left out or damaged on occasion when the guns are dismantled. Many people don't even know they are there because they stay in the hole sometimes when the gun is dismantled. I know, they did it with me the first time I took the gun apart. One of them fell out onto the floor and I was lucky to see it before I stepped on it or vacuumed it up. I had already put the gun up & had to go get it and figure out where the lock washer came from.

Sometimes learning under fire can cause problems. Of course not everybody operates with limited knowledge the way I do. I try to break things apart & reassemble them before I go to the instruction manual. It gets me in trouble sometimes. Sometimes I get lucky and catch my mistakes before they cause problems. I think it's a learning disability that I've had since childhood. I got hit in the head many times as a child.:eek: Bats, rocks, fists, trees, cars, etc., etc...
 
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207Copper

New member
BuckMark

+1 for RimfireCentral

I am a member there and they have a wealth of information on a bunch of guns.

I own the buckmark camper whisper. I have had a couple issues with ftf. I was shooting suppressed and it was ammo both times for me. good luck

Jason
 
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mikejonestkd

New member
I think Poodleshooter has covered the two possible causes- always make sure the mag is fully inserted and check the two sight base screws for tightness.

Let us know when you get it checked.
 
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geetarman

New member
I would recommend replacing the sight base with something more substantial made of aluminum. The issue of the lock washers getting lost and chewing up the plastic goes away.

There are a couple of manufacturers who make them. Google Midway Shooting Supplies. That is where I got mine for both my gun and then one my son has.

When that base is locked in place, it is not going anywhere.

Geetarman:D

Here is a link http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=790216
 
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idek

New member
Update:

I checked the rail. The washers are in place and seem to be in good shape. I cleaned up the feed ramp too.

I had just a little time to try shooting again. I loaded up a mag of Winchester Wildcats. I, of course, chambered the first round, and out of the remaining 9, only 4 fed correctly. Of the 5 errors, 4 were failures to eject, and 1 was a stovepipe.

Next I loaded up a mag of CCI Blazers. I burned through that mag without a hitch.

Then I did a mag of Remington Golden Bullets. 3 bullets failed to fire, but there were no cycling problems.

I'd have liked to do more testing with different ammo types, and maybe go through a couple more magazines of each type to get a better sense of what's going on, but something else came up and I had to cut the time short. Even so, early indications suggest ammo selection may be at the root of my problems.

Thanks again for the suggestions.
 
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scottl

New member
Your slide hitch after inch of movement from slide cocking the hammer back.

Only thing mine has had trouble with is cheap Thunderbolt's.It eats a steady diet of Federal Bulk.
 
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geetarman

New member
I do not remember the old Belgian Challengers being so difficult to pull the slide back.

If you fire the last round in the newer Buckmark and the slide does NOT lock back, you may pull the trigger thinking you mis-counted.

When you load the next magazine, pulling the slide back is much stiffer than when the hammer is cocked. It seems to me the shape of the slide does not help in the process. The sight base gets in the way of getting an overhand grip.

Browning could help the process a lot by adding a radius cut out at the rear of the slide on both sides that would add a little more area for one to grip the slide to pull it back.

I have seen slides with a small pin about .180 in diameter that is cut off and either spot welded or epoxied in place almost parallel to the slide serrations to give one that grip. It looks a little funny but it works.

The older you get, the more strength you lose in your grip.

I see the same problem racking the slide on all .40s to cock the hammer.

Don't see it on 9mm or .45.

Geetarman:D
 
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