March 01, 2019
By J. Scott Rupp
No other gun company has a logo as iconic as Browning’s Buckmark. You see the stylized deer head on trucks, clothing, even body parts. And while the firm’s Buck Mark pistol may not be quite as famous, it has a lot of fans—no surprise for a .22 pistol that’s been in production since 1985.
Over those three decades, the Buck Mark has grown into an extensive series, currently numbering 22 models. The moniker for the subject of this review, Buck Mark Plus Camper UFX Suppressor Ready, is a mouthful, so let’s break it down. The Buck Mark is an alloy-frame, direct-blowback pistol. As a Camper, it features a six-inch tapered bull barrel, and Plus indicates it comes with upgraded sights—a white-outline adjustable Pro Target rear and a TruGlo/Marble Arms green fiber-optic front—and a Picatinny rail. UFX stands for Ultragrip FX, which are ambidextrous black polymer grip panels with a slightly tacky overmold. Suppressor ready is self-explanatory, and it’s threaded 1/2x28.
The gun has a manual thumb safety and a mag disconnect. The aggressive slide serrations should really shine if you’re wearing gloves. It is all black, set off nicely with a shiny gold trigger. The backstrap and frontstrap are smooth, and the Buckmark logo is etched into both sides of the frame’s heel.
The magazine release is a button behind the trigger guard. The pistol features a manual thumb safety, as well as a magazine disconnect. The thumb safety has a relatively long travel, and while it goes off without much fuss, I’m not able to move it upward to Safe while maintaining a firing grip.
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The UFX grips are synthetic with a slightly tacky overmold, and they feature shallow grooves to help them conform to your hand. The result is a gun that’s super easy to control. My thumb just reaches the slide-lock lever from a firing grip, but that’s not a big deal since I prefer to work the slide manually. The slide works easily, and, frankly, I think the serrations are a little more aggressive than they need to be—although in cold weather I’m sure they work great with gloves.
The Picatinny rail is held in place with two hex-head screws, and the rear sight, which also is stamped with the Buckmark logo, is pinned to it. Windage and elevation adjustments are made via a pair of slotted adjustment screws.
The front sight is screwed into the barrel with a single hex-head, and the fiber-optic rod sits atop a tall blade. I do not have a suppressor, but I would expect you’d be able to see the sights over most of the slim rimfire cans and certainly the eccentric models.
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The barrel is threaded 1/2x28; the thread protector on Rupp’s sample tended to work loose. The iron sights are excellent, and the attached Picatinny rail allows easy optics mounting. The relationship between the front sight and the rear sight allows for a decent amount of precision because you won’t see a ton of light on either side of the front blade when viewed through the rear, and the combination of the white outline on the rear and the fiber-optic front means you’ll be able to get a sight picture in low light.
While the sights are good, when I shoot something with a Pic rail, I put a sight on it. In this case I used an Aimpoint Micro H1, which was a great pairing for the Buck Mark, both for accuracy testing and plinking.
Shooting the pistol was a real joy. The slightly grabby UFX panels have side grooves that fit my hand well and kept the pistol well anchored. Yes, it’s “only” a .22, but I want any handgun to stay right where it is when I’m shooting.
The trigger is decent, breaking fairly cleanly at about four pounds. There’s a hint of slack on the take-up and just a wee bit of creep. It wasn’t hard to shoot good 25-yard groups, as the accompanying accuracy chart shows. CCI’s standard velocity load turned in not just the best average but also the best group: a 0.5-incher.
In a couple hundred rounds I had one failure to feed, when a round porpoised into the top of the chamber face, and several instances of light or no primer strikes. I can’t say whether the latter is a new-pistol situation (lack of break-in), ammo compatibility or something else.
Notes: Accuracy results are averages of four five-shot groups at 25 yards from an MTM Case-Gard pistol rest. Velocities are averages of 20 shots recorded 12 feet in front of the muzzle with a Pro Chrono chronograph. Abbreviation: HP, hollowpoint My only other problem was that the thread protector continually worked loose, although I never tightened it Superman-level force. But the purpose here is to hang a can on it, so depending on how you plan to use the gun the thread protector issue may or may not matter.
All in all, I really liked this pistol. It would indeed make a fine camping .22, as the name implies, or a nice small game gun thanks to its accuracy. I’d want to figure out the reliability problems I experienced if I wanted to use it for action competition, but it would be good for that, too. As a plinker, it would excel.
BROWNING BUCK MARK PLUS CAMPER UFX SUPPRESSOR READY browning.com
