Buck Mark Recoil spring assembly replacement

I ordered a replacement recoil spring assembly (rod, spring, plastic block with firing pin). Installed it tonight. Pretty easy installation. The recoil rod is straight and on top of the chamber. Slide seems to work smoother and easier.

Model 17-4

Gun show "find" model 17-4, with a date of manufacture between 1977-1982. 150 rounds at the range were a touch disappointing. I had trouble getting the sights aligned. Oh, well, just have to do some more shooting.

Straw Purchases

Helped at a charity booth at the Richmond gun show today. Couple of older guys, on definitely a Mediterranean alien said he had forgotten all his papers. They questioned how they could buy forgotten papers a handgun. We explained that buying a gun like that was a straw purchase and very frowned on. Private sales between individuals were legal. A while later both gentlemen were talking to a state trooper and agreeing o meet him at the Parham Road station. A while later, a State trooper escorted two young men out of the show, directed one to meet him at Parham Road and took put the other in the car. Both State Troopers had copies of NICS check forms with them when doing that.

Buck Mark Jamming Problem

Probably caused by the bent recoil spring guide rod. I did nothing to bend it other than remove the slide for cleaning. I guess you are not supposed to dothat. Another assembly ordered from Browning. My love of the Buck Mark is decreasing

Challenger III

Bought this one a while back. PITA to remove the slide because the spring is 1.5" longer than the guide rod and slide recess. Wants to bend the spring when I put it back together. Looks a great deal like the BM Standard. Don't get as good groups as I do with the standard. Not sure why. Mag was lousy but I bought a new one.

Buck Mark Quality?

The Buck Mark Standard has been giving me some problems with feeding, ejecting standard velocity rounds. I thought it had something to do with chamber fouling. I also had a couple of firing out of battery experiences with rounds looking like the one on the right









Got to looking at the pistol and then looked at a couple at the gun show and realized that the return spring guide rod was bent. I think it has been that way or getting slowly worse since I had the pistol. Apparently, one shouldn't ever remove the slide when cleaning the pistol. I may have bent the rod removing the slide or replacing the slide. However, I think I've been darned careful about removing and replacing the spring and rod.





I'm not sure I'm as thrilled as I was about Buck Mark quality.