S&W Model 41 vs Browning Buckmark Hunter

[Litespeeds]

I picked up a Browning Buckmark Hunter with a 7.25" bull barrel a few months ago and really enjoy shooting it. Has a nice 3 1/2 lb trigger pull. Nicely balanced and feels great in my hand. I put a cheap red dot on it right now to play around and it is a pretty accurate shooter if I do my part.

After doing more research on bullseye target guns, I keep seeing that the Smith and Wesson Model 41 is one of the top bullseye guns to get. These usually sell for around $1,000-$1,200 range and can be sold and shipped to CA.

I am just curious are these that much better and easier to shoot accurately than my Buckmark. I know ammo plays a very important part but like to hear from those who have handled and shot both. Basically is the Model 41 worth paying 3 times more than my Buckmark Hunter which I got with 4 magazines used with holster, soft case and 300 rounds of ammo?

[GM4spd]

Basically is the Model 41 worth paying 3 times more than my Buckmark Hunter which I got with 4 magazines used with holster, soft case and 300 rounds of ammo for $350?

For what you want/need probably not but the M41 will always be the more
refined target pistol. Every 41 I've owned had a 32oz or less trigger pull,
with no creep or over travel. Also,after reading other comments I have
not experienced failures after 100 rds like are being described here. I've
owned and shot many 41s since 1970 and never experienced failures
but they were cleaned after 500 rds. Always used quality standard velocity
Ammo.

[Musubi1000]

41s are pretty neat but expensive in today's market. When my buddy still had his we would switch between his 41 and my Browning Challenger Mk2 (predecessor to the buckmark). We both agreed that the triggers and accuracy were similar in our hands. We could both shoot the little steels at Oaktree with ease even out to the longest ranges on the steel gallery. That being said my newer buckmark has a stiffer trigger than my 30+yr old Challenger. I like the trigger in my buckmark. I love the triggers in the 41 and my Challenger.

[Bull Elk]

Buckmark

[tmh1]

This is Calguns after all, so you know that the proper answer to your question is that you need both!

I don't really know how to put it into words, but only after you have shot a Model 41 will you know how much you like it. It just feels and shoots right.

I've got nothing against the Buck Marks and the Rugers, but even though I can't wring the full accuracy out of my 41 (like anything else, these are only as accurate as the shooter...), I still do better with it than with my other 22 pistols when bulls-eye shooting.

During my monthly steel challenge matches, I regularly shoot my Buck Mark Plus. Seems like at my local matches there are almost as many Buck Marks shooting as there are Mk III or 22/45 Rugers in rimfire category.

However when you step things up a notch you will see the professional shooters with 41's all day long, with nary a Ruger or Buck Mark in sight. At least this is what I saw when I RO'd the Steel Challenge Worlds last year.

So for many there may not be a significant accuracy difference between many of the 22 pistols. But for the top shooters the 41 wins out.

[bwhited]

The 41 does shoot nicely but has to be kept spotlessly clean.
Think complete cleaning every 100 rounds.
If you shoot high volume, it might not be the one for you.

[1911Luvr]

However when you step things up a notch you will see the professional shooters with 41's all day long, with nary a Ruger or Buck Mark in sight. At least this is what I saw when I RO'd the Steel Challenge Worlds last year.

Are you talking about the Piru shoot? I see more 1911's with Bob Marvel conversions now than anything else, but I may have only noticed because I'm a 1911 guy.

[tmh1]

Are you talking about the Piru shoot? I see more 1911's with Bob Marvel conversions now than anything else, but I may have only noticed because I'm a 1911 guy.

Not Piru, but this:

http://www.worldspeedshoot.com/2015-wssc/

[Furncliff]

You need to shoot a 41. The balance is going to be different than your pistol and heavier (I think the 5.5in S&W 41 is 41 ounces).

Mine came from an out of the way gun shop in Colorado two years ago. $550

It had been put away for a long time and need a good bit of fiddling to get it working correctly. I like it, it fits my hand well, I'm accurate with it, but my daughter doesn't like the weight, she prefers her High Standard Supermatic. You need to consider the weight factor. From my experience and research the 41 seems to be optimized for Standard Velocity 40 grain lead. I've settled on CCI Stan Vel. this isn't a pistol that will shoot every brand and weight of .22 ammo.

[Duesenberg]

...However when you step things up a notch you will see the professional shooters with 41's all day long, with nary a Ruger or Buck Mark in sight. At least this is what I saw when I RO'd the Steel Challenge Worlds last year...

At the 2015 World Speed Shooting Championship at SLOSA, the rimfire event was dominated by Rugers and M1911 converts. Some sponsored shooters are obviously obliged to shoot whatever their sponsor produces (SIG's Max Michel isn't about to shoot a Ruger), but Ruger and the M1911s ruled overall. Here are the rimfire results. Go down the list. Just how many weren't shooting a Ruger, M1911 variant or a Browning:

https://practiscore.com/results/28f9cc0f-d292-474f-a5fd-917dd60d2c24/matchCombined

That's slowly changing to some degree here in CA as Browning Buck Marks are one of the few such pistols still on the roster. This is one of the few times the roster has really impacted me as I would love to try the new S&W Victory.

[bwhited]

I found that when shooting a 41 in Steel Challenge that it would not run the entire match. Normally could go a little over 100 rounds and then many malfunctions. So if I did a through cleaning after 4 stages, it may work. I did not want to do a complete cleaning during the match.
Switched to a Ruger and everything was good.

[Duesenberg]

I found that when shooting a 41 in Steel Challenge that it would not run the entire match. Normally could go a little over 100 rounds and then many malfunctions. So if I did a through cleaning after 4 stages, it may work. I did not want to do a complete cleaning during the match.
Switched to a Ruger and everything was good.

The Rugers and the Buck Marks rule because of reliability. You can't have a hiccup in SC or the stage (and often the match) is over. I would bet the S&W shooters will switch over to the new S&W Victory pistol if it turns out to be any good.

I do shoot an M41 in rimfire limited because I already own it and because I absolutely love the long site radius and the balance of the gun. You're right though, you have to keep it clean and even then there's mental stress that it's going to have an issue sometimes during the match.

[cudakidd]

My 41(s) run like a Porsche, fast, great ergonomics and no ammo hiccups in Steel Challenge matches.

And while I RO I see first hand the Buckmarks and Rugers jam.

Opinions are like bellybuttons here, but no one will say that a 41 is junk or that they are Sorry they bought one!

[Duesenberg]

My 41(s) run like a Porsche, fast, great ergonomics and no ammo hiccups in Steel Challenge matches.

And while I RO I see first hand the Buckmarks and Rugers jam.

Opinions are like bellybuttons here, but no one will say that a 41 is junk or that they are Sorry they bought one!

Like it or not, the Ruger MK series and the 22/45 plus the Buck Mark series are more reliable than the M41. Anyone who has spent some serious time around them knows this -- whether they RO or not.

No need to get so defensive. The M41 wasn't designed for action shooting. It was designed for bulls-eye where hiccups don't have nearly the impact on a match.

I just looked at the results for the 2015 Steel World Championship. I don't think anyone in the top 20 was shooting an M41. At the very most there was 1 or 2. Action rimfire shooting is dominated today my Rugers, M1911 variants and Brownings largely because they are more reliable.

[beerman]

Trying to compare a Buckmark to a 41 is like trying to compare a Corolla to a Lexus...they will both drive you to Vegas , but you'll feel a lot better when arrive in the Lexus....The 41 IS a Lexus