LBP REVIEW: BUCKMARK PISTOL CONVERSION

Created on 14th May 2009

TIM FINLEY gets to grips with the converted Buckmark long-barreled pistol

SINCE THE UK pistol ban, which has only made a difference to the level of gun crime by increasing it, pistol shooting has - somewhat predictably - hit a bit of a lull. Now however, there is a massive resurgence in pistol shooting, although with slightly different types of pistol. We have to abide by the new laws with overall pistol lengths of 600mm+ and 300mm+ barrel lengths, but it is still possible to own and shoot pistols legally in this country. I have had a rimfire .22LR Buckmark rifle for years, and being based on a semi auto-pistol action it works faultlessly. The 10-round stick-magazine is easy to load and the trigger operation is far better than the standard Ruger 10/22. The only downside to the Buckmark rifle is the lack of barrel and stock options and accessories, which is a small price to pay for such a reliable action. South Yorkshire Shooting Supplies (SYSS) was a Mecca for pistol shooters before the ban, being well known for Glocks among other makes. It has been selling Buckmark rimfire rifles for a while and now also modifies the rifle back to a long-barreled pistol specification. Alan Westlake was the pioneer of the same system some years ago.

My interest in this type of firearm was rekindled after handling a modified Buckmark long-barreled pistol (LBP) at SYSS, and seeing how neat they looked and just how well-balanced they actually were. Testing one at the range confirmed the accuracy and the pure shootability of the LBP Buckmark. I toyed with the idea of getting my modified Buckmark rifle converted back to an LBP but Dave Wylde at SYSS, the man who does the conversions of the new Buck rifles to LBPs, would not hear of it. My rifle had a hydrographics carbon-fibre dipped finish on the cropped and threaded 12" barrel (the long steel threaded bar holding the butt on is fixed to the frame, keeping it legal); a raised cheek piece with a piece of rosewood; a beautiful deepened walnut forend by renowned stock maker Paul Wilson and an adjustable butt-pad and sling swivels. I spent a lot of money on the rifle, modifying it into an excellent semi-automatic gun. Dave liked it so much we decided on a swap: he would make me a new Buckmark LBP in exchange for my unique, tricked-out Bucky. It was nice to know that my gun was going to a good home. He had a plan to use it on the advancing-man target competition at Bisley. The plan worked and he won the A class advancing-man with my old rifle.

SYSS has made a name for itself with the Buckmark LBPs. I have seen many of the pistols before they are shipped out to customers and the standard of work is really high. The process of modification was vetted by the local police force's firearms section, to ensure that at no time the machining turns the Buckmark into an illegal pistol. This involves set processes completed in a set order. To turn the Buckmark pistol into a rifle, Browning has extended the cast frame from both the very bottom of the grip at the magazine aperture, and at the top of the frame right underneath the action-slide.

These extensions are an integral part of the frame casting and meet to form a section where the wooden butt is held onto the frame by a threaded steel rod screwed into the end of the metal casting, with the two frame extensions making a very large thumbhole. The conversion process begins with fitting the bottom extension arm - a stainless steel rod some 170mm long - to the rear butt. This is all done before the top and bottom arm of the rear stock is parted from the rear frame of the pistol to remove the butt section completely, keeping it legal at all times during the conversion process. The barrel is left at its original length throughout this initial process. A bit of fine hand-filing work is required to ensure an aesthetically pleasing rear frame section at the areas where the butt extensions have been cut off. These are then polished. A small brass weight or end-cap made from a 20mm bar is fixed to the 6mm diameter stainless steel rod to improve the balance, as well as making it safer for the shooter. A bare end to the rod could cause a lot of damage if the shooter fell on it, as well as looking a bit odd.

The standard 458mm long Buckmark barrel is then shortened to 300mm and, in the case of the normal tapered barrel, it is normally threaded ½" UNF and a pepper-pot muzzle-brake made to match the diameter of the end of the reduced and crowned barrel. This option can be specified by the customer, or indeed not done at all if they don't want it (although so far everyone has).

SYSS also has the heavy bull target barreled version of the Buckmark rifle available to convert to an LBP. Some have been left with a plain end to the barrel and they do look good. Some discerning customers specify the angle they want the rear rod at, so it acts as an arm brace, as well as stainless steel rear weights instead of standard brass ones. Stippling to the wooden grips and even the frame can be done, though at extra cost, as it is a very time consuming process. SYSS also offers an enlarged magazine release button in brass or steel as an extra. In addition, it has sourced the only rubber grips available for the Buckmark frame, which replace the flat wooden grips and make a real difference to the handling. The bull barrel match version has laminated wood grips which do look better than the standard ones on the tapered sporter barrel rifle. The chaps turn out a very nice pistol indeed.

When the deal was done I picked up my pistol with its shortened, tapered, threaded barrel; enlarged brass magazine-release button and rubber grips. It was well balanced and I fitted it with a Barska reflex sight.

SYSS has not gone down the route of some Buckmark converters in modifying the shortened barrel to take a foresight, which can then be used with open sights. Open sights are fine for ISSF-style precision shooting, such as Standard Pistol (albeit, modified to comply with UK legislation). For my preferred ‘action' style shooting a reflex red dot sight suits me best. The Buckmark has a superb 145mm long Weaver rail on top of the action, making scope or red dot sight easy to fit. SYSS removes the rear notch sight, which leaves a small dovetail in the top of the barrel. The front post sight is scrapped with the forward portion of the shortened barrel. I fitted my own Webley pepper-pot style muzzle-brake. Dave Wylde threaded the barrel ½" UNF; the brake is 19.5mm in diameter and matches the diameter of the reduced tapered barrel perfectly. For added stability I also fitted some Browning black rubber grips to the pistol, again from SYSS.

At the range, the pistol shot as I had expected and I'll fine-tune my choice of ammo to get the best out of it. The extension arm at the rear does balance out the heaviness of the front quite well. I found that a two-handed grip gave me the best results. You really do need the extended magazine release to make best use of the pistol; Dave fitted his brass round-domed version to mine. They have also sourced a black alloy version, custom made for a Colt semi-automatic pistol, which fitted the Buckmark perfectly; Dave fitted one to my old rifle first to see if it worked. I would also go for a muzzle-brake too, just to tame the recoil.

I have always been an avid pistol shooter, having been a member of a small-bore pistol club way, way before the ban. It was great to finally own a pistol I had spent so much time shooting in my youth. SYSS has spare magazines available; in fact it was the only shop able to get me four spare magazines back when I first got my rifle - even the authorised importers had none.

SYSS sells the unmodified Sporter rifle for £465 and the bull-barrel match version for £500. The LBP Buckmarks start at £595, depending upon the customer's requirements; muzzle-brakes are around £60 and extended magazine releases £35.

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