Recently, I rounded up some Browning Buck Mark accessories to breathe new life into a stock pistol. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, I just knew that a few accessories would make it a lot better. To keep it simple, I went with parts from a single manufacturer and made sure they were all easy to install at home. No special tools or skills required. And the total time to install them all was under an hour.
The Best Browning Buck Mark Accessories
Upgrading a Browning Buck Mark is easy. From the factory, they have a pretty good trigger. But the TandemKross GearBox is a drop-in part that improves weight and pull feel. Speaking of pull, racking the slide on the Buck Mark is a lot easier with a TandemKross halo, so I added one of those as well. And as much as I like the factory magazine release, my other Buck Mark has the Titan extended magazine release, so this one is getting one too.
The narrow base of the Buck Mark magazines makes them a little difficult to slam home with the heel of your hand, which is why I installed the Buck Pro extended base pads. And to future-proof this pistol, I added the Marksman Sight System. This combines upgraded fiber optic sights with an optic plate that fits a wide range of optics. With the low mounting point and slightly taller sights, they co-witness with popular optics. It’s an awesome system. I also got the Essential Maintenance Kit, but it turns out this Buck Mark is pretty much new, so I’m not swapping those parts yet.
First up, the GearBox Install
When it comes to installing my Browning Buck Mark accessories, I work from the inside out. This way I only have to take it apart once. That means the $29.99 TandemKross GearBox was first. Here’s a link to the TandemKross GearBox installation instructions. The short version is to start by making sure your pistol is unloaded. Rack the slide, and remove the two screws holding the sight base. Pull out the firing pin housing and recoil assembly, then lift the slide up and off. Insert an empty magazine so you can pull the trigger to drop the hammer.
Use a punch to remove the sear spring pin, then flip it over and the spring should fall out. Orient the GearBox and drop it into place. Replace the sear pin. I used a small screwdriver to release the captured leg of the spring, pushing it over and into place. If you watch a video on the “Heggis Flip”, you’ll see what a pain simply flipping that spring over can be. This yields predictable results without all the extra hassle. After carefully testing to make sure it was working correctly, I moved on to the magazine release.
Titan Extended Magazine Release Install
Another easy task, I chose to install the Titan Extended Magazine Release for Browning Buck Mark next. Long name, short installation process. Remove the right grip, and just behind the trigger is the flat magazine release spring. Lift the spring up and remove the complete one-piece OEM magazine release. Install the internal portion of the Titan in its place, with the magazine release spring on top. Then reinstall the grip panel.
Flip your Browning Buck Mark over, and you’ll see the threaded post for the Titan where the old button was. Choose from the circular or oval button. For this one, I went with the oval. It was just a matter of threading the included screw through the button and onto the post with the included wrench. They are available in black or silver for $29.99 and red for $34.99. Since this pistol is stainless with dark wood grips, the silver provides some nice contrast.
Marksman Sight System Install
At $114.99, the Marksman Sight System for Browning Buck Mark is the most expensive upgrade. And it’s another long name. But everyone who has shot my other Buck Mark agrees that it’s absolutely worth it. The fiber optic sights make for fast acquisition. It’s also compatible with more than 16 different red dots, both in mounting pattern and the ability to co-witness. Since my factory Picatinny rail had already been removed, this was a simple install. Using the included hardware, I just carefully screwed it down in place of the OEM base.
One final step of the Marksman Sight System install was to swap out the front sight. Though they look similar, the Marksman’s sight is slightly taller. And it was another easy swap, since it’s just a single screw. Off with the old, on with the new. While TandemKross includes a spare orange light pipe, I prefer the green front for better visibility as well as contrast. While the front sight is obviously fixed, you can see in the above photo that the rear is fully adjustable for windage and elevation.
halo Charging Ring install
Pinching the slide of the Buck Mark to rack the slide isn’t too difficult. But it’s much improved with the halo Charging Ring. Of all the Browning Buck Mark accessories, this is the only one I feel is required. If you don’t want to mess with the internals of your pistol, that’s fine. But the halo makes us all equals. Young or old, weak or strong, wet or dry hands, anyone can rack the slide using the halo. And installation requires nothing more than twisting the included Allen wrench. They’ve added a second option for the slide with the extra little “wings” too.
The halo slides on from the top of the slide. Position it so that it’s about even with the top of the slide, and then alternate tightening the two screws a bit at a time. No need to get gorilla tight, just snug them both down. The goal here is to go slow and evenly, it’s not going to suddenly slide off, thanks to the grooves in the slide.
Buck PRO Extended Magazine Bumper Install
Browning Buck Mark magazines are some of the best rimfire magazines I have used. They’re thicker than most, and feel a lot more durable. Out of the box, they seem to run smoother too. But they can benefit from a wider base for quick reloads. So I add a TandemKross Buck PRO Extended Magazine Bumper to all my Buck Mark magazines. This may be the least required of all Browning Buck Mark accessories, but it’s a good one. They’re currently $24.99 for a pair.
Another quick and easy install, just follow the TandemKross Buck Pro Basedpad installation instructions. Basically, you place the nut in a holder, and put that in the retaining clip. Both go into the basepad. Tighten the from the bottom until the threads just start to catch. Then slide it onto the magazine from the rear. Install the magazine in the pistol to center the basepad, and tighten it down. No glue, to permanent modifications. Just a bigger basepad that makes seating magazines fast and effortless.
Essential Maintenance Kit Install
Although I haven’t swapped the parts for this pistol yet, the TandemKross Essential Maintenance Kit for Browning Buck Mark is exactly as it sounds. It’s got a Fire Starter titanium firing pin, Eagle’s Talon extractor, plus the extractor spring and plunger. If your pistol is older and showing some wear, this kit upgrades your ignition and extraction parts. I used them on a previous project, my Browning Buck Mark Mild Makeover. That link covers the installation.
If nothing else, these are great parts to have on hand. Odds are pretty good that some of the original parts get lost or misplaced during routine maintenance. So they’re not just replacements for worn-out parts. Where I usually have multiple copies of different pistols, I prefer to keep spares for them. Gotta keep that fleet running…
The Sum of the Parts
With these Browning Buck Mark accessories installed, every function of the pistol has been improved. Bump a magazine into the well, rack the slide, aim, and shoot. Trigger pull is a little lighter, with a better feel, improving accuracy. The three dot fiber optics are quick to acquire. And it will be even better with the addition of a small reflex sight. Hit that magazine release, reload, and repeat. There’s no question that out of the box, a Browning Buck Mark is a good pistol. But these accessories make that good gun great. Which is what TandemKross is all about.
As always, I’d like to thank TandemKross for providing their parts for my projects. On their site, you’ll find more Browning Buck Mark accessories, along with plenty of other replacement and performance parts for rimfire and centerfire firearms.
Looking to get your own Browning Buck Mark? MidwayUSA carries over a dozen different models!