How to turn a $320 gun into an $850 gun that’s worth $500

First you start with a pretty simple pistol. I chose a browning buckmark.




Then you add the following:

Tandemkross “Victory” flat faced trigger
Tandemkross “Halo” charging handle
Striplin Custom Gun Works 1911 Grip Adapters
Hogue Zombie green 1911 grips and screws
Bushnell TRS-25 dot sight
Tactical Solutions Trail-lite fluted and threaded 5.5” barrel
Tactical Solutions Pac-lite compensator

Once you’ve done all that, you have a pistol you’ve invested over $800 in that you’ll never get back out of it, but will have for a very long time.





Now that all the self deprecating fun is over with. This will be my rimfire steel match pistol. Hopefully I’ll shoot my first match in April if I can make it. If not, it’ll be May. North Texas Multi Gun does a steel match once a month I’m Cresson and they have a rimfire division. I’ve shot this pistol a bunch the last couple months, but haven’t gotten to put a single round through it since I added the aftermarket parts. Hopefully it makes its range debut tomorrow so I can do some ammo testing with the TacSol barrel.

I’m going to get some of parts cerakoted in neon green and add some zombie style graphics somehow to it. Figured I’d make it as outrageous as possible. I’ll drop parts off for cerakote this week. And I’ll post that final photo once I get them back.

I've done, and continue to do, similar tricks with some of my firearms. I figure I might just as well trick out the gun the way I want it to be. It's harmless but expensive fun!!

I love it....looking forward to the range report...

That pistol is just downright sexy. Like you, have done the same knowing you'll never recoup the funds if you sell. Who cares. We're having fun by golly.

Look forward to a range report.

I will give you $350 for it. Provided you don't put zombie stuff anywhere near it.

Yep. Some guns don’t need to be an investment. This was already my most fun gun to shoot, and now I’ll smile even more when I pull the trigger.

I’m still not sure what kind of graphics. I thought about green cerakote on the charging handle and barrel, and just some green lettering somewhere that says “zombuck”

How to turn a $320 gun into an $850 gun that’s worth $500
Ain't it the truth? One of my 6.8 SPC rifles I originally built in 2010 is on it's fourth or fifth "upgrade". I originally had about $800 in the build and I don't even want to figure out what I have in it now. But, I don't plan on selling it, it's set up like I want, (for now), and when I finally check out it will probably go to my grandson anyway. Life is way too short to not enjoy and have a few things you really don't need. Enjoy the Zombie Killer.

I need a TacSol barrel for my Buckmark

It’s much much lighter than the factory barrel. At least mine was. I like it, but some people like a front heavy gun. So keep that in mind.

That is a badass little pistol. Nice work Sir

Thanks. Getting it cerakoted the way I wanted was ALOT more than I expected, so paint is currently drying. I’ll post pics in a couple days when it’s done.

Very simple - Take a $200 handgun and smuggle it into Canada. It has now become an honest to God $2,000 handgun on the streets of Toronto or Vancouver. Same for the ammo 1000% markup.

Oh and OP - nice work.

HEY !!!! TFF


I'm the best at doing this !!!!

Couple more hundred you coulda bought a Volquartsen Scorpion, maybe even break even when you sell it.......maybe not

I love those scorpions. But equipped like mine you’re talking close to an extra $800-1000. But if you have it to spend, maybe worth it. Those are so sick.

She shot like a dream, honest unsupported 1/2” 5 shoot groups at 10 yards. 10 and 15 round groups I could cover with a quarter. I shot 20 rounds from a rest and it shot 10 shot 1/4-1/2” groups at 10 yards. That was with cci standard velocity. I couldn’t be happier. Except that I hate the paint job I did. I wanted to save some money and try to paint it myself before I paid to have it cerakoted. I’ve had good luck painting guns in the past, but a lot of these parts are anodized or some other finish that makes them really slick. Paint doesn’t want to stick to it. So I’m going to send the parts to scalpel arms to get cerakoted.

Good project

That's great TFF

I may have to put a Buckmark on my short list since I sold my tricked up Ruger Mark III.

Great thread title.

I own guns for the fun and enjoyment of it. I rarely consider investment value. They are all shooters. Your project is very cool.

Yes you do. I’ve shot a number of rugers, and I prefer everything about the buckmark. Ruger makes a dang fine .22 pistol. They run great. I just really like the buckmark. I loved it even before I tricked it out.

At least you realize that your modifications don't add a ton of value to the gun. I can't begin to count the number of times I have seen someone send a Glock to a guy that takes a soldering iron to the grip and they think their $450 gun is now worth $800 because it is customized.

Value of custom work is subjective. I could take all the after market parts off, put the factory parts back on and price it out for closeish to what I paid probably, but i won’t. Most guns I buy end up getting sold, this one won’t. Unless I find a smoking deal on a scorpion or something. I really love it and shoot it so well.

Say fool... How did the paint job come out That sounds like one hell of a shooter man.

Ehh. It’s not what I wanted. I’ve got emails in to a couple of other shops to see if I can get it done for less. The parts have pretty slick surfaces and the paint didn’t lay down quite like I wanted.

I was just curious how it turned out man. That sucks you have to redo it.

It’s not awful, but this is kind of a upper end build as far as 22 pistols go, and I want it to be super sick.

You going to cerekote it?

Yeah. I’ve got a message in to scalpel arms. I want compensator, charging handle, mag release, slide release, and magazine base pads done in zombie green then I want the rest of the gun done in flat black with thenflutes on the barrel in zombie green.

Just do it. I have an outstanding order with midway to upgrade the AR. KRoyal is fixing a pistol and it is just money.

Ive got a scope and mount for sale right now to fund the cerakote job and hopefully a Burris fastfire 3

Due to the safe purchase last week and the midway list I am being nice and staying out of the classifieds.

Lol. I sell more than I buy. Mostly because the items I want to buy are never in the classifieds so I have to buy elsewhere.

What safe did you get?

That 40 gun cannon at TSC. Not what I wanted but it will work. $650 said buy it.

I have a 24 gun cannon. It’s too small for my ever growing collection. But it locks up tight so it working.

I wanted a liberty. 24 for just me may have worked but some other items are going in it. The 40 fit. The 64 would have messed up a freezer space.

I must hate money. Just ordered a c-more 6moa red dot and a 90* Mount for it. There’s another $310. Atleast I sold a scope to fund this one.

Have you shot it at a match yet?

No, first match is in May. But I’ve shot close to 1000 rounds out of it and know I didn’t like the tiny field of view of the Bushnell sight. I’ve been running target acquisition drills with it and it’s too hard to pick up the dot. The cmore on the 90 will make that a lot easier. I don’t know of any matches besides the monthly north Texas multigun steel matches. And their April match got canceled because of some major match at the range that weekend. There have to be others out there, but it seems tough to find them.