Browning "Challenger" 1963 Mfg

Hunter Keith · Jun 7, 2019

Sharing this beautiful .22LR Challenger, I just purchased. The members of this forum know craftsmanship, and appreciate it. 6.75 inch barrel, 5 digit serial # "U", which I think means 1963 second year production. The blueing is superb, but the wrap-around stocks, seem hand checkered are what sets it apart. And I love the "shark fin" front sight!!!

CA Escapee · Jun 7, 2019

Hunter Keith said:
Sharing this beautiful .22LR Challenger, I just purchased. The members of this forum know craftsmanship, and appreciate it. 6.75 inch barrel, 5 digit serial # "U", which I think means 1963 second year production. The blueing is superb, but the wrap-around stocks, seem hand checkered are what sets it apart. And I love the "shark fin" front sight!!!

Hunter Keith,

The Challengers are great pistols. You’ve probably seen the picture of my Challengers and Buckmark here on the forum. For the age of my Challengers I only use target velocity ammo.

The screw on the back of the slide/frame is to adjust the trigger pull.

You can tell the year of manufacture from the serial number. The “U” means it’s a Challenger. That U separates the serial number from the year it was made. From 1962-1968 Browning used a single digit before or after the U to show the year of manufacture. For instance a 2U12345 or 12345U2 is a Challenger made in 1962 with the s/n of 12345. In 1969 Browning went to two digits to indicate the year. Mine are a U7 and a U8, (‘67 and ‘68), after the s/n.

Original Browning Challenger magazines are harder than hens teeth to find. I think Browning only shipped them with one magazine. I have two original magazines and one aftermarket Triple K magazine, but it doesn’t fit well in the magazine well.

If you have access to a mill, Buckmark magazines can be made to work.

Bill

Walter Rego · Jun 7, 2019

I have a Challenger made in 1973 with the ramped front sight. It is very accurate with a nice trigger. I bought a Triple K magazine for it about 4 years ago and it functions perfectly although I know many people have had bad experiences with aftermarket mags. The quality of the bluing on the first Challengers is outstanding but like many guns from that era they deteriorated with the the second and third series. The Browning Buckmarks have quite a following but they sure don't have the same kind of craftsmanship.
The good news is that a first series Challenger can usually be purchased for much less than a Colt Woodsman from the same era and is in my opinion, a better gun.

4T5GUY · Jun 7, 2019

Great addition and a great pistol. You are really going to like it.

I’ve had a couple of the new “Challengers” and a few Buckmarks. They were just fine but I don’t have any of them anymore if that says anything.

Two years ago I bought a ‘69 Challenger for my Christmas gift to myself. Wife and kids got what they wanted first of course. It is the complete package with both barrels. I was told it was a “salesman sample” and I believe it cause it was brand new. With shipping and transfer fees it was $750.00 which I know was way to much, but...

This is one I will NOT be selling.

Enjoy your new Challenger.

Jim

Stevens · Jun 7, 2019

Here is my Challenger II I bought it new, I believe in 1980, sadly in the days when I only saved the manuals, tossed the boxes invoices etc.
It is like new only 2 or 3 boxes of cartridges through it, Browning holster too.
Steve W

phonejack · Jun 7, 2019

Mine dates 1964, rarely shoot it anymore. There is a screw in front of the trigger guard. Back it out and you can remove the barrel. Be careful with the stocks If you remove them. They are fragile !

OLDSTER · Jun 8, 2019

The Challenger is a lovely pistol ( reminiscent of Hi Standards, Colts, and the S&W 41). HS, Colt, and S&W manufactured their guns; but Browning was never in the gun manufacturing business. So I'd be interested in who manufactured the Challenger for Browning ( FN in Belgium or Miroku in Japan ?)

Andyd · Jun 8, 2019

The Challenger, Nomad, Medalist and so on were manufactured in Belgium by Fabrique National. After J.M. Browning left Colt, he worked with FN.

FN had been founded by the owners of Mauser and DWM, the Loewe family when they won the Belgian military contract for Mauser rifles and the Belgians wanted to have them manufactured in their own country.

cmansguns · Jun 8, 2019

Buckmark xtra mags

I would be one of the first to say that the Browning Buckmark as well as the Challenger series were very fine 22 semi's. Mine was a 1986, 6" Buckmark and was known at the time as "slab side" because of its flat slide.

The gun was very accurate and a fun gun for the whole family.

My only issue was that it had only 1 original magazine. I did acquire 2 extra Triple K magazines, supposedly guaranteed to operate in both Buckmarks, and Challenger II, and II series pistols.

However, both triple K's would not hold slide open after last shot. Otherwise, they functioned perfectly, fit the mag well correct, never a feed failure, regardless of ammo used.

I traded the gun bucoo years ago, and do not really miss it, but after reading this post, I did look through my stash of "stuff" and found the two Triple K mags, still in wrappers. (pic below).

Against the rules to "sell" in a post, and I do not wish to incur another ding, so please PM me if you would like either or both of these mags. for free. They can be shipped USPS small box, flat rate so for that price domestically in CONUS, you get them if you can use them.

diyj98 · Jun 8, 2019

I’ve owned Nomads, Challenger II’s, Challenger III’s, and Buckmarks, but have sold them all. My original Challenger will never go. It’s a superb piece of craftsmanship.

growr · Jun 8, 2019

CA Escapee said:
Hunter Keith,

The Challengers are great pistols. You’ve probably seen the picture of my Challengers and Buckmark here on the forum. For the age of my Challengers I only use target velocity ammo.

The screw on the back of the slide/frame is to adjust the trigger pull.

You can tell the year of manufacture from the serial number. The “U” means it’s a Challenger. That U separates the serial number from the year it was made. From 1962-1968 Browning used a single digit before or after the U to show the year of manufacture. For instance a 2U12345 or 12345U2 is a Challenger made in 1962 with the s/n of 12345. In 1969 Browning went to two digits to indicate the year. Mine are a U7 and a U8, (‘67 and ‘68), after the s/n.

Original Browning Challenger magazines are harder than hens teeth to find. I think Browning only shipped them with one magazine. I have two original magazines and one aftermarket Triple K magazine, but it doesn’t fit well in the magazine well.

If you have access to a mill, Buckmark magazines can be made to work.

Bill

What needs to be done to a Buckmark magazine to make it work in a challenger?
Randy

Engine49guy · Jun 8, 2019

I have a Challenger from around 1968 and a Buckmark from around 1989.
Both are fine weapons, Only problem I ever had with the Buckmark is that the rubber recoil buffer eventually turns to goo, Luckily there is a company that makes teflon replacements.

I cant recall ever trying to swap mags but IIRC the major difference between Challenger 2 and Buckmark mags is the heel mag release vs button.

CA Escapee · Jun 8, 2019

growr said:
What needs to be done to a Buckmark magazine to make it work in a challenger?
Randy

Randy,

I have a couple of the original Challengers, I don’t know if this would work on the Challenger II or III.

The original Challenger has the european magazine release on the heal of the magazine. The mag release catches the back bottom edge of a Challenger mag. That’s all that holds the magazine in place. The front lip of the floorplate stops the mag from inserting too far.

The Buckmark magazines will slip into a Challenger, but are taller than the Challenger magazines and will insert in a Challenger way too far if the slide is locked back.

If one were to take accurate measurements off of the Challenger magazine and mill a slot in the back edge of the Buckmark magazine for the magazine catch to click into, the Buckmark mag will stay in the Challenger. When the mag catch clicks into place the catch will stop the mag from inserting further.

They look like this next to each other:

Challenger mag left, Buckmark right. The feed lips are lined up at the top of the mags for the photo. The slot would have to be milled in the Buckmark mag where the base of the Challenger mag sits.

And here’s how it would look:

Ugly, but it should deal with a lack of magazines.

Bill

Browning "Challenger" 1963 Mfg

Hunter Keith

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CA Escapee

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Walter Rego

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4T5GUY

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Stevens

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phonejack

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OLDSTER

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Andyd

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cmansguns

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diyj98

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growr

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Engine49guy

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CA Escapee

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