How many, and which ones?
I have a Red Ryder, a Model 25, a Model 74, an 880, and the most accurate rifle I've ever owned, a 753. Four of them are toys, and one of them is quite serious. As far as 10M classics, I've owned an FWB 300, Walther LGR, Diana 66, Anschutz 250, Hammerli Model 10, and a Haenel 3.121, and the Daisy 753 out-shot all of them.
I have a 853/753 , cant remember which, from the CMP ($100 with all the goodies and resealed to boot) and I cant beleive this gun's accuracy potential. Wish it was more powerful (500 fps on a good day) but that's what they're supposed to do. It will literally stack pellets at 10m. Not pellet fussy and no Springer magic rain dance hold, etc..Don't know how much better you can get than that.
I have an 880 that needs to be re-sealed, a 953, and a 717. Never shot the 880. It was my uncle's and he just put it in the basement when it started to not hold air. So I latched onto it, lol. Wish I had gotten one of the CMP 853s instead of the 953, but the 953 is plenty good enough for plinkin'. The 717 (my favorite of the 3) is considerably more accurate than I can shoot a pistol.
Have had several, but besides from a bunch of old beaters that were going to get repaired "someday", the two remaining are a 75th Anniversary Model 25 and a 777.
The .25 is a real jewel: deep bluing; case hardened pump arm parts; and real walnut throughout. Fine American(!) craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the kids it was bought for turned out to be more interested in video games.
The 777 is one of the most accurate pistols I have ever shot. Even though power is a little anemic, it is not outclassed by fancy Europeans on the 10M circuit. Think it is the same as a 747, but has a great, adjustable, wooden grips.
As "someday" never seems to happen, the entire batch of beaters will likely end up as an inexpensive bulk sale. One man's treasure... etc.
Trying a pic here... A 922 with metal pump arm... no powerhouse, but quite accurate.
Not shown, old 95 “Woodstock”, surprisingly consistent, killed nations of grasshoppers with it. And a 722 pistol, larger cal version of the 717. Put stock walnut grips on it (back when Daisy still sold them for abt $35).
That last one is very accurate as well. Also killed buckets of grasshoppers with it?
A 22SG/922 that's a keeper- like Skillet said, quite accurate.
A 499 with upgraded peep- fun to shoot the 15 ft bb targets from Tractor Supply.
A couple Walmart 880s for tinkering and plinking.
A beater 75th anniversary Red Ryder.
A small pile of 856s, most of which need work. The one that shoots flexes sideways under pump pressure, then snaps straight again as the shot releases- weird.
A NIB Red Ryder from the cave facility days- late 1990s iirc.
A 70s or 80s Cub with box.
A 6th and 7th variant Model 25 both in good condition and shoot strong.
A model 93 and 200 co2 pistol. The 93 is fun to roll cans with. The 200 needs seals.
A model 74 for can rolling.
Thanks for reading!
More than I care to admit, from a first model registered replica sold by the museum to more modern examples... I have my late father's and uncle's model 25's that were purchased together in the 1930's, also a model 25 that was designed to shoot cork balls like the old shooting gallery guns... Been collecting them most of my life! They have made some good, affordable stuff over the years.
I never had a BB gun as a kid... enjoyed archery with my father way back then.
So I bought my first BB gun a few months ago... a Daisy Red Ryder... I posted about it back then.
I bought it mainly to do some fun plinking while barbecuing, and I really enjoy it !
I added a Chief AJ adult stock, and the steel hoop lever.
Also bought a Daisy Model 25 about a month ago... it's a lot of fun as well, but I think I enjoy the Red Ryder more, mainly because of the hundreds of BB's it can hold, where the Model 25 is limited to 50.
I had an old rifle rack handy, so I fancied it up and hung it from my O-gauge train layout that has a big Pepsi theme going on... here it is... that's a Crosman 3500 hanging above the Daisies:
I had an old rifle rack handy, so I fancied it up and hung it from my O-gauge train layout that has a big Pepsi theme going on... here it is... that's a Crosman 3500 hanging above the Daisies...
This is the first time I heard of someone going the way of making a dual-use gun rack and train table. Good thinking. I had some HO train sets growing up. One of them was even made by Lionel. Some people may not think that could be true, but it was. They were pretty rare because Lionel's venture into HO gauge was small and pretty short lived. It would have been a new purchase around 1965 IIRC.
A few years earlier than that, I had a set made by someone else with cars that were bigger than HO, but smaller than O 27. There were only two rails to the track, not three like Lionel used for their 'common' trains. I think it may have been an American Flyer set. Ken, I think you'll really appreciate this example I just found--check out the writing on the side of the locomotive! :
https://www.amazon.com/American-Flyer-LNL42599-Switcher-Youngstown/dp/B00NU9YIRO?
By the time I was old enough to care about trains, Lionel had done away with their O gauge cars and gone to O 27. Those were nice enough, but just not the same as their bigger brothers to me. I knew Lionel started making the O gauge stuff again some years back, but the prices sure seem to be different than they used to be, even adjusted for inflation, I think. Here's one example:
https://www.amazon.com/Lionel-Pennsylvania-Flyer-Train-Gauge/dp/B00BK5MZH0
When I got to be a dad, and thus 'forced to buy toys for my son' (ahem), I got him a nice HO set with something else I always wanted but that never got to have when I was a child myself: a steam locomotive and coal car pair that had real smoke come out the smokestack when you added the little drops of oil down the stack. You can still buy those.
I didn't comment on the Daisy part of this thread because I don't own any. As a kid, yes, but those are long gone and I haven't tried to replace them. I had a lever action Daisy with a wooden stock, but it wasn't a Red Ryder. It held something like 300 BBs at a time. I do like the Model 25, but never owned one until I stumbled upon a nice antique one when I was about 50 years old. I promptly broke it while trying to 'fix it'. I may buy one at some point. My cousin had one when we were both 12 or 13 and I liked 'playing The Rifleman' with it. If you know what I mean, at least with the old ones they sold in the '60's, you could hold down the trigger blade and cycle the cocking lever, and another BB would come out every time you did. They're fun for chasing cans around the yard. Oh, yeah, note to self: Get a yard again--lol. I lost mine in a divorce 25 years ago 🙁 🙂
Ed... Love that Youngstown Engine ! I may have to try and customize a Youngstown Pepsi car.
My father worked at Pepsi-Cola & Golden Age Beverage in Youngstown for 38 years, so that's why my O-gauge train layout has a Pepsi theme... and the walls are decorated with Pepsi signs, thermometers, and menu boards.
The train layout started in the mid-1990's when my son was very young... my brothers and I had a train layout when we were growing up, and I managed to salvage and resurrect some of the steam engines and accessories, and added additional ones while going to train shows back then.
I started working on a train video, but got side-tracked adding more Pepsi stuff to the layout and on my basement walls surrounding the train layout which is 8' x 12'... here is what I first came up with, but the final one will have a mix of more trains and accessories... most of this was just learning how to use the video software (Wondershare Filmora), plus I wanted to add more of my harmonica playing.
An interesting aside; recently DT Fletcher uncovered some evidence suggesting that the original manufacturer/designer of what is known as the Challenger Arms Plainsman co2 pistol was none other Irvin R Athearn of Athearn Model trains renown.
Ed... Love that Youngstown Engine ! I may have to try and customize a Youngstown Pepsi car.
My father worked at Pepsi-Cola & Golden Age Beverage in Youngstown for 38 years, so that's why my O-gauge train layout has a Pepsi theme... and the walls are decorated with Pepsi signs, thermometers, and menu boards.
The train layout started in the mid-1990's when my son was very young... my brothers and I had a train layout when we were growing up, and I managed to salvage and resurrect some of the steam engines and accessories, and added additional ones while going to train shows back then.
I started working on a train video, but got side-tracked adding more Pepsi stuff to the layout and on my basement walls surrounding the train layout which is 8' x 12'... here is what I first came up with, but the final one will have a mix of more trains and accessories... most of this was just learning how to use the video software (Wondershare Filmora), plus I wanted to add more of my harmonica playing.
Ken, I love the layout and the whole room.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, Mr. Kotter. Can I come over to your house and watch the trains while we drink a beer? OK, maybe I'm a bad influence. You can drink a Pepsi.
I haven't heard the words Golden Age (soft drinks that is) for at least 40 years when I left Ohio. But, as soon as I read then, I remembered all the Golden Age soft drinks I drank as a kid, and that was a lot.
The photo and the video are just great. You're also quite the harmonica player. I play guitar and bass guitar. I half-heartedly tried to learn the harmonic a couple of times but I couldn't get the notes to bend. I even bought a book that tried to explain the two different ways to do it. Well, there you go, I couldn't get either one of them to work for me. Maybe a little if I tried really hard, but I'm thinking you shouldn't have to wear an athletic supporter to play the harmonica.
Oh, this is about Daisy air guns, isn't it.
OK, so set up some little army men on your train cars and shoot at them with the Red Ryder while the train is moving. That should be a challenge. Of course I'm just kidding--you wouldn't want to damage the trains.
Thanks for the views that allow me to see the trains without having to rely solely on my imagination. And, yeah, the juke box is also cool. I don't think I've never seen one like that.
An interesting aside; recently DT Fletcher uncovered some evidence suggesting that the original manufacturer/designer of what is known as the Challenger Arms Plainsman co2 pistol was none other Irvin R Athearn of Athearn Model trains renown.
When I was putting my son's HO layout together, there was a very-good hobby shop in the Sharpstown Mall in SW Houston that had a great stash of Athearn cars, including locomotives, at some pretty incredible prices. I'd never even heard of that brand until I browsed them there, and I couldn't believe the detail and the quality they exhibited. I bought several of them from the place.
My family and I lived not far from that mall, and the whole area started to decline like an avalanche. We moved in time to save ourselves from a direct hit by the blossoming crime rate. I think they finally boarded-up the whole mall.
The only Daisy I’ve ever owned is my grandmother’s model 25. She bought it in 1947 to chase squirrels off her bird feeder, and it was a favorite pastime of my brother and me as kids when we visited her.
Today I have it and it still shoots great.
The photo and the video are just great. You're also quite the harmonica player. I play guitar and bass guitar. I half-heartedly tried to learn the harmonic a couple of times but I couldn't get the notes to bend. I even bought a book that tried to explain the two different ways to do it. Well, there you go, I couldn't get either one of them to work for me. Maybe a little if I tried really hard, but I'm thinking you shouldn't have to wear an athletic supporter to play the harmonica.
Ed... you're very welcome to visit if you're in the area... just let me know... I'll teach you how to bend notes too... harmonicas are much better these days with all the competition... not just Hohners any more... I mainly play Seydel 1847's with stainless steel reeds, but Lee Oskar's and Hohner Special 20's are also favorites.
Oh yeah, I will have to make sure the recently added BB guns aren't loaded when I have visitors... it would be very tempting to hit the "targets" on my train layout !
An interesting aside; recently DT Fletcher uncovered some evidence suggesting that the original manufacturer/designer of what is known as the Challenger Arms Plainsman co2 pistol was none other Irvin R Athearn of Athearn Model trains renown.
I'm not suprised... airguns, model trains, and harmonicas bring out the kid in me and make me a better happier adult !
Ed... you're very welcome to visit if you're in the area... just let me know... I'll teach you how to bend notes too... harmonicas are much better these days with all the competition... not just Hohners any more... I mainly play Seydel 1847's with stainless steel reeds, but Lee Oskar's and Hohner Special 20's are also favorites.
Oh yeah, I will have to make sure the recently added BB guns aren't loaded when I have visitors... it would be very tempting to hit the "targets" on my train layout !
I'm overdue for a trip back, but can't seem to break out of my routine enough to get it done. If I do though, you're on my list of stops. Thanks. We'll see about the note bending, though. I think there's a guy behind the curtain. (And, BTW, Stevie Wonder is incredible, right? With that unique style, you can tell it's him playing on a song after only a few notes. There are only a few musicians who fit into that category).
