Daisy Outdoor Products
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Daisy is a company that makes and sells inexpensive BB guns and other air guns.
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[edit] History
Daisy had started in 1882 as Plymouth Iron Windmill Company in Plymouth, Michigan. In 1886 the company started to give BB guns with purchases of wind mills. The gun was so popular the company started to sell guns instead of wind mills. In 1958, the company moved the corporate offices and manufacturing facilities from Plymouth to Rogers, Arkansas.
[edit] Airguns
Daisy is best known for their inexpensive youth BB guns, modeled after lever action rifles. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Red Ryder model, which is still in production today, despite the fact that the Red Ryder comic strip was canceled in 1963. These simple smoothbore, spring-air BB guns fire at low velocities, and are marketed to children ages 10 and over. In addition to the spring air BB guns, Daisy also markets a line of multi-pump pneumatic rifles capable of firing pellets or BBs to the same age group.
The Powerline models are Daisy's more powerful, more accurate line of airguns, marketed to youth ages 16 and over, and adults. The Powerline rifles are all multi-pump pneumatics, have rifled barrels designed for shooting pellets, and are capable of greater velocities than the youth line. Powerline pistols are multishot double action designs, powered by CO2 powerlets. BB models are smoothbore, while pellet models have rifled barrels. These are styled to resemble firearms, and are often used by adults in place of firearms for inexpensive training and practice, or in jurisdictions where firearms are heavily restricted or prohibited.
The Avanti line consists of Daisy's target guns. These are pellet guns, either single stroke pneumatic or CO2 powered, with high quality sights and built to much higher standards. Some models use barrels from Lothar Walther, a top European barrel maker. Even the least expensive Avanti model, the 717 pistol, has been used by US Olympic air pistol medalist Don Nygord to shoot a medal winning round in a California state championship.
Daisy also makes, as part of the Avanti line, the model 499, billed as the "world's most accurate BB gun". This is a true competition BB gun, with target iron sights, and a precision bored smooth barrel, to be used only with Daisy's precision ground steel BBs that are special made for the 499. The 499 is unusual in that it is a single shot, muzzleloading spring airgun. The 499 is most commonly used in 5 yard BB gun competitions by youth groups such as 4H and Boy Scouts.
Daisy also sells a line of spring-air rifles marketed under the Winchester Repeating Arms brand name. These are moderately priced break-barrel designs with wood stocks, with velocities ranging from 500 fps to 1000 fps. For a time, Daisy also imported and marketed an Umarex made, Winchester branded copy of the Winchester 1894 rifle. This is a multi-shot CO2 pellet rifle using the standard Umarex revolver action. This model is now marketed under the Walther name.
[edit] Rimfire rifles
In 1988 Daisy briefly made a line of rimfire rifles, the Legacy rifle. These were bolt action rifles chambered in .22 Long Rifle, and were available in a number of different styles. Options were wooden stock or plastic stock with adjustable buttplate, and single shot, 7 shot box magazine, or 10 shot rotary feed (the magazine was similar to, but not interchangeable with, the Ruger 10/22). While these are very rare, the inexpensive construction and the fact that they are firearms, not airguns, has led to little collectors' interest.
[edit] V/L caseless rifles
Daisy was the first company to introduce a production caseless ammunition and rifle, the V/L Rifle, in 1968. The V/L ammunition consisted of a .22 caliber bullet with a small disk of propellant on the back, and no primer. The rifle resembled a typical spring-air rifle, but the hot, high pressure air served not only as a power source but also to ignite the propellant on the back of the V/L cartridge. The V/L guns and ammunition were discontinued in 1969 after the BATF ruled that they constituted a firearm, and Daisy, which was not licensed to manufacture firearms, decided to discontinue manufacture rather than become a firearms manufacturer. About 23,000 of the rifles were made before production ceased.
[edit] Collectibles
Daisy often makes special edition runs of its products, usually the lever action youth BB guns, in addition to prints of outdoor art and other collectible items.
[edit] External link
- Daisy.com - Official Web Site
