The Daisy Red Ryder BB gun has been around for a very long time and it’s still available. I remember shooting frogs at a pond in New Jersey when I was a teenager. It sure was a lot of fun.
Turn the clock ahead 40 years and here I am 54 years old and just bought a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun. It’s a classic that will never go out of style.
Here it is in the same box as it was in the 70’s. It still has a wooden stock and leather lanyard tie too. It’s a really cool BB gun!
Here’s the Red Ryder signature engraved in the wooden butt stock.
Lever action BB guns are a lot of fun. Just fill the reservoir with BBs and cock and shoot all day.
…350 fps with steel BBs…not bad for frogs, birds and targets.
I pulled off the outer box, which was kind of a pain. Now all I have to do is cut the plastic zip-tie.
Here’s the action and forend. It’s still very much like the one I used back in 1975.
I love this stock. It’s a youth type stock meaning it’s about a 12-13″ length of pull but it still works for a full size adult. It shoulders nicely and the sights align up easily. The wood stock will take some serious abuse where plastic may not.
Here’s a closeup of the action. The sides are metal along with the bolts/screws. The lever and trigger are polymer/plastic. Operating the lever is unique in that it ratchets 7 times before hitting full cock. Then it swings smoothly back in place. The lever is very easy to cock and any 10 + year should be able to cock it just fine. Now it’s ready to fire. The trigger is also polymer/plastic and feels nice on the index finger. The trigger pull is about 5 lbs. This is a good trigger pull for a BB gun.
The stock fits the receiver very well. There’s no slop in the fit. Everything was smooth and tight. Again…I like it!!
The lanyard ring and leather thong look cool even though they are not very functional. It’s the “Old West” look.
Here’s a closeup of the lever and trigger and safety. The safety is a cross-bolt type and works perfectly. The plastic/polymer lever snaps in place via the metal clip. The trigger is wide and very comfortable and not too heavy.
Here’s a closeup of the cross-bolt safety. If the red is showing, that means Fire. If there’s no red showing then the gun safety is engaged.
The forend is wood and fills your hand. It’s smooth and fits the barrel nicely. The open sights are basic but very functional and easy to align. They are adjustable for elevation. These sights work great for backyard shooting where the distance is only 15-20 yards.
The bottom of the wood forend is smooth and fits in your hand nicely. a single metal screw secures it in place. The forend was tight with zero slop.
Top view of the rear sight. You can see the elevation adjustment ladder and the push button release.
The rear sight and barrel look like they’re from a real gun. The glossy finish looks fantastic!
The barrel on the Daisy Red Ryder is a bull barrel. It’s not solid metal though. It appears to be a polymer/plastic shroud around a steel smooth bore tube. It looks great. I don’t care for those skinny barreled BB or pellet guns. They look like toys. This looks like a real gun. The front sight is a good one and works just fine. The tube below the barrel is the BB reservoir.
Here’s the BB loading port located on the left side of the barrel muzzle (don’t mind the dust on the muzzle). You push the button in and then slide the door downward. Then pour in the BBs. It’s simple and works great. I love BB repeaters…just cock and shoot. A funnel wood be ideal when pouring BBs in the loading port otherwise the BBs can go all over the place unless you’re really careful.
Here’s the loading port in the open position. It operates smoothly and closes positively. The barrel sure shines nicely.
350 count of Daisy BBs for $1.50. You can’t beat that!! Remember steel BB will ricochet off of hard objects like wood, bricks, metal, hard plastics and stucco. Only shoot steel BBs at soft targets like cans, watermelons, apples, clay pigeons, thin plastic objects and BB traps. There are BBs that are low ricochet. They are made by H&N and called Smart Shot.
Smart Shot BB’s are copper plated lead BB’s and will expand upon impact instead of bouncing off. Each BB weighs 7.4 grains compared to 5.1 grains for steel. Smart Shot BB’s will have a lower velocity but will hit harder which is great for hunting small game.
The Daisy Red Ryder BB gun is a great value at about $35. It’s a great BB gun for youths just starting to shoot or adults who just want to have a blast with an inexpensive BB gun. Lever actions are fun and fast. The 350 fps velocity is deal for backyard pinking or frog pond hunting. The spring air action is SUPER QUIET. There is no need to worry about neighbors getting upset from a loud BB gun. This gun won’t disturb anyone. My neighbors are very close, about 15 feet from my exterior walls. I shoot from my patio in my backyard all day. It doesn’t even disturb the neighborhood dogs or birds for that matter.
The Daisy Red Ryder reservoir holds 650 BBs. You can shoot all day or even 2 days (maybe a week) without reloading. Now that’s fun!
The Daisy Red Ryder BB gun weights about 2.2 lbs which is a good weight for any BB or pellet gun. My Daisy Powerline 880 weights about 3 lbs. The light weight makes it easy to shoot it all day and pack around. There are many air rifles and pellet rifles that weigh 8 lbs. I think that’s too heavy. My Gamo Hornet Maxxim with scope weighs about 7 lbs. That’s my limit with pellet guns. Anything heavier and I’m not shooting it too often. Buy the Daisy Red Ryder at Amazon.com
Daisy Red Ryder Specifications
- Weight: 2.20 lbs
- Action: Lever cocking spring-air
- Sights: Blade and Ramp front, adjustable open rear
- Safety: cross-bolt trigger block
- Muzzle Velocity: 350 fps with BBs
- Overall Length: 34.5 inches
- Caliber: .177 BBs or 4.5 mm
- Stock/Forend: Stained solid wood with lariat logo and burnished forend band
- Barrel: steel smooth bore shrouded with polymer/plastic
- Maximum Shooting Distance: 195 yards
- Capacity: 650 BBs
- Receiver: Stamped steel, saddle ring and leather thong
- Model: 1938
