The first Daisy was a wire-stock model like this.
This report covers:
- Why?
- Daisy 1888
- Back to the wire stock
- I was there!
- Hello Daisy
- BB guns that last
Today I want to discuss a topic that I think you can all relate to—older BB guns that were made to last! And what airgun illustrates that point better than the 1888 Daisy first model wire stock?
Why?
I started out today getting ready to report on the accuracy of the Glock 19 BB pistol and that got me thinking about BBs. I think all of you know that most BB guns are smoothbores. And with the exception of the Daisy 499B, most BB guns are not that accurate. In fact 16 feet 4 inches / 5 meters is the distance for BB-gun competition! However the recent accuracy testing we’ve done with the Sheridan 190B has demonstrated that a smoothbore can be accurate at longer distances.
Daisy 1888
That started me thinking about the accuracy of BBs. And that got me thinking about the first Daisy in 1888. That was reported in 2010 in the series titled, Daisy wire-stock first BB gun. The prototype was made in 1887 and production commenced in 1888. Daisy says they started their company in 1886 but that’s because in 1916 they bought the Markham company that made the very first BB gun in 1886. That was the mostly wood breakbarrel Markham.
The wooden Markham was the first BB gun ever made.
Back to the wire stock
The prototype of the wire-stock Daisy was brought to the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company by Clarence Hamilton and shown to the general manager of the windmill company who tested it by shooting a wooden shingle. When he saw the lead BB go through he declared, “Clarence, that’s a daisy!” in the vernacular of the day.
So the windmill company decided to make some of these novel new toys. Their thought was to make a few guns and give them as gifts when someone bought an iron windmill, but the gun proved to be far more popular than the windmill. In a few years the windmills were history.
A REAL first-model wire-stock gun had writing that said Iron Windmill Co. on top. The name Daisy was nowhere to be seen. No one knows for certain how many of those guns remain, but the handful that are known each command a very high price tag.
I was there!
I was at the Roanoke airgun show decades ago when a friend arrived late. That was uncharacteristic of him because everyone wants to get to an airgun show early to see the real bargains. They will all be gone when the doors open to the public.
It seems on his way there he stopped at a second-hand store and bought an iron windmill gun for $500! He wouldn’t even bring it out to show me because he was concerned about theft or robbery. I was sworn to secrecy throughout the show about his tale of acquiring it! At the time it was worth about 20 times what he paid for it. That experience set me in motion for what came next.
Hello Daisy
In 2003 I visited Daisy’s headquarters in Arkansas and suggested to the then sales director, Joe Murfin, that Daisy bring out an example of that first gun. I suggested they make 1,886 of them, because that was the year they were claiming to have been founded. Joe asked me if I thought people would pay a couple hundred dollars for one because he knew what it would take to make them.
You see Joe’s focus was on airguns that retailed for $30-40. I told him people had made non-working copies of the wire-stock Daisy that were selling for $400. And there were more buyers than guns available.
Several years after we talked Daisy brought out 1,000 wire-stock BB guns that actually work, and number 517/1000 is the one pictured at the top of this report. They sold for $300, plus shipping. Every part was made in the USA, which is where the assembly and testing was done!
Every detail but two of the Daisy gun shown above is consistent with the first model. The writing on the sand-cast iron top-lever of the gun shown above says Daisy, a name that was not found on a first-model gun. And this one shoots modern steel BBs that are held in the breech by a magnet instead of the lead BBs held in by friction in the original.
The new wire-stock Daisy above the original in the Daisy museum.
BB guns that last
What really caused me to write this report is the Daisy Winchester model 12—the pump BB gun that reader jda001 recently told us about. It lasted from 2020 to 2024-25. How many are still with us? I tried to find a used Daisy 12 for sale and couldn’t. How many will be around in another 5 years?
The original wire-stock Daisys from the 1880s are still around today and many of them still work. At first, in 1888 the wire-stocked guns were supposed to be gifts to windmill buyers. But the farmers weren’t interested in buying an iron windmill. All they wanted was the unique metal toy gun that shot BBs!
I can’t find a price anywhere for that first BB gun, so let’s assume it sold for a dollar. One website says today’s equivalent of an 1880s dollar is $31.35. That seems a bit low to me, but let’s go with it. The Daisy model 12 sold for $40 retail when it first came out in 2020, so it’s equivalent to the early wire-stock, if my dollar assumption is correct.
But the model 12 is plastic with a wood stock. How long will that last?
Just recently I reported on the Daisy 107 trombone action BB gun that I am trying to repair. I wonder how many model 12s will be repaired—or if repairs are even possible. Yet a BB gun made in the 1970 timeframe is still viable half a century later. That is some reflection on today’s topic!
We recently look at the golden boys of the past. Will a Daisy model 12 ever be a golden boy?
BB,
Outside of a few new guns, most of the ones I have were made 30, 50, 80, or 100 years ago.
I’m not a collector, but I like to buy guns (airguns and firearms) that will last for many years.
The current fad of polymer guns does not impress me.
I just picked up a NAA Black Widow and ditched the rubber grips for engraved rosewood grips.
It’s very accurate at 7 yards and will make a nice farm gun for dispatching varmints.
It’s so small I can always have it on me; but more importantly, it is built to last!
For airguns, I comb the ads for vintage ones, ones that are decades old and will last for more decades.
The older I get, the more I appreciate guns like my Haenel model 1…84 years old and it still shoots great.
Blessings to you,
dave
Yes, a great deal of innovative engineering went into them by specialists. No bean counters or lawyers in sight.
Happy Weekend everybody!
-Yogi
“No bean counters or lawyers in sight.”
Yogi, thanks for the morning laugh! 😉
“Newer BB gun I never expected to last!”
BB,
This newer Daisy model 105 is the cheapest airgun I ever bought; our local Academy Sports had one left and they had marked it down to $14.67 as “Clearance.” At that price, I couldn’t afford not to buy it.
But with its plastic lever, it was not something I expected to last for any great period of time.
However, I have to give credit where it’s due; I’ve had this thing for 7 years and I’m coming up on 10,000 BBs through her so far; and the only maintenance I’ve done is to lube it with a couple drops of oil each time I fill the 400-BB reservoir. Although I’ve tried several others in the role, this has become my “grillin’ gun,” as my wife does not want me handling any ammo while grilling (a valid concern). Hence, this gun gets used to flip a soda can I throw off the deck when I start grilling; I keep shooting the can and rolling it across the lawn, with the object being to roll it out-of-range before the burgers are done. Usually, the dogs, burgers, or steaks are done before I can roll the can out-of-range. But it makes grilling more fun, and I can’t believe how well this little airgun is holding up. 🙂
Blessings to you,
dave
Dave,
Way to go! I actually have one of those things somewhere. I had bought it for my grandson way back when.
Like Dave, I have a few “modern” airguns, but most of what I own are “old gals”. Not only are they well made using steel and walnut, but many of them will shoot with the best of what is made these days.
I have tried to get my grubby paws on an old bb gun, but being of Scottish descent means the prices for these can be most prohibitive. Why do they cost so much? They were built to last for one thing. As BB pointed out, finally, how many of the plastic and pot metal airguns will be around thirty or more years from now?
“… “old gals”. Not only are they well made using steel and walnut, but many of them will shoot with the best of what is made these days.” Amen! 😉
Well, I had to follow the link to the article from 2010 about the Daisy wire-stock original BB gun. This made me wish that I had been reading this blog back then. If I had been, and I had known what I know now about Airguns, I believe I would have tried to snag one of the replica guns that were for sale back then. For now I will have to be satisfied with an old Daisy No. 25 that better represents what was being used when I was a kid. It is still quite useable and fun to shoot every now and then.
I think that with proper care most of today’s guns should last a long time. I believe that the plastics used these days are typically better suited for their purposes than some of the plastics used long ago that broke when stressed too much or too often. The three older guns that came to live with us had been neglected for a while but were still in relatively great shape for their age. Just needed some cleanup, lubrication, and only one breech seal replaced. They get used regularly now and kept clean and lubricated which I hope are keys to their further longevity.
Elmer,
It will most certainly help. Shootski likes to “exercise” his Sigs on a right regular basis as it has been shown to help in their longevity.
Proper maintenance is the key. Many, not all, of the “old gals” that I have had to be repaired to bring them back to life. Fortunately, there was something to work with.
And why were they made to last?
They were made that way by default. There was no modern-day alternative material to use, no other manufacturing technology for use and not much worldwide competition to stay in business.
Products of the day were still judged on their overall improvement in performance and design, not too much on their price compared to the competition. And one air rifle design was used for all types of shooting. The cost to produce mass quantities of new airguns today demands mass sales numbers and built in self destruction to keep it going. Numerous airgun types keep the business going.
Fortunately there is still room for limited production exceptional airguns.
Granted, wood and steel became the accepted standard of the times and tradition has carried it on, but the world of airguns has evolved.
You are comparing apples and oranges when it comes to a traditional airgun and a market driven modern-day low-cost airguns.
And the market today has added much more diversity to choose from. You want a modern-day airgun like the “Old Gals” to compare to, try a TX200, Sig ASP20 or Beeman R9, etc.
We have choices now. Why buy a well-made heritage airgun to plink hand over to a young kid to handle and bounce around in your trunk.
People like old airguns and things for various reasons but I would not try to justify it by cutting down some of the new airguns that exist for other reasons. Someone who wants the shooting experience of a FX DSR or Panthera might consider the ‘Old Gals’ old school junk.
They may last long because they don’t have any high tech options to increase your shooting enjoyment.
Which would you choose a 1940’s steering column shift Woodie Station Wagon or a Bugatti Bullard to compete with?
We have it all now!
I think some people are missing out on a lot of fun restricting themselves to certain types of airgun just because they may last longer and I’m sure most here don’t do that. Just don’t cut down untraditional airguns all the time, they have a place.
I really like the traditional looks of my TF 89 Contender, RWS 350 and TX200, will they last long? Don’t see why not.
They all come in second place to my High-Tech Western Sidewinder or Aveng-X when it comes to great performance and fun shooting. Plinking? not so much … but there are a lot of airguns in the middle that are good at that.
Single strokers like the Model 25 will activate all your fun sensors.
Agree totally. And even back in the Good Old Days you had plenty of complaints about “cutting corners” and “the decline of craftsmanship”.
BB
I don’t think the Model 12 will ever obtain collecting status. I’m in my early 60’s and people tend to collect their childhood. My current model 12 just broke this week. I have shot about 1,800 rounds and something snapped internally. I paid $39.99 direct from Daisy. The Model 12 was fun until it broke. I’m not disappointed, my all in cost was $40.00 + $5.00 for the BB’s (Black Diamond). My pleasure was the simple sound of the racking of the slide and 1.25 to 1.50 inch groups at 15 feet. My cost was 2.5 cents a shot. I feel I received fair value for what I received and would purchase again. I still have one all plastic Model 12 left.
If my experience is typical, no youth user would ever bond with this model.
Kind Regards
jda001