Tag Archives: Daisy zinc-plated BBs

Crosman DPMS SBR full-auto BB gun: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Crosman DPMS SBR
Crosman’s DPMS SBR full auto BB gun.

This report covers:

  • What is it?
  • Watch the video
  • The gun
  • Blowback
  • Controls
  • Disassembly
  • Stock
  • Forearm
  • Loading
  • Shot count
  • Bolt holdopen
  • Sights
  • Summary

Today we begin looking at the Crosman DPMS SBR full-auto BB gun. First — the acronyms. DPMS = Defense Procurement Manufacturing Services. WHAT??? It’s a shop that was initially in Osseo, Minnesota and opened in 1985. It started manufacturing parts for military weapons like the M16. It’s now part of a larger conglomerate that’s located in Huntsville, Alabama. SBR = Short Barrel Rifle. Another name for a carbine, and, in this case, the rifle that was shortened was already a carbine.

What is it?

The DPMS SBR is Crosman’s select-fire BB gun that shoots 25 BBs per magazine. Select fire means both full and semiautomatic fire are available via the conventional M16 selector switch. Gun bashers will tell you that AR-15s are automatic, but in fact that is incorrect. Civilians in the U.S. may not purchase full auto firearms without a lengthy process that vets the owner, tying the gun to him by serial number, and costs $200 per firearm so registered. AR-15s are semiautomatic, only, so a selector switch applies to the full auto military platform, only. read more

Benjamin 310 BB gun: Part 4

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

A history of airguns

Benjamin 310
A Benjamin 310 multi-pump BB gun from 1952.

This report covers:

  • Point 1 — does it hold air?
  • Discussion 1
  • On to the velocity tests
  • Test 1
  • Test 2
  • Test 3
  • Test 4
  • Other BBs
  • Test 5
  • Test 6
  • Test 7
  • Test 8
  • Summary

This report is taking on a life of its own! I am going very slowly and thoroughly through the testing of this Benjamin 310 BB gun to record everything for posterity. In Part 3 I started the velocity test and today I intend completing the steel BB portion of it.

Does it hold air?

My last report is dated Friday, September 2, 2018. That means I tested the airgun on Thursday, September 20. While you are reading this report on Monday, October 8, 2018, I actually wrote it on Friday, October 5. That means the tests you are about to read were also performed on that day. First I wanted to see whether the gun is still holding the two pumps of air I pumped into it at the completion of the last test on September 20. A total of 14 days and several hours have passed and I have not touched the gun since the last time. Is it still holding air? read more

Benjamin 310 BB gun: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2

A history of airguns

Benjamin 310
A Benjamin 310 multi-pump BB gun from 1952.

This report covers:

  • Hollow bolt
  • All that I want to test
  • Steel BBs
  • Lead balls
  • Darts
  • Traditional airgun darts
  • Non-traditional airgun darts
  • Pellets
  • Velocity test
  • Sad BB!
  • Next day
  • Discussion

I’m at the Pyramyd Air Cup today. Veteran readers please help the new guys with their questions while I’m gone, because I won’t have much chance to answer email. I will be back in the office on Monday.

Today we begin looking at the velocity of the Benjamin 310 BB gun. There have been so many comments and requests for me to test different things with this gun that I won’t get through the whole velocity portion today. But I will get a start.

Hollow bolt

I mentioned the hollow bolt nose that differentiates the 310 from other Benjamin air rifles, but I don’t think all of you understood what I was talking about. I remember the first time I encountered this as a kid, it fooled me, too. read more

Benjamin 310 BB gun: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

A history of airguns

Benjamin 310
A Benjamin 310 multi-pump BB gun from 1952.

This report covers:

  • Smoothbore single shot
  • Trigger
  • Sights
  • Size and weight
  • How many pumps?
  • Manual
  • Adjust bolt for best air seal
  • Walnut stock and pump handle
  • Summary

Today we continue our look at the Benjamin 310 BB gun.

Smoothbore single shot

I make no attempt at hiding the fact that I like single shot rifles and guns. Usually their actions are simple enough that there is flexibility to do things you can’t with a repeater. For example, I had a problem with lead balls jamming in the Benjamin 700, and there is no easy way to clear the jam. The 700 action is all buttoned up. But the 310 is a simple bolt action that will allow me to test varying sizes of lead balls. If one gets stuck all I have to do is rod it out and keep on going. read more

Benjamin 310 BB gun: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

A history of airguns

Benjamin 310
A Benjamin 310 multi-pump BB gun from 1952.

This report covers:

  • Green box
  • The “hidden” find!
  • Back to the BB gun
  • Finish
  • Model 310
  • A sweetie
  • Take our time

Two months ago I attended a small local gun show where the joke is — if you are looking for Indian jewelry, coffee mugs and dream catchers, this is the gun show to attend! Guns? Not so much. But it’s local, so I went. I haven’t had much luck at this show — ever! But because it’s mentioned the intro to this report, you know this time will be different.

I was halfway through the show, looking carefully at everything on each table when my buddy Otho called to me. He was on point the next aisle over. Oh great, I thought. Another rusty Daisy Red Ryder from 1986! But I was wrong. read more

Benjamin 700 multi-pump repeater: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2

A history of airguns

Benjamin 700
Benjamin 700 repeating BB gun.

This report covers:

  • Wrong ammunition
  • Two big clues
  • Filling the BB gun
  • The test
  • Sight-in with Daisy BBs
  • Pressure too high
  • Hornady Black Diamonds
  • Getting used to the gun
  • Daisy Match Grade shot
  • Bottom line

Today we learn how accurate the Benjamin 700 multi-pump repeating BB gun is. And we will learn a lot more than that. Let’s go!

Wrong ammunition

Some of you know how I harp on calling a BB gun a BB caliber and NOT .177/4.5mm. Because it’s not! A steel BBs is 0.171- to 0.1735-inches in diameter. It may not matter to people buying one BB gun at a discount store, but to someone like me who has to shoot oddball new and old airguns from all over the world, it makes a big difference.

The Benjamin promotional pamphlet from the 1930s says these guns (the model 600, 700 and 300) use steel Air Rifle Shot of 0.175-inches in diameter. There’s just one problem with that. As far as I can tell, nobody ever made steel Air Rifle Shot in anything but 0.171-0.1735-inches. I wondered if it was possible that the Benjamin writers of that pamphlet were as cavalier back in the 1930s as BB manufacturers are today. Did they really want us to use Air Rifle Shot that is 0.171 to 0.1735-inches in diameter and not LEAD Air Rifle Shot that is 0.175-inches? They did emphasize not using lead balls in these guns. read more

Ten-meter accuracy test — Daisy 499 versus Haenel 310

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • Another failure!
  • The test
  • 499
  • Discussion 1
  • Haenel 310
  • Discussion 2
  • CZ75 P-07 Duty accuracy at 10 meters
  • Summary

I put today’s report in the historical section because it relates to both the Haenel 310 and the Diana model 30 that we tested recently. In the comments to the Diana 30 test the question was raised about which would be more accurate at 10 meters — the Daisy 499 Challenger or the Haenel model 310. I said I thought the 310 would beat the 499 because it is rifled, but several readers wanted to see. So, today we see.

Another failure!

Before I get to the results of today’s test, let me fill you in on another irony. I was going to test the accuracy of the Benjamin 700 today and the gun jammed as I started to shoot. This one has a happy ending, because I got it unjammed and working again, but that was after today’s test. There is more sweet irony in the story that unfolded there, but I will hold off on that until we get to the report. read more