Squirrel Problems?

[Crippled Caddis]

jdmidwest wrote:

<Good article. I too like the air rifles to keep the neighbors guessing whos shooting all the critters. I currently own 10 air powered and 3 CO2 weapons. I have 4 Crosman 140's, a Crosman 120, and a Daisy Powerline 822 in .22 caliber, all pump up rifles in various states of repair and refurb. I have a Benjamin 347, Powerline 880, and an RWS Model 34 in .177. I have a pump up Crosman 1377 pistol. I have a Crosman 1008 and Crosman 357 CO2 pellet pistol and a Daisy 15T CO2 BB pistol. Last, but not least, A Red Ryder BB Gun from when I was a kid, my first..>

Yup, you're the real deal---a true 'airhead' like myself. Don't have my original BB gun because I got it when I was 3 which would have been @ '42-'43. But I hve the exact duplicate that I found several years ago. They really do have a stronger spring and are harder to cock and shoot harder than curret iterations from Daisy.I can recall how hard it was to cock for a little feller and how bad it hurt when I didn't quite finish the deal and the lever slammed my fingers. I recall my Mother keeping an icebag on my hand and that all 4 finger turned blue immediately rather than hours later. Probably broke some but poor country people didn't run to the doctor for anything short of life threatening things back then. If an icebag or a rag soaked in 'coal oil' (kerosene) wouldn't cure anything then time would---mostly.

I do however have my 1st and 2nd pellet guns. First one is a Crosman 101 in .22 recieved for Xmas of '48 and the next year I got the companion pistol, the 130. You think I wasn't treadng some tall cotton with TWO such fine weapons? But that old 101 earned it's keep. It put a lot of game on the table over the years and even after I went away to the Army my Daddy continued to use it for quiet work. One of the finest moments of my boyhood was when my Dad refused to take me along with him on opening day of Dove season. So I took the 101 and I hit the pasture. I was merciless on the Doves and at the end of the day I'd killed more than Dad! Now THAT was magic bragging rights for an 11-12 year old! I recovered it from a corner of their 'backroom' in the late '60s and determined to rebuild it to its' former glory. I redid the wood, repainted the metal (wish I could remember with what because it's holding up GREAT!) I found Paul Landith to rebuild the innards. And that was the start of the madness. Paul just had too may fine old airguns of assorted origins standing around that could be 'liberated' from his tender mercies for what now would appear virtually giveaway prices. It didn't take me long to figure out I could buy 'em cheaper if Paul hadn't already repaired them so my learning process began, mostly with Crosmans. I admit to only recently starting to repair my own Benjis, Sheridans and early Crosman internal valved guns. For years I let them scare me because I couldn't SEE what was down inside. Shoulda taken the opportunity while I COULD see before my eyes got so blamed old.;o(

<My favorites would have to be the 140's or the RWS. The 140 has taken alot of game and pests from my younger days. Target practice was blackbirds over the hog feeders. I have killed a few rabbits, crows, squirrels, and several other things with the 140. The RWS is even more deadly and is the weapon of choice now when rabbits invade the garden and neighbors are still sleeping.>

The 140s and later 1400s are my favorites from the Crosman camp followed by the 100 series guns like my 1st. But it's hard to fault Benjamin or Sheridan. They found designs that worked and stuck with them until gobbled up by the Crosman beancounters. My old 101 is ready for another rebuild and this time I'll do it myself---when it reaches the top of a looong list! Dano can testify that I don't have to worry about offending the neighbors here where I live. Got a shooting range that stretches out to 125 yards, the longest area free eough of trees yet semi-level on the whole 20+ acres. Deer, turkey and squirrels virtually overrun us but I've quit hunting. Getting old does that to you. You wake up one morning with too much reverence for life to want to take any more of it and quietly repent of just how much you have taken. The only thing for which I yet bear any ill will are tiny dots on paper.

<I have an old Daisy 880 made back in '72 that shoots great and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Back when the quality was great.>

I have 2 of those early ones getting close to the top of the to-do list. One of my own for some experimental work I've been thinking about and one for my wife's hand therapist. It was his 1st gun and he's teaching his daughter to shoot with it so I volunteered to refresh it for them. Both guns are from the brass compression tube/metal pump lever era and will make good strong shooters when I get thru with them. I think mine will be quite surprising.;o) CC

[brownieman]

good read CC,

made me dig my old gun out, first one i had...can't find a date on it but I received it for Christmas probably around 1960, 62...somewhere in there.

Only info i can find on the gun is on the barrel...Crossman Arms Co. Inc, Fairport N.Y. USA, M-1 Carbine BB Air Rifle.

The barrel jacks straight down into the stock one time to cock it, nice adjustable peep sights...little lever slides open a small hole on the top of the gun and bb's are fed one at a time into it, probably holds 20 or so.

The clip on the bottom of the gun holds spare bb's.

I can't even imagine how many shots the old gun has fired...my grandson and I still shoot it.

When new for a one pumper the gun shot pretty hard...still is accurate...doesn't have near the punch,you can see the BB but considering it still shoots well.

Are you familiar with the old gun?

bm

[Crippled Caddis]

[

quote name='brownieman' date='Jan 16 2008, 08:48 PM' post='55823']

good read CC, made me dig my old gun out, first one i had...can't find a date on it but I received it for Christmas probably around 1960, 62...somewhere in there. Only info i can find on the gun is on the barrel...Crossman Arms Co. Inc, Fairport N.Y. USA, M-1 Carbine BB Air Rifle. Are you familiar with the old un?bm

Sho'nuff!

The M-1 Carbine was, as you well know, an excellent visual reproduction of the U S Military original. At a short distance it's hard to tell the two apart.

The M-1 was an outgrowth of the Crosman V-350. The V-350 was introduced in 1961 as Crosman's first outright head-butting with Daisy in the 'BB gun wars'. The model designation pretty much said it all: V (velocity)- 350 (350FPS). That was deliberately done to point out that Daisy had detuned their traditional offerings to sub 300 ft. per second velocity and that Crosman offered a more powerful option. The V-350 was a modern revival of the Quackenbush principle push-to-cock barrelled BB guns of the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. Known as 'Gats' in Europe where the design principle was commonly used in inexpensive air powered pistols it is the origin of the common term 'GAT' in reference to handguns.

So successful was the V-350 (produced thru 1969) that in 1966 Crosman issued the basic gun action dressed out in US Army uniform as the M-1 Carbine. The 1st varient in wood stock version lasted only two years before being supplanted by the plastic-stocked version which enjoyed a run lasting from 1968-1976.

Both models are far more collectable than the parent V-350, which seems almost beneath notice, with the rarer 1st varient wood-stocked model enjoying a clear preference with collectors. In the case of both varients however it is the presence or absence of the 'clip' that makes all the difference! If you still have your original clip "Do not pass Go, Do not Collect $200" go take the dang clip out and put it in the safe before the grandkid loses it!'o)

Produced for only 2 years (1963-64) the V-300 pistol in the family is both less findable and more collectable, enjoying something of a premium in value as a direct result.

The V-350 enjoyed one last 'Run for the Roses' from 1970-73 as the Model 3500 'Slidemaster' before falling off the production roster into obscurity.

FWIW, to answer the perennial "What's it worth" enquiry; the last M-1 I sold was a plastic-stocked varient with original clip in pristine condition. I sold it 3-4 years ago to a man seeking one for a brother dying from a terminal disease who was suffering nostalgia pangs atop his feeling of inevitable mortality. I sold it for $125 IIRC but that was probably a bit below market value since I have a weakness in such instances. I haven't been keeping up with the collector market since even before that event so I can't well advise on current trends, but I doubt you can plan on sending the grandson thru university on the sale proceeds.;o) HTH, CC

[podum]

Glad to see Im not the only one with this problem. After the beasts invaded the attic, chewed on the deck posts and ate the Christmas lights, I declared war. Bought a one pump break barrel Gammo Shadow (.177) about 3 years ago at Walmart for about $100. The thing has been (and still is) absolutely money. I've only sighted it in once. I couldn't count how many have fallen (im in suburban Overland Park, KS). The stopping power of a single pellet with this rifle is really good.

Happy Hunting

[jjtroutbum]

Well I gotta go here too, My personal tomato, cherry tree defender as well as dubbing and soft-hackle provider is a Crosman Medalist Model 1322 in 22cal.Seems to have tons of power and accuracy is as good as I am. However this pistol is pretty loud when shooting from under my covered porch ...lol.

Any recommendations for ammo. I have been using field point pellets. Last batch I bought was Daisy No.722(Quick Sliver)?

All my guns get cleaned and oiled after use, but I don't know that I have ever reamed cleaned the barrel on this one. Guess I'll run a patch through there and see whats what.

[jjtroutbum]

cleaned the barrel little lead was in it. No trace of rust in there.

[ollie]

As far as cleaning the barrel I have heard different issues with both leaving the barrel dirty and cleaning it. The assumption of not cleaning the barrel has to do with the bb wearing a certain path down the barrel as it leaves. Mind you this has more to do with a smooth barrel than a rifled one. Personally, I don't clean out the barrels because there is no powder residue like in a firearm. It never has effected the accuracy for me it seems.

[brownieman]

Thanks for the info CC,

My old M-1 is all original, wooden stock and the original clip...pretty darn good shape considering the age and nothing on the gun has ever been refurbished...have considered refinishing the stock several times but have been hesitant to do so just because I like the idea of the old gun being in original condition.

Have never had any idea of the worth of the gun...matters not would be like pulling teeth for me to give it up, lol...I still can't believe the gun has any power left at all considering how much it has been shot...as most things there was much better quality back in days past. Thanks again for the info.

bm

[jdmidwest]

Air gun barrels need to be cleaned regularly to maintain accuracy. While there is no powder residue, lead and other stuff accumulates in the barrels. Alot of pellet rifles sit in a corner and dust accumulates in the barrels. Like any other firearm with a rifled barrel, the projectile acquires the grooves of the rifling as it passes thru it. Lead is soft and it will accumulate in the barrel and it needs to be scrubbed to maintain peak accuracy. The higher speed rifles like the Beeman, RWS, and Gamo's will lead a barrel quicker than a low velocity CO2 or pump up gun.

If the barrel is smooth and the gun shoots only BB's, it does not hurt to run a rod thru after every session to remove any grit that may have been picked up off a BB.

[Crippled Caddis]

[quote name='jjtroutbum'Any recommendations for ammo. I have been using field point pellets. Last batch I bought was Daisy No.722(Quick Sliver)?>

Several. At short ranges (15 yds. or less) it's hard to beat target wadcutters for both accuracy and transmission of terminal energy. At greater distance a round nose field pellet such as the Crosman Premier (available at W-M in a round metal screw-top lid container as Crosman round nose field pellets altho I'm not at all sure about the box legend) or JSB Exact (only from specialty suppliers) are very hard to even approach, much less beat, on long-distance shots on game. The one thing to avoid are the pointed pellets which lose accuracy very quickly and also are subject to over-penetration. The one exception to that rule of thumb are the heavy Beeman Kodiaks which are something of a halfbreed between pointed and roundnose. In guns that can handle the weight the Kodiaks are one of the very best pest and game pellets even though I find Premiers a virtual standard for my own use.

On the subject of over-penetration: Due to 'the nature of the beast' there is no excess energy to be wasted in taking game with pellet guns. Pellets that are travelling so fast that they pass all the way through game leaving only a 'hypodermic' in nature hole behind have failed to dump all their terminal energy into the organism, usually leaving it to escape to a hole or burrow to bleed to death in pain and be wasted for the table. The sign of ideal useage of terminal energy is to find the expanded pellet just under the skin on the side opposite the entry point. That means that every single foot pound of energy retained by the projectile was expended in bringing about a humane kill without causing undue pain or waste. One of my friends and frequent correspondants is the acknowledged expert in the nation concerning terminal ballistics of pellets on game and we have extensively compared notes over the years to arrive at the conclusions above. A double lung shot from the side anchors game almost as quickly as a brain-pan strike and is normally far more doable under actual field conditions as well in our combined experience.

Over-penetration is the bane of the .177 caliber when combined with excessive speed. In addition to controlled penetration due to increased frontal area of .20 &.22 caliber pellets the heavier caliber is simply more efficient at extracting energy from the limited power produced by a pellet rifle. Simply by changing from a .177 caliber barrel to one of .22 on the identical powerplant the .22 will extract an additional 30% of energy from each shot. And that, my friends, is like free money!

<All my guns get cleaned and oiled after use, but I don't know that I have ever reamed cleaned the barrel on this one. Guess I'll run a patch through there and see whats what.

Ok---here's where I simply can't avoid butting heads with 'jdmidwest' in good concience. No offense intended in any fashion whatsoever JD!

Airgun barrels are built of basically 2-3 materials, brass or bronze or a relatively soft steel. Since lead is far softer than any of the barrel materials used and possesses a high degree of lubricity due to the very nature of the metal itself simply shooting soft lead thru a good barrel will produce so little actual wear that good barrels can tolerate perhaps millions of rounds without additional attention. In addition most pellets leave the forming dies with a trace of the release lubricant used to be sure they don't stick in the die and jam the production run. Many of us old 'airgun nuts' also pre-lube our pellets by lightly soaking a thin foam pad with something like FP-10, Slick 50 or bore wax and 'sloshing' the pellets back and forth over the pad to add a little 'slick'um' to each shot and condition the barrel. Additional petroleum-based lubricant is to be avoided at all costs in the case of spring-piston guns and is possible only in the case of pnuematics and CO2 since the high air temp produced by the sudden compression of the air in a spring-pistn powered gun can ignite excess petroleum products and throw the shot off into Never-Never land! ONLY a wax product should be used in the case of Springers! In the case of my Walther LG-55 Turkish Army trainer cited in a post above the sheer number of shots that's been ran down the pipe must be astronomical yet the barrel looks, and shoots!, as good as the day it was packed for shipment at the Walther factory. Would that the exterior looked only half so good!

I ONLY clean a barrel when I know it has suffered intrusion of dirt or accuracy mysteriously vanishes and can't be recovered by changing pellets or shooting technique. Even then I use ONLY Ballistol or Goo-be-gone applied very lightly to a soft patch and pulled thru from the breech a few times by a pullcord rather than a rod.(using heavy monofilament line,[30-40#] melt a big blob onto one end and cut the far end at a sharp angle so you can penetrate the patch--the blob will keep the patch on the string if you make it big enough---far easier on the barrel than any commercial offering) I follow that with dry patches until clean, then a lightly oiled patch followed by a dry patch to remove excess oil. That is ALL that's needed! Metal brushes are pure death on brass or bronze barrels and little better on steel---if you feel you just MUST use a brush use ONLY one made of nylon and even then wash and dry it between passes! NEVER use lead solvents or barrel-cleaning chemicals in airgun barrels! They simply aren't needed unless the barrel is so far gone that it needs to be replaced and even then the darn stuff seems to be able to migrate through solid metal to reach and rot rubber seals.

If you find your old 1322 Medalist is too loud to promote neighborhood tranquility you can achieve several goals by ordering the 24" barrel (@ $12) from the Crosman Model 2260 rifle and the accessory shoulder stock (@ $15) from the Crosman website. The longer barrel will serve to both moderate the noise, increase velocity and improve accuracy while the shoulder stock makes a carbine out of it that make steady, accurate shots easier. IIRC it's all plug and play requiring only a few simple handtools to make the swaps. Should you find the 24" barrel too 'gawky' to suit your tastes they also have barrels in the 14" & 18" range though I can't recall the models they were used on---you're on your own looking them up.;o) HTH, Tom