Daisy Red Ryder cork gun conversion!

[Hunterdude]

I don't know why but I have wanted a carnival style cork gun for years, I have looked up the carnival sources and found dedicated cork shooters converted from both the Daisy model 25 And Also the Red Ryder...prices have vary from $85-$130 and some of these do not have front sights and are also cork "only"...I just would not pay this for a cork only gun....also there is the Daisy "cork tube" that converts a model 25 to cork shooter and you can always put your stock shot tube back in But these are no longer made and the old rusty ones are advertised at $70-$140 plus shipping on ebay.
Fast forward to today I stumbled on a guy from Texas(on ebay) that makes a simple 3D printed plastic muzzle bushing that does what I have wanted to do all along, jump back and forth from shooting bbs to corks!
I ordered 2 units right away and have been shooting them, here are my results:
First thing I noticed when I opened the package is he must set up the 3D printer to build these fast, they have a rather heavy "record" player grooves in them from the layers of printing plastic, I know they can set a finer setting but it can take hours to print in a very fine setting....well I installed the unit on my new Adult size Red Ryder and it Does look much better on the gun than in the package.
The unit will shoot #3 size tapered corks OR 1/2 inch cork round balls, round balls are greatly prefured for accuracy and the #3 tapered corks give a slightly more satisfying cork POP! Sound. Also the #3 tapered corks would be Much easier for younger children to load.
There are 2 types of cork round balls, there are natural cork(machined round) and also Agglomerated cork round balls that are basically very uniform ground up bits of cork bonded to gather in a ROUND ball, the bonding "glue" makes the cork ball a little more heavy than natural cork and this gives the ball much needed down range energy.
I only have the #3 tapered corks and Agglomerated round balls on hand to test, my cork source was currently sold out of Natural cork round balls, but I will try them when back in stock.
Chrony test:
I get chrony speeds of between 92 fps and 137 fps....after first shooting a few corks in the yard I felt just sure the Agglomerated round balls would be Way faster, I was in for a surprise.
-First, both types shoot best if firmly seated in the muzzle, this is very easy to do with the tapered corks but the rounds present a bit of a problem, at first I thought there was no way the 1/2" balls would fit, but after working at it a bit I found they compress quite a bit and I was able to get a ROUND ball loaded, I now have an Agglomerated round ball I have shot 30+ times and after shooting the same ball about 6 times they get Much more easy to load, I have learned to take a new unfired ball and roll it firmly between my fingers to compress and soften it, also a little homemade ramrod tool that looks exactly like a short ball starter used in muzzleloaders takes all the work out of it.
Now here is where it gets interesting! A well used round ball and a new unfired #3 cork posted the 2 fastest chrony speeds! Here we go, slow to fastest.
-Brand new first load round ball -93 fps
-well used #3 taper cork -97fps
-round ball fired 30+ times 119-125 fps
-brand new #3 tapered -137 fps!
So the #3 shoot best new and quickly loose there ability to stick firmly in the muzzle and so the air pressure can not build up as high.
The brand new round balls stick just a little to well when new but perform best after having been shot a few times to soften them up.
Conclusion: I do recommend the product as great fun, and value priced, I may experiment with coning the muzzle a little to make loading "new" round balls a little more easy. When I get back near a machine shop I may like to make up a machined aluminum version of this to see if it performs any better? I do recommend installing the product with light taps from a rubber mallet to avoid damage, but it is great fun and you can Still shoot bbs.
I will try to post some photos and would be happy to try to answer any questions folks may have.

-

 

[Hunterdude]

Daisy stock muzzle bushing on left, cork conversion on right.

 

[Hunterdude]

Left Agglomerated cork ball was fired 30+ times, you can see it is a bit smaller (compressed)then the New ball on the right.

 

[Hunterdude]

Properly loaded round ball...

 

[Hunterdude]

Correctly loaded #3 cork....

 

[aarondhgraham]

When I was a kid (1954-55) I got a complete Davy Crockett set for Christmas.

It had the rifle (Ole Betsy), a pistol, belt, pouch, knife & sheath,,,
And of course the coonskin cap.

The interesting thing is that both the rifle and pistol were real firearms.

You rammed the round cork down the barrel,,,
Tore off one cap from a roll and placed it under the frizzen.

There was a hole from the lock to the breech,,,
When the cap went off it propelled the cork a good 15-20 feet.

My older sister was my favorite hunting target.

Wish I still had that rifle/pistol today.

Aarond

.

 

[Hunterdude]

Update:
It might be tempting to think that as I posted my fastest chrony speed with a #3 taper cork, that they are the most powerful?...they are Not!... Just plinking in the yard, the round balls look like they fly about 300% better than #3 corks.
As a power test I found the round balls will punch thru one side of the olde school brown paper grocery bags at point blank range, the #3 corks will not.
Additional power test: (please don't try this at home) I fired one of each style cork into the palm of my hand, both had a bit of sting to them, the round ball considable more, but neither stung like a good airsoft gun would at close range, I have seen a stout airsoft break skin at close range.

Disclaimer: please don't shoot people with cork guns, there is always the risk of a bb still inside the bb gun.

I think these would be fun if you set up a simple carnival style targets, Something super light like Dixie cups or those red solo cups, they come in many sizes for vary the degree of challenge. Also a knock over target will be more satisfying, as these are not going to shoot real tight groups on paper.

I think the practical range for the #3 corks will only be about 6 to 8 feet....the round balls should shoot pretty good at 8 to 12 feet or a little more.
I would like to do some group size accuracy testing, but as the round balls will only break thru paper close to muzzle, I will have to get creative, maybe those sticky targets would let the balls stick OR maybe I could shoot at some fresh Play-Dooh or soft clay or similar so I can see marks where the corks hit....to be continued!

 

[Hunterdude]

Hello Aarond!....did your cork rifle look similar to the one I am posting a photo of? If so, I had the rifle only, not the complete set, it was a decent cork shooter when new. Mine was made by "Parris" and they are still in business today but sadly have not made the cap/cork shooters in a long time, you can still find them from time to time on ebay, if it has the long metal ramrod under barrel, it "may" be one of the cork shooters. It can be hard to find one in nice condition. Also the airway from the cap to the breech would get clogged with debris from the paper caps and also corrosion over time.
I have often thought if I found one in decent shape, to take it apart to see if I could open that airway up a little and maybe even drill and tap the cap area to accept a percussion muzzleloader nipple, muzzleloader percussion caps would offer a bit more power than the paper caps.

 

[troy fairweather]

Very cool, many generations before my time but I always wanted one, there the og nerf gun lol. I'd like on that shot earplugs or something.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello Hunterdude:

I had that Davy Crockett set when I was 5-6 years old,,,
I'm afraid my memory isn't precise enough after 65 years to positively identify it.

That could easily be the same one though,,,
An honest to gawsh "firearm" as a kids toy was so cool.

And yes, I had to clean the touch hole quite often,,,
I used a straight pin if I recall correctly.

About using percussion caps,,,
Many years ago I had a pair of 1858 Remington revolvers.

I found some round cock balls that fit the cylinder perfectly,,,
They were amazingly accurate out to about 25 feet.

I only got 4-5 shots per cork,,,
The violence of the percussion cap ate them up pretty quick.

They did make great "Parlor" Guns though.

The cork balls were just under a penny apiece,,,
I got them at a local hobby store for less than a buck a bag of 100.

Playing cards were very fun living room targets.

Aarond

.

 

[Hunterdude]

Hello Aarond:

Shooting round cork balls out of a cap and ball revolver with percussion caps for power is a great idea!....Although I now have to pay about 20 cents each for my cork balls so inflation has taken its toll.
I have over 30 shots on one cork ball (in Daisy/cork conversion)and as long as I keep it out of the dirt it's showing no signs of going down hill yet.
I got My Parris cork/cap rifle in the early 70ies so The complete Davey Crockett set may have been long gone but mom n dad Did get me a coon skin cap, I remember running around in the summer time wearing it, man was that thing was (to warm) for summer use! ahhh the memories....

 

[cobalt327]

This makes me wonder if I could shoot a 1/2" cock ball from my black powder muzzleloader. It's an inline type that uses a 209 primer for ignition, so it should toss a cork ball a pretty good ways. Looking at current costs for primers, I might not do this too much, but I bought the primers years ago when they weren't very expensive.

 

[aarondhgraham]

I have known a few people who have shot cork balls from their rifles,,,
It's a relatively cheap way to get some trigger time in.

Might be a great way to teach kids about front-stuffers.

The only real worry I can see is when shooting them indoors,,,
Aren't the fumes from percussion caps somewhat toxic?

Aarond

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[Hunterdude]

I think the cork balls would shoot with authority out of a real muzzleloader with 209 primers, 209 primers are some of the strongest I know of.
When shopping for cork balls some are a true 1/2" and others are about .480....the only reason I bring this up is if you have any hopes of reusing the cork balls you may be able to patch them like lead round balls, the patch would protect them from the heat of the big primer.
The .480 may work in a .50 cal with a thick patch and the .500 could possibly be made to work in a .54 cal with a thick patch.....just thinking out loud, with the zero recoil it would be great trigger practice.

 

[berettaprofessor]

Well, that took about 30 seconds for me to order. I already have one of the custom-made dual conversion cork guns, but this looks like a less expensive solution mated with a Red Ryder. The link I assume Huntertude is referring to is: https://www.ebay.com/itm/233976037758?hash=item367a0f017e:g:kcQAAOSwkQVgnqOB

 

[Hunterdude]

Yes, your link took me to exactly the guy I ordered from, it took just over a week to arrive with the free shipping. Yours may come sooner depending where you live.
There is a small square area you push in on at the bottom side of barrel, then gentle taps on the front sight to remove stock barrel bushing. I recommend a rubber mallet And gentle taps to install the new unit, if you don't have a rubber mallet them perhaps cushion the new unit with a thick pc of leather or soft wood such as pine.
Let us know how you like it? It does not come with corks so you may want to get those ordered as well, have FUN!

 

[berettaprofessor]

Corks are ordered and received. Conversion piece shows that a tracking order was initiated but it hasn't shipped yet

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Hello Aarond!....did your cork rifle look similar to the one I am posting a photo of? If so, I had the rifle only, not the complete set, it was a decent cork shooter when new. Mine was made by "Parris"View attachment 1017226 and they are still in business today but sadly have not made the cap/cork shooters in a long time, you can still find them from time to time on ebay, if it has the long metal ramrod under barrel, it "may" be one of the cork shooters. It can be hard to find one in nice condition. Also the airway from the cap to the breech would get clogged with debris from the paper caps and also corrosion over time.
I have often thought if I found one in decent shape, to take it apart to see if I could open that airway up a little and maybe even drill and tap the cap area to accept a percussion muzzleloader nipple, muzzleloader percussion caps would offer a bit more power than the paper caps.

The local Sportsman’s Warehouse has a bunch of the Parris made toy guns.

 

[cobalt327]

This is what I send folks when they ask how I remove the front sight of a 1938B Red Ryder, 105B Buck, etc.:

"On removing and replacing the front sight, there's no screw- the screw head seen on the sight is molded into the plastic and is not functional. You may find that obvious, but you'd be surprised at how many folks have been fooled by it!

"The sight is a friction fit inside of the outer barrel tube, or 'shroud'. To remove the sight, I prefer to use a wooden pusher/driver to *pop* it off with a mallet or light hammer. The new sight is simply pressed back in place by hand. Note that there are 4 "fingers" on the inside of the sight that the straw-sized inner barrel fits in. The sight slides into the outer barrel with the 4 fingers holding the straw barrel in position. Sometimes it may be necessary to use a small tool that'll fit through the outer barrel slot to move the straw barrel around inside the main barrel, to get it aligned with the fingers but most of the time just wiggling the sight as you insert it is enough. I've attached photos to help show this."

 

[berettaprofessor]

Well, the conversion insert came today; tracking shows shipped today and arrived today. But whatever, delivery only 6 days from order. I can live with that. The insert looks to be well made, can't wait to try it. Thank you for the instructions, Cobalt327.

 

[Hunterdude]

Congrats on your new cork conversion!
Cobalt327 did a FAR better job explain how to remove, I said "tap on sight" but ment that step in front of sight...what Cobalt said!
Also the leather or wood cushion (I spoke of)is ment to prevent damage to the new unit as the 3D printed material can be a bit more brittle than Daisy plastics. You may be able to just push it in by hand, but mine was a little snug (a good thing) if the fit from barrel tube to conversion unit is snug, and also snug from conversion to outer sheetmetal shroud, than the unit can improve accuracy with bbs as well.
Enjoy, and please report back? Positive or negative, we can all learn from reviews!

 

[berettaprofessor]

Okay, installation was a snap...took about 10 minutes total even fiddling around finding tools and attempting removal several ways. I did it differently though than Cobalt327 suggested. Even with the rifle in a rest, I found it difficult to press on the ventral tab and tap the sight at the same time. And tapping the sight alone didn't budge the original insert. So I turned it over and used a small flat screwdriver to catch the edge of the tab at about a 45º angle and then tapped it right out...once the tab was past the slot, the insert was removable by hand. The new insert tapped into place easily but I couldn't just push it in by hand.

And it shoots; pretty darned well. I'll have to try to chrony and do a little accuracy test, but it's easily the equal of my Carnival Custom Daisy Model 25 that cost about $120 after shipping. Wish I'd known about these before I bought a custom Model 25 for me AND another for my grandson last year. A brand new Red Ryder cost me $25 bucks at Walmart and the 3-D insert was $17. It would have been much nicer to spend $42 apiece instead of $120...for essentially the same performance. Hunterdude, where were you last year?

 

[Hunterdude]

Sorry I was a year late....glad to hear it performs with the high dollar carnival guns!
Are you guys shooting round corks or #3 taper?
I would love to hear what your favorite targets are with the corks!

 

[Meeks36]

Y’all got me thinking of buying one for fly hunting when it rains. Already do this w rubber bands but a cork shooter would be awesome.

 

[Hunterdude]

Well, you got me thinking about fly hunting, I see only 2 small issues. I still remember the sting of a round ball cork(from less than 1 foot range) and I would be a bit concerned about shooting a fly in the window....automotive glass would be fine but I have seen very thin household glass(not tempered) that may not take the force of a round cork fired at close range.
Wall fly shooting would be fine, I imagine the larger flat face of the #3 corks may be more effective....both cork types have the potential for success. I would think 3 feet would be a long shot but experimental shooting would tell the tale.
The only other issue is if you hit a couple flys, the corks might get pretty nasty....nothing good old soap and water can not fix. I can not say I am going to run out and try it, I think the bug salt guns are more effective, but you also will not see me putting salt in my good airguns.
If you try it? Please report back!