Red Ryder BB Gun Fun

[JD Tactical]

Hey guys, new to the forum here but not new to the sport.

With some extra time on my hands recently and my twins now almost 5 I decided to pick up a Daisy Red Ryder and a Buck 105. Big shout out to @cobalt327 for all his help and knowledge on these!

I bought his spring and 7/64" air tube kit for each one. Built a spring removal tool out of a paint stir stick and installed them. They both shoot right at 350 FPS with Daisy Precision BBs.

The triggers were terrible so I did the mentioned switch of the rear trigger spring to the front and added a bic ballpoint pen to the rear that I cut to size. Decent trigger now really.

The 105 was pretty much dead on with POA. The Red Ryder not so much. It was 4 inches right at 5 yards! So I removed the front sight and carefully bent the barrel/shot tube to the left. It was close but now an inch to the left. I took some electrical tape and used it to shim the shot tube by pressing it around the inside of the sight supports on the left side. Right on POA now.

These guys are so much fun to play with and my kids/wife love them too.

I also had some galvanized fencing wire laying around that I used to make a target for hanging 7 cans which works great.

 

[ontarget]

Anyone that can't have fun plinking cans with a Red Rider needs to see a shrink.
You can still get the paper tubes of BBs for under a dollar and waste a whole afternoon on the back porch even if you live in a populated area. What's not to love!

PS welcome to THR.

 

[whm1974]

Anyone that can't have fun plinking cans with a Red Rider needs to see a shrink.
You can still get the paper tubes of BBs for under a dollar and waste a whole afternoon on the back porch even if you live in a populated area. What's not to love!

PS welcome to THR.

Just how accurate are Red Riders anyway?

 

[ontarget]

Pop can accurate at 15 yards. They are a low velocity smooth bore.
If you ever want to see a group of grown men giggle like children just hand them a Red Ryder with 500 bbs and a few pop cans.
Let the competition begin.

 

[cobalt327]

Pop can accurate at 15 yards. They are a low velocity smooth bore.
If you ever want to see a group of grown men giggle like children just hand them a Red Ryder with 500 bbs and a few pop cans.
Let the competition begin.

How true!

TL-DR Regarding accuracy, keep the barrel free of oil, and don't use Crosman Copper Head BBs.

To get the best accuracy from a Daisy smoothbore BB gun (pertains to other brands as well) is to keep the barrel free of oil! I use a .177 cleaning rod with a .177 cotton or felt “mop”. These work great for barrel cleaning. Or a cleaning rod with a jag for patches. Regular .22 patches are too big but they can be cut down to work in a .177, but I use patches cut from old cotton shirts. I use denatured alcohol but you can use 91% isopropyl and it’s cheap, too. You can search eBay for .177 cotton mops. They were available for $1.44 each a while back.

I will only use an oily patch when I am putting a gun away for extended storage. The rest of the time I just don't clean the barrel after a shooting session- there will be some residual oil in the barrel from being expelled from the compression chamber during shooting, and that will protect it from rust in the short term. I will clean the barrel before shooting again if I'm looking for the best accuracy, otherwise, I clean when accuracy falls off.

Over oiling the gun doesn't help anything. All over oiling does is foul the barrel sooner. I use a couple of drops after about 1000 shots, maybe more.

A word on BBs- the Crosman Copper Head BBs are the worst BBs for MV and accuracy. They are irregularly shaped, the plating peels, and they are undersized. All these together make a BB that is inaccurate and that shoots slower than any other steel BB I have tested. The photo below is from the Crosman online site.

For everyday shooting, I use Daisy Precision Max zinc plated BBs like sold at Walmart. I buy them in the 6000 count containers, you can often find them for about $7.00. They are a very good BB.

If you are looking for all the MV possible, Daisy Match Grade Avanti Precision Ground Shot and Marksman Premium Grade BBs will both boost MV- regardless of the spring or air tube being used. The Marksman BBs will add the most. Both are also expensive compared to "regular" Daisy BBs which sell for about $7 for a 6000 count bottle.



Marksman https://www.pyramydair.com/s/p/Marksman_Premium_Grade_Steel_BBs_5_1_Grains_Speedloader_1_300ct/439
(There are also Marksman "Laserhawk" BBs listed on the PA site- they are NOT the same as the Marksman Premium Grade Steel BBs.)

Avanti https://www.pyramydair.com/s/p/Dais..._Shot_177_Cal_5_1_Grains_Steel_BBs_1050ct/398

 

[Paul Alan]

Wecome J.D. Love to here y'all are still shooting Red Ryder..Water bottles do good...Might try the Daisy Boy Scout single Pump its also Good...Pop-Cans don't have a Chance with J.D.

 

[LoonWulf]

Pop can accurate at 15 yards. They are a low velocity smooth bore.
If you ever want to see a group of grown men giggle like children just hand them a Red Ryder with 500 bbs and a few pop cans.
Let the competition begin.

Its nice that they dont shred cans as fast as the punchier airguns too. More shooting (and arguing) less putting out cans.

 

[troy fairweather]

They still will knock a army man off his feet from 10yards.

 

[whm1974]

They still will knock a army man off his feet from 10yards.

The Daisy Red Rider will only propel a BB at 350fps... Hardly enough to knock anyone off their feet...

 

[troy fairweather]

The Daisy Red Rider will only propel a BB at 350fps... Hardly enough to knock anyone off their feet...

you do know what a army man is?

 

[whm1974]

you do know what a army man is?

Oh you meant the toy? Sorry I was tired ... last night.

 

[cobalt327]

Wecome J.D. Love to here y'all are still shooting Red Ryder..Water bottles do good...Might try the Daisy Boy Scout single Pump its also Good...Pop-Cans don't have a Chance with J.D.

I agree about the Boy Scout model 1910 being a good shooter. Mine is crazy accurate, just a joy to shoot. I used a $1.00 seal set from Daisy to make mine into a multi pumper, mostly just to see if it would work, since the valve body and fire control group looked to be identical to the 880. It worked like a charm. Now, I can give it 2-3 quick pumps with the short-throw forearm pump lever (shorter and less cumbersome than the 880 pump lever), and it'll give me all the power I need to shred pop cans and make a hanging water bottle go *THWACK* when hit! 3 pumps is plenty to hit targets at 20-plus yards, so I rarely go past 4 pumps. Beyond 5 or 6 pumps the 1910 gets a little hard for the available leverage and besides, that is 880 territory- and is where the long 880 lever arm comes into its own. This gun holds my personal long-distance record for smoothbore BB guns at 73 yards, the target is a hanging plastic mayo jar.

I was able to get a steel bolt handle from a friend who owns a metalworking shop. He made a few by hand and I just love it! Way better than the short, sharp little nub that comes on the Daisy pumpers. I also use an 880 buttstock for the added LOP because the 1910 felt a little short to me. Not that I couldn't shoot it as-is, but the 880 stock fits, and I had an extra, so why not? The 880 stock is darker, but I don't mind. Since these photos, I added a fiber optic front sight.

 

[ontarget]

The Daisy Red Rider will only propel a BB at 350fps... Hardly enough to knock anyone off their feet...

He said Army man not Marine. LOL.
Sorry Soldiers, I gotta take the jabs when the opportunity comes along. Semper Fi.