CaliAir shares his favorite Daisy’s – the no.10 and the no.25. The no.10 is a new youth model fashioned after the full sized Red Ryder. The no.25 is the classic 1937 variant 7. Both great guns albeit the vintage guns tend to shoot a little high and right. The no.10 hits point of aim easily at 20 yards if you do your part. Join CaliAir here on Daily Motion for future episodes of The Picking A Daisy Show. The only show on the internet dedicated to exploring the Daisy BB gun. Please share, subscribe, favorite, like and comment. We need all the help we can get transitioning to the new platform. Stay tuned for more!
Hi everybody it’s yer pal CaliAir here with a brand new episode of The Picking A Daisy Show on eBay. I’m releasing over half of the CaliAir Collection for auction on eBay. This has been a very difficult task – figuring which of the guns will be the first to go. Every day I find myself changing the priority of what will go next. In this episode I share some of the guns that are going and some that are staying. Of course I suppose you could say all of the guns are for sale but the guns I’m currently listing on eBay (for the most part) are being offed at a reasonable starting bid.
This is your opportunity to get your hands on a tested vintage Daisy for cheap. All of the guns in the collection have been given proper care and attention. They are ready for another lifetime of service and fun.
To find what I’m posting on eBay just search for user “CaliAir2018”. Happy bidding!
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The Daisy no. 101 and 102 represent the “Depression Era” guns that were first put out in 1933. They really were just the Markham King 2233 gun re-branded as a Daisy no. 101 model 33. The 500 shot no.102 was also released in 1933. Both guns were reissued with longer barrels in 1936 and were subsequently named “Model 36”. The shot tubes on the later 1936 models were removable unlike the no.102 Model 33 which was peened shut and inaccessible.
We had to drill the weld points to release the shot tube on the 102/33 for repairs. You could see where they saved money on not having to machine threads.
If you had a little more than a “Daisy For A Buck” you might have afforded any of the other models Daisy had manufactured and marketed at the time. The famous Red Ryder had not yet come into design until 1938 but the Buzz Barton, Buck Jones, and the No. 25 Pump Gun among many others were available.
I have found the 101 and 102 models to be the least accurate of the vintage Daisy models – with exception to one particular no. 102. This wooden stock Daisy 102 Cub from the 1960’s (first produced in 1957 with a plastic stock) forged out of the Daisy/Heddon partnership. Heddon Comptometer was a cash register co. that used much of the same tooling and machinery that Daisy used to make their products. Heddon’s machines fell out of vogue as they were replaced by lighter more modern cash registers. The 102 Cub is a CaliAir favorite and very enjoyable to shot. It is perhaps the predecessor to the hugely successful Buck 105b currently being produced. Both little “youth carbines” are capable of hitting a shovel head out at 50 yards and are compact and easy to keep around with 500 shots in the ready!
CaliAir will be releasing the 101 and 102 Daisy rifles from the collection on this site and on eBay. The 102 Cub will be staying in the collection for further potification …eh hem. See ya next time. I think the Red Ryder’s are up next! – Yer Pal CaliAir!
The 3rd and last series of videos on the Buzz Barton model. Haven’t posted much because I didn’t want to interfere with the Buzz series. The Daisy no. 155 has an interesting relationship to the Buzz. You could say the 155 is the same gun as the Buzz no. 195, the King 5536, and the Model 80 Long Rifle.
CaliAir also introduces the public auction of a substantial part of his collection here on PickingADaisy.com and on eBay.
Daisy put out many models by 1933. And while most businesses were struggling to survive Daisy was going full steam ahead with a wide range of products to choose from to suit your budget.
From the no. 101 Daisy for a buck to the Buzz Barton and the no. 25 that would cost you a whole 3 bucks! This mint condition Buzz Model 33 most likely has the mahogany stock and does not have any branding upon it.
This may have been due to their machine being broke which led to them using paper decals on the first 1933 run of the Buzz no.195’s. It has a reverse cocking lever made of cast iron.
The under barrel is a defining feature of the early Daisy guns which helped to contain the air pressure.
The nickeling on the gun is 99-100%. I have not seen a nicer specimen of this model thus far.
The Buzz Barton no. 195 was in essence the low end Buzz. They came out with it at first in 1933 as well as the no. 103. The model shown below is a Buzz no. 194 model 36 from 1936.
This no. 195 is in good condition and was acquired in repaired condition. The repair was rough but seems to have been done many years ago. Sometimes this gives guns a nice aesthetic character.
The small sight aperture is hard to use on anything at close range. The addition of a sight on these guns was rather peculiar. It seems like the “sight” was more for looks than function. But it did look cool and you could always knock the aperture out to get a better field of view when aiming.
This Buzz no. 195 was certainly the low end Buzz but this particular specimen has a great deal of charm with all its carvings, nicks and era correct square nut replacements. It also is a good shooter after all is said and done.
I’m sure there much I’ve left uncovered with the Buzz Barton models. It represents perhaps a companies foray into diversification. The depression brought about great financial disparity and Daisy was able to take advantage of both the low and high end markets. The rare availability of the fancy no. 103 in comparison to the more common no. 195 model 36 is testament to what sold more and to whom.
The new year brings in the 100th anniversary of the End of World War I. By 1933 America was suffering from the depression and in a little over 10 years will be going back to war in WWII. Daisy had put out the economical no. 101 and 102 Model 33 that where sold for around $1. However they also marketed a higher end product called the Buzz Barton Special named after the child rodeo star of the same name. Buzz’s future in the new media called “film” was limited but his name will forever be etched (literally) in the No.’s 103 and 195.
The first Buzz no. 195 in 1933 came out with a paper label on the stock and few survived with the fragile label in tact. They also produced the No. 103 Super Buzz Barton Special that was nickel plated and featured the reverse cocking action that allows you to cock the lever and keep the gun shouldered. A cool but short lived design feature that proved to be a bit hazardous.
The Number 103 Model 33 from 1933 shares the same frame as the Daisy Model 27 from 1927 which also featured the “reverse” cocking action and similar cast iron levers.
The following year Daisy would produce their improved 1934 Number 25 Pump Gun and their new Buck Jones Number 107 Pump Gun and even the super rare No. 105 Junior Pump Gun (same gun as the Markham No. 5 Pump Gun). The lever action guns were now sharing the spotlight with the pump action lines.
I’ll be doing more articles and video episodes on this intriguing set of guns known as the Buzz Barton. The Number 195 model 36 was actually a re-purposed Markham King No. 55 which is also featured in the CaliAir Collection.
[Correction: I mistakenly refer to this gun as a 1917. It’s actually a 1919.]
Today I have for you the gun that started my obsession with Daisy BB guns. Last year for the first time ever I bought a new Daisy no. 25. The new models are made in China – but the build, fit and finish on the gun is pretty good and regardless of the plastic trigger and lever – the new 25 is an excellent backyard plinker.
I couldn’t believe how quiet and accurate the gun was for a dang BB gun. Previously I’ve always scoffed at BB guns and thought of them more as children’s toys. I bought the gun on a whim only to discover that the thing was an excellent shooter. Over the years I had invested in many types of firearms, break barrel gas pistons, pcp’s, spring piston, airsoft and multi-pump pneumatics. Don’t get me wrong, I have fun using all of those various shooting platforms.
But the Daisy BB gun offered so many things that NONE of the others did. Most importantly – capacity. No other shooting platform gives you 50 to 1000 shots one after another. If you are a shooter you know that most of your time is spent loading the gun. The less time you spend loading the more time you have for a thing called trigger time!
I couldn’t believe this gun existed since 1914 and I was only now getting hip to it. I started wondering if it was possible to find an early original version of the gun and sure enough they were available on the internet. I purchased a 1936 variant for this was what was considered the most desirable of the No. 25’s. I am also a big WWI buff and it turns out that the history of Daisy and The Great War are profoundly intertwined.
WWI broke out in 1914 which is the very year that Daisy began manufacturing the Fred Lefevere designed No. 25. This is what led me to seeking a 1st variant no. 25. Currently I still have not been able to get my hands on a 1st variant. Between 1914 and 1979 there have been about 54 variants of the gun produced. What we have here is what some call a 3rd variant . Other sources place this as a 6th variant.
This gun was bought at a premium from Dennis Baker over at Daisy King as a 1919. This variant has the short throw and non adjustable front sight. The variant we are looking at was produced between 1917 to 1926. By 1927 the easier to cock long throw lever was introduced. For the exception of the non adjustable front sight and the finish on the barrel – this is what a 1914 1st variant would look like. It has the barrel claw, the 5 groove pump handle, smaller rear sight, straight trigger, squared off rear trigger guard, large take down screw, a reinforcement rib and a straight stock.
What distinguishes the first variant from all the others is its “black nickel” finish. The first variant was never sold in bright nickel. Of course the flagship no. 25 was the 6th (sometimes referred to as the 7th) variant that included fancy etching on the receiver. I’ll be showing you those variants in a future episode. This particular gun came to me in weak shooting condition and could definitely benefit from a good seal job. The finish on this rifle is very good with little rust. It does shoot fine at close range and it is very quiet. The shot tube is functional but challanging to lock back the spring while loading the bb’s. This was a common issue with he earlier shot tubes.
I’m looking forward to reviving the seals on this gun to see how well it can shoot. For a gun over a 100 years old its still in great condition.
