Equipped with a blade and ramp front sight and an adjustable rear sight, the current Daisy Red Ryder sports a plain oil-finished wooden stock, forearm and metal parts painted blue/black rather than being actual blued metal. By year’s end, all Red Ryders had plastic stocks. The post-war version remained mostly unchanged from its pre-war version, except it had blued barrel bands rather than the earlier copper models.Īround 1950, plastic stocks and forearms were incorporated into production, and for a brief transition period, some guns were sold with both wood and plastic parts. entered World War II in December of 1941, the Daisy Manufacturing Company turned its efforts toward producing defense materials and ceased production of the Red Ryder until 1946. Initially selling for $2.95, this dandy gun was a rousing success. It was the first air rifle to feature such appealing details to the youngsters of the day. The airgun featured blued metal parts, copper-plated barrel bands and a saddle-ring with a “gen-u-wine” leather thong-just the right touch for Red’s little saddle pals. The brainchild of cartoonist Fred Harmon, this red-headed cowpoke was a rough ridin’, straight-shootin’ buckaroo who became the cowboy hero of many of America’s youngsters. Daisy air rifles date back to 1888, when the company produced its first crude model.īy the late 1930s, Daisy had been offering a “Buck Jones” model for some years, but, when the famous cowboy star tragically died in a flaming building, the firm brought out an improved version of that smoothbore, using the then-new comic strip cowboy “Red Ryder.” This little BB gun was one of a youngster’s “necessities,” whether he was a city kid or lived down on the farm. Introduced in 1940, this air rifle represented the ultimate of a Western-style airgun at that time. It was then that I realized that, although often overlooked by most of us, the Red Ryder BB gun could be considered a classic Western gun. Virtually everyone was fascinated by the airgun, and it seemed as though nearly everyone from this group of middle-aged men and women remembered owning one during their youth. Despite his being showered with a variety of unique gifts, it was this little lever gun that generated the most conversation. Years ago, at a friend’s 50th birthday party, I gave him a Red Ryder 50th Anniversary, special edition BB rifle. All Photos Courtesy Daisy Airgun Museum, Rogers Arkansas, Unless Otherwise Noted. Daisy’s Red Ryder was first introduced in 1940 with blued metal parts, copper-plated barrel bands, and on the left side of the shiny varnish-type finished wood stock, the Red Ryder “signature,” along with an image of the ol’ buckaroo on a galloping horse and artist/creator Fred Harmon’s name.
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