New Daisy 880 Owner

[McNally M.]

Hey everyone, been an air rifle owner for a long while. A Red Ryder was the first rifle I ever bought back when I was just 9 years old. But this is my first time posting in this forum.

I recently picked up two Daisy 880's with the intent of putting together a little gunner's kit and giving one to my father-in-law to-be as a fun Christmas present, and keeping the other one for myself, so that we can have some fun taking pot shots on his property during a visit over the holidays.

Never having owned one of these, is there any advice that can be given on how to properly and most effectively handle? Obviously, I understand the rules of thumb when it comes to safety. But are there any do's and don't when it comes to pneumatic air rifles? What is the proper maintenance? And is there particular ammo that performs better with these 880's? I'm all ears!

[therealnickb]

Keep an eye on the screws that hold the stock in place. They can get loose and fall out.

Pellets are obviously much more accurate and won't ricochet back at you so much.

You can keep it loaded with BB's even when you want to shoot pellets.

The iron sights are pretty good.

Otherwise, that's a quite little rodent killer! Have fun.

[mike.h]

It's a great little BB gun.

If I remember correctly, in the directions it says not to over pump.

A few years back I loaned it to a neighbor, and it came back with the seals blown out. Please read the directions.

Have fun

[Jeepergeo]

Becareful. You can put an eye out with one of those things!

Seriously, they are pretty simple. Read the instructions, including the safety information.

Safety first. At a minumum:

1. Always treat the gun as if were loaded and ready to shoot.

2. Don't point the gun at anything you don't intend to shoot.

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are aimed and ready to shoot.

4. Know your target and what's behind it and near by. BBs can and do pierce targets and sometimes ricochet.

5. Remember, law enforcement will not know it is a Daisy BB gun, if they approach, put the thing down.

Have fun and be safe.

[McNally M.]

Thanks for the positive words fellas. I'm looking forward to have some fun with these.

As far as dry firing goes, its that a hard no-no with these air guns? I've always had the notion that it was, growing up with airsoft where one dry fire on a springer could mean game over. But is an accidental one-off on a pneumatic acceptable?

[therealnickb]

Thanks for the positive words fellas. I'm looking forward to have some fun with these.

As far as dry firing goes, its that a hard no-no with these air guns? I've always had the notion that it was, growing up with airsoft where one dry fire on a springer could mean game over. But is an accidental one-off on a pneumatic acceptable?

[71MUSTY]

Hey everyone, been an air rifle owner for a long while. A Red Ryder was the first rifle I ever bought back when I was just 9 years old. But this is my first time posting in this forum.

I recently picked up two Daisy 880's with the intent of putting together a little gunner's kit and giving one to my father-in-law to-be as a fun Christmas present, and keeping the other one for myself, so that we can have some fun taking pot shots on his property during a visit over the holidays.

Never having owned one of these, is there any advice that can be given on how to properly and most effectively handle? Obviously, I understand the rules of thumb when it comes to safety. But are there any do's and don't when it comes to pneumatic air rifles? What is the proper maintenance? And is there particular ammo that performs better with these 880's? I'm all ears!

Looks like lots of fun, Wish I were joining you

[McNally M.]

Thanks guys, looking forward to a little boys will be boys shenanigans with these. Got some reactive targets too to hone in our sharpshooting. Should be fun!

[BigPimping]

Those are excellent for raccoons and skunks. Just give it about six pumps. It'll create a wealt on that nasty beast

[Squirrel hunter]

Excellent guns. Daisy makes a new upgraded 880 called the Winchester 1977, with a Thumb hole stock and a claimed 1000 fps.
Both are suitable for headshots on turkey.
Pull the bolt back and pump it twice before you put it up to keep the seals from leaking and you'll have a very capable airgun for a long time.

[McNally M.]

Excellent guns. Daisy makes a new upgraded 880 called the Winchester 1977, with a Thumb hole stock and a claimed 1000 fps.
Both are suitable for headshots on turkey.
Pull the bolt back and pump it twice before you put it up to keep the seals from leaking and you'll have a very capable airgun for a long time.

So I should keep it lightly pumped when not in use? That will help with preserving the seals?

[therealnickb]

So I should keep it lightly pumped when not in use? That will help with preserving the seals?

Interesting. Never heard of that.

[McNally M.]

Excellent guns. Daisy makes a new upgraded 880 called the Winchester 1977, with a Thumb hole stock and a claimed 1000 fps.
Both are suitable for headshots on turkey.
Pull the bolt back and pump it twice before you put it up to keep the seals from leaking and you'll have a very capable airgun for a long time.

This is absolutely the truth! Did a little research and it turns out that its definitely recommended to store a pneumatic air gun with a pump or two of air.

https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2006/03/safe-storage-of-pneumatic-airguns/

Learn something new everyday here on CG!

[therealnickb]

Cool. Nice to know.

And yet... from the manual for the 880.

STORAGE
Before putting the gun away in a cabinet or gun rack, shoot the
gun at a safe target to make sure the pump system and barrel are empty. Then, open the bolt and place the trigger safety “ON”, then close the bolt. Always make sure the gun is empty and the trigger safety is “ON” before storage; the gun should also be clean, dry and oiled.

[McNally M.]

Never followed up to let you all know how the Christmas Daisy's went over. They were a blast. The FIL set up a steel trap down at one end of his property and we plinked for several afternoons.

I made the mistake of leaving mine up there, thinking it was too powerful to have in the suburbs. But I couldn't help picking up another one to toy around with in my backyard. Having the ability to control the power by pumping is a great feature and makes it very approachable to safely plink, in most any surroundings.