Quote:
Originally Posted by vash
Jeff, at your suggestion, i have called that guy.
he never seemed to have any inventory when i got him on the phone. his website blows, IIRC.
how was the ordering process? i seriously want a .22 cal.
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Yes, his website truly sucks. I get the impression he has not really joined the computer age just yet. His products, however, are outstanding. Like a lot of one-man shows occupying a tiny little corner of a very niche market, he seems to have a hard time keeping up. There is simply a bigger demand for his stuff than he can meet at times.
I had been watching his web site for a couple of months, checking availability, but someone always beat me to the ones he had. I just got lucky in snagging this one when I did.
It might be better to buy one locally, or on line from Pyramid Air or another similar dealer, then send it to him. Even better would be to find a vintage Racine, Wisconsin built Sheridan and send it to him. Quality on the new Crossman made guns has gotten kind of sketchy, at least according to Tim. He says about 2/3 of them have bad barrels so they aren't even worth the effort to modify.
Crossman has really neglected the old style pumpers. The brass guns, built on the barrel soldered over the pump tube planform, are kind of an old-world anachronism that are just too expensive to produce for the perceived value assigned them by consumers. Their margins are very slim on these things. They are actually phasing them out, with this being the last year for the "Sheridan" 5mm's. They will likely drop the Benjamins as well in the next year or two, according to the airgun BBS's and blogs.
Vintage Sheridans are still relatively cheap on the used market. I just scored a mid-70's vintage "rocker safety" (the next evolution after my '63 push button safety model shown above) Blue Streak for $120. This one is in great shape, shoots very well indeed, and will likely remain "bone stock" at least for awhile. Maybe you should look for something similar. These are fantastic air rifles even before Tim soups them up - already plenty of power for typical air rifle "game" (rats, crows, starlings, rabbits, even possums), and it will likely be one of the most accurate rifles you own.