The Sheridan Blue Streak

[Jeff Higgins]

Well, as you guys know, I've been laid up for some time recovering from my hip surgery. As a result, not being able to make it to my gun club, I have once again been spending some time with my air gun collection, both rifles and pistols. I have a pretty good variety, from the American made Sheridan and Benjamin lines to German made Herman Weihrauch (HW) and RWS to English Webley. I thoroughly enjoy them all, they are just great good fun.

I have found once again, however, as I do every time I perform this "deep dive" into air gunning, that one stands head and shoulders above the rest. The good old American made pneumatic, or pump up Sheridan. I have two examples, the one on the left that I have owned since I was ten years old, a 1963 build, and the one on the right that I acquired about 15-20 years ago, a 1979 build. Both have been modified by Timmy Mac (MacMurry) of MAC 1 Airguns in Los Angeles into what he calls his "Steroid" guns. These are the original Racine, Wisconsin made rifles.



These are an absolute joy to shoot. While they will now accept 14 pumps (unmodified guns are restricted to eight) and develop 19 ft lbs of energy (stock configuration gets about 12-13 ft lbs) and are absolutely deadly on even the largest rats and rabbits, their real appeal is the ability to casually plink with them with maybe four or five pumps. This versatility is one of the factors that really appeals to me. Other factors are their fit and finish (especially the quality of wood on that '63 model), their outstanding triggers, their light weight, and their accuracy. Absolutely the most accurate air rifles I have ever owned.

I also own two that were made after Sheridan was purchased by first Benjamin, then Crossman. They are also fantastic rifles. These represent a merger of the old Benjamin 397/392 (.177 and .22 calibers) line with the Sheridan (.20, or 5mm caliber) lines, so there is no distinction between the two as far as the mechanism. Different stocks was all that was offered. These too are modified by Mac 1. The one on the left is a Benjamin 392, on the right is the Bluestreak, such as it was. Great rifle, just not the measure of the Racine built guns. Long since discontinued by Crossman, after the tooling for them had worm out and they just were not profitable enough to justify retooling. Kind of a shame, really, there are no "adult" quality pneumatics anymore.



These photos illustrate the size difference between this classic American pneumatic and an equivalent German break barrel spring piston rifle. The break barrel is an HW 80, one of the best of its kind available. I ordered it in .20 caliber as well, just to match my Sheridans, and to be able to make valid side by side comparisons.

It's obvious from the photos that it is first a much larger rifle. It weighs just about ten pounds without the scope, where the Sheridan is about five and a half. It is significantly bulkier than the Sheridan as well, as evidenced in the photos. There is just no real way to carry it - it's not a "stalking rifle" by any means, it's a "stand" or "range" rifle.

Adding to that inability to comfortably carry it while hunting little critters is the recommendation that it not be left cocked for extended periods of time. As a result, when a critter is spotted, one must noisily cock it by breaking the barrel. In contrast, Timmy Mac tells me that the Sheridan can be left with a full charge essentially forever. It's actually better on the seals to keep them seated like that. As a matter of fact, he tells me to store them with at least three pumps in them to keep the seals from being dried out and damaged.

Accuracy is very close to being equal. The edge does go to the Sheridan, however. Spring piston guns just jump around and vibrate so much, where pneumatics don't move at all when fired. The Sheridan is slightly more powerful, its 19 ft lbs beating the HW 80's 16. Not a huge difference, and I have yet to meet a rat that could offer an opinion, so it's likely rather moot.

These show the size difference:





At the end of the day, just the whole shooting experience is more fun. It's not such a workout to only shoot with four or five pumps, the triggers are wonderful, the weight and balance make them feel wonderful in the hands, and they are as accurate as I can hold. And let's not forget the childhood memories (the '63 has now been owned by the same ten year old kid for 55 years). Having tried other platforms, the original Sheridan Blue Streak gets my vote as "all time best" air rifles. Such a shame that they quit making them.

[trials935]

I also have a 1968 Sheridan my dad gave me in 1968. It is a great air rifle, still shoots and has had no repairs or mods done to it. Had it for 57 years. I'll have to get it out tomorrow and run some pellets through it. I've never stored it with any pumps in, and it's never had any rust.

[Jeff Higgins]

The owners manuals that came with these don't mention storing them with any pumps in them. My '63 and a buddy's mid '70's both had the seals dry out to where they failed to hold air after several years of not being used. We were young men, had lost interest and moved on from our "kids' rifles". When our interest renewed years later, ours wouldn't hold air.

Fortunately, Sheridan were still under Benjamin at the time and still supported the old rifles. It turns out that a local gun shop was an "authorized repair station", so they soon had us shooting again at little cost.

Fast forward another decade, and mine had sat too much again, and I was still not storing it with any pumps in it, so it was leaking again. No one had suggested to do that. Benjamin/Sheridan had been purchased by Crossman, who quit supporting the old guns. That's when I found MAC 1 Airguns.

Timmy Mac was the first one to suggest that these need to be stored with a few pumps in them. That was over 20 years ago. That old '63 has, in the interim, sat for extended periods once again. It has never leaked again. Neither have my other three "Steroid" rifles acquired in the meantime.

These rifles will never rust. The barrel, pump tube, and receiver are all made from some sort of a copper/bronze alloy. By the nature of how pneumatics work, they generate a good deal of condensation as the highly compressed air escapes. Just look at how cold air tools run, and the need for moisture traps in the air lines feeding them. That's all happening on a reduced scale with pneumatic air guns. Spring piston guns, on the other hand, generate a lot of heat and dry out the air, so they can be (and are) made from various steels.

[vash]

I have one I want to get boosted by Mac-1.

just finding a box is a pain. he only wants the action sent to him I believe. if it was on my way I would drop it off, but even the short detour to him makes my traffic brain hurt.

[Jeff Higgins]

Yes, he only wants you to send the action, so remove the stock. Leave the forend attached, he needs it to fit the billet pump arm he provides. About the first time you try to actually get 14 pumps in one of these, the need for that billet pump arm will reveal itself. It is, to put it mildly, a real bear. Shoot it like that enough, though, and you'll have pecs like Ahnold...

Timmy Mac was in a pretty darn serious bike wreck a few years ago. He spent a lot of time in the hospital. Being a one man show, he had to shut down MAC 1. He is back at it again, but the old website is down. I know he has contact information out there somewhere, but I haven't looked. Absolutely email him, don't call - he gets grumpy. He's a one man show, so if he is talking to me, he's not working on your gun. Granted, we've spoken at length, for hours actually, but only off hours when he's asked me to call.

Kind of a fun aside. The first time he asked me to call was when I sent him the first rifle, my '63. He wanted to tell me that it was too far gone, like some dipstick kid had thoroughly abused it. I told him that he was right, and that the same dipstick kid had now owned it (at that time) for over 30 years. Me. I copped to having mercilessly abused it as a kid, and asked him to forgive the sins of my youth. It really meant a lot to me. Whatever it takes. He just laughed and said "of course". He said if I had just bought it off the Internet or something he would have sent it back and told me to find a better example. But, since it was mine since I was a kid, he was all about fixing it. And he did. He really is a great guy. Just a little grumpy on the phone, but I can't blame him for that.

[rfuerst911sc]

Back in 1968 my family and I flew to Germany to see relatives . While there my dad bought me a Diana break barrel in .177 caliber . I still have it . It still is a joy to shoot .

[KFC911]

I'm soooo gonna break out the German Springer ... see if I can still hit the ground with IT too !

Thanks Jeff ... those are sweet!

[vash]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Yes, he only wants you to send the action, so remove the stock. Leave the forend attached, he needs it to fit the billet pump arm he provides. About the first time you try to actually get 14 pumps in one of these, the need for that billet pump arm will reveal itself. It is, to put it mildly, a real bear. Shoot it like that enough, though, and you'll have pecs like Ahnold...

Timmy Mac was in a pretty darn serious bike wreck a few years ago. He spent a lot of time in the hospital. Being a one man show, he had to shut down MAC 1. He is back at it again, but the old website is down. I know he has contact information out there somewhere, but I haven't looked. Absolutely email him, don't call - he gets grumpy. He's a one man show, so if he is talking to me, he's not working on your gun. Granted, we've spoken at length, for hours actually, but only off hours when he's asked me to call.

Kind of a fun aside. The first time he asked me to call was when I sent him the first rifle, my '63. He wanted to tell me that it was too far gone, like some dipstick kid had thoroughly abused it. I told him that he was right, and that the same dipstick kid had now owned it (at that time) for over 30 years. Me. I copped to having mercilessly abused it as a kid, and asked him to forgive the sins of my youth. It really meant a lot to me. Whatever it takes. He just laughed and said "of course". He said if I had just bought it off the Internet or something he would have sent it back and told me to find a better example. But, since it was mine since I was a kid, he was all about fixing it. And he did. He really is a great guy. Just a little grumpy on the phone, but I can't blame him for that.

I've never stared at it. is it easy to take off the stock? butt end?

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Back in 1968 my family and I flew to Germany to see relatives . While there my dad bought me a Diana break barrel in .177 caliber . I still have it . It still is a joy to shoot .

Fantastic rifles! I have two, a Model 34 and a Model 48. The 34 is a break barrel, the 48 a side cocker. Both of mine are in .22 caliber. The 48 is the second most powerful air rifle I own, right behind my Steroid Benjamin Model 392. It will achieve about 23 ft lbs, the Benjamin will get to 24. Not enough to notice.





I like the peep sight on the 34 since it is actually a pretty light and handy rifle, and is very well balanced. A scope would ruin that (I've tried one and it did). Worse, it would probably grow hair in my palms... The 48 is even bigger, heavier, and more ungainly than the HW 80, so it really doesn't suffer with a scope. I wouldn't be carrying it around much either way.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by vash

I've never stared at it. is it easy to take off the stock? butt end?

Just one screw in front of the trigger guard and it comes right off. Couldn't be easier.

[vash]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Just one screw in front of the trigger guard and it comes right off. Couldn't be easier.

thanks. time to get off my butt. appreciate the nudge sir!!

[dmcummins]

I got a Sheridan silver streak back in the late 60’s. 5mm if I remember correctly. It was very accurate. I gave it to my son.

[Jeff Higgins]

Yup, if it was a Sheridan, it was 5mm. They were never made in any other caliber. The company's founder, one E.H. Wackerhagen, was very concerned that customers would use inferior pellets in his rifles. He went as far as to introduce that rifle in a unique caliber just to preclude that.

The year was 1947. Mr. Wackerhagen had a dream of a premium adult air rifle. His original Model A sold for $56.50, a healthy sum back then. Slightly more than a Winchester Model 70, as a matter of fact. He didn't sell many, for obvious reasons. He simplified it and introduced the Model B in 1948, which sold for "only" $42.50. Still way too much. Finally, in 1949, he came out with the Model C at a price of only $19.95. He continued to sell Model A, or "Super Grade" rifles until 1953. Only 2,130 Model A "Super Grade" rifles were ever made and, boy howdy, are they worth a pretty penny today. Interestingly, Model B production stopped earlier, in 1951.

One Ron Elbe provides the full history of Sheridan in his 1993 book Know Your Sheridan Rifles and Pistols (Blacksmith 1993). Of course, I have a copy...

[LWJ]

I responded earlier but it seems to have gone "poof" into the ether.

I have wanted a blue streak since I was a kid and eradicated a big rat with one. Have a sweet RWS in .177 but it just isn't the same. I just grabbed a Crosman 1400 from a pawn shop the other day. Haven't even shot it yet. But it is very similar. I am stoked.

[t6dpilot]

That's great you have had those since you were a kid Jeff. I too have a couple of air rifles that I have had since the early 70's. One is a Benjamin Sheridan 397PA in .177 caliber and the other is a Smith & Wesson lever action .22 caliber. I need to find someone to bring them back to life. They have been sitting since probably the late 70's. It'll be fun the restore them to firing condition.

[trials935]

Got mine out today. Still working after 57 years. Ive been using .177 pellets all these years. Never knew it was 5mm. I'll have to find some. Are the JSB Diablo Exact any good?

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by trials935

Got mine out today. Still working after 57 years. Ive been using .177 pellets all these years. Never knew it was 5mm. I'll have to find some.

Wow. I would be surprised if you were able to hit anything at all with those undersized pellets rattling their way down the bore. That, and velocity must have been pretty darn low.

Originally Posted by trials935

Are the JSB Diablo Exact any good?

They are the best that I have ever used in my rifles. They come in two weights, 13.73 grains and 15.89 grains. I've found them to be equally accurate.

You will be absolutely stunned at the difference when using properly sized pellets.

[trials935]

Just plinking with it all these years. Now I'll have to find the correct size, see how much better it can be.

[Jeff Higgins]

Amazon, Airguns of Arizona, Pyramid Air, and others have both weights in stock.

[gsxrken]

I used Tim to revive my own childhood (1980ish) 5mm Sheridan. I had him throw the catalog at it (peep sight, steroid kid, billet) and got his oil and the Diablo pellets from him as well.
For as valuable as this forum has been in my 20+ years of my 930 ownership, Jeff’ OT post about Mac Air and how it returned my old rifle to service meant more to me than I could explain to most people.