Jean’s bad memory
In “A Christmas Story” jean Sheperd recalls the “Daisy Red Ryder 200-shot Range Model Carbine Action Air Rifle” With the compass in the stock and the thing which tells time.(Sundial).
Unfortunately, for those of us in the know, there was never any such thing, except in Shep’s imagination. Oh, Daisy made them, for a while, in honor of the movie (The model is called “The Christmas Dream”) but the original just had the “Red Ryder” brand.
No, the gun with the compass in the stock was a Buck Jones #107, and it was a pump. It was a much better rifle- though it still had a smoothbore it was made a little better, and the “trombone” or pump action made it less cool, in the eyes of a lot of kids. So it wasn’t uncommon for Dads who understood coolness to buy a Red Ryder and order a replacement Buck Jones stock and marry the two; I’ve seen at least one example of this at gunshows. The original stock was rivetted in place, the replacement is usually held on with a 1/4-20 bolt and a square nut, that being what dad’s usually have to hand.
Not too many people know that Daisy provided BB guns to the US government, and those were used in the “Quick Kill” program.
I once shot with a man who went through that ‘Quick Kill’ program. He was scary good with a rifle, easily scoring hits 4x faster than I could.
I went through a Quick Kill program in basic at Ft Polk in 1974 but we used M-16’s. We walked a winding path with a drill sergeant and shot at pop-up targets.
The explanation we were given was that while our soldiers were aiming, holding their breath and squeezing the trigger, they were getting their asses shot off.
Ah, yes! “Quick Kill”.
I instructed that at Fort Polk 1970-72. Used Daisy BB guns with no sights. It’s just a different mindset, point and shoot, as opposed to classic riflery, closer akin to shotgunning.
Merry Christmas, Og.
Hey Og. Merry Christmas to you and yours. Wish I could have seen you when I came up for Christmas, but ran out of time. No Cabella trip this time around. Take care and have a great holiday season. Rich
You too, bud! Glad your trip back was safe.
In 1967 they were still training with M14s in basic. After I got out in 71 I read about this. They would throw up metal disks for the troops to shoot at. The disks would get smaller and smaller. Some would get so good that they could shoot a BB with a BB.
1. Did quick kill with a standard Daisy rifle and 4″ metal discs.
2. Given our rotten attitudes, spent more time screwing around then following the COI.
3. Our instructors tolerated this childishness and ill-will -the payback, a few months later, something only they knew about.
4. Anyway, most of the people I mentioned this to thought I was nuts. That includes infantry veterans from the same time period.
5. The article you reference covers the subject in much greater detail than I ever knew.
6. The skills might have been useful walking point.
7. Most of our guys in that position carried shotguns, anyway.
8. Was pretty rare to have a clear target. The young men back from Iraq and Afghanistan say the same thing, btw.
9. Best to you in 2011.
V/R JWest
And best to you, Mr West! I’m sure I thought that I was the only person who knew the military ever trained with Daisy guns, and to have several folks come out of the woodwork and cop to having done it, it amazing!