Daisy releases a new-old-stock 179!

by Tom Gaylord

Daisy's model 179 BB pistol was first offered in 1960. The 12-shot repeater is powered by a pure catapult mechanism instead of a catapult/spring-piston hybrid like the more traditional Red Ryder-type gun (second gun from the bottom). Sales of the first variation 179 ceased in 1980, but resumed in 1992, with a second variation that has a crossbolt safety added. That second variation remained in the inventory until 1996, when the model was cancelled forever.


Daisy's 179 is being released in a special issue of 700 guns. Certificate of Authenticity is signed by Daisy Museum Curator, Orin Ribar.

A surprising find!
One Daisy dealer in another country was importing their 179s as parts kits to be assembled in the country. Apparently, they did not take the final order of 800 guns, so the parts sets were sold here in the U.S., somewhere near Rogers, Arkansas. Daisy rediscovered the set and bought them back recently to use for repairs, but someone had a better idea. The Daisy Museum, which is a separate entity from Daisy Outdoor Products, decided to assemble the parts into guns and sell them as a special vintage commemorative. 700 guns will be sold, and when I visited the museum last week more than 300 were already gone.

Special packaging
I was in the office of Daisy's Marketing Vice President, Joe Murfin, when I first saw the vintage box that comes with the 179. Daisy went to great lengths to make the box look vintage and I was so impressed by it that I had to have one of the guns! Besides the owner's manual, there is a certificate of authenticity that tells the story of how the guns came to be made. It's signed by longtime Daisy employee and museum curator, Orin Ribar.


The box is as collectable as the gun! Daisy made a special vintage-looking box to house this one-of-a-kind release.

Act now, if you want one
You can buy a 179 direct from the Daisy Museum, but only if you act immediately. This is not a normal commemorative gun, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to turn back the clock by a decade and get a small slice of the "Good Old Days." Who doesn't want to do that?

When I was a kid, we talked about rumors of Harley-Davidson motorcycles still crated from World War II. They were supposedly available for pennies on the dollar and every kid dreamed of finding one. Well here is an honest-to-gosh opportunity to do the same thing with an airgun!

A truly new old gun
This variant of the 179 may become one of the most collectable because of the low issue number. To prove the gun is what you claim, it will be necessary to have all the accompanying documentation and the special vintage box. Set several aside for the future.