Daisy BB gun

For Christmas in ‘54, I received a Daisy lever action BB gun! The interesting thing about it was that, unlike Ralphie in A Christmas Story, I did not hope for one or anticipate getting one. Exactly like Ralphie, my BB gun was in its box behind the TV and it was revealed to me just like Ralphie’s was – by my dad after all of the presents under the tree were opened. What a great present! I learned to shoot and gun safety with that BB gun. The lever was too hard for me to operate. So, I squatted down with my legs spread and the gun trapped behind my knees. I could pull the lever forward in this position and cock the gun.

Dad spent quite a lot of time with me teaching me gun safety with this gun. Behind our house was woods (more on that later) so I could shoot into the woods with impunity. I could NOT shoot other people or toward any houses. I pretty much wore this BB gun out and two or three years later I got a Daisy pump action bb gun.

More accurate and powerful, this was a really good bb gun and I really loved playing with it. I shot it so much that the sear (the part of the trigger that releases the firing action) was worn to the point that I could just shoot by working the pump action. I bet there are 20 pounds of bb’s in the back yard and woods behind the Idylwood house.