Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Air Guns Sheridan .20

Has anyone here had a Sheridan "Blue Streak" tuned by one of the professionals? I was wondering what the benefits are and if it is worth it. Mine seems to be in good working order, but I would like to put an aperture sight on it. So if I send it to someone for drilling and tapping, should I have it tuned also?
thanks, Gary

I can't say, but when I saw the thread just had to comment. I had two when I was a kid. Mounted a 4x Weaver and shot it so much the first year that I wore out the seals. Christmas day I burned up a yellow box of them pellets. 500/box and I only had two boxes total.

The second one was burned almost as fast. Mom and Dad didn't have much money, but they knew I was a rifle looney in the making so let me shoot until I couldn't shoot it anymore. And that wasn't often. The blackbird population was greatly reduced in my area.

Do you remember how the mount was attached? That would be my preference- a scope, but I have read it gets harder to pump with a scope attached.
thanks

I was attached with a gizmo that clamped onto the "receiver". I simply gripped the pellet gun under the screw and pumped it. You can also place your left hand over the scope and pump it with your right hand. I was way young back them and nothing got in the way of maximum fssssht. Which as you know is 10 pumps.

Check this out:

http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/accessory.pl?accessory_id=431&referer=55

I have several of the older Sheridans and they are a great rifle. Three of them have been to MacI Airguns in Kalifornia for their full billet forend and steroid rebuild and all I can say is that the work was great and the guns should last several lifetimes.

Velocity with the standard .20 Sheridan 13 grain pellet runs 775, 800 and 820 from the three guns that I had done...I don't recall right off if that was with eight or ten pumps. This is up from the low 600s when stock. I killed a crow sitting in a tree at 40 yards with one shot that crossed the whole chest and out the other side.

As to scopes on Sheridan's, mounted on the receiver they are a PITA. If you are just target shootiing, with one to about 4-5 pumps it is not too bad but once the pressure builds up, especially on a Steroided gun, pumping with a scope in place is very difficult. The reciver sight is generally the way to go. If you can find one of the older Intermounts (the ones for the new Benjamine/Sheridans don't work on the older guns) you can clamp it out on the barrel and using the correct 1" rings use a pistol scope scout style...this works very well.

Check out MacI Airguns...they do excellent work...

Bob Makowski

Mount a pistol scope on it, out of the way closer to the front sight, A red dot is even better. The Sheridan intermount will slide along the barrel/air tube juncture so it can be placed anywhere along the barrel that you wish. All of my Sheridans are factory drilled/tapped for the Williams reciever sight made specifically for these guns. The new ones with the plastic parts may/may not be tapped for the WRS. Bill

Mine is an older rocker safety. Shoots good, I have taken two rabbits with it. Spectacular performance,when they get hit in the head with 8 pumps.

I only have trouble getting a good sight picture, (old eyes).
Given the model, and I don't intend to shoot over 30 yards- what would you suggest? I have heard you have to be careful or you could end up with the barrel separating from the rest of the gun. I would like to try the aperture sight, but the option of a pistol scope is really appealing also.

Also are there certain models that are inheritantly quieter than others?
Thanks, I appreciate the responces so far.
Gary

I have had a bunch over the last 30 years, the CO2s were quiet and very accurate. Did you find the two drilled/tapped RC sight holes? They are aft of the loading port. Pnumatic air guns do not rattle scopes and mounts loose,(unlike spring piston designs) use moderate force on the slotted head screws supplied with the intermount and you will be OK. BTW the intermount has a groove in the top that allows the use of sights should you remove the scope, or you can kinda see the sights under the scope as well. If you scope in the usual way get a long tube (older) Weaver scope as both rings will be forward of the scope turret to bring the eyepiece near enough to get the full field of view. Of course that too is a non-issue with a LER scope. Considering paralax, the red dot is the way to go for inside 30 yards. Some of us shoot the mighty 5MM at 100 yards (at non-living targets) just to shake up the nonbelivers. Bill

I've got one that I purchased as a kid in the early-mid eighties. It's got the williams sight on it.

What is the previously mentioned process for 'tuning' a Sheridan?????

Lucked out again the other day...was in a big gun shop and there sitting behind the counter was a nice older Blue Streak that hadn't even made the gun rack yet... $85.00 OTD...will be going to a friend who has shot and loved mine but hasn't been able to find one of his own... I'm sure he will be sending it to MAC I for a Steroid job.

Bob

I've got a whole bunch of them. A buddy back east bought a gun shop and they had a box of about a dozen old REAL old Sheridans. From 1950's to early 60's. A few worked most would not hold air. I bought the whole lot from him for next to nothing. He wanted to be rid of them.

I have refinished a few and given a few away as gifts to kids when I rebuilt them. A few had walnut stocks to die for so I kept those. I already had a couple from 1958 and 1962 which I had as a kid.

I don't see the "tuned" versions adding anything but a headache to the longevity and performance. There will always be a weak link and refurbishing one to do more then designed creates that weak link in an area parts may be more difficult to find.

You can replace the valve assembly and have a like new rifle for a few bucks and an hours time. I often think that Air rifles and archery start to become things they are not. Many start to push the limits and extend the range until they make it something other then designed.

The Sheidan air rifle is a spectacular design and works as planned. Shooting Beeman FTS pellets at almost 800fps with one hole accuracy and no recoil from a 60 year old design is plenty good enough for me.


Mac1 does make the best scope mount, be very careful with the original factory style. It can pinch the barrel away from the pump tube if over tightened. I prefer the Peepsights and they work great for the 30 yard functional range the Sheridan will provide you for small game.

The Steriod stuff they do is supppose to be good quality, but what do you gain in range and power? another 5-10 yards? Maybe? I love the old Sheridan and shoot one often. The Billet forend is only for new guns too. The older sheridans prior to 1970 don't need one they already had an overbuilt lever. 9 or 10 pumps with all of the old rifles provide better accuracy then my Pro Elite, HW, Or even the Beeman with the Gas piston I had. The only airgun as good was my Logan. And that rifle weights a ton, needs a Scuba tank to charge it. The old sheridan has equal accuracy and is about 2000.00 less money and no stinking airtank! There is not likely a Spring piston airrifle with equal power that is as accurate as the Sheridan when fired by a human being. Certainly not on the first shot.

If you have an older Sheridan prior to 1970-75 I would not change a thing. If you have a new one it might justify some work. The old ones simply rock as they are.

My sheridan is about 1963 vintage. I got it when I was 11, skinny, short and about 80 lbs. I shot that thing thousands and thousands of times. All of the pumping helped build my strenght. I still shoot this gun today. The gun has never had a wrench on it and I have never cleaned the bbl. Maybe it is about time eh? The gun has always performed flawlessly and taught a kid the first shot is the one that counts. I cannot recommend these guns enough.pak

Pak,

There is absolutely no doubt that the Sheridan taught me 100% that I have only one shot, better be on and make it.

I also shot my early 60's Sheridan more times then I can count. It's never failed me but it would slowly leak the air out over a week if I left it pumped. It should not leak like that.

It cost about 20 bucks or so for a valve kit and another 15 bucks for the tool needed. About an hour of work at most and you have a brand new Sheridan power supply. I rebuilt several old ones and they hold air now indefinately. My neighbor kid who is ten lives on the dairy next to me. He can only pump it 6 times. He shoots countless pidgeons and plenty of other targets of opportunity with that 6 pump level.

See when you practice with this 100's of times to make that one perfect shot, it's the biginning of a great responsible hunter. Just one more comment on the power level of the stock rifle.

My front porch is 220 yards from the road. On a bet with my wife We tried to see who could hit the corner post first. She shot first and nothing, on the next shot I took I hit the post with a solid "crack" at impact. She then hit it about 5 times in a row... just 5-6 pumps. The pellets were stuck in the wood post too!

What an invention!

JJ, you make a very solid point about the valve. My gun has probably lost quite a bit of power over the decades without my notice. I should replace the parts and be pleasantly surprised. I also have a FWB 124, which is a high quality German spring airgun. Is is more accurate than my sheridan but is heavier and due to the lenght of the barrel it is more easily thrown off target after the trigger pull than the sheridan.pak

I can over haul that Sheridan for you PDQ if you want to take it out of the stock and send it to me. There are a few bucks in Parts, I have all of them here right now. You will be surprised I'm sure!

Thanks, PM sent.pak

Uncas,
Sorry, I did not respond to your post very timely. No, this Sheridan does not have the two drilled and tapped holes by the loading gate.
Gary

JJ...you could be right about a steroid job doing more harm than good in the long run if someone constantly ran the 14 pumps for max velocity in a Sheridan... But the reason I had MAC1 do their work on my guns was to just beef them up so they would never wear out in normal use. I think they are an honest enough company that for the amount of time they have been in business and the number of guns done, complaints would be posted on forums like this if there was a problem. I have never read one.

These are great guns...to be as powerful as many PCP guns with not having to drag a scuba tank around is wonderful. And what speed and balance compared to most springers.

Bob

I have no quarrel with the quality, just the remanufacture and lack of easy to get parts down the road. You can get parts for a stock mid 50's Sheridan easy as pie and they can be completely overhauled in about an hour or less.

Within the design intended, 30-40 yards on small game and pests the stock rifle with Beeman FTS pellets will do the trick. Yesterday I shot a pigeon off the top of the powerline pole at 52 yards from my front porch. I was actually just trying to see how close I could get by seeing the pellet in the air. Holy smoke if I did not hit it square in the lower back and see it fall to the ground.

As a kid squirrels and rabbits out to 40 yards were a routine event with head shots, Rabbits even died with body shots. I just think that within the design intent there is yet to be as well made, dependable and powerful rifle as the Sheridan. I've had logans, Air Arms, etc. they are all gone with various problems and repairs. The Sheridans just keep pumping along and hitting the targets!