Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Air Guns Cold weather and air rifles?

I haven’t gotten on board with the newer air rifles, but I am remembering that my old Silver Streak Sheridan and my buddy’s Blue Streak never held air if we pumped them up when the rifle was out in cold weather. If we pumped them up in the car with the rifle warm, they held air, but if we pumped them up when the rifle was cold, they didn’t. Was that just a Sheridan thing or does it happen with others also?

Evidently your seals were shrinking from the cold. CO2 guns loose velocity in cold weather, but I doubt you'd have any problems with a spring powered air gun.

I have several multi pump pneumatic air rifles from Crosman, Daisy and Benjamin and they all pump up and hold air in below freezing temps.

i havent noticed a lack of performance with my sheridans, or crossman multipumps in down to about 0 weather, dont remmeber the last time I had one out in below 0 weather. I usually keep them lubed with tim macs secret sauce oil and it doesnt seem to gunk up in colder temps.

my benjamin marauders dont seem to mind the cold either as far as shooting and hunting. the pressure guage will drop of course with the change in temp. if it was reading 2900 psi in the house, and I go out on a 40 degree day it might drop to 2800 or so, but I havent noticed a change in zero, shot count, trajectory, ect.... and of course the same thing happens the other way in the summer, if i know im going out on a hot summer day, I will pump it up to 2700-2800 in the house, and out in the field on a 90-100 degree day the guage will read 2900-3000. i would expect the same sort of thing to happen to the sheridans to some degree

After 60 years with only one rework, I suspect that those old seals are getting pretty tired by now. My local gunsmith won't work on air rifles, so I think it is time to find a reputable Sheridan repair place. I think I read here that there is one in Ohio, but that was a while back. If anyone has current contact information, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Dennis Baker at Bakerairguns.com will reseal it for you. Or you can order a reseal kit and do it yourself. It isn't rocket surgery. I've resealed my vintage Daisy 881 and Crosman 760's.