BB evolution

Hi everybody,

BB history:

“It All starts Here” J. Murfin

“The American BB Gun” A. Dunathan

“Gas, Air, and Spring guns of the World” W. Smith

“An Encyclopedia of Daisy Plymouth guns” G. Garber

“Daisy Air Rifle Paper Targets” B. Boccaccio

/-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1916 American Ball makes “Bullseye” BBs.

1925 Dunathan (page 66) says steel BBs appeared and were half the price of lead BBs.

1928 American Ball & Daisy teamed up for “Daisy Bullseye BBs” (Dunathan says 1925)

The new steel BBs had a problem with rusting. Lead BBs were rolled in ground graphite to keep them from oxidizing, but this left them with a dirty, greasy feel. Some lead BBs were flashed with copper to enhance hardness, and this copper coating turned out to be perfect on steel BBs to prevent rusting.

1932 American Ball introduces “Copprotect” BBs (copper coated to retard rust)

1934 Copprotect BBs are now advertised.

1939 Daisy buys out the entire American Ball company.

1940 Daisy name & address now appears on the Bullseye tubes. (Boccaccio, p 360)

1940s Luminium BBs (made out of aluminum when war time steel is rationed)

1947 Dunathan says real steel BBs were back in circulation by 1947.

1949 Cellophane packs of BBs are introduced.

1964 Tubes were changed to bright silver under the Lube Plated name.

1965 In mid-1965 Daisy began marketing Golden Bullseye BBs, zinc-plated with orange dye.

1972 “Treasure Chest” BB sales begin (chests are full of cellophane packs)

1980 Three factory shifts produce 60 million BBs per day. (American Rifleman 03/1980, p82)

1985 In 1985 the dye color was eliminated, and Daisy BBs now known as ‘QuickSilver’ BBs.

2011 BBs are still silver in color ‘Daisy Max Speed’ and ‘Daisy PrecisionMax’.

This was just from my notes taken from here and there. I suspect much more information (or corrections) can come from the members here, especially from those who like to collect vintage BBs and their packaging (which sounds like a neat hobby in itself).

That scratched my itch! Thanks, Gumslinger.

10thumbs

Can someone explain .175 caliber bb's vs. .177? I see in the Airgun Blue Book some Daisy guns are listed either - even some as both? I understand .175 are no longer commercially available - does someone have a resolution for that? Much appreciated!

Cal App

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10thumbs Members Profile Find Members Posts Groupie Joined: October-21-2021 Location: Verne, IN Points: 28	Post Options Post Reply Quote 10thumbs Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: BB evolution Posted: November-12-2021 at 7:35pm
	Anybody know what the evolution of Daisy BB's was? The earliest I remember were copper plated, then there were the "Golden Bullseye" BBs, and now we have zinc plated. Be interesting to know the perceived merits of each. No doubt cost played a roll.
	10thumbs

Gumslinger Members Profile Find Members Posts Red Ryder Member Joined: March-20-2019 Location: North Florida Points: 400	Post Options Post Reply Quote Gumslinger Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-12-2021 at 11:13pm
	Hi everybody, BB history: “It All starts Here” J. Murfin “The American BB Gun” A. Dunathan “Gas, Air, and Spring guns of the World” W. Smith “An Encyclopedia of Daisy Plymouth guns” G. Garber “Daisy Air Rifle Paper Targets” B. Boccaccio /------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1916 American Ball makes “Bullseye” BBs. 1925 Dunathan (page 66) says steel BBs appeared and were half the price of lead BBs. 1928 American Ball & Daisy teamed up for “Daisy Bullseye BBs” (Dunathan says 1925) The new steel BBs had a problem with rusting. Lead BBs were rolled in ground graphite to keep them from oxidizing, but this left them with a dirty, greasy feel. Some lead BBs were flashed with copper to enhance hardness, and this copper coating turned out to be perfect on steel BBs to prevent rusting. 1932 American Ball introduces “Copprotect” BBs (copper coated to retard rust) 1934 Copprotect BBs are now advertised. 1939 Daisy buys out the entire American Ball company. 1940 Daisy name & address now appears on the Bullseye tubes. (Boccaccio, p 360) 1940s Luminium BBs (made out of aluminum when war time steel is rationed) 1947 Dunathan says real steel BBs were back in circulation by 1947. 1949 Cellophane packs of BBs are introduced. 1964 Tubes were changed to bright silver under the Lube Plated name. 1965 In mid-1965 Daisy began marketing Golden Bullseye BBs, zinc-plated with orange dye. 1972 “Treasure Chest” BB sales begin (chests are full of cellophane packs) 1980 Three factory shifts produce 60 million BBs per day. (American Rifleman 03/1980, p82) 1985 In 1985 the dye color was eliminated, and Daisy BBs now known as ‘QuickSilver’ BBs. 2011 BBs are still silver in color ‘Daisy Max Speed’ and ‘Daisy PrecisionMax’. This was just from my notes taken from here and there. I suspect much more information (or corrections) can come from the members here, especially from those who like to collect vintage BBs and their packaging (which sounds like a neat hobby in itself).

Bavaria55n Members Profile Find Members Posts Red Ryder Member Joined: October-12-2015 Location: CentralIllinois Points: 747	Post Options Post Reply Quote Bavaria55n Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-13-2021 at 11:59am
	Thanks for researching the time line. Great work. Gary

10thumbs Members Profile Find Members Posts Groupie Joined: October-21-2021 Location: Verne, IN Points: 28	Post Options Post Reply Quote 10thumbs Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-13-2021 at 3:30pm
	That scratched my itch! Thanks, Gumslinger.
	10thumbs

DaisyBBgunner Members Profile Find Members Posts Red Ryder Member Joined: November-01-2004 Location: United States Points: 317	Post Options Post Reply Quote DaisyBBgunner Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-14-2021 at 11:08am
	In my humble opinion, the worldwide authority on BBs, pellets, and other airgun ammo. is collector and author, Bob Boccaccio. I've had the privilege of viewing his collection several times and I am always blown away by the scope of his collection and his personal knowledge of the history and types of BBs and other airgun projectiles.
	Gary Garber daisybbgunner@aol.com

Cal97439 Members Profile Find Members Posts Newbie Joined: March-01-2022 Location: Florence OR Points: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote Cal97439 Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March-13-2022 at 12:30pm
	Can someone explain .175 caliber bb's vs. .177? I see in the Airgun Blue Book some Daisy guns are listed either - even some as both? I understand .175 are no longer commercially available - does someone have a resolution for that? Much appreciated!
	Cal App