Here's some information on when various changes were made to the Daisy Model 880 airgun. It's useful for dating an 880 when the LOT or REG. No. isn't available, like from photos. It's not complete- and given the amount of changes there were through the years, it may never be 100% complete. I will be adding to it as I find new info. I'm cutting/pasting from a word doc which mangles the formatting but until I find a better way to post it, it'll have to do.

880 SPECIFIC REGISTER & LOT NUMBER INFO

The earliest 880s (all made during 1972) have Register Numbers (REG. NO.) that cannot be read for the date.

The first 880s had a Register Number beginning with the letter A. Many of these guns were Sears/Ted Williams model 799-190720. The last Register No. recorded in the Daisy database without being a date-coded number was B069947 stamped on 10-6-72.

This means 880s having a Reg. No. with A or B followed by "0" were made in 1972.

ADDITIONAL INFO FOR DETERMINING THE DATE A DAISY WAS MADE: Register/Lot Number Formatting.

When did REG. NO. end for the 880 and LOT NO. begin?

1975 (April) is last date seen with REG. NO. (One letter>Six digits )

1975 (Oct.) is first date seen with LOT NO. (One letter>Six digits )

When did LOT NO. formats change?

One letter>Six digits changed to One digit>One letter>Five digits

1982 Sept. LOT NO. J202705

1984 April LOT NO 4D08949 (this should eventually be shown to have begun late 1982)

One digit>One letter>Five digits changed to Two digits>One letter>Five digits

1992 Aug., 20th Anniversary 880 LOT NO. 2H03196

1992 Dec. LOT NO. 92M15985 (NOT a 20^th Anniversary model)

Two digits>One letter>Five digits changed to Four digits>Space>Five digits

1993 Oct., LOT NO. 93K02596

1995 Aug. LOT NO. 0895 03612 (this should eventually be shown to have begun early 1994)

Four digits>Space>Five digits changed to S/N Twelve digits>One letter

2006 Oct. LOT NO. 1006 12227

2013 April S/N 162012430204Q

When did buttplate change from “POWER KING” to “POWER LINE” to “DAISY”?

1972 buttplate says “POWER KING”

1973 March buttplate say “POWER LINE”

1982 May buttplate say “POWER LINE” (MINE)

1983 Aug. buttplate says “DAISY”

When did screwed on rear sight end, welded on rear sight begin?

1978 Oct. is last date for screwed on

1979 April is first date for welded on

When did smoothbore barrel end and rifled barrel begin?

NOTE: a screwed on rear sight means smoothbore barrel for all practical purposes. A welded rear sight means rifled barrel.

1978 Oct. is last date for smoothbore (has screwed sight)

1979 April is first date for rifled barrel, shroud is not stamped “RIFLED BARREL” (has welded sight)

1980 May last date seen shroud stamped “RIFLED BARREL” on RIGHT side

1981 May first date seen shroud stamped “Rifled Barrel” on LEFT side

When did clamped-on barrel end, press fit barrel begin?

1982 May last date seen with barrel clamped to VB. BARREL IS RIFLED. Uses barrel-to-VB seal

NOTE: The following info is useful for finding a gun with a rifled barrel that uses the old style clamp and TP port breech seal. These rifled barrels are a drop-in fit for the older smoothbore guns.

1979 April with welded on rear sight is first date seen with clamped-on rifled barrel. Shroud is not stamped “RIFLED BARREL”.
1982 May is last date seen with clamped-on rifled barrel. Shroud is stamped “RIFLED BARREL”.
1985 March is the first date seen with the new style rifled barrel pressed into VB.
The type of barrel retention used between 1983 May and 1985 March is not yet known.

When did sheet metal lever end, cast metal lever begin?

1979 April has 2 piece sheet metal pump lever, w/spring loaded latch

1980 May 880 first cast metal lever (1980 April for Sears Model 799-190820)

881:

1979 Feb. has 2-piece sheet metal arm w/removable handle, spring loaded latch on handle

1979 Oct. has 1-piece lever w/spring loaded latch

When did lever retention change from earliest type to spring latch?

NOTE- Very earliest 880 use a plastic "clip" inside the receiver halves that small protrusions on the lever handle catch on.

1973 June has earliest style

1974 Jan, has spring loaded latch

When did lever retention change from spring loaded latch to receiver-mounted spring retainer?

1982 Sept. has spring loaded latch

1980 April Sears Model 799-190820 has spring loaded latch

1979 Oct 881 K913284 881 has spring loaded latch

1985 June has simple catch on lever that uses spring retainer mounted in receiver

1983 Aug LOT NO 3H01828 881 has simple catch on lever that uses spring retainer mounted in receiver

PHOTOS

When did cast metal lever end, plastic lever begin?

1990 Dec. has cast metal lever

1991 April has plastic lever

When did "flexi" plastic lever end, "good" ribbed plastic lever begin?

2012 has flexi lever

2013 has “good” lever w/ribs

When did LH stock screw end, RH stock screw begin?

1982 May has LH stock screw

1982 Oct. has RH stock screw

Same time as RH loading port became open loading port

When did right side loading port end, open loading port begin?

1982 May has right side loading port

1982 Oct. has open loading port

Open loading port began same time as RH stock screw began

When did narrow loading port end, wide loading port begin?

1985 Feb. last date seen with narrow loading port

1985 June first date seen with wide loading port

When did separate trigger guard begin?

1982 Feb. has sep. guard?

I believe separate trigger guard started same time as open loading port and RH stock screw began and lasted until end of metal receivers- about 1982-’95.

When did FO front sight begin?

1998front sight

2001 July first date seen with a FO front sight

When were hooded sights used?

Hooded front sight seen used from 1991 Dec. until 1997 Sept.

1991 Aug last date seen without hood

1991 Dec. first date seen with hooded sight

1997 Sept. last date seen with hooded sight

1998 April first date seen without hood since 1991 Aug.

When did finishes change? blue paint end, black satin begin?

1973 May to 1977 Aug. blue metallic is seen

Mid to late ’70s also had “gun metal” finish

1979 April is satin black

Info suggests black paint used during the sheet metal pump lever era (ended ~ ’79)

When were white spacers used on buttplate and pistol grip cap?

1972 until 1974 Jan. has white spacers

1974 April until 1976 Oct. has no white spacers

1976 Nov. has white spacers, continued until present

When did “PAT. PEND.” end, patent numbers begin?

1974 Oct. and earlier has PAT. PEND.

1975 Jan. Model 882 has PAT. PEND.

1975 Oct. has a patent number

1975 Jan was last seen year for "PAT. PENDING"

1975 Oct. is first year seen with a stamped patent number

When did smooth receivers end, billboards begin?

("billboards" are the cast-in warning/instructions)

1987 March LOT NO. 7C08833 last date seen with no billboard

1987 Sept. LOT NO. 7J00014 first date seen with billboard warning left side, no billboard on right side

1990 June LOT NO. 0F02206 first date seen with billboards on both sides

When did cup $tyle intake seal end, new style intake seal begin?

1988 Jan last date seen with old style cup intake seal

1991 Dec. first date seen with new style intake seal and abutment

When did metal receiver end, plastic receiver begin?

1995 Aug. last metal receiver seen so far

1996 Aug. first plastic receiver seen so far

When did forearms stop connecting to pump frame, start connecting to barrel shroud?

1982 May no diamond forearms have slots for tabs on pump frame (old style)

1984 April no diamond forearms have tabs for slots in barrel shroud (new style)

When did no-diamond forearms end, 2-piece diamonds begin?

1984 Oct. LOT NO. 4K22996 (MINE) last date seen without diamonds (has tabs into barrel shroud aka “new style”)

1984 Oct. LOT NO. 4K27242 first date seen with diamonds

NOTE- The narrow style forearm is 1.54" wide versus 1.84” wide on later guns

When did 2-piece diamonds end, painted diamonds begin?

1998 Nov. plastic receiver has black diamond w/white outline and are inserts

2013 April are brown diamond w/white outline and are painted on

When did non-removable buttplate and pistol grip cap end, screwed on begin?

1973 May are non-removable

Buttplate is unmarked

Pistol grip cap says “DAISY”

1974 Jan. are screwed on

When did buttplate change from “POWER KING” to “POWER LINE” to “DAISY”?

NOTE- Some very early 880s had blank buttplate, grip cap said DAISY and both were glued on.

1972 buttplate says “POWER KING”

1974 Jan. buttplate say “POWER LINE”

1982 May buttplate say “POWER LINE” (MINE)

1984 April buttplate says “DAISY”

When did Ted Williams branded 880 end?

1979 March LOT NO. C907168 Ted Williams 799-190721

1980 April LOT NO. D003581 Sears (no Ted Williams) 799-190820

DAISY MODEL 880 STOCK/RECEIVER SCREWS

Beginning 1972, ending 1982 May with metal receiver: LH stock screw, receiver screws- 5 total, 2 on RH, 3 on LH

Beginning 1982 Oct., ending 1995 Aug with metal receiver: RH stock screw, receiver screws- 5 total, 3 on RH, 2 on LH

Beginning 1996 Aug. with plastic receiver: RH stock screw, receiver screws- 7 total, 4 on RH (new screw top front), 3 on LH (new screw top rear)

Beginning ~2005: RH and LH stock screw plastic receiver screws- 12 total, 6 on RH (2 new supplemental stock, small), 6 on LH (new screw rear stock large and 2 supplemental stock, small)

INTERNAL DIFFERENCES/DATES

Info on internal differences and changes made to the 880 has been a bit hard to come by. I actually omitted the internal info for that reason- the sample population is so scant that there's several years between the differences, which makes the info a lot less useful. Hopefully I will get enough info to fill in the gaps enough to make it worthwhile.

PISTONS

1982 May LOT NO. E217995 has flat top, as-cast piston, brass tube
1991 Dec. LOT NO. 1M15732 has machined aluminum flat top piston, very nice looking part
1995-’96 flat top
1998 Nov. (plastic receiver) LOT NO 1198 13850 has machined flat top piston
2004 has a flat top piston
2013 S/N 162013732814U Chinese production is as-cast w/notch

COMPRESSION TUBES

The early compression tubes were steel or brass, possibly both were used simultaneously
In late 1990, compression tubes changed from brass to aluminum·
It seems that guns that originally came with plastic pump levers use aluminum pump tubes and the late style chamber seal
Early aluminum tube guns used the new style intake valve assembly with the screwed in exhaust valve

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
oldrifle Members Profile Find Members Posts Groupie Joined: December-22-2020 Location: California Points: 19	Post Options Post Reply Quote oldrifle Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Daisy Model 880 dating and variation info Posted: December-22-2020 at 7:13pm
	Thank you cobalt327!

cobalt327 Members Profile Find Members Posts Red Ryder Member Joined: November-15-2013 Points: 2672	Post Options Post Reply Quote cobalt327 Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December-22-2020 at 4:56pm
	The numbers are stamped into the barrel 'shroud', I'll attach a photo showing where to look. The earliest 880s did not have numbers that could be read for the date. The first 880s had a Register Number beginning with the letter A. The last Register No. recorded in the Daisy database without being a date-coded number was B069947 stamped on 10/6/72. 880s having a Reg. No. with A or B followed by 0 were made in 1972. Reg. No.s were used well into 1975. Sept. is the earliest month of 1975 I have seen with a Lot No. Hope that helps a little.

oldrifle Members Profile Find Members Posts Groupie Joined: December-22-2020 Location: California Points: 19	Post Options Post Reply Quote oldrifle Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December-22-2020 at 2:14pm
	A question from a new enthusiast... Are Reg No.s visible on the earliest 880s from 1972? Where is the the Reg or Lot number on the rifle?

cobalt327 Members Profile Find Members Posts Red Ryder Member Joined: November-15-2013 Points: 2672	Post Options Post Reply Quote cobalt327 Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December-16-2018 at 8:38pm
	*Thanks*, guys.

Airitis Members Profile Find Members Posts Red Ryder Member Joined: October-06-2016 Location: PA Points: 942	Post Options Post Reply Quote Airitis Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December-16-2018 at 1:57pm
	WOW!!! So much data is mind-boggleing. Cobalt, I wish I had your organizational skills. BTW. The 880 is my favorite pumper. Really enjoy using the ones I have. I've been tempted to get a few more!
	Air-It-Is

daisyaddiction Members Profile Find Members Posts Senior Member Joined: June-21-2018 Points: 45	Post Options Post Reply Quote daisyaddiction Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December-15-2018 at 11:44pm
	Compiled some great info . Cobalt !

the fuse Members Profile Find Members Posts Red Ryder Member Joined: January-20-2013 Location: NY Points: 1694	Post Options Post Reply Quote the fuse Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December-15-2018 at 3:28pm
	Good stuff man. Thank you. Really glad to see renewed interest in the 880. I've had all the bb/pellet pumpers from 1960's on. The 880 is my favorite for looks, feel, trigger pull, accuracy, pump ease, repairablity, and etc.
	All I'm for is the liberty of the individual.

cobalt327 Members Profile Find Members Posts Red Ryder Member Joined: November-15-2013 Points: 2672	Post Options Post Reply Quote cobalt327 Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December-13-2018 at 7:49pm
	Here's some information on when various changes were made to the Daisy Model 880 airgun. It's useful for dating an 880 when the LOT or REG. No. isn't available, like from photos. It's not complete- and given the amount of changes there were through the years, it may never be 100% complete. I will be adding to it as I find new info. I'm cutting/pasting from a word doc which mangles the formatting but until I find a better way to post it, it'll have to do. 880 SPECIFIC REGISTER & LOT NUMBER INFO The earliest 880s (all made during 1972) have Register Numbers (REG. NO.) that cannot be read for the date. The first 880s had a Register Number beginning with the letter A. Many of these guns were Sears/Ted Williams model 799-190720. The last Register No. recorded in the Daisy database without being a date-coded number was B069947 stamped on 10-6-72. This means 880s having a Reg. No. with A or B followed by "0" were made in 1972. ADDITIONAL INFO FOR DETERMINING THE DATE A DAISY WAS MADE: Register/Lot Number Formatting. When did REG. NO. end for the 880 and LOT NO. begin? 1975 (April) is last date seen with REG. NO. (One letter>Six digits ) 1975 (Oct.) is first date seen with LOT NO. (One letter>Six digits ) When did LOT NO. formats change? One letter>Six digits changed to One digit>One letter>Five digits 1982 Sept. LOT NO. J202705 1984 April LOT NO 4D08949 (this should eventually be shown to have begun late 1982) One digit>One letter>Five digits changed to Two digits>One letter>Five digits 1992 Aug., 20th Anniversary 880 LOT NO. 2H03196 1992 Dec. LOT NO. 92M15985 (NOT a 20^th Anniversary model) Two digits>One letter>Five digits changed to Four digits>Space>Five digits 1993 Oct., LOT NO. 93K02596 1995 Aug. LOT NO. 0895 03612 (this should eventually be shown to have begun early 1994) Four digits>Space>Five digits changed to S/N Twelve digits>One letter 2006 Oct. LOT NO. 1006 12227 2013 April S/N 162012430204Q When did buttplate change from “POWER KING” to “POWER LINE” to “DAISY”? 1972 buttplate says “POWER KING” 1973 March buttplate say “POWER LINE” 1982 May buttplate say “POWER LINE” (MINE) 1983 Aug. buttplate says “DAISY” When did screwed on rear sight end, welded on rear sight begin? 1978 Oct. is last date for screwed on 1979 April is first date for welded on When did smoothbore barrel end and rifled barrel begin? NOTE: a screwed on rear sight means smoothbore barrel for all practical purposes. A welded rear sight means rifled barrel. 1978 Oct. is last date for smoothbore (has screwed sight) 1979 April is first date for rifled barrel, shroud is not stamped “RIFLED BARREL” (has welded sight) 1980 May last date seen shroud stamped “RIFLED BARREL” on RIGHT side 1981 May first date seen shroud stamped “Rifled Barrel” on LEFT side When did clamped-on barrel end, press fit barrel begin? 1982 May last date seen with barrel clamped to VB. BARREL IS RIFLED. Uses barrel-to-VB seal NOTE: The following info is useful for finding a gun with a rifled barrel that uses the old style clamp and TP port breech seal. These rifled barrels are a drop-in fit for the older smoothbore guns. 1979 April with welded on rear sight is first date seen with clamped-on rifled barrel. Shroud is not stamped “RIFLED BARREL”. 1982 May is last date seen with clamped-on rifled barrel. Shroud is stamped “RIFLED BARREL”. 1985 March is the first date seen with the new style rifled barrel pressed into VB. The type of barrel retention used between 1983 May and 1985 March is not yet known. When did sheet metal lever end, cast metal lever begin? 1979 April has 2 piece sheet metal pump lever, w/spring loaded latch 1980 May 880 first cast metal lever (1980 April for Sears Model 799-190820) 881: 1979 Feb. has 2-piece sheet metal arm w/removable handle, spring loaded latch on handle 1979 Oct. has 1-piece lever w/spring loaded latch When did lever retention change from earliest type to spring latch? NOTE- Very earliest 880 use a plastic "clip" inside the receiver halves that small protrusions on the lever handle catch on. 1973 June has earliest style 1974 Jan, has spring loaded latch When did lever retention change from spring loaded latch to receiver-mounted spring retainer? 1982 Sept. has spring loaded latch 1980 April Sears Model 799-190820 has spring loaded latch 1979 Oct 881 K913284 881 has spring loaded latch 1985 June has simple catch on lever that uses spring retainer mounted in receiver 1983 Aug LOT NO 3H01828 881 has simple catch on lever that uses spring retainer mounted in receiver PHOTOS When did cast metal lever end, plastic lever begin? 1990 Dec. has cast metal lever 1991 April has plastic lever When did "flexi" plastic lever end, "good" ribbed plastic lever begin? 2012 has flexi lever 2013 has “good” lever w/ribs When did LH stock screw end, RH stock screw begin? 1982 May has LH stock screw 1982 Oct. has RH stock screw Same time as RH loading port became open loading port When did right side loading port end, open loading port begin? 1982 May has right side loading port 1982 Oct. has open loading port Open loading port began same time as RH stock screw began When did narrow loading port end, wide loading port begin? 1985 Feb. last date seen with narrow loading port 1985 June first date seen with wide loading port When did separate trigger guard begin? 1982 Feb. has sep. guard? Ø I believe separate trigger guard started same time as open loading port and RH stock screw began and lasted until end of metal receivers- about 1982-’95. When did FO front sight begin? 1998front sight 2001 July first date seen with a FO front sight When were hooded sights used? Hooded front sight seen used from 1991 Dec. until 1997 Sept. 1991 Aug last date seen without hood 1991 Dec. first date seen with hooded sight 1997 Sept. last date seen with hooded sight 1998 April first date seen without hood since 1991 Aug. When did finishes change? blue paint end, black satin begin? 1973 May to 1977 Aug. blue metallic is seen Mid to late ’70s also had “gun metal” finish 1979 April is satin black Info suggests black paint used during the sheet metal pump lever era (ended ~ ’79) When were white spacers used on buttplate and pistol grip cap? 1972 until 1974 Jan. has white spacers 1974 April until 1976 Oct. has no white spacers 1976 Nov. has white spacers, continued until present When did “PAT. PEND.” end, patent numbers begin? 1974 Oct. and earlier has PAT. PEND. 1975 Jan. Model 882 has PAT. PEND. 1975 Oct. has a patent number 1975 Jan was last seen year for "PAT. PENDING" 1975 Oct. is first year seen with a stamped patent number When did smooth receivers end, billboards begin? ("billboards" are the cast-in warning/instructions) 1987 March LOT NO. 7C08833 last date seen with no billboard 1987 Sept. LOT NO. 7J00014 first date seen with billboard warning left side, no billboard on right side 1990 June LOT NO. 0F02206 first date seen with billboards on both sides When did cup $tyle intake seal end, new style intake seal begin? 1988 Jan last date seen with old style cup intake seal 1991 Dec. first date seen with new style intake seal and abutment When did metal receiver end, plastic receiver begin? 1995 Aug. last metal receiver seen so far 1996 Aug. first plastic receiver seen so far When did forearms stop connecting to pump frame, start connecting to barrel shroud? 1982 May no diamond forearms have slots for tabs on pump frame (old style) 1984 April no diamond forearms have tabs for slots in barrel shroud (new style) When did no-diamond forearms end, 2-piece diamonds begin? 1984 Oct. LOT NO. 4K22996 (MINE) last date seen without diamonds (has tabs into barrel shroud aka “new style”) 1984 Oct. LOT NO. 4K27242 first date seen with diamonds NOTE- The narrow style forearm is 1.54" wide versus 1.84” wide on later guns When did 2-piece diamonds end, painted diamonds begin? 1998 Nov. plastic receiver has black diamond w/white outline and are inserts 2013 April are brown diamond w/white outline and are painted on When did non-removable buttplate and pistol grip cap end, screwed on begin? 1973 May are non-removable Buttplate is unmarked Pistol grip cap says “DAISY” 1974 Jan. are screwed on When did buttplate change from “POWER KING” to “POWER LINE” to “DAISY”? NOTE- Some very early 880s had blank buttplate, grip cap said DAISY and both were glued on. 1972 buttplate says “POWER KING” 1974 Jan. buttplate say “POWER LINE” 1982 May buttplate say “POWER LINE” (MINE) 1984 April buttplate says “DAISY” When did Ted Williams branded 880 end? 1979 March LOT NO. C907168 Ted Williams 799-190721 1980 April LOT NO. D003581 Sears (no Ted Williams) 799-190820 DAISY MODEL 880 STOCK/RECEIVER SCREWS Beginning 1972, ending 1982 May with metal receiver: LH stock screw, receiver screws- 5 total, 2 on RH, 3 on LH Beginning 1982 Oct., ending 1995 Aug with metal receiver: RH stock screw, receiver screws- 5 total, 3 on RH, 2 on LH Beginning 1996 Aug. with plastic receiver: RH stock screw, receiver screws- 7 total, 4 on RH (new screw top front), 3 on LH (new screw top rear) Beginning ~2005: RH and LH stock screw plastic receiver screws- 12 total, 6 on RH (2 new supplemental stock, small), 6 on LH (new screw rear stock large and 2 supplemental stock, small) INTERNAL DIFFERENCES/DATES Info on *internal* differences and changes made to the 880 has been a bit hard to come by. I actually omitted the internal info for that reason- the sample population is so scant that there's several years between the differences, which makes the info a lot less useful. Hopefully I will get enough info to fill in the gaps enough to make it worthwhile. PISTONS 1982 May LOT NO. E217995 has flat top, as-cast piston, brass tube 1991 Dec. LOT NO. 1M15732 has machined aluminum flat top piston, very nice looking part 1995-’96 flat top 1998 Nov. (plastic receiver) LOT NO 1198 13850 has machined flat top piston 2004 has a flat top piston 2013 S/N 162013732814U Chinese production is as-cast w/notch COMPRESSION TUBES The early compression tubes were steel or brass, possibly both were used simultaneously In late 1990, compression tubes changed from brass to aluminum· It seems that guns that originally came with plastic pump levers use aluminum pump tubes and the late style chamber seal Early aluminum tube guns used the new style intake valve assembly with the screwed in exhaust valve

Daisy Model 880 dating and variation info

When did narrow loading port end, wide loading port begin?

My ideal 880 is from 1985 June until 1986 May

When did FO front sight begin?

When were hooded sights used?

When did finishes change? blue paint end, black satin begin?