Daisy #103 questions

[BlackBarrelCustoms]

So when I just began making gunstocks a few years back , a good friend of mine gifted me this #103 from a barn clean out. He said it was laying on the original box up against a beam. With the box looking so rough he trashed it. Now I'm really wondering what the box actually depicted. At the time I just cleaned the shot tube out ( dirt dobber in the barrel), gave it an oiling, then made my first 2 piece gunstock set to set on it. (Rather crude, but doable). I cleaned the barrel body up, and gave it a .99 cent rattle job. It never has shot higher fps. A recent chronograph test shows it sitting in the 190s. It's a fun little shooter. Allowing you to make for some good guestemated shots at range.
Well here yesterday, I wanted to re install the og
gunstock out and noticed the ghosted band, as well as the open end forstock, and a hole in the bottom rear stock. I do remember it having a dull gold lever prior to my paint job. I did remove and tuck away the Daisy sticker located just above the lever bolt. I have it somewhere bagged up. Doing a quick Google search shows quite a few different looking 103s. But specific reading material about them seems few and far between unless someone can guide me to a spot
. Any input is appreciated. As before I do a complete teardown and restore I would really like to know more about what I have here.

 

[cobalt327]

The early 103 was called a "Scout" on the box, but this wasn't stamped into the gun. The sticker you have that was on the lever flange came to be during the Heddon/Victor Comptometer years ca. late '60s into the late '70s. Your gun was made August 1978. It probably had decorative gold silkscreening on it at one time. An example is below (I do not believe the wood stock is original).

There were several different varieties of 103 made through the years- some were all gold, some w/gold lever like yours, some all "Daisy blue". Some used the non magnifying tube 'ghost ring' rear sight that mounted to a bracket spot welded to the top of the receiver (this was also used on other models like the 104), some like your gun used the rudimentary rear sight that doubles as the spring anchor, like is used on the current 105B Buck. Some with some w/o silkscreening.

The open ended forearm is common to all plastic forearms. The forearm band on your gun was a plastic piece. This was also used on the model 111 during the same time period. Might have been others, I don't recall at the moment.

Hope this helps.







"Scope" mount, 1974 model 103

 

[BlackBarrelCustoms]

Thank you for all of the info cobalt. It sounds like the 103 lived a rather versatile model run in its day. Your knowledge of the subject has given me a sigh of relief. As it's hard for me to piece so many times bits of information together and keep a straight mind. For the basic shape of a daisy body. There seems no limit to the variety and options.