What is a Red Ryder worth?

[Thomasss]

A relative found a Red Ryder at a thrift store and bought for me for $6.00. I have 6 grand kids from ages 2.5 to 10.
They are all interested in shooting to some degree. I saw many Red Ryders on e-bay, all in pristine condition.
Just wondering what I'm in for in using it. When I was 10, I had a Mod. 94 Daisey pump and later a Crossman .22 pellet gun.
I assume I should get some steel BBs, and I suppose the copper colored ones arn't around any more.
What are going for? No box. Haven't seem it yet. Sounds like its used but in good shape with a little tarnish on the barrel.
Any suggestions?

 

[jmorris]

A new one in the box is $39.99

Amazon.com

My kid got one too. They are pretty awful, she would want to go to the ”shooting place” and then read to her dolls. That’s it on the back of the mule.



This is after her first shot with a Benjamin 392.



I tend to let the folks shooting them pick from what I have. If it’s not fun to them, they won’t want to do it.

 

[cobalt327]

A relative found a Red Ryder at a thrift store and bought for me for $6.00. I have 6 grand kids from ages 2.5 to 10.
They are all interested in shooting to some degree. I saw many Red Ryders on e-bay, all in pristine condition.
Just wondering what I'm in for in using it. When I was 10, I had a Mod. 94 Daisey pump and later a Crossman .22 pellet gun.
I assume I should get some steel BBs, and I suppose the copper colored ones arn't around any more.
What are going for? No box. Haven't seem it yet. Sounds like its used but in good shape with a little tarnish on the barrel.
Any suggestions?

Chances are, it's a model 1938B with a plastic trigger, and it's well worth $6.00 if it shoots. But if it's a different model Red Ryder, then you may have done even better. The model will be stamped into the top of the receiver. Resist the temptation to refinish it until you know what you have, unless you don't care about the resale value.

I'd start by giving the seals a couple drops of oil through the oil hole in the barrel shroud. Motor oil or Pellgunoil from WM will work. Don't overoil it- an oil fouled shot tube (the part the BBs come out of) will be inaccurate, so I'd also say to clean it if it's shooting fliers or the BBs seem to curve.

I recommend using zinc plated Daisy BBs like sold at Walmart and Tractor Supply. There are still copper plated BBs, but Crosman Copper Head BBs aren't a very good choice since they traditionally score lowest in accuracy and velocity tests.

In any event, I hope you and the kids have a ball with it!

 

[hallwoo]

A relative found a Red Ryder at a thrift store and bought for me for $6.00. I have 6 grand kids from ages 2.5 to 10.
They are all interested in shooting to some degree. I saw many Red Ryders on e-bay, all in pristine condition.
Just wondering what I'm in for in using it. When I was 10, I had a Mod. 94 Daisey pump and later a Crossman .22 pellet gun.
I assume I should get some steel BBs, and I suppose the copper colored ones arn't around any more.
What are going for? No box. Haven't seem it yet. Sounds like its used but in good shape with a little tarnish on the barrel.
Any suggestions?

Red Ryder guns sell for $17.50 each in the bay Area on Craig's List
they shoot better if U load it down with 650 BBs, the heavier barrel makes it shoot straighter
it's a good relaxation tool by pinking at a rotating target on a BB trap

 

[CajunBass]

I had a Red Ryder about 30 years or so ago. It stayed in the rod-locker of my bass boat for years. In theory, it was there for when the kids were with me and got bored. In practice, I'm sure I fired it 1000 times more than they did. I'd have it out of the deck to plink at various "stuff" I saw floating on the river. I shot at snakes a few times but stopped after I hit one, and he just rolled over and died. I didn't really want to kill the snake, and had no idea a simple Red Ryder would hit that hard. What's that rule? Never shoot anything you're not willing to destroy? I learned that one the hard way. My mother had told me when I got my first gun, "Never shoot anything you can't brag about." She was right.

After that I wanted to see just how far it would shoot. Sitting in the middle of the river (James River) on a dead flat calm morning I just shot down the river and watched to see how far that BB would carry. I was surprised. Holding a little higher with each shot, I walked those BB's down the river, watching for the little dimple when it hit. When held at about a 45 degree angle I could set the gun down on the deck before I'd see a tiny little ripple hundreds of yards downrange. And I mean HUNDREDS. It took so long I thought I had missed seeing the impact. It was nothing like the similar BB gun I'd had as a kid.

That thing stayed in the boat for years. No maintenance. No oil. It just kept on working, until finally it gave up the ghost. By then it was more or less a hunk of rust, with a dried up, cracked wood stock. I think I had paid $29.95? for it from Wal-Mart.

I got no idea what the new ones are like, but that one was a good one.

 

[Navy87Guy]

 

[hallwoo]

View attachment 1179168

or two for $35 used on Craigslist plus a partial tub of Daisy 2400 BBs
the old used ones have a metal lever, much is better than a new one
they can cost up to $40 bucks at Dick's Sporting Goods or Bass Pro brand new
they're hard to find at a thrift store or Goodwill

just don't forget to load them up with 650 BBs

 

[Barnfixer]

Long long time ago my wife picked up a 50th anniversary red rider for me. 25 years later I grabbed a 75th anniversary model. She thought that was dumb because I already had one. I looked on gunbroker to see what 50th anniversary ones were going for in new condition. Well, the 50th did way better in value than my 401k %wise. I have both stashed away new in the box and I hope a 100th will join them some day.

 

[wayneinFL]

I didn't know any of these had any collector value. My dad's is a No. 111 Model 40. I don't know how old it is exactly, but I would think it's mid to late 40s.

I ought to clean it up and see if it still shoots. Only time I saw him shoot it was 80s when my little brother was in Cub Scouts. I don't think it's been shot since.

He told me he and his friends would play war with their Red Ryders. But he was safe, because he had a surplus WWII gas mask and helmet he got through mail order. I thought he said he ordered them off a cereal box, but it might have been out of a comic book.

 

[hallwoo]

Long long time ago my wife picked up a 50th anniversary red rider for me. 25 years later I grabbed a 75th anniversary model. She thought that was dumb because I already had one. I looked on gunbroker to see what 50th anniversary ones were going for in new condition. Well, the 50th did way better in value than my 401k %wise. I have both stashed away new in the box and I hope a 100th will join them some day.

only the Red Rryder guns with a metal LEVER R worth collecting, the plastic lever versions R not desirable

read the post where the guy made a lever out of brass and this cost more than the gun

 

[Barnfixer]

only the Red Rryder guns with a metal LEVER R worth collecting, the plastic lever versions R not desirable

read the post where the guy made a lever out of brass and this cost more than the gun

Here are three anniversary models of many sold on eBay recently.

 

[cobalt327]

I didn't know any of these had any collector value. My dad's is a No. 111 Model 40. I don't know how old it is exactly, but I would think it's mid to late 40s.

I ought to clean it up and see if it still shoots. Only time I saw him shoot it was 80s when my little brother was in Cub Scouts. I don't think it's been shot since.

He told me he and his friends would play war with their Red Ryders. But he was safe, because he had a surplus WWII gas mask and helmet he got through mail order. I thought he said he ordered them off a cereal box, but it might have been out of a comic book.

The 111-40 used leather seals, so I'd suggest starting with oiling the seals. Hopefully they haven't dry rotted and will still seal. It's not unusual for leather seals to still shoot fine after oiling- I have a first-year 111-40 that looks ugly as sin but by a wide margin it's the hardest hitting unmodified Red Ryder I own!

It doesn't have an oil hole, that came along after the 111-40 had ended production. And I don't like adding oil down the shot tube. Instead, I add it through the lever flange area, see photo.

 

[Spats McGee]

A relative found a Red Ryder at a thrift store and bought for me for $6.00. I have 6 grand kids from ages 2.5 to 10.
They are all interested in shooting to some degree. I saw many Red Ryders on e-bay, all in pristine condition.
Just wondering what I'm in for in using it. When I was 10, I had a Mod. 94 Daisey pump and later a Crossman .22 pellet gun.
I assume I should get some steel BBs, and I suppose the copper colored ones arn't around any more.
What are going for? No box. Haven't seem it yet. Sounds like its used but in good shape with a little tarnish on the barrel.
Any suggestions?

Forget market value, says I. If you can get the 6 grandkids shooting with you for $6, it will have been totally worth it.

 

[3Crows]

I gave two of the Walmart derived Red Riders to young nephews in hopes someday I will have somebody to inherit two Marlin 39A rifle and two matching Marlin 1895 SBL rifles. The rest whoever will get to sell off or something. Other than that, a Red Rider has no value to me, kinda a pitiful thing really they are. I much preferred my Crosmans at that age. The Red Rider is one I gave to nephews:

 

[wesmonster]

FWIW I have a CO2 bb revolver and the 'magazines' have holes in them for bbs that are just pressed in. Every brand of bb fits fine, from copper plated to steel but Copperheads just fall right out.
I've been told that Copperheads are 'preferred' for shooting out of airguns with rifled barrels as they're purposely sized smaller.
My rule of thumb has always been to shoot Daisy bbs in Daiseys and Crosman bbs in Crosmans.

Hornady also makes a Black Diamond steel bb that seems to be more accurate than any of my other bbs in some of my CO2 airguns.

 

[joed]

I never really got into bb guns though I did have a Crosman 6 shot .22 pellet gun that I thought was cool. The only one I've had for the past 40 years is a weird one I bought off someone I worked with. I have never seen another one like but I have seen similar in blue. If anyone knows what it is I'd like to know.

 

[Turkeytider]

My favorite from Daisy was a long action pump that was actually pretty potent. Model 25. Had at least two of them as a kid. Could take down a rat. Maybe the most powerful spring air gun of its time.

 

[hawg]

I never really got into bb guns though I did have a Crosman 6 shot .22 pellet gun that I thought was cool. The only one I've had for the past 40 years is a weird one I bought off someone I worked with. I have never seen another one like but I have seen similar in blue. If anyone knows what it is I'd like to know.

Crossman 761 Powermaster

 

[.308 Norma]

I suppose the copper colored ones arn't around any more.

I wouldn't know whether or not the "copper colored" BBs are around where you live, but I pick them up at "CAL Ranch" (a farm and ranch supply store) when I'm in there. I use them in my own Daisy "Red Ryder" - which I also bought at CAL Ranch probably 35 years ago.
Our grandkids "cut their teeth" on using that BB gun to shoot puffballs off dandelions in our back yard from our rear deck. I hope our great grandkids will be doing the same thing before long.