The History Of Daisy Air Guns

Written by Charles Cundrum

Daisy air guns are one of those product names that just about everybody, even those who never picked one up, are familiar with. Daisy has probably the most colorful of all air gun histories invoking more nostalgia among particularly men of all ages who at some time in their lives have owned one of the multitude of Daisy air gun models. Daisy still makes air rifles today after a 130 year history. And their moderately priced and still highly popular guns are sold around the world. Daisy had numerous competitors in its early years including Matchless, Atlas and Markham among others. Many of the early air rifles from these various companies were crude with limited product lines. When Daisy air guns came on the scene, the company's high quality products and marketing savvy shot them quickly past their competitors. In fact, Daisy purchased one of their major competitors in 1928. Otherwise, Daisy's competitors from the early days faded away pretty quickly under the onslaught of the highly advanced products and marketing savvy of Daisy. National trends quickly became part of the company's trademark qualities as it caught on to America's gravitation toward companies that show that they care about the same thing mainstream USA cares about. From World War I through WWI Daisy air guns took on names and shapes of the military rifles of the day with campaigns following a theme of "future defenders" appealing to parents and kids who dreamed of defending their country from enemies, both domestic and foreign. Daisy also tied their name closely to American icons of the early days of America including US heroes and famous sports personality. From football players to golfers to tv and comic cowboys, famous names were attached to Daisy air guns. But the most famous cowboy of the 1930s to promote a Daisy product was the comic strip cowboy, Red Ryder. That name was launched with a new Daisy lever action air rifle in 1940 and became the top air rifle for the next 20 years. The Red Ryder remains in production in the 21st century and remains a popular bb gun still. While in modern times, paintball and air soft gun companies have cashed in on replicas of real firearms, Daisy was well ahead of its time in the 1960s when it began producing replicas of popular rifles such as the Winchester 94. Yet again, this line of innovative rifles and perceptive marketing drove Daisy to the top in yet another wave of popularity. In the late 60s and early 70s, Daisy began to produce higher power guns to be sure and keep their market share from competitors such as GAMO and Hammerli. Today, the history of Daisy air guns spans over 130 years. It remains one of the leading manufacturers of moderately priced air guns in the industry. And no matter who you talk to, when you mention the name Daisy, more likely than not, childhood memories of roaming the hills and woods with one of these guns is likely to be brought into the conversation. Because the company started and continues today to stay on the cutting edge of cultural trends and quality manufacturing methods, there's no reason that Daisy shouldn't be around for the next hundred years.