AIRGUNS, HISTORY,VALUE: Benjamin Sheridan Model 397PA
Annie
Benjamin Sheridan Model 397PA. The company address is given
as East Bloomfield, New York, 14443. The serial # seems to be
N96703517. It is a single shot, .177 caliber pump gun. It feels
very heavy to me, as much or more than my Ruger 10/22.
I have searched the WWW and found virtually no information on this
company. I remember their ads from Popular Science as a kid. Are
they still in business? Were/are guns made under each name
seperately, as in Benjamin guns, Sheridan guns and Benjamin Sheridan
guns?
Is this model a very good gun? Average gun? Poor gun? Should it be
very accurate? I have no manual, how many times should it be pumped
for light to powerful shots?
Does it have any value?
Any information / help on this air rifle will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Annie
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Annie
is given as East Bloomfield, New York, 14443. The serial # seems to
It feels very heavy to me, as much or more than my Ruger 10/22.
I have searched the WWW and found virtually no information on this
company. I remember their ads from Popular Science as a kid. Are
they still in business? Were/are guns made under each name
seperately, as in Benjamin guns, Sheridan guns and Benjamin Sheridan
guns?
Is this model a very good gun? Average gun? Poor gun? Should it be
very accurate? I have no manual, how many times should it be pumped
for light to powerful shots?
Does it have any value? I t seems to be in very good condition.
Doctho
Seafin 41
Your Benjamin/ Sheridan 397 is currently manufactured and sold, so has no
collector value. When we were kids Benjamin, Sherican and Crosman were
different companies. Today they are all owned by Crosman, and the
Benjamin/Sheridans and Shericans are all the same design, differing only in
cosmetics and caliber.
Your 397 is a nice gun which sells new for about $100. Do not pump it more
than 10 times, and 8 would be better. 3-4 pumps are fine for target shooting.
Accuracy will depend on the pellet used and the number of pumps. Try Crosman
Premier Heavies, Beeman Kodiak and Beeman Perfect Rounds.
Your gun is powerful enough for hunting small game like rabbits and squirrels
up to 25-30 yards. Aim for the head. If you plan to use the gun for hunting,
a company called Mac-1 Airguns (www.mindspring.com/~airguns/) can tune your gun
to double its power and greatly improve the trigger.
Regards.
Phil
David R. Bridges
#
# I just acquired an airgun from a friend who was moving. It is a
# Benjamin Sheridan Model 397PA.
# Are
# they still in business? Were/are guns made under each name
# seperately, as in Benjamin guns, Sheridan guns and Benjamin Sheridan
# guns?
So far as I know, Benjamin Sheridan is still in business. Originally
they were two separate air gun manufacturers. They are now a
consolidated enterprise.
#
# Is this model a very good gun? Average gun? Poor gun? Should it be
# very accurate? I have no manual, how many times should it be pumped
# for light to powerful shots?
I am not familiar enough with individual models. Benjamin Sheridans are
very well constructed pump pneumatic air guns. Made in America. The
barrel and pneumatic chambers are made of brass. My Sheridan "Blue
Streak" manual recommends not using more than 8 pumps to charge the
pneumatic chamber. I have used as few as 3 when power and penetration
were not necessary.
#
# Does it have any value? It seems to be in very good condition.
They are not expensive guns. I would not expect your used gun would sell
for over $75 unless it has some sentimental value with a particular
individual.
#
# Any information / help on this air rifle will be greatly appreciated.
#
# Thanks, Annie
I have ordered some parts from Benjamin Sheridan within the last 10
years. I will look and see if I have a recent address for them.
David
#--
"No man in the wrong can stand against a fellow that's in the right and
keeps on a-comin'." Texas Ranger Bill McDonald
Michael Justice
#Annie wrote:
## I just acquired an airgun from a friend who was moving. It is a
## Benjamin Sheridan Model 397PA.
##
## Are they still in business? Were/are guns made under each name
## seperately, as in Benjamin guns, Sheridan guns and Benjamin Sheridan
## guns?
#
#So far as I know, Benjamin Sheridan is still in business. Originally
#they were two separate air gun manufacturers. They are now a
#consolidated enterprise.
They were bought out by (ugh) Crosman a couple of years ago.
I believe Benjamin was originally "Benjamin Franklin", as in the small
five-and-dime chain. I have seen one air pistol so marked. Sheridan
was originally separate (certainly as recently as 1977). One or the
other bought the other one out -- probably Benjamin, since their name
went first on the merged company. Then they got acquired by Crosman.
Sigh. Bang head on nearest handy wall or rock. :-(
## Is this model a very good gun? Average gun? Poor gun? Should it be
## very accurate? I have no manual, how many times should it be pumped
## for light to powerful shots?
#
#I am not familiar enough with individual models. Benjamin Sheridans are
#very well constructed pump pneumatic air guns. Made in America. The
#barrel and pneumatic chambers are made of brass. My Sheridan "Blue
#Streak" manual recommends not using more than 8 pumps to charge the
#pneumatic chamber. I have used as few as 3 when power and penetration
#were not necessary.
Amen. I loved mine. Fantastic anti-spider defense rifle (loaded with
kleenex bullets). Also good on rabbits and blackbirds. Many people
will tell you that pump-pneumatics are not as good as spring-piston
air rifles, because the power varies depending on many more factors --
after pumping up the gun, the air in the pressure chamber gradually
cools, so the amount of power will vary by how long it's been since
the gun was pumped up, in addition to a few dozen other things.
However, any airgun with which I could consistently nail birds in the
head was just fine by me. A target shooter might care whether the shots
all went into a space the size of the eye or covered the whole head, but
personally, I didn't figure it much mattered. . . .
On mine, the barrel eventually snapped away from the rest of the gun --
it was either soldered or welded on. The scope mount that they (used to?)
sell caused it, as it clamped around the barrel and wedged it away from
the pump tube. As a result, I wouldn't recommend scoping one. A pity.
## Does it have any value? It seems to be in very good condition.
#
#They are not expensive guns. I would not expect your used gun would sell
#for over $75 unless it has some sentimental value with a particular
#individual.
Ach du lieber! They're priceless. Don't ever let it go. Enjoy it.
-- Michael.
--
Michael A. Justice |"There was nothing like getting up at three in the morning
lib...@eskimo.com | and riding the defensive perimeter in subzero cold, with
Libertarian Party | a loaded rifle, to build up one's sense of responsibility
FIJA, WCW, NRA, AMA| and community." -- _The_Diamond_Age_, by Neal Stephenson
