A very well written review. I must admit that I don't agree with your conclusions but it was a pleasure to read.
Obviously this review reflects your opinion but I felt you were a bit harsh at times. If you consider this gun to be the worst you've ever tried, I wonder what other guns have crossed your path and what you expected from them. You admit yourself that the gun is accurate and powerful right out of the box at a very reasonable price. Heck, I've had Gamos that didn't meet those criteria at three time the price. Tell me what other guns you've had that exceeded 1000fps (without dieseling) and held groups out of the box for around $100.00 and perhaps I will be able to see things from your perspective. Heck, I would get in line if you found such a thing.
In stock form, there are far better plinkers out there but if you plan on using it as your hunter, you can't go wrong. This gun simply does the job, period. Not a single squirrel has managed to flinch after I've shot it with the Daisy/Winchester 1000 and this is at ranges out to 40 plus yards. Raccoons aren't safe with this gun around either. Don't like the crappy "composite" stock? Get the 1000X or XS with the wood version. Much easier on the eyes and quieter to boot.
I've posted a trigger guide that outlines how to convert it to a real, adjustable, two stage with good weight and no creep. I've also provided people with spring specs as well as suggested which springs to buy based on my experience. Don't like the heavy cocking weight, change the spring and cut it almost in half while maintaining 850-950 fps velocities.
In closing I will say this. In my eyes, a gun is like any other tool and a tool is only useful as long as it does it's job. This gun does it's job better than most at a price that is also better than most. Want a well mannered plinker, look elsewhere.
Just another .02
Take care,
Russ S.
vinceb - 9/14/2006 10:53 PM
The Daisy Powerline is probably the worst good gun I've ever tried.
It's good because it's powerful and accurate, right out of the box. It'll easily break 1000fps with real pellets (like Gamo Match), while I suspect that very light ones wold risk going consistently supersonic.
And that's without any dieseling.
As for accuracy, at my normal plinking range (60 yards), it's about as consistent as my Shadow or 440 - and again, that's without any work whatsoever. I never had any issues with the sight trying to jump around, and it's not terribly fussy about pellets. Except that it isn't crazy about Daisy Precision-Max wadcutters - but then again, what is?
So this rifle is powerful and accurate with fairly good QC as delivered - what's not to like? In a nutshell, everything else.
The trigger is stiff - although some guys have had luck re-working it, a little polishing on my part made it TOO eager to go off - sometimes it wouldn't wait for me to pull the trigger! I had to re-dress it to get it back to its original level of effort.
While the loud firing cycle isn't particularly "twangy", the gun itself sounds cheap, hollow, and plastic. Quite possibly the effect is magnified - or perhaps caused by - the stock. Which (predictably) is cheap, hollow, and plastic. The gun does kick a bit as well, enough to be uncomfortable if it isn't handled right.
While the gun isn't as muzzle-heavy as a B-21, it definitely doesn't balance particularly well. And the cocking effort is indeed strenuous - in fact, the tear-down and re-lube I did to mine accomplished little except to make the cocking effort more civilized... and for that alone it was well worth it!
It also has one thing I dislike - an automatic safety. But, if it has to have one, at least it's livable. It takes the form of a lever sticking out the top rear of the receiver - like a hammer on a Winchester 1894. And you can toggle between "safe" and "fire" at will, unlike the B-20 which requires you to re-cock the gun to re-engage the safety.
In the final analysis, this is a gun that is both greater and less than the sum of its parts. For the typical asking price ($100 at Walmart with a scope), nothing else can touch its combination of power and accuracy. Nothing. It is also a gun that is less enjoyable to shoot than most other breakbarrels in its price range... spend 20 minutes popping cans with this thing (especially before lubing and adjusting the breach pivot), and switching to a Gamo or a Quest feels like a vacation.
One other thing - unfortunately, Daisy has decided that we are too stupid to work on our own rifles... so they sell virtually no parts for the gun. This is unfortunate... if the rifle breaks out of warranty, getting it fixed could easily cost almost as much as a new one. I guess that's the game plan, but their perennial rivals (Crosman) are the polar opposite when it comes to parts support.
