It has become, it appears, a tradition – every year one of the cable TV stations runs a marathon of the 1983 movie A Christmas Story. Based on Jean’s Shepherd’s wonderful book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, it tells the story of a young boy who wanted for Christmas “a Red Ryder range model carbine with a compass in the stock and a thing that tells time.” Every time he expresses his heartfelt desire to an adult, he receives the rejoinder: “you’ll shoot your eye out.”
If you haven’t seen A Christmas Story, do your utmost to see it. You’re in for a treat.
It’s been said that life imitates art, and that’s certainly true of A Christmas Story. When Shepherd consulted with folks at Daisy about the film, they told him that he had not remembered correctly, that he had confused the Red Ryder and the model 107 Buck Jones, which had the compass and sundial. Shepherd insisted he was right. Daisy made a sample for him and then decided to actually produce Red Ryder air rifles with the compass and sundial in 1983 and 1984. If you’re lucky enough to have one of these rare models, just remember: it came after the movie.
There is a scene near the end of the movie in which Christmas has come, all the presents have been opened, and Ralphie has not received his BB gun. Then his Dad says, “What’s that over there?” It turns out to be the Red Ryder, what Ralphie says is “the best present I have ever gotten.”
The same thing happened to me, well before the movie was ever made. I was ten, sitting in the living room with my Dad. The opening of presents was over, and I was disappointed. I hadn’t gotten my BB gun. But, just like in the movie, my Dad said, “Wait a minute, there’s another present over here.”
And he pulled a long, slim box from behind the couch. In it was my first Daisy. It was beginning of many happy hours for me and my Dad. It was a Daisy Pump 25. We shot it into cardboard boxes in the basement of the apartment building where we lived. I remember the thrill when I smacked a small, pocket-sized matchbox with a BB and got it to tumble through the air.
I took that BB gun with me went I spent summers in Vermont with my grandparents. The boy across the road had a Daisy Red Ryder, and we spent many a happy day roaming the woods and fields with our BB guns. I can’t even begin to count how many tubes of BBs I ran through that Pump 25, but eventually the internal parts became so worn that it would automatically discharge a BB as soon as the pump handle was returned to its original position. This, however, did not deter me: I would make like The Rifleman – bang-bang-bang-bang!
Eventually that Pump 25 was retired, but it was beginning of a lifetime of shooting enjoyment and – eventually – to me writing this blog.
If you have any great airgunning memories – from the holidays or otherwise – and would like to share them for possible use in this blog, you can reach me at jock(dot)Elliott(at)gmail(dot)com I would love to hear from you.
It is my heartfelt wish that all the readers of this blog find peace, love, and joy with family and friends this holiday season. Here at El Rancho Elliott, we celebrate Christmas, but whatever tradition you celebrate, may you and yours be blessed.
Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.
– Jock Elliott
my favorite air gun isn’t the most accurate. It isn’t the most powerful (by a long shot). It’s my first every bb gun my parents bought me for Christmas in 1976. A Daisy Red Ryder. I still have her and shoot her often. I don’t know what it is about her, I guess she just brings back my youth. As a child, that gun won more wars than any gun. Be it the little green (sometimes tan) army men or the plastic cowboy and Indian set. Maybe it was the “model” cars I had (the models you had to glue together), that in my mind, Bonnie and Clyde was driving and my Red Ryder would take out . No that’s not it. Maybe it’s just because I still enjoy holding and shooting her. Either way, I have air guns/firearms much better, but I just like this one for whatever reason.
Speaking of “movie” bb guns, what is the gun in Home Alone? Looks like a Daisy lever action, but, there is no lever and he “pumps” the forearm. Any insight on this gun?
Bradly,
Sorry, I don’t know what gun that is in Home Alone. Like you, have seen it and been curious about it.
Oh yes i remember that Christmas it was the best Christmas ever the old Daisy and the Marksman Gallery shooting gallery in the basement the Bear spinning ducks the Lions and 6000 BB to shoot it was a Great.That was 45yrs age but in my mind it was yesterday.Thank God for BB guns.And thanks Dad.
Important movie in our family.
Pre-2006 we were not a ‘gun’ family.
In Dec 2006 we watched ‘A Christmas Story’ for the first time. At the time my sons were 4 and 6 and they loved it…the 6 year old especially decided he wanted a Red Ryder.
So under the tree that year were two ‘Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifles’.
We set up a little range in the basement and within a couple of day dad (that would be me) decided he had to get in on the fun and I purchased my first gun…an Avanti 853c.
Well, here we are 8 years later and the collection has grown to five air rifles, two Steel Stoms, a Gamo Compact and a number of Umarex action pistols.
Then there are the Marlin XT-22 (the boys each received a .22 on their 10th birthdays, a Savage .22WMR, GSG-1911 .22LR, a Mossberg AR and a nice Browning 12g O/U.
And every year since there are two must watch movies and Christmas….’A Christmas Story’ and ‘A Wonderful Life’ (which it truly is).
Happy New Year to all.
Bob,
Thanks! Your collection sounds like a lot of fun, and I’m sure that the first thing you taught your sons was about gun safety.
Oh yeah…gun safety is one thing we take very seriously.
There were a couple of times where little incidents would happen…sweeping the room with their Red Ryders (cocked or uncocked) for instance…that childs gun went under lock and key for two weeks.
But it paid off…I’ve had numerous comments at the range we are members of from other shooters that they feel safer around my boys than they do many adult shooters.
Concerning the BB gun used by Kevin in “Home Alone”, I got the following response from Daisy: ” Yes, the gun in the Home Alone movie was a modified Daisy BB gun. If movies want to use a Daisy bb gun in their scripts, they must get approval first. In the movie, the bb gun was used to shoot someone, which is something the company does not approve of at all. The production company was going to use a bb gun for the plot and Daisy did not want the bb gun in the movie to look like a Daisy product. The end result is that the bb gun in the movie is modified so that it cannot be identified as an actual Daisy product. I don’t know if the gun actually shot any projectiles. That gun was never produced”.
Bradly,
Thanks!
Much the same story as yours Jock. Got the model 25 in 1962-63. Boy the BB’s that rifle ate up. Nickel for a plastic pack or ten cents a small tube or a Quarter for the jumbo tube. Daisy Golden BB’s.
The early 60’s were a carefree and glorious time to be 12 years old.
Cans bottles and unfortunately many small birds and mammals met there demise to the Model 25.
But I learned a ton of lifes lessons from those Model 25 days. Which I am forever Thankful.
Happy New Year,Jim
The Daisy Model 25 was also my first ‘gun’, got it about 1967-68 when I was 8-9 years old. No telling how many thousands of BBs went through it and I had it for around 10 years before it mysteriously disappeared. After years of use it developed the automatic pump shooting which was ok at the time. I also shot a lot of birds back then, even out of the air by leading the shots. I’ve owned many guns since then but now mostly enjoy several rim fire rifles/pistols, a roughly 28 year old Beeman R-10 and a recently new Regal XL. Sure was a lot cheaper to shoot the Model 25.
Greetings to all fellow air gunners and people who enjoy the outdoors. The slide action 25 was a magic and powerful rifle on our block and after you learned to allow for the curve a death ray on toys and any can you could find. Many many tubes later it was gone, lost over the side of our Battleship cursing the ocean a couple blocks behind our houses, well it fell over the side of our raft floating in a slew, but it was deep and water. That summer I mowed lawns and trimmed til i got to make a trip to my uncles feed store and exchange a summer of work for a Sheridan “Blue Streak” , Heaven on earth and the start on the path now 66 and just received a Steroid from Tim so still on the path!
So…the last entry is Dec 22.
Are you not doing the blog anymore Jock.
Will miss it if that’s the case.
Bob,
I will show up from time to time, probably once a month or a while.