My FIRST airgun was a wood-stocked Crosman M1. Which, like the young dope I was, I sold to a neighbor kid way too cheap after Santa brought my first REAL airgun, a Benjamin. I still have the Benjy and it still works great. I shot so many pellets through that (never-cleaned) brass barrel, that it's basically an 18 caliber smooth bore today LOL (no exaggeration...no rifling marks on pellets at all)! It's a very early 347 (they are kinda rare with the "Tootsie Roll" pump handle), and was re-built and re-finished at Benjamin in St. Louis not long before they sold out to Sheridan.
Thanks for the history update!I sent the gun in for a rebuild in the mid-80's, just sorta had a vague memory that it turned out to be an "end of an era" time.My brother got a Sheridan a couple years later, we shot both of 'em a LOT. He still has it - still works perfectly and has never been opened up. Took us about 20 years to figger out how to adjust the sight windage, though, LOL...