GTA
Airguns by Make and Model => Vintage Air Gun Gate => Topic started by: Nvreloader on July 19, 2020, 02:09:11 AM
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Just found this bit of info on a Spanish Sheridan?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-old-Setra-CO2-Air-Rifle-Early-Sheridan-F-Developmental-Specimen/114307919596?hash=item1a9d486eec:g:9KEAAOSwdepfD-VV (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-old-Setra-CO2-Air-Rifle-Early-Sheridan-F-Developmental-Specimen/114307919596?hash=item1a9d486eec:g:9KEAAOSwdepfD-VV)
Don
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AVA knows something:
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/americanvintageairguns/larry-can-you-explain-what-this-rifle-is-all-about-t8997.html#p58136 (https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/americanvintageairguns/larry-can-you-explain-what-this-rifle-is-all-about-t8997.html#p58136)
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Just how mechanically similar to a Sheridan is the original Setra rifle ,and was there ever any sort of legal issue ?
I can't imagine Sheridan wanting to source a rifle from a company making what is often considered a Sheridan copy, but maybe some kind of agreement to use the design for their own c02 rifle maybe.
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There are also copies of the model C made in Japan under the SKB trademark.
Those Japan guns are actually much nicer then the Sheridan guns... it's what Sheridan should have done.
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Setra pump and CO2 rifles are fairly scarce in the US but I've had a couple of each. My two CO2's came from a Michigan source who got them from a gun shop that received them as samples, thinking of importing but abandoned the idea.
They are very similar to Sheridans but certainly there were no legal protections for the design, so no legal issues.
Suggest searching 'Setra air rifle' - one useful result is: https://armasantiguasdeaire.blogspot.com/p/function-disabletextereturn.html (https://armasantiguasdeaire.blogspot.com/p/function-disabletextereturn.html)
For what it's worth, I agree that the seldom-seen SKB 'copy' is a great gun and very well built (steel tube & barrel, billet lever).
Don R.
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There are also copies of the model C made in Japan under the SKB trademark.
Those Japan guns are actually much nicer then the Sheridan guns... it's what Sheridan should have done.
I don't know about that.
Sheridan essentially did this first and their quality and manufacturing cost made them a market failure, the C-series rifles were exactly what they needed to be to succeed in the American market.
I can't imagine these " copies " being in any way bad guns, but I also can't imagine a world without my Sheridan blue streak in the form I know and love it.
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There are also copies of the model C made in Japan under the SKB trademark.
Those Japan guns are actually much nicer then the Sheridan guns... it's what Sheridan should have done.
I don't know about that.
Sheridan essentially did this first and their quality and manufacturing cost made them a market failure, the C-series rifles were exactly what they needed to be to succeed in the American market.
I can't imagine these " copies " being in any way bad guns, but I also can't imagine a world without my Sheridan blue streak in the form I know and love it.
I agree and the Sheridan market agreed. At the time they were being made by Sheridan I never heard or had of any complaints about them. The C's are still sought after and they were a bargain in the 70's!
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The SKB definitely fixed the weak points in the C models.
From the flimsy stamped pump lever, to the mismatched wood.
The bolt is better, the sights are better, etc.. yet the gun clearly shows the lines of the the classic C models.
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The SKB definitely fixed the weak points in the C models.
From the flimsy stamped pump lever, to the mismatched wood.
The bolt is better, the sights are better, etc.. yet the gun clearly shows the lines of the the classic C models.
In my opinion the wood on that may match but, is nothing to brag about as far as color, character and finish is concerned. Maybe it is a poor example compared to others out there. I have never seen it in person though so, maybe the camera didn't capture all the character of the wood. IDK :-\
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The SKB definitely fixed the weak points in the C models.
From the flimsy stamped pump lever, to the mismatched wood.
The bolt is better, the sights are better, etc.. yet the gun clearly shows the lines of the the classic C models.
In my opinion the wood on that may match but, is nothing to brag about as far as color, character and finish is concerned. Maybe it is a poor example compared to others out there. I have never seen it in person though so, maybe the camera didn't capture all the character of the wood. IDK :-\
It's typical Japanese wood... the point was, the gun fixed the issues the C has
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The SKB definitely fixed the weak points in the C models.
From the flimsy stamped pump lever, to the mismatched wood.
The bolt is better, the sights are better, etc.. yet the gun clearly shows the lines of the the classic C models.
Flimsy pump lever ,have you had one bend on you or something?
What's wrong with the bolt ?
Did the SKB have offer an aperture rear sight as a factory option , because from what I've seen the factory sights on the SKB don't look all that special.
After I believe '84 all Sheridan rifles came drilled and tapped for the William's 5dsh peep and of course it was pretty much always an option before then.
Of course they also had the silver streak, the early hold down safety if one prefers it, and the excellent rocker safety,
Does matched wood make a gun functionally better ?
Sounds to me like the SKB is certainly different and probably a very nice gun but I do not see " better " , and I say to anyone there would be tradeoffs and advantages with either especially depending on what variant of C series Sheridan rifle they had.
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The SKB definitely fixed the weak points in the C models.
From the flimsy stamped pump lever, to the mismatched wood.
The bolt is better, the sights are better, etc.. yet the gun clearly shows the lines of the the classic C models.
Flimsy pump lever ,have you had one bend on you or something?
What's wrong with the bolt ?
Did the SKB have offer an aperture rear sight as a factory option ?
Does matched wood make a gun functionally better ?
Sounds to me like the SKB is certainly different and probably a very nice gun, but I do not see " better " just different.
Yes, I've had Sheridans with bent pump levers, and I'm sure if I go look there will be one or two on the wall.
And broken bolts are also a problem with Sheridans as well.
You can also drill the receiver and add a Williams sight just as you would with a Sheridan, was it factory option, I doubt it. But it also wasn't a factory option when the C first came out either and guns were never factory drilled until the 1980's unless you went through the trouble to send your gun in, or order it with one.
Miss matched wood is a very common complaint with the C models as well...a Simple search here would show that.
The SKB is a superior gun when compared to a C. No way around that. The Sheridans had nice wood, but was extremely rare if it even matched.
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I'm still not sold, but I would have to experience problems with my rifle for that to happen I suppose.
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I'm still not sold, but I would have to experience problems with my rifle for that to happen I suppose.
+1
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This thread doesn't need to get into arguing about the qualities of the 2 rifles.
I have never owned one of the SKB's, but have & still own a stable full of Sheridans. I have owned ONE with a broken bolt, from early 1960's. I have had ONE with a bent pump lever, too. BOTH of these rifles I considered to be abused by previous owners. If a person abuses anything, they can break it.
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This thread doesn't need to get into arguing about the qualities of the 2 rifles.
I have never owned one of the SKB's, but have & still own a stable full of Sheridans. I have owned ONE with a broken bolt, from early 1960's. I have had ONE with a bent pump lever, too. BOTH of these rifles I considered to be abused by previous owners. If a person abuses anything, they can break it.
We don't need to argue over what is abuse and what is use. ;) ;) ;D
Because I agree with you. 8)
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The SKB in the photo above reminds me of the Crosman 140 and 1400 more than it does the Sheridan model C. Does anyone know what caliber(s) it was offered in? I'd like to know more about it.
The wood reminds me of some "made in occupied Japan" chairs that a friend had way back in the day.
Be safe,
J~
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The SKB
is a COPY
of a classic
that is all
a copy
NOT an improvement
Just a copy
$0.02
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Amazing how much reaction has been riled up by mention and picture of the SKB. I wonder how many here have had their hands on one to make an assessment? Seems to me the billet lever and non-soldered steel barrel & tube are an improvement, while the wood is pretty mundane on the ones I've seen. The intake valve is slightly more complex than Sheridan's but the valve body is similarly non-removable and requires a special metric-thread tool for extraction of the exhaust seat.
Just a sleazy copy, or an improved product? Doesn't really matter, but it certainly qualifies as another interesting gun from the MSP heyday.
Don R.
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Keep in mind, the Sheridan C was itself a refined copy of the Benjamin rifle in production at the time, after the financial failure of the A and B models. With that said, my Sheridans are by far my favorite pumpers, the best you can get, in my opinion.
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Sheridans are nice guns...
They work, but as said, do have their issues.
Now, if Sheridan could have incorporated some of what SKB did... they would be an heirloom rifle. Especially with the wood Sheridan could get their hands on.
It would be interesting to know how much more or possibly less it would have cost to build such a gun.
This was never really supposed to be an argument over which gun is better, but a simple observation of what could have been and showing a gun that addresses the weaknesses of the C model.
I may feel the SKB is a superior gun, but that's an opinion based on handling both guns.
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Sheridans are nice guns...
They work, but as said, do have their issues.
Now, if Sheridan could have incorporated some of what SKB did... they would be an heirloom rifle. Especially with the wood Sheridan could get their hands on.
It would be interesting to know how much more or possibly less it would have cost to build such a gun.
This was never really supposed to be an argument over which gun is better, but a simple observation of what could have been and showing a gun that addresses the weaknesses of the C model.
I may feel the SKB is a superior gun, but that's an opinion based on handling both guns.
It may be? I have never handled one.
From what I've read Sheridan started with the Super Grade which was their best effort at the best rifle at the time, but had few buyers and then reluctantly decreased their quality to cut costs to what their market would buy. I wonder what would have been if Sheridan's market would have accepted no compromise and just had the money to spend and bought their best effort too. I believe Sheridan did strive to be a step above their competition in the within the market they were in and produce the best the market would bear. Apparently the American market did not long for or insist on a better rifle. When I was growing up there were those that had Crosman's and Benjamin's but all wanted a Sheridan. Those that had a Sheridan were envied by the rest. It may have been different where you lived or with those you hung out with but I never saw anyone complaining about the Sheridan C in the 60's and 70's except that they couldn't afford it. I wasn't around rich kids and those that had a Sheridan rifle took good care of them, didn't abuse them and they didn't break them and were proud to have one too. Today we see most want or need the cheaper Airguns too, the market for high end is a lot greater though because the middle class and the poor are in a better position to buy better. It seems to me the market still gravitates to the low end a lot.
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My only problem is in saying that this skb is inherently better , a statement I chalk up to personal preference.
I see two guns that both have pros and cons, are likely just as accurate, and will hold up equally as well when taken care of.
I don't think I need to own an SKB to say they're probably on the same level all things considered .