Benji 39x with white line spacer in the buttplate, when were they produced?

[Bryan Heimann]

I made a trade for a gun like this a few weeks ago, and I really like it.  I am not sure about the wood, I think it might be walnut.  It looks good.

This is a 397PA with the crosman trigger pack.  Anybody know when they started using the white line spacer, and when they stopped?  I really like it a lot, and the wood is nice.  I think this is an overlooked era of the 39x, and I believe they are nice rifles.  The valve is brass, and it does not have an oring seal at the t-port, nor is there even a place it put one.  Just a straight hole.

It's a nice rifle, beautiful wood and very accurate.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Congratulations Bryan. !              Best Wishes - Tom

[Flint]

Yes,

so, starting in 1991, when the benjamin and sheridan lines were revamped as the C9 and the 39x, the Sheridan C9 (and the F9) started getting a butt plate with the white line spacer (I know this is not your question, but I'm leading up to it).

prior to 1991, the benjamin 34x and sheridan C, did share some internal parts like pistons and valves, but they also had a lot of different parts like the sears and trigger assemblies and sights, etc.   Then in 1991, with the revamp of the lines, all of those aforementioned parts were now shared, so that the biggest differences were now  - most visibly, the stocks.  other more subtle differences were the pump tube cap, the bolt knob shape, front sight shape..

once Crosman bought benjamin, the first lines they consoladated were the CO2 rifles.  pre-takeover the F9 and the 39xG were distinctly sheridan and benjamin respectively, but once Crosman took over, they all received the sheridan style stocks - straight stock with white line spacer butt plate.

when production moved to NY in 1994, there were a few changes.  the finish on the 'blue/black' rifles changed from a baked on blackening, to paint.  also the butt plate on the sheridan rifles lost the sheridan name stamp.  in 1995, the valve changed from soldered to cartridge style, and in 1997, the current trigger pack/assembly was introduced. 

no changes to the stocks happened until the year 2000 (ok, so now I'm finally answering your question).  For the year 2000, both benjamin and sheridan lines received the 'sheridan' style stocks.  with full length forearms and straight stocks with white line spacer and black butt plate. 

also I 'THINK' (sorry, I'm running off memory here and haven't really thought about this stuff in a year), that this change coincided with a change in the "cut" of the wood.  that is before 2000, the forearms were rounded on the edges, and after 2000, they were squared off with no rounding.  its possible that the 2000 guns were rounded and the squared off forearms started in 2001.  I'd need to go back and check that. 

THEN, in again I THINK in 2003 or 2004, they dropped the white line spacer.  Everything else was still the same, they just dropped the white spacer. 

THEN in mid 2005, they switched to the current style raised cheek piece stock and angled cut forearm

so to answer your question, when did the 39x guns have the white line spacer.  2000 to 2003 or 2004.  it was only a few years. 

also, in 2000 is when the catalog began referring to the stocks as being made of "american hardwood" instead of walnut. 

sorry for the long winded response.  more than you wanted to know, but that's the way my brain works,  hard for me to just answer a question. 

[RBQChicken]

It's always fun reading your posts about these guns.