Review "Most Accurate BB gun in the World"

[Desert Drifter]

Well that is what Daisy claims about their Avanti 499b Champion.

I know that this review isn't a barn burner but it is my first attempt at writing a review and I might as well write about something simple to begin with.

I had been looking at the 499b for some time and reading the positive reviews on PAs site.  I finally decide to bite the BB and order one.

At first impression I was surprisingly pleased with the 499b.  It is a handsome BB gun for sure.  It is mostly all metal and wood.  You can't really loose with that combination.



With the 499b you get alot of stuff.  You get the Daisy 5899 micrometer sight, inserts for the front sight globe.  A marksman medallion if you care to epoxy it on the stock, nylon sling for shooting, sling swivel, insruction book, advertisements, proof target  and various printed warnings.



The shot tube is 9 inches in length and has a black plastic funnel at the muzzle.



The 499b is a single shot, muzzleloading BB gun.  The black plastic funnel makes it very simple to drop a BB in and also centers the bore and muzzle precisely in the center of barrel.  This adds to accuracy.



The barrel is different from other Daisy's I have.  The barrel is actually a barrel.  The barrel on my 1936 Model 25 pump is rolled metal with a clear visible seam.  The barrel on the Champion is a seamless tube.



As I've mentioned it is a muzzleloader.  You prepare it by first siding the beefy safety on and then cocking the finger lever.  The finger lever is some tough polycarbonate material.  I was turned off at first but after shooting it a couple of hundred times I've grown to like it.  One thing is that the paint will never chip off of this lever exposing the homely, drab pot metal underneath like my other Daisy's show.  After cocking you drop a BB down the very generous muzzle.  Now I really like this part.  You can hear the BB roll down the barrel making a pleasant zrrrrrrr noise.  When it gets close to the breach a magnet pulls the BB the last portion and holds the BB until fired.  So what you hear when you drop the BB in the muzzle is zrrrrrthip.  I like it!  The whole sequence takes less than a second.



Now that your loaded.  You shoulder it, take aim, slide the safety off and a squeeze the trigger.  The trigger is made from the same tough material that the finger lever is.  It is a nice two stage trigger that I would say lets off at about 3 pounds of pressure.  Not bad at all.

The accuracy of the 499b is impressive.  My 5 shot group using RWS Match Grade precision BBs fired from 17 feet over a rest measured about 3/16 of an inch.  I think it shoots better than my old eyes can.  An I believe Daisy's claim about it being "The worlds most accurate BB gun".



The 499b is for marksmanship training.  The advertised velocity is around 250 fps.  But it can be used for much more.  This gun is a lot of fun to shoot.  You can easily spend a few hours on a snowy day punching holes in paper.  Also when I take it out to my place in the desert it will make a great "bug zapper" from gnats to tarantulas.

MSRP from Daisy's site is $214.99.  It can be found cheaper online.

'Drifter

[JonnyReb]

 Drifter you have sure brought back some memories with this post.

 When i was 7, in 1978, my Dad gave me a 99 champion. This is almost an identical gun to the 499 although it was fancier, all metal and wood with a gold seal set into the stock, about a 20 shot magazine if i remember right and from reading about them, were discontinued in 1971? so i must have gotten new/old stock.  The gun i now know only shot a bb at about 250-300 fps but my dad and i could easily drop a bb onto a coke can at 30-40 yards without fail just by learning the trajectory. The gun only made 2ftlbs at the muzzle but(dumb kid) i dropped HUNDREDS of sparrows and other birds including several shots on flying chimney swifts and bats. I'm going to say it lasted through quite a few 5000 round boxes of daisy "treasure chests" but eventually the cocking handle broke and the gun sadly disappeared over time. It was the best bb gun a kid could have ever had and i'm glad to see daisy still putting out a variation of it, wouldn't be surprised if i don't pick one up, thanks for this review,  Jeff

[northern lights]

Very nice I,ve also wanted one I have a new dasiy avanti 845 coming this week has the 5889 rear peep an 6 changeable front inserts. New there 100.00 a guy on gun brokers had some news ones for 59.00 shipped so I couldn,t past it up. The 845 doesn,t have as good of barrel as the 499. But my 840 griz is very good at 15-20 yd,s I was testing it again yesterday at 15 yd,s with a 4 power scope I was getting about 75 percent of my shots in a nickel size groups with fliers making for a  1-1/4 group. Pretty good I think I also have a teaspoon a tablespoons spinners set up at 20 yd,s an was able to hit the table spoon 7 out of 10 shots. The gun will shoot 310-320 fps on one pump the second pump will get you to 350 fps more then that a it will dump air. I know the 499 is 240 fps if you would would you test the 499 at 10 yds, an 15 yd,s for grouping I would like to hear your results. Enjoy your 499 I think that they are a very cool gun. great fly killer!!

[Desert Drifter]

I have learned a lot about BB's in last few years.  I always thought a bb was a bb.  And when your shooting a couple a hundred a day I just bought the cheapest bb's I could find.  I then bought some Daisy precision ground bb's.  The bb's I had been using looked like little micro moons full of craters, creases and dimples.  The Daisys look like fine precision ball bearings.  In my bb guns it seems they shot better.  I ordered some Avanti Match grade pellets (Made by Daisy).  They look the same as the Daisys.  Unfortunately I'm not a good enough shot to tell which is better.  I have an inkling that the Avantis are better, but I dont know if they are worth the extra $ for them.  The RWS Match grade pricision steel bb's are too.  So if you want to tighten up your grouping with your bb gun trying some match grade bb's might be worth a try.

I'll see if I can do a rested shot at 10 and 15 yards this week.

Jeff I know what your talking about when you do some "Quigley" style shoot with a BB gun.  I think I get just as big of a thrill hitting a big soup can at 50 yards as a do hitting a 12" gong at 500 yards with my Pedersoli Quigley 45-70.  And Im not near as restricted as where to shoot it too.  Long range BB shooting is a hoot.  At times I wish someone made a really top of of the line smooth bore BB gun.

Thanks for comments.

'DD

[JonnyReb]

 Yes you can judge the trajectory so well because you can see the bb  or at least i could as a kid, all the way to the target. After so many thousand shots i don't know if i aimed or just jind of pointed the gun in the direction i knew it would hit. Me and that gun were TIGHT! Only an 870 shotty comes close.  J

[Brushy Bill]

A fine review, thanks for taking the time.
Desert Drifter, I have come very close to hitting the
order button on one of these many times.
Loading through the muzzle, a box of avaniti
BB's is a lot of shootin.

I really need one to go along with this one.

[compressedair]

I very fine review indeed!
Looking forward to your next.

[northern lights]

I got my 845 mentor I,m disappointed in it the grizzly will out shoot it. but I do like the sights I,ll keep it for winter time shooting in the house. Did you test the 499 at longer distance I would interested in your results. Thank ed

[ZVP]

 Great report!
 Agreed, the 499B is great!
 I have owned a 499B for years now and have yet to be dissapointed by it! Groups exceed that of many lower grade rifled pellet rifles I have shot! At 10m I'd put it up against several price point Springers.
 The ammo is the secret on the 499B. The finely ground super round Balls are absolutelly perfect and compared to a standard BB, the Standard BB looks like a rough rock and they fly about as inaccuratelly by comparison. The barrel of the 499B is made to match these finely ground Steel Balls and the superb accuracy demands that you only use the Avanti Steel Balls as to not damage the barrel.
 The use of standard BB's will ruin your barrel.
 As was said the trigger is excellent!
 The stock is sized to smaller shooters and fitting my 6'2" frame left something to be desired, though the 499B is larger than a standard BB gun.
 The relitivelly high cost of the rifle is worth every penny as it will last forever and the accuracy is unbelieveable!
 ZVP