How are Daisy 880s these days?

[Smaug]

My first airgun experience was with a Daisy 880. It was in the middle 80s, and I remember the action being very solid, but the stock feeling cheap even then.

Has anyone got data on how a recent one is shooting at 3, 5 and 10 pumps with a given pellet? I seem to remember reading that they shoot about 6 FPE, in the range of a Weihrauch HW30s, but maybe they shoot just a bit harder? 7-8 FPE?

How do they hold up, over time? 

This is not an enthusiast's airgun, about all I can find on YouTube are videos of kids shooting cans and jugs, and occasionally a gloat video of shooting a bird or squirrel or rabbit. (I'm guilty of those too, sometimes, though I like to try to video the shot)

 

[Wadcutter]

Here are some chrony specs of a low mileage newer Daisy 880 with a rifled barrel. The plastic pump arm is flimsy and flexes quite a bit while pumping. I prefer the older 880's with the the metal receivers and metal pump arms.
10 pumps with jsb exact express 7.87 grn -635fps 7fpe
10 pumps with jsb exact 8.44 grn -610fps 7fpe
10 pumps with jsb exacts 10.34 grn -560fps 7.2fpe

 

[cobalt327]

This is what I got from an unmodded gun- it still has the flat trigger spring, even. It has ~ 300 shots on it. Before shooting it the first time I cleaned barrel using patches and lubed the felt. All results were obtained using CPHP 7.9gr pellets. The chronograph is a CE ProChrono Digital.

Below is what this gun did around shot #250:
• 10 pumps - 656 FPS average
o 7.55 ft-lb
• 5 pumps CPHP 7.9gr- 554 FPS average
o 5.39 ft-lb

Below is after flat topping the piston. Before this test I lightly lubed the felt (2 drops). Then I shot it 15-20 times to let it settle in:
• 10 pumps CPHP 7.9gr- 705 FPS average
o 8.72 ft-lb
• 5 pumps CPHP 7.9gr- 574 FPS average
o 5.78 ft-lb

10 pumps- 49 fps increase, 7.5% increase in MV and 15.5% increase in ft-lb
5 pumps- 20 fps increase, 3.6% increase in MV and 7.2 increase in ft-lb

This is a very "mod-able" gun. There are many threads on how to improve power and accuracy over at the GTA forum and elsewhere.

The newest production 880 has an improved stock attachment that keeps the stock from moving like it did on the earlier versions. The new guns still use a plastic pump arm but it has been redesigned to be stiffer than the earlier plastic arms. The pump arm on my 1998-built 880 flexed so bad that it would pop back up after 9-10 pumps unless I held it in. I replaced it with a new pump arm from Daisy ($4.00) and it shoots harder than ever because of the stiffer arm. ALL Daisy airgun parts are uber cheap, BTW. The new 880 uses a cheaper-to-buy seal kit if it needs resealing (the early guns use a kit that costs over $30, unavailable from Daisy as they only carry parts for current production guns).

The trigger is way to stiff, there are easy DIY mods that solve this.

I have all sorts of airguns: springer, CO2 rifles and pistols, single pump pneumatic, multi pump pneumatic, Daisy BB guns, etc. The 880 fits in nicely. It's affordable, powerful, shoots well (basically no recoil) and it can hold its own against any gun in its class- and after doing a few mods it can punch well over their weight, too.

 

[Wadcutter]

-cobalt327
Below is after flat topping the piston. Before this test I lightly lubed the felt (2 drops). Then I shot it 15-20 times to let it settle in:
• 10 pumps CPHP 7.9gr- 705 FPS average
o 8.72 ft-lb
• 5 pumps CPHP 7.9gr- 574 FPS average
o 5.78 ft-lb

10 pumps- 49 fps increase, 7.5% increase in MV and 15.5% increase in ft-lb
5 pumps- 20 fps increase, 3.6% increase in MV and 7.2 increase in ft-lb-

• Looks like you obtained good results with the mods.. can you explain the "flat topping the piston" procedure. Is that a modification to the pump head?

 

[cobalt327]

This only requires a minimum of disassembly to do- forearm covers off (couple Phillips screws), remove the pump arm pin (no tools), take the pump assembly out of the tube (no tools), remove the pump head assembly from the pump lever assembly (1 pin, no tools). Once you have the pump head assembly in hand, you will see the pump head has a trough in the center of it, just clean the area well w/acetone or even 91% iso alcohol will work fine, then fill the void w/J B Weld. I left the epoxy a little proud of the top of the head, then took it down even to the top of the head w/water wetted 400 grit wetordry on a piece of glass. No need to remove any O-rings, etc. just keep it clean of oil so the JB will adhere right.

 

[cobalt327]

The new style heads look like this: