Daisy Daisy 499B Muzzle Velocity

[DixieTriggerMan]

Five or six years ago I purchased a Daisy 499B target gun from Pyramyd Air. Although I think it's an excellent little gun, I haven't shot it that much and estimate that I've put only about 2000 BBs down range with it. That was enough use to smooth out the trigger pull considerably. I haven't modified the gun in any way other than adding some muzzle weight to it by filling the hollow forend with tungsten birdshot.

I recently purchased a doppler radar chronograph (a Garmin Xero C1 Pro) and one of the guns I decided to test it with was my 499B. I had never tried to chronograph the 499B before and the results I got really surprised me, A 10 shot string using Daisy's Precision Ground Shot gave an average muzzle velocity of 324 fps with the slowest shot at 321 fps and the fastest at 329 fps. I had always read that the factory spec muzzle velocity is 240 fps. So why is my gun running more than 80 fps faster? Has the gun just broken in and that is why it has speeded up? I'm at a loss for any other explanation. Has anyone else chronographed their 499B?

 

[JDR]

Wow, that is fast. My 499 is shooting at 245 fps. Want to trade? This guy substituted a Red Ryder BB gun spring and got 324 fps. Maybe that is it.

500 fps Daisy 499 BB gun- asking too much? Nope- it's a REALITY! - Airguns & Guns Forum

500 fps Daisy 499 BB gun- asking too much? Nope- it's a REALITY!, Air guns, Airgun Forum

gatewaytoairguns.org

 

[DixieTriggerMan]

Wow, that is fast. My 499 is shooting at 245 fps. Want to trade? This guy substituted a Red Ryder BB gun spring and got 324 fps. Maybe that is it.

500 fps Daisy 499 BB gun- asking too much? Nope- it's a REALITY! - Airguns & Guns Forum

500 fps Daisy 499 BB gun- asking too much? Nope- it's a REALITY!, Air guns, Airgun Forum

gatewaytoairguns.org

Hey JDR, I kind of thought the same thing, that maybe Daisy mistakenly used a Red Ryder spring when they built my gun. The only problem with that theory is the stronger Red Ryder spring would increase the cocking effort required to about 15 lbs. Here is Ron Spomer on YouTube measuring the effort needed to cock his Red Ryder:

My 499B requires about 8 1/2 lbs effort to cock. From what I have read, that is about right for a 499B.

 

[Kgphotos]

My 499b averages 216fps with Hornady black BBs. It’s slow but it sure does shoot great.
Kenny

 

[Iowa Airgunner]

My 499b with a high power spring is shooting 423-424

 

[Frank in Fairfield]

Mine:

 

[Frank in Fairfield]

My 499b averages 216fps with Hornady black BBs. It’s slow but it sure does shoot great.
Kenny

DITTO

 

[DixieTriggerMan]

Thanks to everyone who has responded about the muzzle velocity of my 499B. As a double ckeck on the results I got with my Garmin chronograph, I dug out my old Pro Chrono chronograph and ran a 10 shot string over it using the same Daisy Precision Ground Shot. The results were nearly identical as with the Garmin: average mv of 322 fps, high mv of 324 fps and low mv of 321 fps. Now I'm more perplexed than ever as to why my 499B with 100% factory stock innards is shooting so much faster than it is supposed to.

I did more digging on the web and found a blog entry Tom Gaylord did for Pyramyd Air in June , 2021. He reviewed a new 499B, and using the same ground shot I did, he got an average mv of 263 fps, high mv of 265 fps and low mv of 261 fps. So, the gun he tested is faster that most of the results reported by y'all but still a lot slower than my gun. Gaylord also measured the cocking effort on his gun and it was 8 lbs, 7 oz which is right in there with my gun's 8 1/2 lb cocking effort.

I guess my next step is to email customer service at Daisy to see if they can shed any light on what is going on with my gun.

 

[DixieTriggerMan]

I guess my next step is to email customer service at Daisy to see if they can shed any light on what is going on with my gun.

I sent an email to Daisy this morning about my 499B. I'm sure their first priority is answering "real" customer questions about parts, warranties, etc., so I don't know if I'll receive a reply or not.

I also got around to benching the gun to see if there has been any change in accuracy. Firing 5 shot strings at exactly 5 meters using Daisy's precision ground shot, I'm getting groups that are consistently at or below 0.35 inches c-c. That's using a Caldwell Rock Competition rest and as light of a hold on the gun as I can manage. The gun's accuracy is about the same or perhaps a shade better than when I bought it.

 

[beerthief]

This sounds like a fine kit to own , might be one in my future ?

 

[DixieTriggerMan]

Try a 499B, I heartily recommend owning one. So here's the story of how I ended up with mine.

My parents didn't have any interest in guns so I was never given a BB gun when I was little. I was in Cub Scouts, though, and as a Christmas present my favorite uncle gave me a subscription to Boy's Life magazine. Reading the articles there and seeing all the ads for .22 rifles lit a fire in me and by the time I was 9 or 10 years old I was a full-fledged gun nut. I kept pestering my dad for a .22 and he told me okay on one condition -- I had to pay for the gun with my own money and buy my own ammunition. I saved all my paper route money until I had enough to buy a Remington 572 pump .22. I went to the Western Auto in town and plopped down $65 for it and boy, I was on cloud nine!


That gun kept me going for hunting and plinking, but I soon developed an interest in NRA Junior competition and wanted to shoot in the programs the American Legion and the volunteer fire department in my little town sponsored. I needed a proper target rifle for that so I scrimped and saved my paper route earnings until I could afford a Remington 513T TargetMaster. That gun taught me how to shoot with aperture sights and I’ve loved that style of shooting ever since.

Fast forward 50 years and I'm retired. For some crazy reason I developed an itch for the BB gun I never had as a kid. I looked around and discovered the Daisy 499B. Thinking about that gun brought back a flood of happy memories of shooting formal competition as a kid. I knew that no other BB gun would do, so I ordered a 499B. I love that gun and it is one I will never part with.

 

[Kgphotos]

It's amusing to think how much fun a "BB" gun can be. I have some nice high end rifles; a Panthera that I shoot out to 200 yards, a Walther LG400 that just absolutely stacks wadcutters at ten meters, and yet a little Daisy 499B muzzle loader brings me an equal level of smiles and enjoyment.
Kenny

 

[Iowa Airgunner]

I shoot my 499 from a bucket and sticks at 7 meters all winter.
It is so much fun and the ammo is reusable.