Laser R1

What some call a Laser R1 maybe only be a Laserized, in other words an R1 that was sent back to or ordered Laserized. A full true Laser will always be a laminate stock, very dark on the MKI's and quite light on the MKII & MKIII. Older versions usually bring more money and as a note a MKIII will have gas ram instead of spring. Values are always based on condition as well and Laserized not as desirable as full Laser versions .

MKI



MKII



Laserized carbine

Zoot, I'd love to see a couple of pictures please. Mike that answered your question above is a wealth of information, he can help you a lot more than I can but I'd love to see your gun.

Mike, what is laserized? What is the difference between an R1 and an R1 Laser version?

My first springer back in 1980 or 1981 was a Beeman R1. When I got older and needed money for something else, I didn't even think about it, I just sold it. Duh-stupid! I can't remember if it was a Santa Rosa or San Rafael version but I think it was the Santa Rosa version. I also remember a blue ring Beeman scope on it when we got it. Possibly a 4x32mm? I live up near Ukiah, which is only 1 hour from Santa Rosa and remember visiting the Santa Rosa showroom multiple times with my dad. I've always wanted to replace the R1, but I'm not sure of the features it had, other than it was an R1. I think the pistol grip was checkered but not the fore grip. It was also a very dark piece of wood. I also remember a white spacer in between the butt pad and stock that set it off. The gun was clean and simple but man was it a shooter and it was the hot ticket back then. Not many people where I lived had seen one before!

I remember my friends dad and a couple of other fathers in our rural area used to pay us a quarter for every Acorn Woodpecker we would kill. Pretty good money for a 11 year old back in 1981. I needed the money for Star Wars Cards and Star Wars figures and had no other way to earn cash! Anyway, back to the point... shooting the woodpeckers kept them from shoving acorns underneath the shake shingles of the day, which would obviously cause all kinds of problems. My dad supplied the pellets and told us to go to work. I remember going through boxes and boxes of the Beeman Silver Jet pointed pellets that came in the black, silver and blue box. Even the pellets and their boxes were cool! My buddy and I shot more woodpeckers with that Beeman than I could even try to count. As the woodpecker populations decreased, we still needed money, so we had to expand our range to the local mountains around our homes. Over the next few years we cleared out every woodpecker in a 5 mile radius around my house! I made a lot of money, had a blast and it was a big part of what made me an accurate shooter. Funny though, as I got older, most of the Star Wars figures I purchased with my woodpecker money ended getting killed by the same R1 that killed the woodpeckers. My toys turned into targets and they got blasted too! lol

I got off on a little tangent there, sorry. Thinking back and remembering all the good times with my Beeman R1 got me smiling from ear to ear. I need to find out more of the particulars of the 1980/81 Beeman R1 so I can replace it. I would love to hear what separates the R1 from the R1 Laser and anything else about the early R1 that could help me identify the correct features specific to the era. I know you own like 748 springers and are more knowledgeable than most anybody on this forum when it comes to springers, so I'd love to hear what you have to say. Heck, you might even have a 1980/81 era R1 that you would be willing to sell me? You never know?

p.s. my gun looked very similar to the bottom picture you posted. Mine didn't have a muzzle weight, my stock wasn't that glossy and my gun had a longer barrel, other than that, it looked very similar. I know there's probably 100's of variations after all of these years but I'm sure I can find the same model gun with the same features of my original! Thanks for you help! 

Have a great rest of your day! Stoti

The R1 would be the standard/unmodified/factory model or version. Laserized would be when you asked Beeman to or ordered a Laser kit and did it yourself modification to the standard R1. It was a different spring, seal, lube and if factory installed I recall even a different cocking shoe (not sure if it was offered as a user installed part) A true Laser R1 one had all these parts factory installed plus possibly some additional work done as well and the most glaring difference is the stocks pictured above and always laminate. The MKIII Laser versions will have a gas ram in it vs a spring and I believe it was the same ram as offered in the RX models.

Thank yo very much, that's exactly what I wanted to know. I appreciate the quick response! Have a good one!

Stoti

This is most of the R1 factory variants minus the Laser MKIII, R1AW (which looks exactly like the MKII) and or any custom shop models. They range from carbine to rifle, Field Target, Laser, Laserized, Tyrolean, double left side stamped, San Rafael, Santa Rosa (no Huntington Beach) .177, .20, .22 & .25 calibers.

That's an awesome collection.

Thank you 

Thanks Mike. Mine from 1980-81 looked almost exactly like the one on top in the photograph. Is that a 1980-81 era R1 from Santa Rosa or San Rafael? 

Thanks, Stoti

Top most one of the larger picture is of the earliest vintage of San Rafael and has both the Beeman "Bozwell Bear" stamp and the San Rafael address on the same side. They refer to it as a left side stamp, I call it a double left side stamp as all R1's have some stamping on the left. These are the oldest and by those who even know they exist are very sought after. According to Beemans own web page even the Beeman museum only has one or 2 examples, both in the top picture have this stamping.

That's really cool. How long have you been collecting all of these springers and how many do you have all total? You seem to be a wealth of knowledge! I remember the circular Beeman logo on my gun for sure but what side it was on, I don't know. I wish I knew for sure if mine was from 1980 or 1981 and if it was from Santa Rosa or San Rafael. I remember getting it when I was 11, which would have been 1981 but I don't know when or where it was made. Of all the pictures I've seen, the one on top, in your picture, most looks like the one I had. But like I said, I don't remember any of the specifics about the gun, other than what it looked like. My dad would have been able to tell me if it was from San Rafael or Santa Rosa but he just recently passed. Thanks for your help, it's great learning all this stuff. I never had any idea there were so many of the R1 models made over the years. 

Thanks again Mike! 

Stoti

All have the circular Boswell bear logo but about 99% of the R1's will have it on the right side and then the CA city on the left. I got my first R1 brand new in 85 or 86 and had it many years before acquiring another springer likely not until around 2003. I prefer springer rifles by far to all others, I have a total of 1 PCP but do have a number of pneumatics and some CO2's as well as a few spring pistols. Beeman didn't move to Santa Rosa until about 1987 so if yours was early 80's then it was San Rafael. 

Great, thank you both. Mine didn't have the blue logo. That's a sharp gun though. That one looked similar to mine too, except for the weight at the muzzle. Now I know and can look for the right model. I really appreciate all the help sorting it out. The value issue never really was discussed. What should a 95+%, San Rafael, 1980's Beeman R1 be selling for, high and low? I'm not holding anybody to these number obviously, just curious what a fair price would be. Anybody?

Stoti

Any true Laser model will have the enameled button stating so on the left side above the trigger. If you ordered the kit and did it yourself or had someone other than Beeman do it the button would not be present. If you look back to my large picture you will see 3 rifles in succession that have the button present. I forgot to mention 2 addition R1 models if you can imagine, the R1AW (all weather) .20 cal only, stainless look, synthetic stock and the 20th Anniversary model. The 20th Anniversary version had a 2 tone finish (blued barrel and, stainless look compression tube) and came in .20 cal only, just 50 were produced. The Tyrolean versions are still the rarest with less than 25 produced.

PM sent !

James from Michigan, 

Stoti, check your inbox...

I have a Beeman RX1 20th year commemorative in .20. I also found an ad for the commemorative guns in a Beeman catalog edition 17 1992-1993. You cant find alot about these guns.

" My first springer back in 1980 or 1981 was a Beeman R1. When I got older and needed money for something else, I didn't even think about it, I just sold it. Duh-stupid! I can't remember if it was a Santa Rosa or San Rafael version but I think it was the Santa Rosa version. "

If it was the one you purchased in 1980 or 1981 it would have been the San Rafael version. I remember driving to San Rafael to pick up the new Beeman R10 carbine in 1986 or so. I think they moved to the Santa Rosa location between 1988 or 1990. That was only a 20 mile drive for me.

I have a Beeman RX1 20th year commemorative in .20. I also found an ad for the commemorative guns in a Beeman catalog edition 17 1992-1993. You cant find alot about these guns.

Click to expand...

I had the RX1 in .20 cal. Loved that rifle. The phone number prefix (578) is a Santa Rosa number.