Father’s Day found me spending time with my father, and he mentioned he really wanted a CO2 BB pistol like the old Daisy model 1200 that he once used for various varmints that he needed to scare off his property. I remember that old gun—it started as mine, but I left it at home when I enlisted in the Marines. I guess he took over ownership while I was in boot camp! Apparently it gave up the ghost after a few decades of service, so Dad wanted a replacement that he could have fun shooting and continue to run off varmints. My father asks for nothing and often won’t accept gifts, so this request was unusual, and it was a great opportunity for me to do something for him.
I went online and did some research to find the right fit. I wanted something that was easy for older hands (to include mine!) to work. What’s more, the gun had to be reliable. Finally, we both wanted something that had more power than the typical CO2 pistols that shoot around 400 feet per second (fps). I found the Daisy model 415, and it looked like just the ticket. Less than a week later, I had one in hand for both me and my hard-to-buy-for father to test. 
The gun arrived and I called Dad and he came over and we began reading the manual and doing some informal testing. Out of the box the pistol was easy to operate. The trigger pull is quite a bit longer than I would like, but it breaks fairly cleanly.
The sights are fixed but they are on target. We were destroying clay pigeons and soda cans all over the yard while sitting on a brick wall. There was a bit of a mess to clean up by the time we went through a few CO2 cartridges. I guess that is an example of boys having fun! We found the gun will shoot approximately 100 BBs before needing a fresh CO2 cartridge.
We also found accuracy to be quite good up to about 20 yards. At that point, the BBs started to curl left or right a bit. Loading was easy and installing the CO2 was equally easy. The sights are easy on the eyes with a square notch rear sight and a fiber optic front sight. The grip feels good in the hands, and fits well for most sized hands. My hands are average to large, while my father’s hands are a bit smaller, but he stated he liked the grip as well.
There is an accessory rail, but I did not see the need to put any optics or laser on it. Perhaps if you were using the pistol to dispatch rats or mice in a chicken house it would be cool and useful to put a light or laser sight on the gun.
Overall, out of the package, I really like this gun. It is simple to operate and shoots BBs with good velocity and acceptable accuracy. I think this gun could be used for backyard fun like we were having with it, mouse or small pest control … even safety training for young, but mature, shooters learning their way around a pistol and handling it under supervision. The price point is under $40 too! Daisy.com
Specifications:
Stock: molded checkered grip
Barrel: Smooth steel
Magazine: holds 21 BBs
Caliber:.177
Power: CO2
Velocity: up to 495 fps
Sights: fixed with fiber optic front
Trigger pull:
Length: 8.6”
Weight: .93 of a pound
Has a lower accessory rail
1 year warranty.
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