I'm just curious whether anyone has any information on a .22 cal single shot air pistol (when were they made, what were they used for, is it of value).

It was made by a company called something like "Benjamin Franklin Mfg" (I don't have it front of me). The barrel was about 8 or 9 inches in length, was rifled (looks about 1:9 or 1:10) and the barrel and the pump chamber underneath the barrel appear to be of brass construction. The grips were black, possibly plastic, possibly vulcanite. The trigger guard and handle straps are some inexpensive metal. It had a bolt action -- a grooved knob on the back of the bolt is pulled back to cock the trigger and then pushed forward and locked to "chamber" the pellet. The pump handle was a dark wood and had 4 or 5 grooves around it. It's a very pretty air gun with its brass barrel and pump.

i'm no expert on benji's, but it sounds like an older benjamin-sheridan...or perhaps one of the franklin's that were made in st. louis.

the newer models are still brass barreled, but finished in black.

brass was used for its' corrosian resistant properties (humid air + compression = water).

[url]http://www.1ststopairgunshop.com/Benjamin%20Sheridan%20HB22%20Pellet%20Pistol.htm[/url]

[img]http://www.1ststopairgunshop.com/images/HB22BS.jpg[/img]

Thanks CampyBob... That pistol in the picture looks like a young relative. The model I have may have also been finished in black (for corrosion purposes). I removed some of the tarnishing with gun oil, and it looked like there may have been more than tarnish in some areas.

I had one of those that I got in the seventies.  It's still around somewhere.  Can't find it or the instruction sheet.  Used to buy the round green and gold steel cans full of the pellets with the Benjamin name on them.

It was loud and hard to pump and I occasionally got part of my hand caught in between the cocking lever and metal above it OUCH!


The thing never was accurate and the screw for the rear sight elevation was lost a long time ago.  As I recall the cocking cylinder froze up on me when I used it last and I never got it fixed.

Mine also had the rounded wood cocking handle at the front with the grooves, but mine was a dark walnut color along with the plastic grips.