Daisy 747 Review

Overall Rating

This is a very accurate, very quiet, easy to pump, easy to hold and sight; very inexpensive target air pistol with a finely adjustable trigger. For the money, nothing touches it.

Manufacturer's packaging; plastic, short-throw, flat bolt; plastic rear sight; finish is prone to nicks and rub marks and some people will find the plastic grips look and feel cheap.

The Daisy Avanti 747 Triumph is a very, very accurate, .177 caliber, "one-pump" pellet pistol, at a "street price," as of this writing, of $130 (U.S.). It is also very quiet which makes it a great choice for indoor use as well as in a back yard. It is definitely "barrel heavy" and not a good choice for children, unless they are adult size. Total weight is 2.91 pounds; the steel rifled barrel is 9.6" long; and overall length is 13.5". I received mine a few days ago and this is what I found:

The cardboard box had a ding in it but it did not affect the 747. The packaging is not double-boxed, the interior box is a half-box, thin styrofoam affair that fits inside the cardboard mailing carton. I ordered it from Pyramyd via Amazon. All vendors use this same packaging as it originates with Daisy. None of them repackage the piece nor do they open it to inspect before shipping it out. In fact, Daisy packs a bright orange instruction sheet that says if you have problems (defective gun, etc.) Do Not Return the airgun to the retail store where you purchased it, return it to Daisy. So, for all of you collector types, you do not get much of an original box. The name on the gun is Daisy Power Line 747. The pellet gun comes with a bit of oil on it and in it-particularly inside the barrel. Instructions tell you to run several cotton patches down the barrel to get rid of the excess oil before you fire it. If you don't have a .177 ramrod, a wood or bamboo skewer works well and it will not scratch or ding the rifling in the barrel.

The front sight is a metal blade and ramp and the rear is plastic and completely adjustable for windage and elevation. My first test firings had the pistol shooting 3" low at 10 meters. It was easy to adjust. The safety is a T-bolt and works fine. There is a metal, circle shroud on it on the side where you push it off of safety - a minor annoyance, but once off you can leave it off. The trigger is wide, smooth, and can be finely adjusted down to a one pound pull. An adjustment tool is packaged with the gun. The checkered grips are fairly large plastic target grips with a great thumb rest and come in left or right hand. Mine fit well and do not slip or creep. They are dark in color and really don't look that bad-they still feel and sound like plastic. Nice Walnut replacements can be ordered for under $50.

The bolt is plastic, probably delrin, and is not shaped like a classic T-bolt nor does it have a round knob to pull on. It is a bit flat and not really convenient to grab and open up, and has a very short throw. If one has fat fingers it is not going to be easy to open, cock and load this piece. Once cocked and loaded, the bolt easily opens up if you catch it on anything like your belt or shirt. The metal pumping device is on the left side of the pistol and is easy to operate (17 pounds pump force). On the outside it is sort of smooth and finished except the line from the casting process. On the inside, exposed when pumping, it is not so smooth-from the casting. You pump it once. More is not better and it could damage the piece. It should propel your pellet at 395 fps. I don't have a chrono so I am guessing that it is close to the 395. I have read that on many single pumpers, including Beemans, you need to run 50 to a couple hundred pellets through it before it will be consistent. Sure enough, today, at 10 meters, I fired about 60 pellets and a few of them (4 to 5) came out the barrel at about or strength (speed). Today was a break-in day and a little windy in my back yard. Using the back of a patio chair for support I did have two, five-shot groupings within one inch. Out of the five shots three holes were either overlapping or touching--but the other two were not. I am sure it was me and not the gun. I am told that in time this piece will do better than that, I don't know if it can with me doing the shooting though. I used both Crosman Premium Wadcutters and Gamo Match pellets. For me, they shot about the same, maybe a slight edge with the Gamos. The packaged instructions are direct, explicit, and tell you when and how you must lube and oil different parts of this airgun.

I have not experienced any of the problems that other reviewers have had, nothing was loose and the barrel is dead-on center. All things considered, including the price, this mass-produced gun is a very accurate shooter, is easy for me to hold, and is worth the money. The finish tends to nick and scratch easily, it may not wear well over time. I hope some third party folks come along and start making some "add-on" improvements for it, like an improved metal bolt with a knob and a longer throw, a rear metal site, and maybe a grooved target trigger or trigger shoe. It is not the quality build of a Beeman/HW but its performance is impressive, and it is a lot less money. If you are on a super tight budget look at the Crosman 1377, it is one of the best buys in a decent .177 pumper (mine was $39 U.S.). I now have three air pistols and they all have their high and low points. The one I like the best is a Beeman/HW, which I don't have and can't afford. Should anything start going down hill with this 747, I will add additional comments.

Happy Safe Shooting,
Milrose

Members' Comments onMilrose's Review

• GiroJohn on 3rd Nov 2006

  Hi,
  Very good, informative review about the Daisy 747 air pistol.
  Thanks

• cgm205 on 4th Jan 2008

  I found this review helpful because it also helped me to decide on getting the 747.