New here, and I got a question! | SouthernPaddler.com

New here, and I got a question!

cadams

Member
When my grand father passed away I inherited a few of his personal things. Some of them being his rifles and his Benjamin. I will post about the rifles later, I have to dig them out and take some photos of them. My questions today are on his Benjamin pistol. I have the original box, the papers that came with it including the price tag for 16.95. Very cool to have it all like that. I was wondering where the serial number is supposed to be on the pistol it's self. It's a 132, .22 cal., has the wood grips and pump. The pump handle is grooved. It has almost all of the blueing left, it's only missing on the top of the barrel where a kid (who me?) would put his hands when pumping it up. She still pumps up and shoots real well, even though the seals have never been replaced. It's not as powerful as it once was, but still does a pretty good job. So, after getting real wordy here, where would the serial number be, does it have value, how to take care of it...maybe freshen up the seals with out replacing. I'm thinking he may have bought it late fifties or early sixties, but with out the serial number how can I tell? Thanks for any help you guys can give me!
Charlie
 

bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Friend charlie,

I sent word ta the Delphi Oracle. She oughta be here purty soon.

Good ta have ya join up on here. Dont tell nobody.....it will ruin yer credit. :wink:

welcome
bearridge

I have too much compassion to be a conservative and too much sense to be a liberal.  Stephen Millich   
 

cadams

Member
Re: b

a Bald Cypress said:
I'm sure you already looked here but in case you haven't,


http://www.airgundepot.com/benjamin-air-pistols.html




Nothing on the model you stated. You may be able to e-mail them and get some info. Or someone on here may be able to offer some help.


Good luck

Yep, looked there and as you said...nothing on the older model. They still make a similar single shot .22 cal. but it's not quiet the same. Thanks for the reply!
:D
 

cadams

Member
bearridge said:
Friend charlie,

I sent word ta the Delphi Oracle. She oughta be here purty soon.

Good ta have ya join up on here. Dont tell nobody.....it will ruin yer credit. :wink:

welcome
bearridge

I have too much compassion to be a conservative and too much sense to be a liberal. Stephen Millich ?

I got credit?????
:shock:
 

Tom @ Buzzard Bluff

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
196
0
Ozarks of N. Central Arkansas
Grandpa's Benji

The Delphi Oracle sez------
Since I'm a heck of a lot more familiar with Crosmans than Benjamins I had to resort to the definitive work on Benjamins by Dean Fletcher, 'The St. Louis and Benjamin Air Rifles Cos.'.
A somewhat cursory examination indicates that the 132 first appeared under that model # immediately following WW2 in 1945 if the advertising literature is to be trusted. However (a big word covering a lot of ills and weaseling) the serial # list for that series, which included the 130, (smoothbore BB caliber) 132 (.22 caliber) & 137 (.177 caliber---starting to notice a trend here?) doesn't even begin until 1957 and runs thru 1983. That suggests that earlier models had no serial numbers. Not at all unusual in airguns. Many remained 'incognito' insofar as serial #s are concerned until the federal government infringed on the 2nd Amendment at some point I no longer recall by demanding that ALL projectile launching weapons be serial numbered for tracing purposes.
So it would appear at first blush that your gun falls somewhere in between 1945 and 1983.
As far as value is concerned don't plan on sending any of your children through med school with the proceeds of a sale. It is a very common pellet pistol produced in vast quantities and due to the brass construction and a high standard of quality a LOT still survive in excellent shooting condition. That said your descrption of its' condition indicates that it has recieved better care than most so try to maintain it in that condition.
As far as your question concerning rehabbing it goes I don't really know any 'tricks' to reviving old Benjis. AFAIR they used lead seals so the old 'trick' of reviving old Crosman CO2 guns by giving them an ATF 'douche' to revive the O-rings wouldn't work. However-----it shouldn't hurt anything if you want to try it. After all it sounds like you'll wind up having to get it resealed anyway so if you hasten the process a bit you're hardly messing anything up seriously. Try it at your own risk. Bearridge can testify that suing me is analogous to trying to get blood out of a turnip. :wink:
Tom
 

cadams

Member
LOL Tom, no suing going on here. I don't plan on selling it. I'd like to keep it around for my grand kids to shoot, kinds a generational thing. It's an older one for sure cause I remember him having it waaaay back in the sixtys. So, there may be no serial number on it anywhere? I have never taken the grips off and there certainly isn't one visible. There is a stamped number on the warranty mail in sheet that I suspect may be the serial number and that would date it to 1964. Thanks for all the help on this guys. It has always been a great shooter and I hope I can keep it in good enough condition for my grandkids to shoot too. They sure don't make things like they used to, that's for sure!
 

bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Friend charlie,

Dont believe him. Tom haz more treasure than most of us kin imagine.....but he come by it after he had a fallin' out with that Oracle woman. :wink:

regards
bearridge

The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.  Patrick Henry
 

cadams

Member
z7shysterical.gif


I think I like this place!
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
Tom @ Buzzard Bluff said:
cadams said:
z7shysterical.gif


I think I like this place!

You may at some point be honored by an invitation to join the committee that is researching why fish grow faster after being removed from the water.

Everyone knows that a fish will grow the fastest and gain weight when it is out of the water and in the anglers hands.

Hence the old saying ... " All fishermen are lairs except for you and me and sometimes I'm not that sure about you"

Chuck.