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There a re a few Red Ryder type BB Rifles out there now, of course the original Red Ryder that dates back several decades. Since then Crosman came out with their version of the Marlin Cowboy BB Rifle, then there was an Air Venturi John Wayne licensed version of the Red Ryder. Recently Barra came out with their slightly different take on the Red Ryder with the Barra 1866 dual Ammo Air Rifle, which though it looks a lot like the Red Ryder, it is not spring operated but rather pump operated and can shoot both Steel BB’s and Pellets. That brings us to the most recent version of Red Ryder type BB Rifles, Umarex Marlin Lever Action Spring BB Rifle which is the focus of this Field Test Shooting Video Review. You can watch my Table Top Video Review for details and specifications along with more close up video of it here.

To start things off with my Field Test Shooting Video of the Umarex Marlin Lever Action Spring BB Rifle, I shoot 5 rounds through my Chronograph to see what the real world velocity is in fps. Umarex claims around 300 fps. I was able to average right around 274 fps so not far off of the claim. My lowest performing shot was 270 fps with the fastest shot hitting 278 fps, so all very close in velocity which is typical of a spring piston Airgun, this will help with consistent accuracy especially in terms of elevation.

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When it comes to the accuracy, the Umarex Marlin Lever Action Spring BB Rifle did as well or perhaps even better than my other testing using previous Red Ryder type Air Rifles. If I through out one flyer I got, my 10 shot grouping was able to get around a 2 inch grouping that was overall well centered on the target, maybe juts a hair to the right. Even with the flyer the grouping spread out to a 3 inch grouping. I am pretty sure I could do better as this was the first time shooting this rifle. Keep in mind as I have to work the lever action for each shot that requires me to hold the rifle straight up and down in order for proper BB loading, this means I need to fully reset my hands on the sand bag and re-aim for each shot which will effect accuracy consistency a bit. Still a good result.

All in all I do really like the Umarex Marlin Lever Action Spring BB Rifle, mainly as it has a longer shoulder pull more suitable for adults. I feel adults get left out a bit in terms of target marketing with the standard Red Ryder which is a very compact BB Rifle with a short shoulder pull more suited for kids and youth shooters. This makes the Umarex Marlin Lever Action Spring BB Rifle more comfortable to shoot as an adult but will still work for youth and kids as is is not too large in size or heavy or even very hard to work the lever action. Now the whole family can really take part in the fun experience of shooting a Red Ryder type BB Rifle!

• Buy the Umarex Marlin Lever Action Spring BB Rifle in Canada

• Buy the Umarex Marlin Lever Action Spring BB Rifle in the US

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Another revisit for an inexpensive and fun BB shooter, the Crosman Marlin Cowboy BB Rifle! I have done some previous video reviews and comparisons for the Crosman Marlin Cowboy BB Rifle so make sure to check them out. I also recently did an update Field Test Shooting Video for the Daisy Red Ryder BB gun which is a very comparable airgun to the Crosman Marlin Cowboy BB Rifle.

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Here is a quick overview of the Crosman Marlin Cowboy BB Rifle, it's designed for younger smaller shooter with it's short stock but it's still fun of all ages! You can store 700 4.5mm Steel BB's in its internal magazine and Crosman claims a max velocity of 350 fps. Like the Daisy Red Ryder the power source is a spring piston that is activated by the lever action.

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Now let's talk about how the Crosman Marlin Cowboy BB Rifle performed in my Sea Can Field Test Shooting test...  Crosman claims a max fps of 350, my Chronograph results came in at a 5 shot average of 316 fps which is not bad compared to the Daisy Red Ryder that also has a claimed fps of 350 but only shot around 240 fps.

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So the Crosman Marlin Cowboy BB Rifle is the clear winner in terms of velocity over the Daisy Red Ryder but what about accuracy? That's a different story, the Crosman did not perform all that great for me shooting at a paper target 30 feet away using a rested shooting position. I shot 10 rounds at my paper target and got about a 5-6 inch grouping, there was an underlying smaller tight group that was closer to about 3 inches but a god 3-4 of the BB's came out of it spreading out the group significantly.  Compare that to the Daisy Red Ryder with a nice tight 2 inch group.

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So what do you want? Power or accuracy? I figure since the Crosman Marlin Cowboy BB Rifle is really targeted of the younger more entry level shooter that it should have good accuracy so they know when they are doing it right and less concerned on if the gun is performing as it should. Sure power is fun and smashing your targets does give a certain satisfaction but you have to hit the target first :)

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Both the Crosman Marlin Cowboy BB Rifle and Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun are fun airguns for sure, I guess it just comes down to which one you want to buy...

OK to start things off, this is a review of the Daisy Red Ryder Lever action BB Rifle but the Vimeo Video also compares the Red Ryder to the very similar Crosman Marlin Cowboy Lever Action BB Riffle, If you have not checked my Marlin Cowboy review out, you can see it here.

So for the most part I am going to focus on the Red Ryder in this text version but I will refer to the Marlin Cowboy when comparing the two BB air rifles.

Type: BB spring air rifle.

Manufacturer: Daisy.

Model:Red Ryder.

Materials: Mostly metal and wood.

Weight: 2.2 pounds.

Barrel: Smooth bore.

Propulsion: Spring.

Action: Lever action.

Ammunition Type: Steel BBs 4.5mm.

Ammunition Capacity: 650 rounds.

FPS: Up-to 350.

Trigger Pull: The trigger pull is pretty good, not super light but predictable. (the trigger area is much larger then the Crosman Marlin Cowboy which may be more suitable for adults with thick fingers)

Accuracy: When I originally tested my Marline Cowboy I thought it performed well but the Daisy Red Ryder definitely has the advantage in the accuracy department, at least in my testing. I got about a 1.5 inch 8 shot group from a free standing position 20 feet away from the target.

Build Quality: This is a pretty much all metal and wood gun with a build quality almost exactly like the Crosman Marlin Cowboy. Daisy has even made some improvements like upgrading the lever to metal from plastic, most likely to compete with Crosman on this feature. The only plastic I found was the trigger, safety and front sight assembly.

Realism: Even though this BB gun is styled after the classic lever action Cowboy Rifle, it's not a close replica to any that I know of. You have to keep in mind the purpose of this gun - meant primarily for younger first time shooters. There are some nice touches like the leather tassels and the Red Ryder name burned into the stock .

Purchased From: Walmart.

Pros:

• Inexpensive introduction to the sport of Airgun shooting.

• Made out of Mostly Metal and Wood - Now including the Lever.

• Large capacity internal barrel magazine (650 rounds).

• Adjustable rear sight for height.

• Decent 300+ fps velocity.

• Excellent accuracy and consistency.

• The original maker of this style of BB rifle - great track record!

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Cons:

• Plastic trigger, safety and front sight assembly.

• Some people may find the non removable metal loop for the leather tassel a bit intrusive.

Comments:

I think this is a wonderful little BB rifle and even though it's intended for the young entry level shooter it can make a great back yard plinker that anyone can join in and enjoy - adults included! I plan to be shooting either the Red Ryder or my Marline Cowboy side by side with my little guy when he is old enough to shoot one of these fine lever action BB rifles. When it comes to picking between the Daisy Red Ryder or the Crosman Marlin Cowboy Lever Action BB Rifles it comes down to a few points: Both have almost the exact same build quality so it may come down to which look you like best? The Daisy was more accurate while the Crosman had a bit more power. The Red Ryder had the lighter but longer lever action pull while the Marlin Cowboy had a heavier shorter lever pull.

If you can't decide just buy them both because they are dirt cheap to buy and tons of fun to shoot, so when your friends come over you can always pass them one so they won't feel left out!

My Vimeo Video Comparison Review for these Lever Action BB Rifles:

Buy Air Rifles in Canada   -   Buy Marlin Cowboy in the US

Buy Red Ryder in Canada   -   Buy Red Ryder in the US

Related Posts:

• MARLIN COWBOY LEVER ACTION BB GUN

• CROSMAN MARLIN COWBOY LEVER ACTION BB RIFLE REVIEW

I don't know if a lot of people out there are going to be interested in the feet per second performance of what some might call a kids BB gun, but I know I was. And since I already had my Chrony chronograph setup I thought it would be just as easy to put my Crosman Marlin Cowboy Lever Action BB shooter through the paces.

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The Cowboy has a claimed feet per second rating of  "up to" 350 fps so I wasn't expecting too much. Right off the bat it hit around 300 fps and kept climbing till it hit just under 320 feet per second. I even went back later after shooting it for a bit and hit got to the mid 320's! I think it just needed a bit of breaking in to hit it's full potential.

Anyway, The Crosman Marline Cowboy Lever action rifle is a really fun BB gun to shoot and my son is going to love it when he gets it for his birthday one of these years, when he's ready...

Watch my Vimeo video of the Crosman Marlin Cowboy full Chronograph test:

Buy Air Rifles in Canada   -   Buy Marlin Cowboy in the US

Buy Air Rifles in Canada   -   Buy Red Ryder in the US