Author Topic: Garage sale purchase - Daisy Powerline 717 pistol (Read 1714 times)

lilabner · « **on:** May 15, 2004, 02:42:20 PM »

I bought an air pistol from a man who said his son got it years ago. They had a couple boxes of Daisy .177 pellets with it. It has plastic grips with thumbrest, a LONG barrel and an adjustable rear sight. Side lever cocking. There is probably something wrong with the rear sight because I can push down on the top of it and it moves down. I push it up as far as it will go and leave it there. The gun really shoots! We have a flock of rowdy starlings in the area and every time I shoot at one of them, there's a puff of black feathers and the bird drops. Do they still make this air pistol? Maybe I can get a new spring for the sight. Is this model generally considered accurate? It isn't a match grade gun by any means but it has impressed me.

dave · « **Reply #1 on:** May 15, 2004, 03:50:14 PM »

Yes, the Daisy 717 is still made, and sells new for $75-80. Its rated velocity is 385, actual reported velocity is closer to 360. The 717 is an entry level silhouette target pistol, and there are two upgraded versions, the 747 and 777. Call Daisy for parts, shouldn't be a problem replacing the broken or missing sight bits. As for it not being a match-grade pistol, a 717 did take silver at an Olympic event at one time. All three 7x7 guns will compete closely with guns costing many times more.

lilabner · « **Reply #2 on:** May 16, 2004, 07:47:50 AM »

Thanks for the information. Unfortunately, the starlings have stopped coming around. I'll shoot the pistol on paper and see how it groups with the Daisy pellets - maybe try more expensive pellets. I'll check out the rear sight more closely - may just need to be cleaned up or maybe I can find a replacement spring at the hardware store.

lilabner · « **Reply #3 on:** May 18, 2004, 07:08:21 AM »

Looking at the rear sight, I saw that the problem is the sight base is undersized so is able to shift around in the hole at the back of the the receiver. I shimmed it temporarily with card stock and shot the gun on paper at 30 feet using a bag of lawn fertilizer as a rest. Everything went in one hole. If I can figure a more permanent fix to stabilize the sight, I am in business.
Anyone out there have the same problem with a 717? How did you fix it?