The Sheridan Knocabout Pistol: A .22 is not a,,

The Sheridan Knocabout Pistol: A .22 is not a,,

Why

 

Founded by Mr EN Wackerhagen, Racine, Wisconsin-based Sheridan Products started in 1945 with the stated purpose of giving the founder’s son a ‘better airgun than anything then on the market’.

 Soon their Super Grade, Bluestreak, and Silverstreak models of pneumatic air rifles were the glimmer in the eye for both kids and dads alike. Why such cross-generational interest? The Sheridan products had been designed by a gunsmith, rather than an airgun maker, which gave them the feel of actual rifles.

Design

Using a page from their airgun line, Sheridan’s new pistol used sheet metal stampings almost exclusively save for a machined steel barrel that included the chamber. 

The weapon had no magazine, the barrel simply unlatched and tipped up, much like that of the Beretta Tomcat/Bobcat model 22′s, to load a single round. Once loaded, the user cocked the single action hammer, squeezed the 2# trigger, and fired. When you opened the 5-inch long barrel again, the spent casing ejected and cleared the way for the next round. It could handle shorts, longs, or long rifle 22 rimfire rounds interchangeably.

 

Use

In 1952, the price for a new Ruger Standard pistol was about $37.50, and it was slaying the competition. Therefore Sheridan’s Knocabout, priced at $17.95 ($140 in today’s dollars), was a contender. For $3 more, you could get a deluxe version with a leather holster and cleaning rod.

 No matter how you spelled it, the bargain guns were reliable, easy to use, and made both a great starter pistol for junior, or a nice safe gun for campers, fishermen, and hunters who were encountering the random snake, taking pot shots at floating debris, or cleaning up a trap line.

The Knocabout ceased production in 1960, the victim of cheap imported 22 pistols like the Rohm from Germany and FIE from Italy that was both cheaper and offered extra onboard ammunition. Sheridan remained in business with their airgun line until they were bought by the Benjamin Air Rifle Co in 1977 and finally by Crosman in 1992. While Crosman has kept a line of Benjamin-Sheridan air rifles in production, you can rest assured the Knocabout probably will not be resurrected.It was very slim and only 6.75-inches long overall, which meant it could be stored or carried with ease. The long barrel meant that it had a nice steady sight radius even if the sights were fixed and by today’s standards, downright miserly. These sights, however, were machined from the barrel steel itself, and impossible to knock loose. Nevertheless, as with everything, all good things eventually must end.