by Tex Force
The Sheridan Streak has been made for over 50 years!
The first Sheridan Streak was a Silver Streak (scroll to the bottom of the linked page to see the Silver Streak), initially offered back in 1949. That rifle was made to sell at $19.95 because Sheridan was having a tough time selling their Model A, a premium pneumatic, at $56.50. The new Silver Streak had all the performance and accuracy of the Model A (some people call it the Supergrade today) but was designed to be less costly to manufacture.
This Silver Streak was made around 1951
and looks very similar to the first Silver Streak produced.
The Blue Streak followed shortly thereafter
The Silver Streak was such a success that it put Sheridan on the map! Soon, the company was humming with activity; within a few years (no later than 1954), the Blue Streak was added to the line. Both rifles are identical except for finish.
The Silver Streak is heavily plated with nickel (NEVER chrome, which is typically not used on guns), while the Blue Streak is finished in a matte black paint. The Blue Streak has always been a few dollars less than the Silver Streak, except at the very beginning, because the Silver Streak has to be polished before plating.
Sheridan introduced .20 caliber to the world
The inventors, E.H. Wackerhagen and Bob Kraus, found that the poor quality of pellets available in the 1940s limited the performance of their rifles. They developed their first prototype with a .22 caliber barrel, but they selected .20 caliber for the production guns so they could control the quality of ammo people would use.
Sheridans have always been the most powerful American multi-pump pneumatics because of their proprietary .20 caliber pellet. Though their velocity of 675 f.p.s. on 8 pumps of the mechanism is somewhat slower than a Benjamin pneumatic, the extra weight of the Sheridan pellet makes up for it.
Open sights, peep or scope?
Sheridans come with fine adjustable open sights. A shooter can do wonderful work with these sights, and I have taken rabbits at 35 yards with them. But if you want something even better, try an optional peep sight. Made by the Williams Sight Company, this sight attaches directly to all new Sheridan rifles in holes that are already on the gun. This is, perhaps, the best way to sight a Sheridan.
Some shooters will want a scope. To mount one, you’ll first have to install a Sheridan four-piece scope base. It clamps to the barrel and lets you mount medium-height scope rings. I suggest medium-height rings, because I’m also recommending that you mount a smaller scope on a Sheridan. Because you have to pump this rifle, a large scope gets in the way of that operation. I like the Tech Force 39×40 scope (3-9x) (third scope down on the linked page) for a Sheridan.
Don’t forget to order pellets!
The best pellets for a Sheridan Streak are the Sheridan S-P50 cylindrical .20 caliber pellets, shown on the page with the Silver Streak rifle. You won’t find these listed on the pellets page, but you can order them on the page that shows the rifle. Another great pellet for this rifle is the Crosman Premier in .20 caliber. For best accuracy, buy the pellets in the cardboard box (shown at the top of the page).
These are still the “good old days!”
The Sheridan Streaks have been around for more than half a century, yet in all that time, and though the company changed hands twice and moved once, the rifle is as good today as it was when it was first introduced. The styling has changed several times, but the power, accuracy and overall quality have remained the same throughout the decades. You often hear oldtimers talking about how well things were made back in the good old days. Well, the Sheridan Streak is still made that way today, so you have a chance to join the fun!
