The Benjamin Blue Streak is what the Sheridan Blue Streak was renamed after Benjamin purchased Sheridan. As far as I know, they are as good quality as the Sheridan rifles are. I have a Sheridan Blue Streak that I use for the same reasons you mentioned. I do not think you can go wrong, but you may want to see if the rifle may need a rebuild (spring/seals) due to the age of the rifle.

 

Sheridan/Benjamin had the Blue Streak and the Silver Streak. I know none of them were .177 and I'm not sure if they made a .22 cal. All I remember is that they were 20cal/5mm. I had one of their 20mm 'newer' ones about 25 years ago, but it finally broke after years of use. I do still have my 'original' circa 1960's Crosman 760 Power Master .177/BB air rifle that's in 95+% condition. All metal receiver, wood stock and 'tootsie roll' for end and brass bolt. Still works like new.

 

Sheridan/Benjamin had the Blue Streak and the Silver Streak. I know none of them were .177 and I'm not sure if they made a .22 cal. All I remember is that they were 20mm cal. I had one of their 20mm 'newer' ones about 25 years ago, but it finally broke after years of use. I do still have my 'original' circa 1960's Crosman 760 Power Master .177/BB air rifle that's in 95+% condition. All metal receiver, wood stock and 'tootsie roll' for end and brass bolt. Still works like new.

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Seems like the Benjamin I had in the early70’s was a model 347 in 177 cal. It was a fine rifle and I may just try and find another model 347 in 177 cal instead of a 22 cal.

 

Just do it a great air rifle I had one as a kid,I would sit for hours to shoot groundhogs that lived under the sheds in the neighborhood and eat the ethnic folks' gardens,I charged a quarter a groundhog, and all and every summer had a pocketful of quarters.Head shots as my father taught me out to a max of 20,25 yards I dropped them.

 

I have had three. 2 Blue Streak in .20 cal. (5mm) and my current 1 is in .22 cal. They are excellent air guns...

 

It can get a bit confusing, but If the model is a Blue Streak, regardless if made by Sheridan, Benjamin or even the later Crosman made version, it's a 20 cal. That 20 cal is the trademark of the Blue Streak or Silver Streak model. Any other caliber is a Benjamin or Crosman model.

The Benjamin made Blue Streaks are still the same model as the earlier Sheridan made Blue Streaks because Benjamin continued to make Blue Streaks in Sheridan's original Racine plant after they bought out Sheridan in the 70s.

When Crosman bought out Benjamin/Sheridan in the early 90s, Crosman moved production to E. Bloomfield and made some changes to the Blue Streak design. These Blue Streaks are the C9A Blue Streaks. Still 20 cal, though.

Regardless of caliber or model, any of the walnut stock Sheridan or Benjamin or Crosman pump ups are great guns. Even the last of the walnut stock versions made in E. Bloomfield by Crosman are excellent. I have a mid 90s walnut 397PA made in E. Bloomfield, the last of the walnut 397s that is one of the most accurate pumpers in our collection of Benjamin and Sheridans. These are models with the tang safety, before the safety moved to the trigger guard.


I would not discount the later Benjamin pumps made by Crosman with the hardwood stocks and the safety in the trigger guard, though. These are not as collectible as the walnut stock versions, but they can still be excellent shooters.

 

I had a blue streak 5mm growing up. I loved it. For your intended purposes I would go for it. The new pcp guns are really nice although a bit pricey to get into.

 

I was a Daisy 880 guy and did good work on grey squirrels, starlings and crows with it until I got a Benjamin pump 22 caliber in the mid 1970s. One of the first things I did was to drill a hole in the bottom of the pistol grip and epoxy a Buffalo nickel in it. I used to drop it off at Ollie Damon for an overhaul every couple years. I still have it, and it shoots good as ever. The Daisy 880s were a great rifle... right up until it wasn't. K-Mart would just give me a new one whenever one quit. Everyone else but me preferred Crossman 760s, but I liked the 880. The Benjamin was what everyone else lusted after once I got it.

On weekend mornings I got up ~05:30 and headed to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office where I helped myself to donuts and chatted with whoever was there, then into the swamp I went with my rifle and dog. Sometimes I used to go to an estate on Steilacoom Lake owned by Joe Nolan, the chief council for The Weyerhaeuser Co, instead and hunt on his property.

So long as I was back in time for mass on Sunday everything was good.

 

I have a Sheridan Blue Streak in 20 cal that I got from mowing lawns and dog sittling back around 1974 and my brother had a Crossman 760 pump master. Back then I ruled the neighborhood of the close friends who hunted. The blue steak had more power than anything else at the time. It still works today and is still very accurate. Dented and scratched all over and it's still beautiful in my eyes. So if you can get one go for it.

Signalman 🚦

 

IIRC, On paper the Sheridans had less power than the Benjamin 22. In the field, they were the king. Once I had a Benjamin 22 I was thinking that I would have been better served with a Sheridan. I shot a few borrowed Sheridans and my impression was that they were more powerful and better killers.

 

JD sir one of my friends (Rutsy Hammond) at the end of our block bought a Crossman 1400 IIRC not sure but his was a 22cal pellet rifle and his rifle would blow holes in the oranges at the orange grove we lived next to. Fantastic hunting of doves because of all the water there to feed the trees. Back then we would challenge each other to what birds we could shoot. I was only fifteen years old and the first in the neighborhood to get some of the hardest birds to put in the game bag. We gave up on Pellets and we went to bows and arrows for more of a challenge. Those were the good old days.

Signalman 🚦

 

Those cylindrical 20 cal pellets Sheridan sold in the yellow box had amazing penetration. Not always the most accurate pellet, but it's what I used for squirrel hunting.Very effective.

 

My old friend the yellow box! Worked good on the barn pest pigeons.

 

Here she is:


Signalman 🚦

 

They are .20 cal not 20mm. That would be quite some air rifle. I had one but didn't recover it after divorcing. I'd get another if they were still made. Great overall rifle.