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The Daisy 717 Air Pistol
Author Unknown
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The Daisy Model 717 is Daisy's entry-level target pistol. I have never seen one in a store, but they are available from Daisy, with a pellet trap, for about $60. I don't own one, and thus can't comment on the reliability, but I used one for two days at a training school for handgun instructors.
The Daisy line of target pistols starts at the 717 ($60 or less, I'm not sure what the price is without the trap), and proceeds to the 747 (about $100), and 777 (about $200). All have a rated muzzle velocity of 360 feet per second, and (I would guess) the same powerplant. The extra money buys an imported Walther barrel on the 747 and 777, along with better grips, triggers and sights. All of these guns are single-pump pneumatics, which means that a single stroke of the cocking lever charges the gun to full power. Additional pumping does nothing.
As I said, I only used the 717 for two days, but I shot it a lot during that time. I was impressed with the accuracy. Half-inch groups were shot at ten meters by some people in the class (not me!). I felt that if I shot one regularly I would find it as accurate as my Ruger Mark II, and more accurate than my other air pistols. I managed some groups which would have been well under one inch, but were spoiled by single flyers. I blame myselfi for these, not the gun. There are extremely expensive target pistols which will produce one-hole groups at ten meters - you can spend well over $1000 if you wish. The 717 is NOT one of those.
The cocking lever is on the side, not the top (as in a barrel-cocking gun) or bottom (as in a multi-pump pneumatic). It can be hard to cock any air pistol without sweeping others on the firing line with the muzzle. Hard is perhaps too strong a word, but it definitely takes some thought to do it right. I'm not sure how I feel about that. As a training device it makes the trainee think, yet does it at a time when the gun is totally unable to fire (the breech is open). Anyone who learns to do it right with this gun will develop good habits which will transfer to more dangerous firearms. On the other hand it can be frustrating, especially to someone with short and/or weak arms. The weaker you are the harder it is to cock without swinging the muzzle around. Loading the pellet into the breech of the 717 was hard for those of us with large fingers. Women seemed to do it much better than men. I'm sure practice would help with that, too.
The power is almost non-existent - I wouldn't shoot a squirrel with this gun - but power is unimportant for its intended use. The fit and finish were good. This gun would be a good choice for training youngsters (that is what the class I took was geared for). It would also be good for target practice at home, for someone who wants better accuracy than the lower cost American air pistols. I talked to a friend who shoots in the air pistol league at my gun club. He said that the league was basically divided into those with expensive pistols and those with Daisy 747's (the next model up from the 717). He reported that shooters with 747's did not seem to be at any disadvantage. Daisy is clearly able to produce accurate guns.
The biggest problem with the American guns in this price range is availability. Most gun stores carry only Beeman or RWS gun, and most department stores carry only the lower-priced guns. It can be very hard to find these models, except via mail order.
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