Daisy-Heddon V/L Rifle

You can also watch our video on this rife by clicking here.

When you heard this was a story on caseless ammunition for a .22, you probably had your interest piqued.  However, if you've seen the title, you may be a bit surprised to see the pellet/BB gun manufacturer Daisy.  After all, Daisy is more synonymous with beloved children's plinkers and Red Ryder than with futuristic yet-to-be-perfected ammunition systems.  This is the paradox this article investigates.  The contradiction of the two is interesting, but so is the story itself.  The technology and chemistry involved, the potential, the hype, and the fall back to earth.  I present to you the Daisy V/L rifle.  The little plinker has a pretty neat mechanism and a story to boot.  This particular example recently sold at a RIAC auction.

Shown is a Daisy-Heddon VL rifle, a box of caseless ammunition consisting of ten 10-round tubes, a few loose rounds, and an extra "presentation" wood stock.

Our story begins in 1961 when a chemical engineer from Belgium named Jules Van Langenhoven invented what his patent describes as "caseless ammunition and propellant."  According to the October 1967 issue of Popular Mechanics,

"In 1961, two men walked into a Paris shooting gallery carrying an amazing new rifle.  After firing only a few rounds, one man suddenly whipped out his checkbook.  He started writing one of the most important checks of his life.  Case Hough, president of Daisy/Heddon...was purchasing a revolutionary new gun system.  It had been invented by the other man - Jules Van Langenhoven..."

Image taken from Popular Science Magazine, October 1965 issue.  Copyrighted material.

A bit sensationalist perhaps, but there can be no doubt that Daisy/Heddon acquired the new technology from Jules and had plans to develop it.  Patented in December of 1961, Daisy must have been bursting at the seams to tell the world of the new technology when the special gun and its ammo were first introduced to the public on August 20, 1962.  Despite their excitement, Daisy proceeded very slowly with what would be called the V/L system, named for its inventor.  In October 1965 Popular Science published a brief piece on the rifle, with a photo of Jules firing it, and even includes comments from the author describing its recoil, so prototype rifles had been created and were being used to keep the excitement alive in the press.  That same article even cites that a prototype VL gun had been fired 50,000 times without being cleaned (other sources also cite that it fired 50,000 times without a single misfire nor a cleaning).  With all the applications Daisy had planned for their propellant - construction, high power rifles, military uses, etc - they took their time and finally began selling the gun in 1968.

How it Works

The new caseless ammunition can be described as such:  a combustible nitrocellulose compound, barely the size of a pencil eraser, is adhered to the back of a lead slug 29-grains in weight and .224" in diameter.  That compound serves as the propellant.  The rifle itself is loaded at the breech by pulling down a long, straight lever, recessed in the forend, to 90 degrees.  Hinged by the trigger guard, this lever opens the breech.  Because there is no case for the ammunition, many of the common components of a firearm are unnecessary such as the extractor, firing pin, ejector, and so on.

A single caseless VL round.

Like many Daisy products, it operates using an air/spring combination.  The gun cocks upon opening, essentially a large piston behind the loading gate is compressed backwards and is secured by a sear.  Once the piston is locked into place, spring pressure on the lever is relieved and a VL round may be placed directly in the chamber.  Safety measures prevent the gun from firing until the lever is again secured in the forend of the rifle and the safety, which resets after each shot, is switched to fire.  Pulling the trigger of course releases the piston which rapidly compresses the air in front of it.  Here comes the tricky part.  When air is compressed, it increases in temperature, and in the VL rifle the temperature of the gas reaches 2000° F, a process is best explained in the diagram below.

Image taken from Popular Mechanics Magazine, October 1967 issue.  Copyrighted material.

The gas passes through an obturator, which creates the intense heat.  The heated  air then pushes the ball forward en route to the nitrocellulose-based propellant which ignites.  When the propellant ignites, it creates its own gas which forces the ball back toward the opening adjacent to the cylinder/piston head.  This returning of the ball to its original position prevents gas from escaping, not only propelling the round forward, but also preventing the user from what could potentially be a nasty burn.  Opening the breech for another shot would reveal... nothing.  No case, no primer, no gunk, though one review did mention "only a trace of residue."

Caseless ammunition is nothing new.  Technically, early paper cartridges did not have a case, nor did the Walter Hunt's Rocket Ball, nor did Smith & Wesson's Volcanic cartridge.  However, wrapping paper around the ingredients of a round hardly counts and resulted in undoubtedly fragile ammunition.  The latter two, while demonstrating a sound proof on concept, were quite underpowered.  The VL caseless ammunition, on the other hand, suffered from no such lack of pep.  The .22 caliber bullet would leave the barrel at 1,150 fps!  Lower speed cartridges were developed that would travel 700 fps, but they were never brought to market.  Neither were the faster ones, clocking in as fast as 3,000 fps.

A Bright Future

There were several different versions of the rifle released in 1968.  The first 1,000 serial numbered guns are unofficially dubbed "Collector's Models."  They had a wood stock and a plate engraved with the collector's name and the rifle's serial number.  After that Daisy/Heddon made a mix of the standard model, using a plastic stock of which roughly 19,000 were produced, and their Presentation Model.  The Presentation Model was the same as the Collector's Model, but the buyer would put their own name on the plate.  Price information on the three models varies.  Regular models have sources citing their prices anywhere from $29 - $40.  However, even the $29 price tag would have made it more expensive than other single shot .22 rifles.  I don't yet have a reliable source for the price on the higher quality models. The 1,000 round "bricks" of ammo sold for around $17.

Even the tubes for the VL caseless ammunition had their own patent.  
The removable plug at the end of the tube was reversible.

The new system had the potential to give Daisy a very rosy financial outlook.  After all, with so many of the traditional components of a firearm no longer needed, the guns would be very cheap to manufacture, in theory.  The same went for the ammo; with no need for brass or primers, costs for production were anticipated to be lower than traditional ammo.  No brass or primer also meant lighter rounds.  Hunters, soldiers, and even fighter planes, would be able to carry a great deal more ammo.  The propellant could even be used for construction purposes.  Magazine periodicals were supremely optimistic of the new technology and gave glowing reviews to the little air rifle.  There was even talk of a "repeater" version.  Military use, that ever golden choose chased by arms manufacturers, was not out of the realm of possibility for Daisy and their new caseless ammunition.  After all, the propellant could be ignited by hot air, but also chemically or electronically.  The possibilities seemed endless.  However, like an doomed combat plane, Daisy too would come crashing back to earth.  For while they were paying attention to the Army and Air Force, they should have been paying attention to a different government entity:  the ATF.

ATF Crashes the Party

Daisy/Heddon was in the business of selling air rifles and pellet/BB guns.  The ATF was fine with that, since that's what they were licensed to produce.  What the ATF was not fine with was the unlicensed production of firearms.  Since the V/L rifle utilized a propellant, the ATF ruled that the V/L rifle was a firearm.  Daisy not being licensed to produce firearms, and having no desire to become a manufacturer, ceased production in 1969.  Exact dates are fuzzy without additional digging, but it is allegedly a production run of approximately 8 months for a gun that was nearly 8 years in the making.  The very chemical compound that should have propelled Daisy/Heddon into the future instead brought about its own demise.

Image taken from Popular Mechanics Magazine, October 1967 issue.  Copyrighted material.

Potential Problems

Maybe the ATF is solely to blame for the death of the VL rifle.  After all, if Daisy believed in the gun so much, why didn't they simply acquire a firearms manufacturer's license and continue production?  The primary reason is likely the reason driving most business decisions: money.  As mentioned earlier, the VL was not exactly competitively priced in the market.  Like most new technology, it would take time for the price to come down.  Also, once production ramped up, they could depend on economy of scale to push prices lower still.  Daisy didn't have time and sales of the VL proved to be sluggish at best.  Even with the heralded new technology, Daisy gave the VL the same plastic stock it gave most of its products, giving the gun a chintzy, cheap feel.

Then there were all the other problems that other caseless ammunition pioneers have had to tackle: how to extract a misfire, cooking-off rounds, and maintaining the necessary seals of the weapon.  Daisy also had the additional issue of the propellant being fragile enough to crumble off using only a fingernail.

Regardless, of what killed the VL, it still remains a curious little firearm.  It has a permanent place on the short list of firearms to use caseless ammunition.  The guns and its ammo are not difficult to find today, nor are they expensive, so if you want a firearm that uses caseless ammo, you're much more likely to obtain a VL than an H&K G11.  There's a comparison I never thought I'd make.  It's another fascinating firearms concept that at least saw the light of day, even if it didn't see it for long.

-Written by Joel Kolander





SOURCES:

Bradshaw, Hank. "Now - A Bullet Without A Case." Popular Science Oct. 1965: 173. Web.

Evans, Donald J. "An Amazing New King of Gun. It's Not All Hot Air." Popular Mechanics Oct. 1967: 120+. Web.

http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2014/4/21/firearm-ideas-that-failed/

http://www.daisymuseum.com/html/timeline/1960.htm

https://www.google.com/patents/US3520400

http://www.google.com/patents/US3854400

http://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2006/01/airgun-makers-that-spawned-firearms/

5 Things You Might Not Know About Antique Firearms

On any given news day, one sure hears an awful lot about modern guns.  The term "assault weapons" gets thrown around like a Sunday football and "concealable weapons" also get their fair share of press as states rush to vote on new gun laws.  You know what type of guns are gladly being ignored from this glaring spotlight?  Antiques.

It was after prohibition and the United States had had its fill with mafia gangsters and their violence.  The National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) attempted to target the weapons that were popular with organized crime by regulating their favorite weapons: machine guns, short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, silencers, destructive devices (think grenades, missiles, mines, poison gas, etc), and the wonderfully vague genre of "any other weapon."  The NFA required lots of registration, imposed stiffer fines, charged taxes, and greatly restricted the availability of the weapons listed in it.  It also exempted muzzle loaders from the Act (they would later be included in legislation if they could be modified to a non-muzzle loading weapon).  The exemption of muzzle loaders was the first instance of a protection being offered to an older weapon.

The Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) built on the NFA by placing import restrictions, requiring FFLs, and constructing that fun list of questions when filling out ATF Form 4473 (Are you a felon?  Are you a fugitive? Etc).  The GCA was the first piece of legislation to define an antique firearm.  It along with the Arms Export Control Act (according to Title 18, Section 921(a)(16) of the U.S. Code):

"(A) any firearm (including any firearm with a matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap, or similar type of ignition system) manufactured in or before 1898; and

(B) any replica of any firearm described in subparagraph (A) if such replica -

(i) is not designed or redesigned for using rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition, or

(ii) uses rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition which is no longer manufactured in the United States and which is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade."

(Note: The full, current ATF definition can be found here and can be found illustrated here).

So basically any gun made in or before 1898, replicas thereof, anything that uses "a primitive ignition system", or that uses ammunition that is no longer commercially available is considered an antique.  Now that we know what an antique is, we can delve into what makes them so attractive.

1.  They were birthed in a law that attempted to stop organized crime.

If you read the above paragraphs, you know that antiques were defined so that they wouldn't get lumped in with all the "gangster guns" that the government was trying to stifle.  Even as far back as 1934 people were concerned about what would happen to their favorite old muzzle loading guns and were ready to include them in Federal legislation. That's a pretty neat bit of history.

A Savage navy Model Percussion Revolver., Lot #3169.  A fantastic collectable, but not so useful for gangsters.

2.  Antiques have history.
This should come as a no-brainer, but antique guns have history.  Maybe a particular antique was used in a certain military conflict.  Maybe it had an innovative design.  Maybe that innovation changed the course of events surrounding it.  Maybe the model, or a specific firearm, may have been used someone historically significant.  The best part is, that's only half the history of the gun!

Many gun collectors say that nobody really owns their guns, but instead people are only stewards of them for a short time.  After that they'll be passed down, given as gifts, sold, or consigned.  The people that have collected a gun after its useful life has passed are sometimes referred to as the gun's "secondary history," or "provenance" as collectors like to say.   Maybe the Colt Single Action Army you have your eye on was part of the most famous Colt collection of all time.  Maybe that shotgun was long held by a collector widely known to collect only the best.  Maybe there are documents that trace the gun's provenance after it left the factory.  Maybe it was your grandpa's.  These historical details are all fascinating to the vast majority of gun collectors and antiques routinely provide them.

If your gun has a document, like this Colt Single Action Army
Lot #1021 has, from a noted expert on
the subject authenticating your gun that adds
provenance, collectability, and value.

If that same expert states that your weapon
"could possibly indicate a Custer connection," in
his three page authentication letter,
you've really got something.

3.  Antiques can be shipped directly to your house.
That's right!  Any gun you buy that needs to be shipped for you to acquire it typically must be shipped to an FFL (Federal Firearms Licensed dealer).  Not for antiques!  Thanks to the rules of the GCA, antiques are exempt from that requirement.  If you buy an antique, you can have it shipped directly to your doorstep.  How's that for convenient?

Collector's Lot of Two C.S. Pettengill Double Action Revolvers, Lot #3181

4. After purchase, you can walk out the door with it.
No waiting period.  No background checks.  No ATF paperwork.  Heck, in Illinois you don't even need a FOID card to purchase an antique.  If you purchase an antique firearm at, say, a Rock Island Auction Company auction, you can walk out with it the very same day.  You can pay cash and leave because they are viewed as collectables and not as usable weapons.

Sanchez Marked "EL RALLO" Spanish Percussion Miquelet Rifle with Elaborate Gold, Silver, Engraved and Carved Decoration, Lot #1176.  It also features a three dimensional monkey as the hammer.  It requires no paperwork.

5.  The story behind choosing the 1898 year is a pretty good one.
The year was 1968 and gun legislation was being passed in response to a number of high profile assassinations.  The House had passed its version of the GCA and the Senate had passed theirs.  To reconcile the differences between the two bills a committee came together and one of the members of that committee was a Senator Russell B. Long (D - LA).  In the course of reconciling the two bills the NFA's definition of an antique was determined to not be broad enough and the question arose, "What does define an antique?"  Well, Senator Long happened to be acquainted with Red Jackson, the renowned Dallas, TX gun dealer, known worldwide to be an expert in the realm of collectable firearms.  Long asked Jackson the same question that had come up in committee and after some thought, Jackson came up with the year 1898.  Allegedly he had done so based on the success of Mauser's M98 bolt action rifle.  While not the first bolt action rifle ever, its action quickly became the most common bolt action system in the world thereby making its design one of the most successful ever.  Some folks just think that a bunch of Washington bureaucrats came up with 1898 based on the fact that it was 70 years prior and provided a nice, easy, round number with which to work.  Since when is government work that simple?

Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle with Factory Letter, Lot #1039.  This gun's primary history is well known as "the gun that won the West," but it also comes with a factory letter documenting the beginning of its secondary history.

As you can see, there's a lot more to antiques than most people realize.  They have two separate histories, each of which is fascinating in its own right, while enjoying numerous privileges and protections under current Federal law.  We have over 1,500 firearms in our June 2013 Regional Auction that can be classified as antiques!  Take a look in our online catalog and find the ones that'll have a place in your collection.  After all, there's no paperwork!

-Written by Joel Kolander

SOURCES:

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/nfa/index.html

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/guides/importation-verification/index.html