Quick Kill comes home to a peaceful use
Daisy, being the great marketing group that they always have been, saw civilian recreational potential in the Military training Quick Kill concept. When Daisy chose to market the techniques of Quick Kill in the civilian market, a name change was mandatory. Daisy put together a kit that included an instructional booklet, a Daisy gun, two pair of plastic protective glasses, three tubes of what were defined as ‘special’ BBs and some aluminum discs measuring 2 ½ and 3 ½ inches for use as aerial targets. Several of these kits have been located and pictures and descriptions obtained. The kit was sometimes defined in the printed material on the box end as Model 2299 shooting Kit. Other kits sold at different times were sold in boxes without the Model 2299 designation on the box end, but included a large, box-lid filling insert ad describing the contents as a Daisy Model 2299 Shooting Kit. A Quick Skill kit is shown in Figure #19.
There are three Quick Skill guns in my own collection. Two are complete kits and the other is a gun sold as an individual gun. This gun came with a box, purported to be it’s original shipping container as shipped by Daisy. The shipping box is a Daisy Model 1894 box assembled inside-out and marked on one end flap as a 2199. Figure #20.
Another ‘instinct shooting gun’ variant has been identified. This gun is a gravity fed model 95B. It’s individual gun shipping box is labeled with a Daisy ‘Quick Skill’ label. (See Figure #21) The gun has a round emblem insert on the right side of the stock inscribed, ‘Ducks Unlimited’. The receiver of this gun is stenciled on the same side with the words, ‘Green Wing;’. With the information I possess at this time, I can not say that this gun was ever sold to the public, nor can I say that it was not sold. It is one gun of the many that represent this fascinating part of Daisy’s history.
Talking with Daisy Museum personnel, I find that the ‘instinct shooting’, sightless BB guns were sold by Daisy for many years in many configurations. When supplies of sightless guns were exhausted, Daisy management would direct the production of a small (100 to 200) sightless guns using whatever model large frame gun happened to be in production. They were put into storage and sold as requested by customers. The last sightless version sold was the Model 842. This gun was advertised in the 1997 Daisy catalogue as a Quick Skill Rifle Kit. The 1997 catalogue and kit description are included in Figure #22. Another interesting item available and shown in this catalogue is Model No. 843 Daisy Instinct Shooting Program Kit which appears to be a ‘can tosser’.
Conclusion
The information presented in this article provides a starting point for future research With further effort we will be able to more fully understand the models and variants of Daisy BB guns used as military training tools and later sold as civilian instinct shooting trainer guns without sights.
The history of instinct shooting and its use by the military goes back many years. Lucky McDaniels and others before him played significant roles in development of the concept and sale of the concept to the military. If any of you readers have sightless guns (description, registration/lot numbers, pictures), any personal experience with military point-and-shoot training or any experience with Lucky McDaniels and his involvement in the efforts to sell the idea of instinct shooting to the military, I would appreciate hearing from you. All the results of this research will be made available to the current Daisy management group, the Daisy Museum in Rogers, Arkansas and the Plymouth Michigan Historical museum without charge.
Credits
Many people assisted in the preparation of this article providing pictures, information on guns used in the program, personal experiences with Quick Kill and Quick Skill. The article was attempted after I visited the Daisy Museum in Rogers, Arkansas. General Williamson of the U.S. Army had given Daisy a presentation document on the Quick Kill Program at Fort Polk. The Daisy Museum Staff, Sue Secker, Orin Ribar and John Ford made copies and provided information from this document. Joe Murfin allowed me to sort thru the files that Daisy has on the program and Denise Johnson helped in this review and made copies of information that was pertinent. This information included many published articles on Instinct Shooting from magazines like ‘Field and Stream’ and ‘Shooting Times’ and ‘The American Rifleman’. Some of the people providing pictures of specific guns were Wes Powers, Ray Tomoroy, George Nelson, Bob Boccaccio, and Tom Woodling. Many others contributed information about individual guns including Register numbers, pictures, and information on the gun configuration. Butch Sincock, Executive Director of the 25th inf. Div. Assn. gave permission to use pictures from the “Tropic Lightning News”. Kirk Ramsey, the creator of the Tropic Lightning News site provided a great ‘war story’ of his training at Fort Polk.
To all of you, I can only say ‘Thanks’. Without your support, the article could have not been written.
David P. Albert
dadojan@sbcglobal.net
317-862-5235
