Notice that this is made in Turkey

Daisy Powerline 850 Parts

From the first shot, I noticed this was not like most other entry-level break barrels. There is a significant “thump” when the spring is released. The next thing I noticed was how fast this rifle shoots. I was so curious that I decided to go grab my chronograph and check the velocity. Now when most manufacturers put 1000 FPS on the side of their rifles, they are talking about a “maximum” velocity and that with very light pellets. The Powerline 1000SB shot regular pellets, in the 7.9grn range, at 970FPS! When I switched to lightweight RWS Hobby Pellets that climbed to over 1000 FPS. This is truly a 1000FPS rifle.

As with most rifles in this price range, the trigger was less than stellar. While there is an adjustment screw, I could not see where it made any difference in the firing of the rifle. The trigger is stiff and unpredictable, which makes it hard to get all the accuracy this gun could deliver. I did get sort of used to it after a while. I’m going to ask Daisy if I can keep this rifle for a while to see if, after a few thousand pellets, it gets any better. Hopefully they will let me. Another thing that I was not crazy about was the hollow feeling of the stock. It tends to exaggerate the sound of the recoil in your ear when you are shooting.


Daisy’s trigger with adjustment screw.


Very unique “clamping” feature. Rather than just expecting pressure to hold the
barrel in place, Daisy crafted a means of gripping a stop bar between the spring
and the notch you see above.


Daisy’s “stop bar,”for lack of a better description, ensures that the barrel
returns to the same position every time. I’ve never seen this on a rifle before.

When it comes to power, the Powerline is by far the best I’ve seen in this price range. On average it sells for $149 as a combo. The only other rifle that comes close would be the BAM B26 .177 and it retails for about $180 without a scope.

Once on the range it only took a few shots to find the right pellet. I settled on the Crosman Pointed Pellets after trying several different types. Generally speaking, pointed pellets worked better than wadcutters, hollow points and domed pellets. While the velocity was way up there, we did get some variance, something that I was not expecting. Now I know that shooting through the chronograph at slightly different angles can cause variances, so I’m planning on taking another look at a later date. In the mean time, here is what we got today.

Daisy Powerline 901 Repair Manual

Crosman Pointed Pellets
High – 973, Low – 933, Average – 951, Difference – 40 FPS
(I was not expecting to see a 40 FPS difference.)

When it came to accuracy, this rifle did not disappoint. The first group was shot using the PowerLine scope from about 12 yards. The second group was shot from 20 yards with my Leapers 3x9x40 AO scope. The difference between using the included scope and the Leapers scope was very dramatic. I forgot just how nice Leapers scopes are. With an AO scope and Mil-Dot reticule, you could really get the most out of this rifle.


5 Shot group shot with Crosman Pointed Pellets
at 12 yards with Daisy’s Powerline scope


5 Shot group shot with Crosman Pointed Pellets at
22 yards with Leapers 3x9x40 AO scope.

Ok, to summarize, the Daisy Powerline 1000SB far exceeded my expectations. I was hoping that the “made in Turkey” would make a difference and it did. The rifle lived up to its 1000 FPS claim and exceeded it with RWS Hobby Pellets. Not only does this rifle live up to its velocity claim, it does it with excellent accuracy to boot. The trigger leaves a lot to be desired, but I’m hoping it will smooth out over time. It is fairly hard to cock, one of the hardest, but I’m guessing that is why it can generate the velocity it does. The open sights are quite nice and useful for those close quarters needs. With the scope, you should be able to hit a quarter at 35 or 40 yards if you are a steady shot. I’ve got some more testing to do before I can know the full potential of this rifle, but I’m very impressed.

Next up will be some more BAM Products starting with the long overdue B26 .177 update and the B40 .177 update. Please visit often and don’t be bashful about dropping us a note!

Written By,
Rick Eutsler
Editor / Owner www.AirGunWeb.com
[email protected]
Copyright 2007 www.airgunweb.com & Dog River Design, LLC.