The first quality air pistol I owned, back in the 1980s, was a Daisy 717. I paid around $40 for it back then, which wasn't much, although it did strain my grad student budget. It was astoundingly accurate for a budget gun, and was actually used by many in serious competition. Bullseye pistol legend Don Nygord published a guide to improving the two areas of the pistol that were less than optimal- the trigger and the sights. His trigger mod involved adding a sear engagement adjustment and a trigger travel limit screw, and his site mod involved a spacer that could be used to adapt a good sight meant for a .45. His advice was to think of the pistol as disposable. If it ever broke, just buy a new one, and transfer the modified parts over. Nygord actually won the California state pistol championship with his modified 717. (There are good descriptions and photos showing the insides of the 717 and how to do Nygord's mod here and at here.)
The 717 was followed by the 747, which had a Lothar Walther barrel and an improved trigger, and the 777, which added a metal micrometer rear sight and a carved wood grip. The 777 is no longer made, but the 717 and 747 still survive, and can be purchased from discounters for $150 and $200, respectively.
I'd been thinking of buying one, but $150 was a bit more than I wanted to spend. Used ones came up now and then for around $100, so when I spotted this one on Guns America for $60 I jumped on it. It's an older model, possibly from the 80s, judging from the paperwork in the box. The manual lists only the 717 and 722, a .22 caliber version that was only offered for a short time. There's also a reference to the Kidde corporation, and I think Daisy severed their connection with Kidde in the 1980s.
The trigger may not be Olympic quality, but it's a lot better than I remember. The pump and valve seals appear to be in perfect shape. There's a bit of creep, not much, and the break is reasonably crisp. I'll probably leave it as is. I wanted to install a red dot sight to accommodate my aging eyes, and to that end installed a Sun Optics USA Airgun Scope Izh 46 Barrel Mount which just happens to be a perfect fit for the 717 and 747, too. On that went a BARSKA Red Dot 25mm Riflescope as you can see below:
The combination looks pretty front heavy, and it is. Much too overbalanced for me, at least. I swapped this sight for the Sightmark that was mounted on my Ruger 22/45. The Daisy balances better now, as the Sightmark is a bit lighter, and can be set farther back. Ideal would be a mini-sight that mounts in place of the rear sight, but there's only so much I'm willing to spend on a $60 pistol ;-)
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