Benjamin Franklin Model 342

This week for Firearm Friday we are bringing you the Benjamin Franklin model 342 Air Rifle. This Firearm is showcased in our museum and is a beautiful example of a mostly forgotten craft in 2025.

Our Benjamin Franklin is a .22 cal Air Rifle and is made with a brass alloy metal which is also called red brass and is a type of bronze an alloy of copper, tin, and zinc. Proportions vary but 88% copper, 8–10% tin, and 2–4% zinc is an approximation. Originally used chiefly for making guns, it has largely been replaced by steel. Brass alloy is a corrosion and rust resistant material however does require some extra care for the finish to remain bright and unblemished. 

n 1882, Walter R. Benjamin of St. Louis, Missouri, introduced the first Benjamin air rifle. These Benjamin Pump guns were manufactured by the Wissler Instrument Co. of St. Louis under a U.S. patent that had been issued to Benjamin. Unlike many air guns of this period, the Benjamin was intended not as a toy, but as a high-power compressed air gun in which pressure was built up by pumping a built-in piston located beneath the barrel.

The Benjamin Air Rifle Company was formed in 1902 when Walter R. Benjamin purchased the patent rights from the defunct St. Louis Air Rifle Company. Production from 1902 to 1904 and from 1906 to 1986 was in St. Louis. In 1977, the Benjamin Air Rifle Company purchased Sheridan Products in Racine, Wisconsin. Benjamin and Sheridan were acquired by Crosman in 1992. By 2015, Benjamin was positioned as Crosman Corporation's adult hunting and high performance line and Sheridan had its name on one model: the Cowboy, a youth-oriented lever action.

The Benjamin Franklin is a “Multi-Pump” design air rifle and is cocked by pushing the fore-stock downwards and compared to most hand cocked air rifles that require one cock and are unable to be charged further the Franklins piston moves back with each charge and locks in so you are able to charge the rifle further increasing the velocity out of the barrel when the pellet is fired.

Manufactured in St.Louis, in the USA in the period from 1955-1965, this model hails from the original Benjamin factory, founded by Walter Benjamin in 1899. In 1977 Benjamin acquired the Sheridan airgun company; then in 1991, both Benjamin and Sheridan operations were acquired by the Crosman Corporation, who to this day remain big players where airguns are concerned in the United States.

With a bit of care and upkeep firearms like this can have renewed life brought into them and will outlive most of us to be enjoyed for generations to come.