POTD: Sheridan Knockabout – Simple .22 Single Shot From the 1950s

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Sheridan Knockabout single shot pistol manufactured 1953 to 1960, chambered in .22 S/L/LR.

Sheridan is mostly remembered for air guns and that’s fair, but they made this thing too. The Knockabout was about as simple as a pistol gets. Single shot, 5-inch barrel, no frills, built to a price point that put it in reach of anyone who wanted a cheap .22 for plinking or small game. No revolver mechanism, no semi-auto complexity, just a firing pin and a spring and a barrel pointed at whatever you’re shooting at.

The blue finish and synthetic grips were standard for utility pistols of the era. The minor crack at the heel of the left grip is typical for vintage plastic after decades of temperature changes. These were never meant to be babied.

Honestly not a lot of mystique here. It’s a simple, inexpensive, functional .22 from a decade when that market was wide open and several manufacturers were competing for it. The Knockabout found its buyers.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“Sheridan Knocabout Single Shot Pistol.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5031/1361/sheridan-knocabout-single-shot-pistol. Accessed 28 May 2026.

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