old enough to hold it up.
The model 1938A-B was made in 1978
It's a BB air rifle
Only if the rifle is designed for pellets. If it is a "Red Ryder" then the answer is NO. Daisy makes PELLET rifles.
25 USD or so
Daisy actually made the rifle ling before it became known as the Red Ryder series. The rifle came out in 1910 but was named Red Ryder in 1939 and continued on from there.
You don't. Every part in the rifle is essential.
There are air rifles and there are air guns. These are guns that use air or C02 to fire a BB or Pellet, not gunpowder. A DAISY RED RYDER BB Rifle would be considered an "air rifle." There are several companies that make air guns and air rifles. Gamo, Daisy, Crosman, and Umarex are a few of these companies.
Daisy made a model 94 Carbine from 1954 - 1962, they also made a model 111 western carbine from 1963-1978. I can find no information on a Red Ryder 1938 carbine. However the 1938 Red Ryder is still in production.
Christman story
It depends on the model. There are over 200 air rifles on the market. You can find anything from a Daisy Red Ryder for around $35 to a Feinwerkbau that will cost you over $3000.
I believe you are asking about a Daisy Red Ryder. If so then they are designed to shoot BB not pellets.
There have been 23 plus variation of the Daisy Red Ryder starting in 1940 up to today. Not counting the ones that look similar to the Red Ryder but do not say "Red Ryder" on them. The Red Ryder is probably the most manufactured air rifle of all time. They don't even put serial numbers on them just LOT numbers. But some are valuable if they are really old. So here is what I suggest. Daisy offers a service to estimate the value of daisy antiques and it's free. See the Link Below.