Crosman

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The Crosman Corporation is one of the major manufacturers of airguns and BB guns in the United States. Crosman products are generally inexpensive and targeted at a youth audience. While the quality and accuracy are generally not considered comparable to European standards, many Crosman products, past and present, are considered solid and dependable, and it is not uncommon to find examples of Crosman airguns over 50 years old still functioning for a third generation of young shooters. Crosman has also produced a paintball marker, and has recently began production of airsoft models.

1 Airguns in the United States
2 Crosman history
3 Current models
4 External links

[edit] Airguns in the United States

Much of the history of airguns in the United States is colored by the Second Amendment protection of firearms ownership. Since firearms are relatively inexpensive and easy to obtain, airguns have always been viewed by most of the population as not much more than toys. Because of this, the US manufacturers generally produce mostly inexpensive models targeted at radically different markets than the European manufacturers. Because of this, prices must be kept low. Many US made airguns are mostly plastic and die cast pot metal, and they are often modeled to look like specific types of firearms. Groups such as 4H and Boy Scouts also use BB guns and airguns for marksmanship training, and intramural target shooting is occasionally encountered.

Besides the large youth market, airguns are also used as an inexpensive form of practice by many shooters. For example, a CO₂ air pistol is less expensive to shoot than even a rimfire firearm, and an imitation automatic pistol, such as the Crosman 1008, can be had for under US$50. Using a 12 gram CO₂ Powerlet for power, it houses a double action revolver mechanism that allows 8 shots to be fired as quickly as the trigger can be pulled.

[edit] Crosman history

Crosman's first models were the traditional American multi-pump pneumatic design, where 3 to 10 pumps would pressurize a reservoir for each shot. Descendants of these original models are still made, in rifle, pistol, and carbine form, and they are still quite popular.

In the 1930s, Crosman began to experiment with CO₂ power. Like other CO₂ guns of the day, there were bulk fill, which meant that liquid CO₂ was loaded into a pressurized reservoir on the gun. Other manufacturers started to use 8 gram CO₂ bulbs used in soda dispensers. Crosman capitalized on this in 1954 by introducing a new 12 gram CO₂ bulb, called a Powerlet. The new Powerlet gave more shots per bulb than the soda bulb, and with the addition of a simple spacer, a Powerlet gun could use the shorter 8 gram bulb. The 12 gram Powerlet, charged with CO₂ and a tiny amount of lubricating oil to keep the airgun's seals conditioned, is used by nearly all manufacturers of CO₂ airguns today.

In 2004, Crosman introduced a new disposable CO₂ power source, the 88 gram AirSource cylinder.

[edit] Current models

A list of current air pistols:

1377 "American Classic" pneumatic
2240 CO₂ pistol
357 CO₂ revolver (previously available in .50 paintball and 6mm airsoft)
1008 "Repeatair" CO₂ pistol
1088 "Repeatair" CO₂ pistol
AutoAir II CO₂ pistol

A list of current air rifles:

2250 (sold as "Ratcatcher" in the UK) CO₂ carbine
2260 (sold as "Rabbitstopper" in the UK) CO₂ rifle
Challenger 2000 3 position CO₂ match rifle
1077 "RepeatAir" CO₂ rifle with 12 round magazine and plastic stock (extremely quiet, popular in Europe due to cramped parcel sizes)
1077W same as 1077, but with quality wooden stock and butt
660 pneumatic rifle
760 pneumatic rifle
781 pneumatic rifle
2100 pneumatic rifle
Nightstalker CO₂ repeater rifle, auto-cocking revolver action (not semi-automatic as it is often mislabelled)
Remington Airmaster 77 pneumatic rifle
Remington Genesis 1000 spring rifle
Quest 1000 spring rifle
Spring Master 795 spring rifle
Crosman 664x
Quest 500 spring rifle
Storm XT (same as Quest 1000, but has minor upgrades)

And a list of airsoft guns

Spring Rifles: Stinger R32(Modeled after H&K G36C), Stinger R34 (Modeled after M4 SOPMOD), and
Spring Pistols: Stinger P32, Stinger P30, Walther P22, and Walther P99
Spring Shotguns: Stinger S32, Stinger S30, and Wingmaster
Electric Rifles: Pulse R70 (Modeled after M4 SOPMOD), Pulse R72 (Modeled after H&K G3A3),
Electric Pistols: Pulse p50
Gas Pistols: Air Mag M50 (Modeled after Uzi), Air Mag P50
Sub-Machine Guns: Pulse M70, Stinger R36 (Modeled after H&K UMP)and Pulse R74 (Modeled after H&K MP5)

In addition to domestically produced models, Crosman imports German built Umarex air pistols, including replicas licensed by Beretta, Colt, Smith and Wesson, and Walther. These models use a higher percentage of metal parts, and are significantly more expensive than the mostly plastic models made domestically. Crosman also sells some spring airguns made in Mexico by Mendoza.

Crosman recently introduced an online Custom Shop, which currently allows users to build a custom model 2240 pistol, with a wide variety of options. Using high end components available from the Custom Shop, it is possible to build a competitive IHMSA air pistol.

Crosman has manufactured and sold the Benjamin-Sheridan and Sheridan model airguns for many years. These models are still made to the higher quality standards of the originals, with wood stocks and primarily brass and steel components. The Sheridan line is strictly 5 mm (.20 caliber), while the Benjamin-Sheridan models are available in .177 (4.5 mm) and .22 (5.56 mm) calibers, depending on model.