First break barrel

[Boolseye]

Picked up a Crosman Vantage NP .22 from Walmart.com, the gun and 500 pellets for under $90, couldn't pass it up.

I have owned a couple pneumatic pump guns over the years, but this thing is a different story. Almost got into trouble with it right away when I decided that a YouTube trigger fix was a good idea. You replace the adjusting screw on the trigger with a longer one and create a potential hazard when the trigger lets go while the gun is broken. Lucky I didn't mangle myself.
That'll teach me to mess with things before I understand them.

The danger of break barrels on the breech end of things is potentially a hand wrecker, glad I didn't learn the hard way.

[35 shooter]

Glad you didn't get hurt. I've seen several good accuracy reports on the vantage, so i hope you report back on yours when you get a chance to put it through the paces.

[Boolseye]

I'll put a few hundred pellets through it and get back with how it groups. I will say that I'm getting respectable accuracy 50 shots in, certainly minute of squirrel out to 30 yards or so. Highest chrono reading was 785 fps with a Crosman Premier 14.3 grain domed pellet.

[Boolseye]

Well, this is how I am grouping with it at 30 yards offhand with open sights. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170428/a238de20ea3caaeef3971a1512bfe3fc.jpg


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And here's the gun:https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170428/0dc5fa2008e864baf6b95c5ceb405faf.jpg
I really like it. Broke off part of the front sight in the mishap, but I think it's better that way. Plan to scope it.

[Silver Eagle]

Some take a tin or 2 of pellets to settle down. Try a variety of pellets to see what it likes. Some air rifles are kinda picky on what they shoot accurately.
Avoid "gimmick", lead free and "hi-speed" pellets in general as they usually stink for accuracy.

[35 shooter]

Very nice looking rifle.

[Boolseye]

Thanks guys. It's a big rifle, but weighs under 7 lbs.

[GhostHawk]

Personally I have had very good luck with the Crossman Premier line of pellets.

Some rifles do prefer the domed, or the domed Hollow Point. I have a Beeman P17 pistol that prefers pointed.

My Sheridan Blue streak shoots best with the Benjamin Cylindrical pellets.

Might want to clean that bore well a time or 2. I don't like metal brushes in mine.
A good aluminum cleaning rod or a piece of string, a snug fitting patch, a little ATF (Currently using Dextron III)

Put a few rounds through it regularly and it will shortly be shooting nice tight groups.

When you want to see what it will really do remember to hold it the same every time. Most spring/gas piston guns like a very open, soft "Artillery hold" so they can move.

But some will do better with a slightly firmer hold. Consistency is the key. Holding it exactly the same every time.

[Boolseye]

Appreciate that. Currently I'm using Crosman Premier Domed. Gettin' low.

[35 shooter]

The Vantage was on my list of air rifles to pick from, and actually still is.
I'm interested in how things progress with yours.

[GhostHawk]

Crossman Premiers are not terribad expensive right now. I recently stocked up on both .22 and .177. I have a lot bigger stock of the .22's. Recently found the premier ultra's on sale at walmart, bought a couple of thousand and wishing I'd bought more.

Currently the Crossman Premier Hollow Points are 6.47 per 500 at walmart. That is 1.29 cents per shot. With a reasonably price air rifle in .22 that will do 800 fps or so, that is a pot filler on a budget that if you choose a good rifle needs nothing else to work but muscle power.

Stack them deep.

Also great for teaching kids to shoot, and not bad at keeping the ol man's shooting eye tuned in nasty weather either. Not hard to find 20 feet of space inside and make a pellet catcher that will do the job.

There are many air rifles out there now from multi pump pnuematics to break barrels that will do from 600 fps up to 1000 fps in the 2-300$ price tag. My latest was a Hatsan 135, and it will put 5 in one ragged hole at 20 feet in my basement. Another week and maybe we shall see what it will do to a gopher at 40 yards.

[Boolseye]

It's worth mentioning that the rc bearing fix (safely this time) bought me a 3lb. trigger for about 15 minutes of work and 2.50 in parts.

Those Hatsens do look sweet.

[Multigunner]

In all my .177 guns both pump up rifles and CO2 pistols are far more accurate when I use the Beeman Coated Wadcutter. When I first got back into shooting my airguns I found I had several tins I'd bought many years ago and had forgotten I had, which is lucky since no stores here appear to carry them any more.

My .22 pump up rifle and S&W CO2 78g both group very well with the Crosman premier Hollow Point 14.3 gr. They also handle the Benjamin Destroyer .22 pellet with equal and possibly better accuracy, plus the Destroyer has demonstrated unusually powerful hydraulic shock when fired into both aluminum and steel cans filled with water. The aluminum cans split from top to bottom and swelled like they had blown up like a balloon before spliting.
This performance was at rather modest velocity so it should really do its stuff on game when fired from a higher velocity gun.

[54bore]

Personally I have had very good luck with the Crossman Premier line of pellets.

Some rifles do prefer the domed, or the domed Hollow Point.

I second GhostHawk, The Crossman Premier pellets have been REALLY good for me, my .177 absolutely loves the Premier Ultra Mag 10.5 Grain, i can shoot a small Gatorade bottle at 100 yards with it no problem as long as i do my part. My dad ended up buying the new .22 break barrel from me, that rifle seemed to like the Crossman Premier Hollow points the best. Either way you won't go wrong with the Crossman Premier line of pellets

[Boolseye]

picked up a few thou. .22s at Walmart.

[35 shooter]

picked up a few thou. .22s at Walmart.

I did the same thing today. Got another tin of crosman hp, also some benjamin destroyers and a tin of crosman piranahs.
The piranahs are just about 1 holers at ten yds.
They all are accurate though.