Crosman recently announced it was releasing a special limited-edition model 362 for the company’s centennial. If you are not familiar with the model 362, you might not realize that this is very much like the pump guns many adults grew up using as their first airgun. However, the One Hundred Year Edition is out of this world when it comes to looks and fit, as well as function.
Specifications:
Ammo: .22 pellets that fly up to 850 fps
Barrel: rifled steel
Buttpad: polymer and professional looking
Sights: front is fiber optic, rear is a very nice adjustable Williams peep sight Dovetail rail
Variable pump powered
Weight: 5.8 lbs
Crossbolt safety
Trigger pull weight average: 3.1 lbs.
Stock: gorgeous Turkish Walnut
Lately I have been testing a lot of PCP or gas-piston-operated airguns. Don’t mistake me; doing so is a joy, but in the course of it, I forgot how simple and enjoyable it is to fire a variable pump gun. I fondly remember using a model 760 often in my childhood, picking off frogs and squirrels.
This model 362 is a breath of fresh air to shoot. Right out of the box I was impressed. The grain on the Turkish Walnut tells you that it is classy and should be handled with care. The fit of the stock is very good. When I went to pump the gun I found that it was fairly easy and of course grew more challenging as I got near 10 pumps. For my testing I used eight pumps.
The attention to detail on this air rifle is evident. The inlay for the 100th year is very good. The Williams peep sight is truly a joy to shoot. Putting a green fiber-optic sight on the front made it even easier to enjoy acquiring targets ranging from cans to ShootNC paper targets. I hit some old metal pans with the gun for good measure, just for the nostalgic sound of the pellets smacking them.
First, I shot some pellets to “break it in a bit” and get familiar with the gun. That did not take long. This gun is like an old friend if you have fired the original model 362 before—or even the 760 or 2200. You just take up pumping and firing right where you left off even if it was years ago.
Once I got past the introductions, I began sighting-in. The Williams peep sight was already on left and right for windage. I started out with some heavy pellets, as that was what I have had good luck with in the past few months with PCP and break-barrel airguns. However, the model 362 was slinging those low and I did not want to adjust the peep up that high. So, I found some old Crosman Copperhead pellets on my gun bench and in two adjustments I was printing pellets within an inch or so at 40 yds! Granted, I was shooting off a bench, but I was very impressed with how well the gun shot with those old pellets!
The trigger is crisp at around 3 lbs. It is consistent with no grating as I pressed it. Honestly, this gun is very fine. If I was not afraid to scratch it all up, it would go hunting with me or on my walks to reduce my local squirrel population.
There were two things I would mention to readers. First, when pumping the gun be careful where you rest it. I started to rest the gun on my hip while pumping but my carry knife is clipped to that pocket and I did not want to scratch the walnut stock. No fault to the gun at all, I just would caution readers to treat this beauty with the respect it deserves!
Second, on the gun I have, when the gun has not been pumped and I carry it in a one-armed cradle carry while walking along, if I jar the gun or shake it, the forearm falls down. It does not stay up against the barrel with any jarring. However, it does stay in place no matter what when pumped. I am not sure if there is an adjustment that can be made to this. It is not really an issue for me as I do not carry guns like that much and you do have to jar the gun or step down hard to shake it loose.
There are so many plusses to mention that I will only hit the top ones. The manual is very thorough and well written. Second, the rifle is gorgeous. As stated above, the grain of the wood is exquisite. The peep sights are really a nice feature and make target acquisition so easy. The trigger is very good, particularly for a pump gun. The fact that this gun will eat several types of pellets and group well is a testimony to how versatile it is. In short: I love this gun! MSRP $399.99; Crosman.com.
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