Unboxing
The Crosman Mag-Fire Ultra break-barrel .22 air rifle was a bit of a surprise coming out of the box for me. The first thing I grabbed was the scope., which is a 3x-9x-40 AO. Many times when a scope comes with an airgun, the quality of the scope is not the best. However, this scope not only looked good, but had the adjustable objective that I love using to make everything crisp when shooting.
The iron sights are set forward of the scope area, but behind the magazine, which makes seeing how many pellets are left a bit tricky. The front sight post of this rifle is somewhat tough to see as it appears to be a slightly lighter shade than the rear sight in sunlight. I think a fiber-optic front post, or a splash of paint to color the sight, would have been great.
The rifle is a bit heavy and the stock at the forearm widens, so it is a bit thick. The grip is also a bit on the large side. If the shooter has small hands, this may be an issue. Reaching the trigger while wrapped around that larger grip may also be an issue for smaller hands. However, the rifle is well-balanced and is relatively easy to cock, compared to other Nitro Piston break barrels. The rifle handles well and is not an issue to operate.
Testing
I shot a lot of pellets through this rifle at 30 yards. I wanted to thoroughly test it, and I wanted to see how it compared to other break-barrel air rifles I have used. The scope was easily mounted with the included mounts on the rail atop the rifle. I was shooting off a bench with a swivel rest at the front of the bench. When testing, I began using Crosman Premier Hollow Point 14.3 grain pellets. I also used a few other brands of pellets, but accuracy seemed consistent between all the brands. I did notice that pellets that were longer than the standard pellets did not fit the rotating magazine. So, stick to normal length pellets!
When the shooting tests began, the groups were not that great. Initially, I thought the problem was me needing to focus better, but the groups were tight within about an inch at 30 yards for three to five shots, and then I would start printing a group about 2 inches apart from the first group. My initial reaction was that the scope was not tracking well and was jumping around. So, I kept shooting and slowed down making adjustments with the scope.
What I eventually discovered was that it simply needed a good break-in period to settle into a consistent pattern of groups. After approximately 120 pellets, the rifle was keeping groups much closer together. It did a good job sending pellets sizzling downrange. I took breaks to shoot at cans and other things to liven up the test session. Pellets ripped through metal cans without a problem. I know this rifle would be deadly on squirrels or rabbits or gophers.
The trigger on this rifle breaks about 5.2 lbs. The travel is a bit long for my taste, but it is smooth. I wondered for a bit if the long travel was impacting the accuracy, but again, my groups were pretty decent ... it was the jumping around between groups that would befuddle me until it broke in and smoothed out. The trigger is adjustable and that definitely helped. Normally I do not have to adjust triggers much when testing. I prefer to see how air guns perform out of the box.
The noise level on this rifle is what I would term average. It is not too loud, but not super quiet. For hunting, squirrels would notice and maybe run if they were within 50 yards, but I doubt it would send them into hiding. The rifle does has a Quietfire feature that the company says reduces noise by up to 70%, and the feature does appear to help.
One of the nice features on this rifle is the sling mount on the forearm, which swivels. There is a swivel stud in the all-weather stock on the butt as well.
Overall Impression
I wish the break-in period for this rifle was a bit quicker than it was. The forearm and the grip behind the trigger guard could stand some slimming, and that might be a problem for smaller-statured people. For average-size hands, it is not an issue. I wish the front sight post was better, but the scope was a pleasant surprise. It is good that the trigger is adjustable too. Accuracy is not spectacular, but it is good enough to go hunting with for small game and definitely good enough for backyard use. The magazine is easy to load. Buying extra .22 magazines is advisable and I have found them online for around $13. I love how easy the magazine is to load.
The rifle handles well, but is a bit heavy at nearly 10 pounds! So, it is not the lightest air rifle on the planet, but if you have a sling it is fine and the sling can help with shooting accurately, particularly when hunting. I found this gun retailing for just over $200. Given the power of the rifle, its variety of uses and the decent scope that comes with it, the rifle is a pretty good buy. I wish it had two magazines with it though. Buy plenty of pellets. Readers will no doubt enjoy shooting this rifle as much as I did. www.Crosman.com
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