Crosman Vantage Breakbarrel Air Rifle

Sights wow a gun that has sights, what a great concept. It is easier to cock than rated. Power, even with a heavier pellet this gun shots at 880 fps. easily.

Front sight is way to high, I had to raise the elevation of the rear sight all the way up just to compensate. Weight or destitution of weight, gun seems a bit to heavy or at least awkward to steady in a standing position, definitely not a gun for kids 16 or under. Kicks like a mule.

If you are interested in owning a high price, high quality springer air gun like a Diana, yet not sure if you would enjoy it, than this is what I would start with. If you want to stay in practice with firing a thirty odd six or 50 cal. this is the gun. If you want a great springer to hunt with then be willing to spend $60 - $100 more and look else where.

The accuracy with the open sights, and with the scope. I thought about getting a laser sight, but am holding off because the scope is fine.

try to make it a little lighter; stock, metal components,..... without sacrificing accuracy.

The gun is very easy to cock. I can shoot it all day long without getting worn out. The gun has a great feel, as it is solid and heavy. The fact that it comes with open sights is great, and with tinned Crosman Premier Hollow-Points and the open sights I got great accuracy. At 44 feet it put three pellets into a group that could be covered by a penny. Not bad for the chunky fiber optic sights! The included scope is OK, but on especially sunny days the view starts to get very distorted. I have heard only bad things about the trigger, but it was nowhere as bad as I expected, as it was predictable and not very heavy. When I first fired the gun I wondered what everyone was complaining about. Lockup for the barrel is very strong. The wood does not look like plastic, as one review suggested, at least not on mine. It is a nice brown feels very durable. Overall the gun is very handsome, and very powerful.

It would be great to have more precise open sights, as the ones you get on the gun are rather chunky. However it still shoots very well using them. Also, the finish on the wood isn't perfect. The barrel seemed to be slightly warped, but the gun doesn't shoot way off to the side like you would think from that. The scope is not perfect. I can overlook all of these things, however, due to the performance and price of this gun.

The gun is heavy, and so don't buy this for a very young shooter. It is about as heavy as many deer rifles. Also you need a fair amount of strength to cock the gun. I am 13 and the effort is no problem, but more important is the method to cock the gun. Make sure the gun is braced on your thigh, then pull down all the way on the barrel. It will be stiff the first few times, but as you get used to it it will be very easy. Remember to hold the barrel down while loading, and always but it on safe before cocking and loading. Over time this will be natural. Try different holds when shooting, my Vantage did not respond well to the artillery hold, it much preferred a slightly firm grip. Also shoot about 200 shots before trying for accuracy. You probably don't need to clean the barrel out of the box, as mine shot great without any cleaning or lubrication. Know what is behind your target, this gun shoots fast and could destroy or injure property and animals.