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Modify a Crosman 2240

by B.B. Pelletier

This request came in a couple of months ago, and I’d like to address it today. The Crosman 2240 is the latest in a long line of similar CO2 pistols Crosman has made since the mid-1950s. The model 150 was the first. These guns are modular, while the bulk-fill CO2 models (111/112/115/116) that preceded them were not. A modular gun lets owners make changes easily.

For greater power, lengthen the barrel
CO2 responds well to a long barrel, so just adding a longer barrel will dramatically increase the power of any CO2 gun – the 2240 included! In the past, shooters have used Crosman rifle barrels to bump up the power of their handguns. The old model 180 barrel was popular for this, as were some of the pneumatic barrels. If you closely examine a 2260 rifle, you will note that it uses the same short plastic breech as the 2240, so the barrel can be swapped. Of course, you’ll end up with an ungainly pistol, but it will be more powerful! You can cut the barrel shorter if you like, but don’t forget to dress and crown the cut.

You can also adapt almost any airgun barrel to the gun if you are able to machine the profile and make the cuts required. Other airgun barrels are not easy to come by. Crosman barrels are usually very accurate, so they’re a good place to start.

Smooth the flow of gas
The gas that exits the valve has two 90-degree turns to make before getting behind the pellet. A little work with a Dremel tool can radius the transition area to let the gas flow easier, which translates to quicker. Quicker gas means more power that will be seen most readily in a longer barrel.

More gas!
To really step up performance, look into a new valve with an enlarged gas passage. A good home lathe can modify an existing valve, or you may find one available from one of many custom shops on the internet. Fire up your Google, and you’ll see what I mean. I did and found plans for several modified valves on the first search. Remember…caveat emptor!

Steel breech
If you plan on making any sighting upgrades, the short plastic breech of the 2240 needs to be replaced with a long steel breech. Crosman sells one for $30 that is ideal. The long 11mm dovetail rail will hold most rifle scopes on 2-piece mounts.

Shoulder stock
Many owners want to turn their 2240 into a small carbine, and a shoulder stock makes this easy. Crosman lists these on their website, but I’ve heard they might not be around much longer. If you mount a rifle scope, a shoulder stock is pretty handy.

Custom grips
I’ve received numerous questions about a source for wood grips for Crosman pistols. Last year, they teamed up with Ralph Brown, the grip maker, and now they offer several exotic wood grips for the 2240.

Don’t forget the 2260 rifle!
What a shame it would be to pour a bundle of money into a 2240, only to wind up with 2260 performance for twice the price! Customizing a pistol to make it your own special gun is a laudable goal, but reinventing the wheel and paying heavily for it is not something to strive for.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

77 thoughts on “Modify a Crosman 2240”

  1. Fabian,

    I used to think they did but I now iknow for a fact they do not! I have seen the Crosman production line, and oil is not injected into the powerlets.

    Years ago there was a small manufacturer who advertised oil in their cartridges. They were sold by Air Rifle Headquarters, as I recall, but they never amounted to anything.

    So keep on adding that Pellgunoil!

    B.B.

  2. BB,

    Think you could give us some info on a few more Air Arms rifles? I’m looking at the TX 200 as my next rifle, but there is quite a bit of info on that out there already. I’d like to know more about the Pro Sport and S200. The S200 looks neat, if ugly, but I’m wondering whether I’ll kill more crows with the S200 or TX200.

    Also, I’ve heard that the TX200 is among the least hold sensative spring rifles out there. Is this true, and how does the Pro Sport compare in terms of hold sensitivity?

    Thanks

  3. TX200,

    The Pro Sport is not a favorite of mine. You may have noticed that when you read the reports. The Pro Sport is only a little more sensitive to hold than the TX. It is a very accurate rifle.

    It cocks too hard and it has too much jolt on firing. The TX 200, by contrast, is a Cadillac El Dorado!

    B.B.

  4. after much procrastination i’m finally going to spring for an izh 61. originally i considered a 1077 or 2240 bulked, but i know their triggers/barrel wont compare to the izh 61. my only constraint is the repeating system, as some people have said it is finicky, and that the scope rail is too short and plastic. i always scope what ever i shoot, because i hate the thought of losing accuracy due to less precision in sighting. the daisy 840 i had i also scoped, but that also had a plastic scope mount and that would come very close to failing under the pressure of the mount. i’ve got a tasco 3-9 i intend to scope it with (rimfire), but i just wanted to know if i can mount it without any problems on the reciever, and how i would go about turning the front lens to correct parallax. i’m familiar with the lens sitting in the plastic ring, which in turn is on a spiral track, like an oversized nut. my only concern is i turn it toomuch/in the wrong direction and i lose focus. thanks for your opinion, i really do appreciate it!

  5. Hello Again, B.B.;

    I am back again with another (only slightly) off-topic question for you. I am searching for something that may not exist, but I am relying on your expertise to try to come close to satisfying my hopes/expectations. Specifically, I would like to buy a POWERFUL CO2 rifle in 22 caliber capable (yes, I know you get to hear this phrase ad-nauseum) “of small game hunting” and capable of using the 18 grain Crow-Magnum 22 pellet efficiently out to about 25 to 30 yards. I have narrowed the search to two rifles at this point; the RWS-850 or the Benjamin AS392T. The RWS looks interesting, with its 8-shot capability, but in your article on that gun you stated (when you mentioned the Benjamin AS392T) that the Benjamin is “rated conservatively”. Can you give me an idea what the power difference in foot pounds for these two rifles would be, and which would make the better hunter? I like the convenience of CO2, though I realize that there are 22 cal. springers out there that can best these two by a good margin. Is a powerful CO2 driven 22 cal. rifle (a production model-not some custom made rich man’s gun) a pipe dream? Or should I just go and buy a 22 Caliber BAM 22 and forget about a 22 in CO2 (by the way, I am not interested in the expense or inconvenience of PCP guns -at least not at this point) Thanks for listening.

    Regards,

    Curtis

  6. dm20,

    If there is a worse gun to scope than the IZH 61, it can only be a multi-pump. I have no recommendations for you, because I advise you not to do it.

    If you can find a scout scope and an intermount for the 61, then scoping might be possible, but as it is, I would say no.

    B.B.

  7. Curtis,

    The power of the AS392T and 850 AirMagnum is pretty close to the same. Both top out just below 12 foot-pounds, which is fine for hunting at the range you mentioned.

    There were more powerful CO2 rifles imported by Ron Sauls a few years back. I remember testing one that shot a Kodiak at 800 f.p.s.! Buy the accuracy was poor because the barrel was not well-rifles. And because it was a soldered barrel there was no possibility of substitution. They were Philippine rifles.

    It is possible to tweak a 2260 up to about 700 f.p.s. with Premiers. Check around the internet for the places that do it.

    I do hope that you realize you really want a PCP? The performance you desire is all there in PCPs, and the “inconvenience” is not really there once you get into them. I was reluctant to make the switch, too, but 12 years ago I bit the bullet and I’ve never looked back.

    B.B.

  8. B.B.

    I am thinking about buying a 2240 so I have some questions about the gas flow mods. What Dremel bits do you recommend? Diamond points or grinding stones? Also how smooth do the modifications need to be? Do they need to be polished?

    Thanks,
    .22 multi-shot

  9. Ok I Need A .22 that has a range of 50yrds and is Under 235$ ani iwas wondering if the rws 850 .22 would be acurate at 50 yrds And my freind needs 177. that has a range of 30yrds thats under 140$

  10. I assume you mean accuracy when you say a range of 30 or 50 yards, because these guns will shoot much farther than that.

    Expect 1.25-1.5-inch groups at 50 yards from the 850 AirMagnum. For a .177 under $140, try the Crosman Quest 1000.

    B.B.

  11. The Gamo CF-X is a nice rifle, but only available in .177, whch I don’t consider good for hunting. The Baikal MP513M is available in .22 and it is plenty powerful and accurate for hunting to 50 yards. The Benjamin 392 is another choice, but it would be a stretch to shoot game at 50 yards with it.

    Too bad you can’t stretch to $286, because the BAM B40 would be perfect. I do believe the XS-B30 is probably a very good rifle, but I haven’t tested one yet.

    B.B.

  12. see i would have bought a talon 22 by now but my dad sez well you could buy a real gun for that soo well i guess baikal . so it will take a squirrel from 50 yards ? and it is reliable?

  13. Too bad!

    A Talon .22 is a real gun. You dad is differentiating between pellet rifles and firearms.

    The Condor has the same power as a .22 short, but it’s many times safer than firearms because it shoots diabolo pellets. That’s what pellet guns are all about.

    Yes, the MP513M is reliable. Yes it will take a squirreel at 50 yards if you are a good enough shot to do it.

    The Talon you are not getting will take squirrels at 75 yards and the Condor will take them at 100 yards.

    B.B.

  14. BB,
    Your posts are invaluable – I especially liked this one and the one you did on buying quality as opposed to inexpensive air guns. Good guidance in any hobby. I have been looking at a Corsman 2250 for some time now because of the possibility for modification but have a few questions. Will the .177 caliber barrels for sale from Crosman fit on the 2250 without extensive metal modifications or tooling? Will the barrels fit if an after market breech similar to the Ultimate Breech sold by Brooked Barn is added or is it best to stick with the Crosman add-on steel breech? Finally, any thoughts on the best multi-shot .177 pistol value based on quality/cost trade-off? Seems there are more and more out there, but some are of better quality than others.

    Thanks,

    Neophyte Air Gunner

  15. 2260 sight,

    If it is like some of the other Crosman guns, it is either pressure fitted or lightly glued. You just need to give it a good tap to loosen it.

    .22 multi-shot

  16. B.B.

    Are you speaking of the valve within the 22xx or the valving on an added external tank? I have the “B & A Boss Valve” from http://www.crookedbarn.com for my 2250B, but I have not yet installed it. (Still having too much fun shooting it & want to chrono before & after to measure the diff.) Thanks for the info BB.

  17. NiTr0_FiSh,

    Let’s get something straight. You said steel breech, which I interpreted to mean steel receiver. That part is barely stressed by the pressure, but I have no idea what you are putting together.

    As for your valve, the dealer who sold it will have to adviuse you.

    I don’t know about external tanks. I was referring to the valve in the rifle. What is known as the firing valve.

    B.B.

  18. B.B.

    Ok, I’ll check with my dealer. Yes, that is what I meant, the breech = the receiver. It looks like those that do go beyond CO2 pressure levels take some serious precautions. The valve on this 22xx is secured by three 8-32 screws:
    http://www.network54.com/Forum/275684/message/1185509245 …but in the hands of a pro builder 1000 fps is possible with a 22xx:
    http://www.gatewaytoairguns.com/airguns/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=3658
    For reasons of safety I will stay with CO2 for now. Thanks B.B.

  19. Thanks NiTr0_FiSh! I am eventually planning on converting my 2300KT (Crosman custom CO2 pistol) to PCP. I checked out the web sites you posted and am impressed by what they have done with pressures around 1000 PSI. With pressures like that you can still use the standard valve.

    .22 multi-shot

  20. .22 multi-shot

    I spoke with my dealer. Those PCP or HPA 22xx’s are probably using an after market “tube”. The stock Crosman tube is only rated to 1800 psi. PCP pressures might burst the stock tube. Those Mountain Air website PCP conversions appear to have a special chrome tube – doesn’t look stock. My guess is that Mountain Air will sell you one of those tubes.

  21. .22 multi-shot

    Make sure you attach the valve better. The valve can handle the pressures just fine – but the valve attaching hardware eventually will fail at under extreme (above-CO2) pressures. It will tend to bend the hardware forward. Some people use three 8-32 screws to keep the valve in place at above CO2 pressure levels.

  22. NiTr0_FiSh, thank you for the information. I was thinking of buying one of those high pressure tubes (with a working pressure of 2600PSI), but I didn’t think it would be good to run the standard valve that high.

    The first site you listed showed a 2240 that was filled to 1150 PSI and still got a string of 8 good shots. That is exciting since it used a standard Crosman 2260 tube, tweaks to a B&A econo valve and an HDD and had speeds of 780fps!

    .22 multi-shot

  23. .22 multi-shot

    That’s exciting! Yes, my dealer told me that some of his customers are using compressed nitrogen – at around 1400 psi. I believe that is with the stock tube as well (but valve is secured with multiple screws). He told me that there is a dirty grade of nitrogen that will foul up gun insides and destroy seals in short order, but the clean grade nitrogen will be ok.

    I just installed the “boss repeater breach” last night. It was set up for Crosman roundnose pellets, but was able to get Daisy .22 precision max (wad cutters) to work by adjusting it’s “gate” slightly. Really is neat not having to fumble with loading one pellet at a time.

    The steel barrel seal (with round plastic seal) that comes with the stock 22xx didn’t work with my repeater breach – it just falls out. Dealer told me to cut a short length of refrigerator ice cube maker water line tubing, and use that instead. It worked great! I guess the stock steel seal arrangement is a restriction & the Ice cube hose will allow more fluid to pass thru.

  24. NiTr0_FiSh,

    I wouldn’t use nitrogen, I would probably end up buying the AirForce hand pump.

    Let us know how that breech works out for you. I have had my eye on it since it came out. My 2300KT converted to PCP with that repeating breech might be just the ticket. Good info about the seal.

    .22 multi-shot

  25. .22 multi-shot

    The breach is working good – even with those wad cutter pellets that aren’t really made for it.

    Problems I ran into:
    The seal – this was covered last post.
    New seal working flawless – no leaks or problems.

    The Barrel Band – (Holds barrel & tube together) apparently the early 22xx’s had a thinner Band. The repeater breach was designed for that early thinner barrel band. The newer band is thicker. I needed to grind some clearance on my barrel band to clear the repeater reload tube. It’s no problem to do with a Dremel tool.

    O-ring for bolt action – mine came with no o-ring. Took the o-ring off the stock bolt – worked just fine.

    Came with no directions – I used some internet pics to understand how the gun comes apart. Dealer was very good about answering all questions over the telephone.

  26. Thanks! I’m surprised the bolt didn’t come with an o-ring!

    Crosman’s instructions for installing their steel breech aren’t the best either, but at least they have instructions.

    .22 multi-shot

  27. What kind of power do you expect from 2240 with 24″ barrel? I came across the custom shop link that you give in this blog, and saw that the carbine can be modified to a pretty rifle for about the price of 2260 se.
    What does carbine mean, by the way?

  28. I think we established the best barrel length for a 2240 pistol was 14-16″. Going to 24″ slows it down. That has to do with how much gas is able to pass through the valve. Change that and the best barrel length changes, too.

    Carbine means short rifle.

    B.B.

  29. My wife inherited a Crosman CO2 Pistol single shot model 116 from her grandparents. This is the first time I have ever seen a “BB gun” this old. We are curious about when it was made and value.
    Can you help?

  30. I just got my custom made air rifle from crosman’s gun shop that is based off of the 2250. It has been a real pleasure to shoot. I had it made with the 24″ .22 barrel. I seem to only be getting about 25-30 powerful shots from the 12 gram powerlet. I am looking to do a bulk fill conversion that cooper-t sells but both their email and phone number has not been working for me. They seem to be not operating anymore. I am wondering if you know if this is true and if so, do you know of another place where I can buy a similar bulk fill kit.

    Thank you and happy air gunning:D

  31. Makun,

    Here’s a link that will take you to the current article. Once there scroll down to comments and click on it. You will be part of the active discussion by airgunners, like you, and I’m confident that you will receive several answers to your questions:

    /blog//

    kevin

  32. Hi, Ive read a ton of articals on your blog, so I figure you would know if anyone would. Would a barrel from a crosman 2240 fit on the pumpmaster 760? I'm probably going to get the gamo shadow express in a few months, but until then I would like my pumpmaster to be more accurate so I can bird-hunt better. The 2240's barrel is the only one I can find online, so its the easiest for me to obtain. I want to get a rifled barrel that is a bit longer than the 760's barrel, and there is a 24" barrel for the 2240 so IF it fits, I'd love to make that upgrade. thanks for the response.

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