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The Crosman 622

by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier

Today’s report is a guest blog from reader Paul Hudson. It It’s his evaluation of the Crosman 622 repeater.

If you’d like to write a guest post for this blog, please email me.

Over to you, Paul.

The Crosman 622
by Paul Hudson

Crosman 622 The Crosman 622 is a rarity — a slide-action CO2 repeater.

The Crosman 622 is a repeating slide-action CO2 pellet rifle. It was produced from 1972 to 1978 in .22 caliber only. It uses the familiar 12-gram Powerlets and has a rotary clip that holds six pellets.

There have been only a few other slide-action repeaters available in the recent past — the Gamo Extreme CO2 and the Shark roundball repeater made in Argentina are two examples. The Gamo uses an 88-gram cartridge, and the Shark is a bulk-fill gun.

This particular 622 belongs to my brother-in-law’s friend. It had not been fired for many years and was in need of a resealing. The old factory lube had turned to hard wax, and several hours of cleaning was required to get everything in working order.

Due to its design, the 622 did not develop a reputation for durability. The valve body is made of two parts held together with a single screw and is prone to breakage. A second bolt or pin can be added to the bottom of the valve body to greatly strengthen the assembly. Another problem was the tendency for the gun to jam with certain pellets; this can happen if the muzzle is elevated when the slide is cycled. Some pellets (depending on their shape) can back out of the clip enough to prevent it from rotating. Keeping the gun pointed down will help prevent this. Possibly due to this problem, Crosman added a lever to the receiver of later 622s to aid removing stuck clips.

Crosman 622 interior
There are many parts in the 622’s receiver. The large, rectangular casting on the right is the valve body, and it’s prone to breakage. The probe is near the top of the receiver and is in the rearmost operating position. In the middle is the rotating rod that advances the clip. The large cylinder on the bottom houses the striker.

The 622 is large enough not to feel like a toy. It’s 40.5 inches long with a 13.5-inch length-of-pull, so it’s adult-sized. The blued barrel is 23 inches long, and the gun weighs 6 lbs. without a scope. A square post front sight and a square notch rear sight come from the factory, and they’re entirely suitable for the ranges at which the gun would be used. The painted receiver is made of two die-cast pieces and is grooved for mounting a scope. While the paint isn’t the greatest finish, no complaints can be made about the blueing on the barrel and gas tube. It’s very well done for a low-priced gun. Both the stock and forearm are made of varnished hardwood that has a very straight grain. The receiver is only about an inch thick, and the gun does not feel bulky; combined with the light weight, it’s a perfect plinker and can be carried for hours.

Crosman 622 rear sight
The rear sight is a simple square notch and is adjustable for elevation and windage.

 

10-16-13-04-Crosman-622-front-sight
The front sight is a square post. The ramp is textured to prevent glare.

A manual safety is mounted behind the trigger; it’s very similar to the unit on many other Crosman models. The single-stage trigger was a pleasant surprise. It isn’t adjustable…but it’s fairly smooth, mostly creep-free and breaks at a consistent 2 lbs., 2 oz. For an inexpensive airgun, it’s quite good. Holding down the trigger while cycling the action lets the striker travel forward with the slide; it will not fire the gun.

Crosman 622 trigger
The trigger features Crosman’s typical cross-bolt safety and is surprisingly good.

The rotary clip
The 622’s 6-shot rotary clip is easy to load and fits entirely within the receiver; it will not interfere with a scope or catch on anything during handling. Unfortunately, the clip accepts pellets with a max length of 0.275 inches. This prevents longer domed pellets and pointed pellets from being used. All wadcutters fit, and most cycle fine.

Crosman 622 magazine rear
Rear view of the clip. Pellets load easily from this side.

Crosman 622 magazine top
The thin clip will not accept pellets over 0.275 inches long. The Baracuda Hunter is about the longest pellet that fits.

To charge the 622, the end cap of the lower tube is removed. A CO2 cylinder is dropped in nose-first (don’t forget a drop of Pellgunoil on the tip), and the end cap is replaced. As the cap is tightened, a slight hiss will be heard as the cartridge is pierced. Further tightening should not be needed. Since the CO2 cylinder seats against a flexible seal, it should be removed after shooting. A single cylinder was good for 36 shots, or 6 full clips. A two-cylinder lower tube, similar to that of the Crosman 160, was available for a time; but this was an aftermarket part not supplied by Crosman.

Crosman 622 CO2 tube
A single CO2 cartridge is used in the long gas tube.

Performance
The 622 was rated by Crosman at 450 fps; this gun exceeded that rating with all tested pellets. The temperature was around 90 degrees during shooting.

Crosman 622 performance table
MV=muzzle velocity (fps), ME=muzzle energy (ft-lbs), ES=extreme spread (fps)

Getting the best accuracy from the 622 is a bit of a challenge. The forearm uses a single operating rod and can slightly rotate around the lower tube. This allows the gun to move upon firing if it’s held by the forearm. For best accuracy, support the 622 just ahead of the receiver by holding the gas tube. This is really a minor point; the 622 is not a long-range target gun — it’s a plinker, and one of the most entertaining ones at that.

10-meter groups with open sights
All pellets tested were more than accurate enough at 10 meters for plinking and informal shooting. Groups are 6 shots since that’s the magazine capacity. Here are a few of the best performers:

Crosman 622 RWS Superdome target
The RWS Superdomes gave a nice, round 0.31-inch group at 10 meters.

Crosman 622 JSB Exact Jumbo target
The 15.9-grain JSB Exact Jumbos made this 0.27-inch group at 10 meters.

Crosman 622 Beeman Field Target Special target
At 10 meters, the Beeman Field Target Specials produced the best group at 0.24 inches.

25-yard groups with a scope
The factory open sights just aren’t precise enough to produce the best accuracy at 25 yards. I mounted a simple 4x Leapers scope for these groups. Most pellets gave groups in the inch to inch-and-a-half range. There were a few standouts, however:

Crosman 622 H&N Baracuda Hunter 25 yard target
Six H&N Baracuda Hunters made this 0.84-inch group at 25 yards.

Crosman 622 Crosman Premier 25 yard target
The 15.9-grain JSB Exact Jumbos also performed well at 25 yards with this 0.79-inch group.

Crosman 622 JSB 15.9-grain Exact Jumbo 25 yard target
The most accurate pellet at 25 yards was the Crosman Premier. Six pellets made this 0.57-inch group. There are three pellets in the lower left hole, two on the right, and one high and left.

Summary
While the 622 isn’t the best engineered or most accurate airgun Crosman ever made, it’s still an interesting piece. There have been only a few slide-action airguns produced; and for plinking, the rapid-firing provided by a slide-action really ups the fun factor.

Many 622s are still in circulation, and they regularly show up at airgun shows and on auction sites. Lack of attention from collectors has kept the price reasonable. One caveat is to make sure the gun includes the clip — they fetch about 25 dollars apiece. It’s possible to load the rifle singly, but it’s tedious.

29 thoughts on “The Crosman 622”

  1. The last sentence, “It’s possible to load the rifle singly, the it’s tedious.” Should be “.. but it’s tedious.”

    Please delete this post after correcting.

  2. A nice look at this old gun, Paul! I didn’t know these even existed, but it looks like more fun than my old 760. The receiver casting looks about the same as a lot of Crosman guns from that era. Seems like they bolt several models on the same receiver and got a lot of mileage from it.

    /Dave

  3. Interesting rifle. Great blog about it.
    The only pump action airgun I tried was the Daisy 2002 35 shot repeater that jamed all the time. I think the 35 pellets mags and the way the pellets were fed to the gun was far from the greatest idea in airgun history.

    J-F

  4. Ah, Ha! Now I see what you look for at the Roanoke show. All kidding aside, very nicely done. A good read on an air rifle that is not, for me, familiar or well known.

    Fred DPRoNJ

    • Fred,

      Thanks for the compliment. I do tend to look for offbeat airguns; I will probably never buy a Marauder. There was a 622 for sale at Roanoke but I went with the Crosman 118 instead. The 118 completed my bulk-fill collection and is much easier to work on.

      Paul in Liberty County

  5. Pump actions do look like a lot of fun and that is not a design I’m familiar with. Does it make the loud clacking sound like the Mossberg 500 shotgun? Who carries an airgun or any other kind of gun for hours and hours? If you do, a sling should make the weight inconsequential.

    Matt61

    • Matt61,

      It does clack like a Mossberg 500 – it is just not as loud or sharp as the one I have shot in the past.

      Regarding the weight issue, I meant that a six-pound gun is easier to handle for long sessions than a nine-to-ten pounder like my R1 and HW77 (when not shooting from a rested position). Perhaps “carried” was not the best word to use.

      Paul in Liberty County

  6. Paul, very nicely done! I’ve never seen one of these. I’ve always liked the idea of a pump or should I say “slide” action pellet gun. I liked the looks of the Gamo Extreme and B.B. gave it a good review, but now they are gone. Daisy and Marksman both had a “slide” action pistol at one time. Again, good job! Bradly

  7. I like the gun.
    I’m a big fan of the 12 gram CO2 cartridge guns. And I didn’t know they existed either. It looks like it was produced in the time frame when I started messing with dirt bikes and cars. So I bet I over looked it. I would of bet I would of bought one.

    And yes the gun has the 760 look to the back half of the gun. But when I look at the whole gun it kind of reminds me of the characteristics of the Winchester guns of that time period.

    I wonder how much they sold for back then? And does the gun have grooves to mount a scope? I couldn’t tell in the pictures.

  8. Nivea me just took apart my 622 as I had C02 seal issue. Lots of parts. Take pictures at each step. Start with Loosening stock. Had 622 for years but not sure I can put humpty dumpty back together. Looking for a power greater than me.

  9. I love the two that I have, and as far as I’m concerned if you can’t hit what you’re shooting at with this gun,you should not have your finger on a trigger…..

  10. B.B.
    So sorry to read of your fall, but very glad that you suffered no broken bones! You have many friends here in the blog pulling for your rapid recovery. Yes, we did miss our usual morning read of a new blog, but totally understand that you need to rest and heal. We will all come up with something interesting to discuss, maybe our own injuries and recoveries. I was happy to see that you felt well enough to read and post a comment, or two, today. So, I’m hoping you are not in a lot of pain. Someone said that we don’t bounce well as we age, and falls are the most common cause of injury in older adults…like us. I think sometimes we forget that we are not young anymore and attempt to do things that we should probably not have…GUILTY! From experience, I am sure that you are sorer today than yesterday. It may take a few days before you are able to get around without that walker. Gee, I wonder what Edith would have to say about this? Well, I guess now you are under another stay-at-home order…just as we are opening back up a little. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Whatever is was that you did…DON’T DO IT AGAIN! May God Bless.
    Geo from MI

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