by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
The new Crosman 760 Pumpmaster Classic.
This report covers:
-
- Brief history
- This 760
- What is it?
- You can leave a pump in the gun
- Can a kid pump it?
- Trigger
- Sights
- Scope-able!
- Dual ammo
- Review
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- Summary
Brief history
Crosman’s 760 Pumpmaster is their equivalent of Daisy’s Red Ryder. Many years ago (2009?) Crosman told me production was over 20 million, and I can only imagine what it is today.
American Airgunner filmed the production of a 760 in 2009 for the start of the show in 2010. I watched a woman (in Crosman’s East Bloomfield factory — not China) assemble a gun in less than a minute. She sat at a bench that had flaps that were jigs for holding the gun during various parts of the assembly. She would install 4-5 parts then flip over a flap to hold the work and then assemble 8-10 more parts. Then another flap. It was a ballet of assembly! They told us this goes on for three shifts a day. It’s a shame that sequence never made it to the air.
The 760 Powermaster Classic I am looking at in this series isn’t the 760 many of us remember. Though not as old as the 1938 Red Ryder, Crosman’s 760 started production in 1966 and has continued in it numerous variations through the present day. To have every variation of just this single model would be a formidable collection. In December of 2005 I gave you a heads-up on a 760 that was produced in a quantity of just 1,500. It was called either the Commemorative or the 40th Anniversary — depending on the source you read.
Crosman 760 commemorative was only made in limited quantity one year.
This 760
I could go on but this report isn’t about the past. It’s about the new Crosman 760 Pumpmaster Classic that I saw at the 2019 SHOT Show. What’s unique about this airgun…
Okay — you guys have already spotted it, so go ahead.
• It’s all plastic — even the receiver!
• The pump handle is sculpted into the gun like a real forearm.
• It’s not rifled!
• It weighs 2 lbs. 5 oz.!
• It holds 1,000 BBs.
• There are no fiberoptics on the sights — Hurrah!
• etc. etc.
Yeah, all that is true and you know what else? It’s priced $5 LESS than a Red Ryder! How about them apples? Yep. For $35 you get a 700 f.p.s. pellet rifle (I’ll be testing that) that’s also a thousand-shot BB gun!
Complain all you want — this is an incredible deal. I doubt Crosman makes much money on it, but it’s their flagship.
What is it?
The 760 Pumpmaster Classic is a multi-pump pneumatic (3 to 10 pumps) with a solid steel smoothbore barrel (yep — it’s not a soda straw) that gets up to 700 f.p.s. with pellets and 625 f.p.s. with steel BBs. Why are BBs that are lighter slower? I’ll get into that in Part 2, but you guys can talk among yourselves until then.
The 760 has always been a short-stroke pumper, meaning the pump handle is about half as long as many other multi-pump handles. Even with that, the gun still pumps easily. I just pumped this one 10 times and noted that the effort became slightly harder after 4 pumps, but remained the same though 10 pumps.
You can leave a pump in the gun
Many modern multi-pumps are designed so they cannot be pumped until the bolt is cocked. Not so for this one. Pump it all you like and THEN cock it! That means you can store it with a pump of air inside and that stretches the life of the seals many times.
Can a kid pump it?
Yes and no. A 40-pound princess will probably have difficulty pumping this 760, but a 65-pound linebacker should be able to operate it fine. Crosman knows its target market and many of the kids who will get these have beards and are already drawing Social Security. I would say that cocking the bolt will be more of a challenge for kids than pumping the gun.
Trigger
The trigger is a simple one, as expected. The lithographed box the gun comes in says the trigger pull is smooth, and I would agree with that. It’s too vague to talk about stages. Think of it as a long single stage trigger.
Sights
The front sight is a squared-off post on a ramp and no, it isn’t removable. The rear sight adjusts for elevation only via a stepped elevator. The sight picture is crisp and clear. These are sights BB can work with!
Scope-able!
HOWEVER — it doesn’t end there. Crosman has put an 11mm scope rail on top of the plastic receiver to allow mounting optical sights. Yes, the rail is plastic, so this 760 Powermaster Classic cannot be used for bayonet drill — but neither can an M16. My plan is to mount the UTG Micro Reflex dot sight for a test. That’s right — a sight that costs more than twice what the gun costs. But you do the same. That 10 year old truck of yours cost you $27,000 new and by now you have put $31,000 worth of gas in it.
Smoothbore!
Yeah, BB, but it’s a smoothbore! You can’t shoot groups with it at 50 yards! I know. What was Crosman thinking? They make a youth-oriented multi-pump that retails for 35 bucks and you can’t even take it to the hundred-yard range. Sheesh!
I will do accuracy tests and you know I’ll be honest. But I do know a trick or two, so we could be in for a surprise! Just don’t get your expectations higher than they should be. Smoothbore airgun equals 10 meters at the most. BB guns are good for five. You wanna shoot tin cans at 40 yards — get a Beeman R7 or at least get a Synergis.
Dual ammo
Like many inexpensive multi-pumps the 760 Classic shoots both BBs and pellets. As a pellet gun it is single shot, but as a BB gun it’s a thousand-shot repeater.
Load one pellet into the bolt trough after the bolt has been pulled back to cock the gun. Both sides of the trough are sloped to load the pellet easier and the trough is deep and without any hangups that turn pellets around. So loading this way is quick and easy.
BBs are first loaded into the thousand-shot reservoir through a hole in the bottom of the pistol grip. Slide the shiny plastic grip cap forward and reveal the hole. Then, to transfer some BBs to the internal magazine, slide the small button located at the top of the pistol grip back then hold the gun muzzle-down and twist it side-to-side. Actually, I found it best to hold the gun with the muzzle angled down and the top of the receiver upside-down, also. Then the BBs poured right into the magazine.
The BB magazine is on top of the receiver and you can see when it’s loaded with BBs.
There is also a trick to loading BBs into the barrel that I will share in Part 2. It’s an improvement that I don’t remember being in the older 760s.
Review
So — whadda we got? The 760 Classic is a lightweight multi-pump pellet and BB gun that’s suitable for kids from 8 to 80. It’s affordable, powerful and hopefully accurate within reason. This will be a full test of a timeless design that your grandchildren will remember in decades to come.
Summary
There have been changes to the Crosman 760 over the years. Unlike automobiles, phones and software that always remains the same, Crosman has seen fit to make changes to their airguns as the decades pass. We are looking at what is — not what was. On that basis I will pick up right here in Part 2.
BB
Take a closer look at the pump handle. It’s longer now. It actually goes back over the receiver almost to the trigger guard. Look at the older models pump handle and see how far away it is from the trigger guard.
I just had one of these. Yes had. I didn’t let it go because I didn’t like it. Because I did. I just didn’t shoot it anymore. I was clearing out the closet the other day and gave 8 guns I think it was to Dave that made the adjustable butt stock adapter and stocks for some of the Crosman guns. He knew some kids that thier parents said could have a air gun. So maybe that will make some kids happy for Christmas.
Anyway wanted to bring up the extended pump handle. And I found the one I had easy to pump. But I could tell they got these newer ones tightened up compression wise. If you slide your hand a little farther forward on the pump handle you can tell it’s compressing the air better than the older versions when you pump. Anybody that has one try it and see the difference the extended handle makes.
GF1,
Yes, the pump handle does come back farther. I should have mentioned that. Thanks.
B.B.
BB
No problem.
I have the previous model 760. Mine is the last model to have the five round magazine. I know I am approaching having run 3000 pellets down it’s barrel. I shoot it a lot. I had bought a TKO muzzle brake for another air rifle. That gun is out of service waiting for me to fix it, so Iput the TKO on my 760. It’s now very quiet.
I suggest you try the RWS Meisterkugeln rifle pellets in your test 760. Time and time again, these have shown to be the best shooters in mine. I’ve fired a few BB’s in it and actually got a few decent groups, but the fliers were to common, so I gave up on BB’s, and just shoot pellets in it.
I recently broke a piece from the dovetail rail, which is plastic of course. The gun was knocked over. I didn’t notice the break at first. I went to shoot the gun, and found the point of impact had changed a lot. Took a cliser look, and found the dovetail crack. Still shoots fine. I repositioned the scope rings, and on it goes. I’ve taken rats at night that go into our chicken coop with the 76o. Ten pumps with those RWS pellets give the power and accuracy for hat job.j
Looking forward to the velocity and accuracy numbers. I have a Winchestsr 4×32 AO scope on it, and it’s a good setup. I wish Crosman had kept the five round magazine though.
Birdmove,
Meisters it shall be.
How you doing these days?
B.B.
I can’t complain. Two years on lupron, then 40 radiation treatments and a related laser surgery. PSA tests every six months now. So far that’s holding at less than .06, which they consider undetectable. If it doesn’t come back, I’m okay.
I can target shoot just about any time I want. I do a 40 minute workout most days. Just turned 66. And, Tom, thanks for asking.
Birdmove,
I asked because I pray for you every day. I have a number of readers from this blog on my prayer list.
Thanks for the good news.
B.B.
Nice of you, Tom. Not a day goes by that I don’t go to this website at least once. I also use the search feature a lot. When I get interested in an airgun, I go to your blog first and do a search.And, I always want to see what you are testing next!
Birdmove,
What do you think of those Winchester/Daisy 4X32 AO scopes? I have a number of those, as well as several 3-9X32 AO versions, mounted on quite a few of my low recoil guns and I think they work great for the price. My eyes are bad and open sights are just not as effective for me as a cheap scope is. I’ve never tried them on a springer though. Do you know if they hold up ?
Half
Half, I find that four power works well for me, and these Winchester scopes have adjustable objectives. My eyes are not good, but with these (and I have two) I can get a good picturd with a sharp retical and target. For the money, they very good. I also had a Winchester 2×7 AO scope. But, my mighty Crosman Phantom destroyed that one.
Another low end scope that I like is the NCStar 4×30 Compact. Good optics, but no AO. This scope is also nice and clear to my eyes.
But, yes, when someone buys a cheaper air rifle with those cheapo little 4×15 scopes, I octen suggest the Winchester 4×32 AO scopes as a replacement. I also have a few older Leapers scopes and a Hammers 3×9 A0.
With red dots, I have a heck of a time due to the dot being distorted because of my eyesight. Best for me has been a BSA.
Glad to see the loading port opened up. That is something that all budget pellet rifle makers should take note of. Nice on the solid barrel. I did not expect that.
Good Day to one and all,…….. Chris
Also, there is a rifled barrel that Crosman makes for another multi-pumper that is a direct drop in with no mods needed. It’s not the M4-177. I think it’s the MK-177?
Seems like the 760 would be better compared to the Daisy model 35 than a Red Ryder.
Cobalt327,
I compared it to the Red Ryder because of the sales volume. Both guns are the flagship for their maker.
B.B.
Also, Tom did a four part test of the Daisy model 35 some years back. I had a 35, and mine shot pellets pretty well. At least out to 7 yards. Search this site snd it’ll come up. His sample was not very accurate at all. My Crosman 760 has way outlived my Daisy 35.
I would really like to have one of those Commemoratives, most especially if that is real wood. Actually I would not. I would be afraid to shoot it. I would like to have one made just like that though.
Maybe TCFKAC will come out with a Commemorative Model 100. Now that would be the cat’s meow.
RR,
Yes, the wood is real.
B.B.
R.R.
If you hear of a new “commemorative” 101 (made of metal and wood like the original) please let me know real quick as I would want to get into line for one of those!
Hank
Hank,
If they happen to do such (yeah right) I will pick you up one and send it to you and you can send me the FWB100. 😉
$35 for the 760… that would be about $75 Canadian by the time I had one in my hands.
I like pumpers and don’t have a BB-gun, just might go for one of these.
Hank
Hank,
Please check it out and report back to us. Crosman spends a lot of time making sure they have reasonable airguns for the Canadian market.
Now, they can’t override your laws that restrict airguns to under 500 f.p.s. This one goes 700 f.p.s. so anything beyond the purchase price can’t be counted against them.
B.B.
B.B.
I checked two Canadian suppliers and the 760 is listed for $79.99 so with my estimate for the gun was close but I had forgotten to factor in tax and shipping – it would be around $110.00 Canadian… plus another $50 or so for BBs to feed it LOL!
Guess that if it was cheaper I would get one for plinking but at that price I would take a pass and put my money toward a nice little HW 30S or something like that. Truth be said I do most of my plinking with my 10 meter rifles at Honeycomb cereal and spinners. Still, a HW 30S would be nice – have to stop thinking about that – no budget for one and my FWB 124 fills that niche nicely.
It’s not Crosman B.B. The difference in price I mentioned is due to the exchange rate, shipping and import duties. Anything that I have ordered directly from PA ends up costing about double their listed price.
The velocity is not really a concern, you just need a PAL (Possession and Acquisition License) to own a rifle over 500 fps. Seems that the 760 is available in a sub 500 fps model for people who don’t have a PAL.
Hank
Hank,
Thank you for checking. I had no idea!
B.B.
Hank,
I do not know if anyone else is interested or not,…. but I am. What is the reasoning behind all of the added cost? Buy Canadian!,…. and if not,… you WILL pay for it??? Job/economy protection?
Does a Canadian earn more to offset such added cost? In the U.S.,… somebody in New York City may earn 4x more and live no better than someone in the Midwest earning 4x less.
How did the Impact pan out? 2x? 3x?
A quick and dirty 25 cent explanation will suffice,… if that is even a remote possibility,… but if you care,… take a stab at it.
Thanks,……….. Chris
Chris,
Besides exchange on the dollar it is import duties that are the big thing so it depends on where it comes from.
For the Impact, coming from Sweden, I am paying (converted to US $) about the same as the price as listed on the PA website.
It is what it is.
Hank
On the other hand, I bought some fly tying materials from a place in the US a couple of times – no problem, reasonable duty charges and then one time got dinged for close to $100 which was more that the order was worth. Go figure.
Don’t know about the salary scales. Never checked into them.
Hank,
“It is what it is”,….. and obviously not a simple subject. Thank you for the observations. I imagine that we in the U.S. also experience some “add-ons”,… but it is not spelled out as clearly as Canada’s system.
Looking forwards to reviewing the slug video once the work week is over. It will be interesting to watch the slug/air gun developments as time goes on.
Good Day,……… Chris
*** OFF TOPIC WARNING ***
A new airgun projectile (a “hybrid slug” ) is available that warrants a closer look.
Thought I would post a link to a video that might be of interest…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejx30kQHVXo&feature=push-u-sub&attr_tag=mP7rf9nTbh1R7SyN%3A6
And to the PA listing…
/product/fx-hybrid-slug-22-cal-22-0-grains-hollowpoint-100ct?p=1542
A bit of a preamble for those who have not been following this development in airgunning… Pellets are great within their effective range (realistically about 75 yards or less for 1″ groups) but “slugs” (“bullets” for pellet guns), because of their superior BC and that they can be shot at higher velocities have the potential for a longer effective range.
The difficulty with slugs is that since they solid and are, by design not as “ductile” as pellets – the fit to the bore is critical. The excitement with the hybrid slug is that by being mostly hollow, it is more ductile and works well in regular airguns over a good range of velocities.
Anyway, slugs will never replace pellets but they are an interesting development for those who do a lot of pesting or might want to try long range shooting.
Hope this is of interest.
Hank
Hank,
Oh yeah, I have been looking at these buggers. Now I really want a .22 PCP. I need to finish my .25 Talon SS build so I can try out the .25 Hybrids when they come out.
I wish FX made a .357.
RR,
I’m not into the larger calibers but I read somewhere they will have a 9mm.
You could always get a .22 caliber Impact and a larger caliber barrel kit when they come out.
Hank,
I have to wait for you to will me yours and die before I am likely to get an Impact. Every time I have given serious consideration about purchasing an FX I notice that the Swedes are very proud of their air rifles. There are some other top shelf air rifles out there that are a lot more reasonable. FX actually has me thinking about a Daystate.
RR,
I like the FX platform and its flexibility. Daystates are very nice as well but they are not cheap either.
Hank,
Yes. I shot a FX Dreamlite the other day. I will take the Regal XL.
This is exactly what is needed, I hope these work out. I have been trying to imagine ways of casting slugs
that are compressable. Good eyes man!
Best,
Rob
Hank,
I saved both links to check out later. I like it. I am interested in .25 cal.. My thinking is that,… for lead compression/rifling purposes,…. hollowing out the tail end might be better. Then again,… that may throw the whole “balance thing” off. What do I know?
I like innovation. Keep us posted on any new news/reports on them,… seeing as how,.. that since you are now retired,… you have nothing to do,………….. 😉 LOL!
Chris
Chris,
The middle of the video Matt gives a good technical explanation that you would probably like.
Hank
Looking forward to your next article. The Pumpmaster 760-D I have is a 1995 Limited Edition 2939 of 5000 (over 7 million sold) made in cooperation with The Sportsman’s Guide. It has an all black plastic stock and receiver but a gold finish on the barrel and trigger, Barrel is rifled. It shoots tight groups with pellets but the group is awful for bb, even at 15 feet. A listing of all the companies that Crosman has made special orders with would be almost as long as the number of Pumpmaster 760 rifles made. Only had to replace the pump cup and internal parts once when it would not pump air a while back. I had to finally go directly to Crosman to get replacement parts it get it working again and You Tube has a article showing how to replace the parts, so repair by yourself was inexpensive and quicker than going to a professional to repair it.
Waldorf1,
Thank you for that information. Wow! A rifled barrel! That’s a big deal these days.
B.B.
Found one of the Winchester 1914 replica BB pistols with blowback. Boy, is that fun to shoot. Found another pistol I want to give the ATF fluid treatment to. Is there any particular specifications that you have to look for in the fluid?
Brent
Brent,
Just make sure that it is for fixing leaks in automatic transmissions. That’s it.
B.B.
I may have to get me some of that stuff to try in my Remington Airmaster 77. I don’t have a chrony, but it is a might weak. Had it for about 12 years. Eight pumps will not penetrate a heavy duty tin can. Have’t tried ten pumps though. It hasn’t been shot much either. Nice, solid air rifle though.
Birdmove,
Even without a chronograph; you can use SPLATOLOGY:
/blog/?s=Splatology&btnGo=
to see if the automatic transmission sealer improves your rifles (pistols) performance. Just shoot a given pellet into a metal trap or plate save a few lead splats on a 3×5 card with gun/shooting data and then do it again after the ATS treatment.
shootski
shootski,
Wow! Good for you! I forgot about that.
B.B.
B.B.,
My pleasure.
I own all five of your AirgunReviews and lots of AirgunLetters!
“This is a reprint of an article I wrote for Airgun Revue #3, which was published in 1998.”
I always liked this quote of yours: “The airgunner of yesteryear was a happier person than his modern counterpart.”. Even though I had been using my Oehler 35p for more than a decade by that point.
I enjoy the way history works…we forget it so soon or worse still never learn it to begin with…we are therefore damned to repeat it!
shootski
BB
I must add my 2 cents on the 760. I bought one of the early ones. It came with: wood stock, wood pump handle, brass trigger, adjustable pump rod assy with felt oiler. NO plastic anywhere except for the loading gate on the left side of the receiver where the BBs were loaded. Crosman made these early ones with the “blow off” valves like their 140 and 1400 series multi-stroke rifles had, and not the “hammer strike” types they later changed to and kept. The owners’ manual said the max velocity was 660 fps with 20 pumps strokes (yes, 20). Seems like not much power for all that effort but kids didnt care since the gun was probably the most powerful BB gun the new owner had at the time. Back then, 660 FPS was FAST. The price I paid for it back in ’67? $18.50.
I still have that gun. Ive replaced all the seals probably 4 times over the years. It still operational–a little. The seal it needs the most now is a pump cup seal. Hard to find which are most parts that are prone to wear out for all guns this old.
I have a circa ‘67, 760, the Powermaster (if I read the date code correctly). I resealed it, it is still hit or miss on whether or not it pumps up, I think it is the pump cup. I noted that it won’t accept most pellets in the breech when I tried with some pellets I had. The ones that it will chamber take 10 pumps to exit the barrel, then bounce off of cardboard. It is pretty accurate with bbs but I haven’t been able to check it with pellets. I bought a second one a little newer, (‘73) still a self cocker, but plastic stocked, for a ready supply of parts. It shoots pellets but it pops the bolt open when it fires.
MMCM13,
Have you tried oiling them with ATF sealant? That will probably fix both of them.
B.B.
I did use the ATF sealer, but the stubborn devils insisted on new seals. I did all the o-rings, but not the pump cups. One still needs a pump cup I guess. Don’t know why the one won’t take pellets, but I didn’t buy it to shoot pellets. Now looking at why the bolt pops open on the other one, looking for parts.
MMCM13,
Well, good that you at least tried it. Remember that sometimes after several days of soaking these pump cups will come back.
B.B.
BB,
If you can think of it each time, it think it would be helpful for you to give the full name of that ATF sealant/restorer. I bought the wrong stuff the first time I tried and got a good result only after I asked for the specifics and you provided them. On some matters I think we need to be “spoon fed” by our Godfather, if he’s willing.
Half
Half,
I have given it several times. Find it here:
/blog/2014/04/airgun-lubrication-gas-guns/
B.B.
BB,
Thank you, but I have a lifetime supply now. I made the suggestion for the benefit of other readers.
Half
Half,
Gotcha. 🙂
B.B.
Is there any history information regarding Jack Vadas, (VP of Engineering/Chief Engineer) original designer of the 760 at the Mill?
I sure don’t have any. He was before my time and I never heard of him until you asked.
B.B.
BB I have no idea who you are nor you of who I am…
Attached is a picture of the first original pre- production 760 that my dad made me shoot 1,000,000 BB’s thru in 1965 when I was 10 before he would put it into full production. 10 1500 BB milk cartons a day)
The receivers of this gun where made by Kisiel Die Casting In Batavia back in the day… now Pinnacle Manufacturing, Inc.
https://pinmfgco.com/about-us/
Mr. Kisiel and my Dad Jack were great friends including their wives and loved going to the track together)
Sadly, So much history of Crosman Arms has been lost I lived it and I know it all from the early days in the Mill…
Jcapev,
Can we expect a Crosman book? if you have the lost history we would all like to see it.
Mike
Hey Mike,
A Crosman Arms history Book would be great. Would you like to author/write it?
I have all the history and memories of the company and many of the original show guns.
A few of them are… Sitting on my dad’s lap in front of the drawing board at night in the Mill as he designed the 760 and so many more. The Old man Hahn and his wife pulling into our driveway unexpectedly out of the blue in his Mercedes just to say hello)
Attached are 3 pictures of the 1 million BB lady that I recently rebuilt + then fully dressed with all kinds of new stuff.
The target is from 75 feet… First 3 in the red are BB’s… the dark one is a pellet at night simply using the laser) She can still shoot straight!
Mike, did you work for Crosman? are you in Atlanta?
760 with Modern Dress
Rebuilt 760 Targeted in
Does the 760 pumpmaster classic take the 5 shot clip for pellets
hotrod689,
From the description on Pyramyd Air’s website:
Pellets are loaded one at a time, while BBs have an 18-shot magazine, which is fed from the 200-shot reservoir. It comes with a fixed front sight, but you can get even more accuracy by mounting a scope or red dot on the 11mm dovetail.
BB