Crosman 362
This report covers:
- Hobby
- Discharge sound
- Crosman Premiers
- JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy
- Trick pellets
- How stable?
- Pump effort
- Trigger pull
- Summary
Today we test the Crosman 362 for velocity. Remember — Crosman and Pyramyd AIR both say this .22-caliber multi-pump gets up to 850 f.p.s. with alloy pellets and 700 f.p.s. with lead pellets. We shall see. Let’s start.
Hobby
I figured that I’d give the 362 the very best chance of making 700 f.p.s. with lead so I shot an RWS Hobby pellet first. Hobbys weigh 11.9-grains in .22 caliber and should go pretty fast.
I also said that since the manual said two pumps are okay I would start there. Let’s see how she goes!
Pumps………..Velocity
2……………….390
3……………….479
4……………….536
5……………….576
6……………….611
7……………….633
8……………….654
Eight is the maximum number of pumps the manual says to use. But with this first pellet only I tried a couple more.
9……………….677 no air remained
10..…………….698 a little air remained
Okay, Hobby almost made 700 f.p.s., which is the advertised velocity with lead pellets. Did the 362 met the spec or not?
I say no, because more than 8 pumps isn’t recommended. Over-pumping a rifle wears out the pump linkage, leading to early failure. So, no dice on the top velocity with lead.
Discharge sound
On 4 pumps the 362 is very quiet. I recorded 90.2 dB.
On 4 pumps the rifle was relatively quiet.
On 8 pumps the rifle was louder, at 98.1 dB. But that’s still not that loud.
On 8 pumps the rifle was louder, but still not that loud.
Crosman Premiers
The next pellet tested was the Crosman Premier. I must say that Premiers loaded very easily. It was noticeably easier to close the bolt with this one than with any other pellet tested.
Pumps………..Velocity
2……………….341
3……………….449
4……………….504
5……………….544
6……………….579
7……………….607
8……………….626
JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy
The next pellet I tested is a heavier one — the 18.13-grain JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy dome. It seemed like a good match for the potential power.
Pumps………..Velocity
2……………….329
3……………….402
4……………….452
5……………….493
6……………….525
7……………….549
8……………….571
Trick pellets
To get the 850 f.p.s. velocity that’s advertised we have to shoot trick (alloy) pellets. I have several types in .177 caliber because H&N is making them to shoot as accurately as lead. But all I have on hand in .22 caliber are obsolete 10-grain Gamo Raptors.
Pumps………..Velocity
2……………….285
5……………….614
8……………….706
So once more the advertised velocity wasn’t achieved. Maybe there is a different .22-caliber trick pellet that will give 850 f.p.s., but this is what I saw with what I shot.
How stable?
I wanted to see how stable the velocity was on a given number of pumps. So I shot a 10-shot string on Crosman Premiers on 5 pumps and got an average velocity of 505 f.p.s. The low was 504 and the high was 507 f.p.s. That’s a spread of just three f.p.s., which is very tight. In my experience, though, multi-pumps often do this.
But why was the average for this string, as well as every individual shot, so much slower than when I tested the rifle the first time? At that time five pumps gave a velocity of 544 f.p.s. None of these shots came close to that. I suspect the rifle is breaking in and there will be variations like this. And yes, I did oil the pump head before this test started, so it wasn’t a lack of oil.
But, if the rifle was slower on 5 pumps, what would happen on eight pumps? In the first test this pellet gave a velocity of 626 f.p.s. on eight pumps.
I shot a string of five shots on eight pumps and got an average of 630 f.p.s. The low was 628 and the high was 633 f.p.s. So on eight pumps the rifle is a little faster. I think it’s just breaking in.
Pump effort
Next I tested the effort required to pump the rifle. On this one I measured all the strokes, from one to eight.
Pumps….Effort in lbs.
1……………….15
2……………….18
3……………….20
4……………….24
5……………….23
6……………….24
7……………….24
8……………….24
Well, that was surprising. Once I pumped the rifle four times the effort never got harder. I know it feels harder because you tend to “horse” the pump strokes (pumping faster) to get it over with. But if you pump slow and steady, this is what you’ll get.
Trigger pull
The average of five trigger pulls with my electronic gauge registered 4 lbs. 15.7 oz. That’s close enough to 5 pounds to call it. Stage one (remember, I told you that the test rifle does have a short first stage) was one pound even.
Stage two breaks crisply without any creep. This is a somewhat heavy sporting trigger that I can work with.
Summary
The Crosman 362 is stacking up nicely. It didn’t make the advertised velocities, but I never expected it to. Getting to those velocities takes quite a lot that you’re probably not going to get in a hundred-dollar multi-pump.
I was surprised by how light and easy the pumping is. It’s much lighter than a Benjamin Variable Pump rifle.
The trigger is heavy but crisp and of the two — light versus heavy and crisp versus creep, I’ll take crisp every time.
Next up will be some accuracy testing. I am looking forward to that!
B.B.,
The velocity and power are respectable; but what’s got me is the nice light pumping effort. Now I want one more than I already did; thank you for reporting on this neat new rifle. 🙂
Take care & God bless,
dave
BB,
With the number of comments regarding the clacking sound made while pumping, could you probably measure how loud the sound is on your meter while you pump during the accuracy test? Is it really a concern or is it like that with a sproinger where the noise is amplified by being in contact with the gun on firing?
Siraniko
Siraniko,
Yes, the clacking sound is especially loud due to the plastic forearm. I hope I will remember to test the sound level that way.
BB
B.B. and Siraniko, perhaps a piece of sticky-backed felt would help quiet things down; I used one on my 1322 (that I pump often in the house) and it really helped with lessening the noise. The best thing is this: I’ve pumped this pistol over 10,000 times, yet haven’t even had to replace the felt. Of course, you’ll need a longer piece of felt for the 362. 😉
I can’t resist comparison with the Dragonfly. On 5-6 pumps the 362 is some 70 fps slower with the JSB Heavies and with an additional overall effort of some 20 pounds.
If we consider the wood and metal construction and the choice of a magazine, well, it seems that the Crosman justifies the low price. Without having yet seen the outstanding accuracy of the Seneca. If only the Dragonfly trigger is not an inherent problem…
Bill,
There are gazillions of these triggers out there on Stormriders, Dragonflys and Chasers. Tyler was telling me they have not had this problem before. If this problem should arise it is an easy fix either by peening as BB did or putting some shim material between the stock and trigger assembly to reduce the space.
The Dragonfly has a magazine. Why? Because the Stormrider has one.
Which is more accurate? I myself do not really care. The only way I will have either of these is if someone gives me one. I will then play with it for a short bit and pass it on to someone else. I am fortunate enough to have a Crosman 101 at RRHFWA. I do not have a need for another pumper. 🙂
R.R.
As far as pumpers concerned I agree. The only one I kept is an HB17 in its box. If I were to use one there is no pumper more efficient than a Zoraki/Webley ultra. I had two of them but they were given to youngsters and I miss one.
Bill,
I must plead ignorance as I have not seen or even heard of one of those pumpers. Pumpers do not really interest me. I wear myself out pumping it up and then try to take an accurate shot. Naaah.
I should have mentioned the whole name. Zoraki, or Webley Alecto, HP01 Ultra.
B.B. tested the non Ultra version some years ago. The Ultra in .22 is a 6 fpe with 2 pumps, 8 with 3pumps, 10+ with 4 pumps. On one pump 3+ fpe, is a very accurate ssp with very good trigger. You would hate the black plastic look but you could love using it.
The pumping effort is typical of multi-pumps where the peak force plateaus rather quickly and then remains constant. The overall effort does increase though as the peak force is achieved earlier in the pump stroke and is carried across more of the pump stroke, so more energy with each stroke.
It will be interesting to see how this gun performs with a flat top piston and valve that has an adjustable piston rod to minimize the dead space between the piston and end of the cylinder.
There is also a plethora of sight combinations that can be used if the steel breech and the Crosman Challenger front barrel dovetail mounts are used.
As has been discussed the pump clacking on the 362 is loud and I am very hard of hearing. Crosman should work on that. Offering a steel breech from the factory should be an option. I think an aftermarket direct fit trigger assembly based on the gen 1 Marauder should be a good seller.
Can’t wait for the accuracy testing
Don
Bennie-Don-
You say ‘… the 362 is loud and I am very hard of hearing. Crosman should work on that.’
Well sir, that is being most unreasonable. To put the burden upon Crosman of assisting you with your hearing is just not feasible. If the company were to do that for even 10% of the readers of this blog it would create an incredible financial burden on themselves. Hearing aids are expensive. What would be next? Helping me with weight loss? Make me better looking? No, just no.
Crosman-
Please just continue to make some good guns. I’ve already bought bigger pants and my wife thinks I look okay.
Pacoinohio
Paco,
You, sir, are a master of dry humor! To imply that Benji-Don was asking Crosman to do something about his hearing! HA!
Now, if that making people look better thing ever comes to pass, I’ll take two, please. 🙂
BB
Godfather-
You ARE beautiful!
Paco,
Awww, shucks!
Your check will be in this afternoon’s mail. 😉
BB
Unless I misread Benji’s comment, Benji stated that even with his hearing loss, he found the clacking a bit loud and that perhaps Crosman should work on making the pump less noisy.
No comment on the rest.
Paco,
What
Guys, I guess BB was the only one to get the joke. I was just pointing out your sentence structure left the conclusion that Crosman should help you with your hearing. Oh well have a good day. Or perhaps I should say- HAVE A GOOD DAY.
Don, you mentioned “Crosman Challenger front barrel dovetail mounts.” My 362 came with a minor defect…the front sight fell off. I should have snapped a picture, but I recall that a flat spot was essentially machined or filed off of the top of the first inch or so of the barrel at the muzzle to orient the plastic front sight that simply slips on and is probably glued in place. I don’t recall a dovetail. Fortunately, the replacement 362 is on its way. This may be related to another reader’s question about installing a steel breach and a peep sight, whether the front sight will be tall enough. Do you still think a different front sight can be secured to the 362?
RG,
Here is a picture of my 362 with the setup I was talking about. The original plastic front sight needs to be removed. They come off fairly easy. I put a Maximus barrel on my 362 just for fun. I think this setup will work on the stock 362 barrel. The only issue may be the stock barrel muzzle does not extend past the barrel band far enough for the adapter. If that is the case the adapter could be cut shorter to fit. It is held on with two set screws. The flat spot on the end of the 362 barrel will not be a problem.
I have to admit I don’t remember shooting the gun in this configuration so I am not sure if the rear sight elevation adjusts enough so it can be sighted in. I will set it up this way again and check it out.
There are many other front and rear sights that fit the dovetails so there should be a combination that works.
Don
That looks really cool, and I’ll bet the longer barrel increases velocity….
RG
I bet Crosman didn’t have the front sight installed all the way for some reason.
It is not glued on. Normally you are suppose to grip it firmly with your hand and wiggle it side to side while your pulling on it.
To go back on I push it straight on as far as I can by hand then take a small rubber mallet and seat it all the way.
ROTFWL!
Everybody wants to make this into something it isn’t. It is not a powerhouse. Do not expect to take this thing squirrel hunting, except maybe to beat the squirrels off because they think you are a nut.
It is not a multishot. You will not get 47 shots per pump up. The only reason you would want a magazine on this thing is it would be a good place to store extra pellets, but that creates other problems.
A scope? Really? It probably does not shoot far enough to warrant one.
It clacks when you pump it. So. I am certain it can be quieted down some in that respect, but what do you expect for how much?
It probably does not shoot like a ten-meter air rifle. What it will likely do is shoot good enough to kill the occasional mouse at close range or feral soda can.
So, what is it? It is an inexpensive introduction to the world of airguns and PCPs. Many of you old geezers probably started off with a Benji or a 760. Well, they do not really exist anymore. It is also a good way to exercise your arms a bit while having fun with the grandkids.
Take this little gal for what she is. You can always get another one that is closer to what you think you want. 😉
Agreed, for US$ 99 this seems like a very good value, especially considering that it has quality sights.
For us Germans, however, the situation is different. In my experience, Crosman guns typically cost twice as much here which puts them dangerously close to Weihrauchs and Dianas that have Rekord or T06 triggers and are probably a bit nicer overall.
In such a case, I think the 362 can’t really compete *unless* recoil is an absolute dealbreaker.
Stephan
Stephan,
I have several Dianas and I have an HW30. I will take a Diana or Weihrauch any day over a Crosman. Period. No matter what the cost difference. There is an old saying. “You get what you pay for.”
B.B. is getting 13 foot pounds at the muzzle with 8 pumps, unless I’m not using the P.A. calculator correctly. What are the squirrels in your neck of the woods made of? Isn’t 13 foot pounds sufficient? If it’s accurate and powerful enough for squirrels, it can certainly dispatch a rabbit and smaller critters, which makes it useful for shorter range pesting as well as plinking. With velocities in such a tight range, I’m hoping it punches above its weight in the accuracy department, too, which will make it also good for target practice and mini-sniping.
Roamin Greco,
Your squirrel population still allows you get that close?
You must not be putting all that much PRESSURE on them!
shootski
RG,
The problem here is after you flap your arms around for a bit and make all kinds of noise, where has that fuzzy tailed tree rat gone?
RidgeRunner,
EXACTLY!
Although a CO2, Single and Multipump believer from an early age once PCPs arrived it took all the pressure off the decision making when NEW, IMPROVED, PLAIN (claimed) BETTER ones were being touted by the industry.
shootski
Actually the 362 is a great squirrel gun. At 35 yards using 5 pumps it has enough power on heart shots to lodge on the far side of the body of a fat fox squirrel. Also, two raccoons met instant lights out for tearing the siding off part of our chimney. With a TKO suppressor it is very quiet. The trigger pull is lighter then my vintage Benji/Sheridans and it has the same FPE. Pretty loud to pump though. Sighted in for 10 yards with a far zero at 30 yards and learning my mil dots, cottontails are easy out to 45 yards.
I am certain that it has enough power to dispatch small game. I am just spoiled by PCPs and Big Bore stuff. I do need to keep in mind that many in the UK use less than 12 FPE to dispatch quite a few small critters.
I have a 101 that I am rebuilding. I guess the main issue I have with multi-pumps is a follow up shot is usually not an option as you are flapping around trying to refill it. Sometimes the quarry can be pretty cocky/stupid and give you a second chance, but not often.
The TKO is a good idea. I have one for my Maximus.
8thMy two cents,
My kitchen knives are Japanese and German. My pots are American— All Clad. My blender is also USA made—Vitamix. When I purchased them I was willing to spend a bit extra for something that would last me a lifetime. After fifteen Years I have not replaced a single item. If an American company makes the better product I will purchase the item if not I will look somewhere else. Five years ago I purchased a used Silver Streak from the late 70’s for $75.00. Still shoots as new and I have no need to replace it with a pumper with a plastic receiver. It seems that most are willing to spend the additional $25 for a metal receiver. Crosman’s marketing department must be saying that the reason for the plastic receiver is to make the pumper affordable to most. I say Crosman was listening with just one ear. Yet another missed opportunity to make a better product. Cutting corners that’s what I say. Cannot blame the chip shortage. I do not believe the pumper has any microprocessors.
Alex
I said from the begining and before the 362 was born that it should of had the steel breech and a wood stock.
And if Crosman is reading the reports maybe they will come out with a upgraded 362 with a wood stock and steel breech. If they do I will still buy it if they added $75 to the gun. The whole idea about the 362 was to have solid wood stock and steel gun. Not to say I don’t like 362 as is because I do. But the steel breech and wood stock would of set the deal for me for sure.
Ideal “Truck” gun
This rifle is shaping up to be a durable airgun to carry on my daily rounds. I hope it can be both tough enough to bounce around some and still take the occasional pest. I have never been willing to throw my 392P in the bed with the wire and fence posts.
jumpin
Jumpin-
Ha! Has my notion of a truck gun been wrong all these years? The idea of a Bed Gun made me snort my corn flakes out- scrape, slam! Screeeech, slam! Put it in the cab, son!
jumpin
If your not worried about it getting scuffed up I think the 362 will be very good for what you want. My 362 is a very solid gun.
R.R.
Taking into account that most U.K. airgun hunters bug thousands of small game, up to foxes and rabbits, every year with 10-12 fpe guns, it seems that this power level is sufficient for hunting up to 30plus yards.
Then an optical assistance could be useful to some. As far as a magazine is concerned, it’s easier to use when you wear gloves, than trying to feed a small pellet in.
Although I will never have one myself I would gladly buy it with the losing weight option.
A crosman 101 is the first airgun I ever shot. This 362 is the affordable version of that gun. The 1377 is the pistol version, it goes for $60. A Thompson turned into an M3, the cost of production came down. Adjusted for relative price I wonder what the difference is in todays dollars b etween the old rifle and the newer one. I am going to guess, the nwer rifle is more accurate, only in part because of better ammo that didn’t exist back in the dinasauer days. Its the barrel on the 362 that is the important part to this equation.
Rob
had mine a month or so, installed baker aluminum breech, with utg high rings compact 3x9x40.
W,I,L, good peep setup,
accurate as heck, small lightweight but still usable by adults, solid feel ,good price.
W,I,D,L, magnet holds pump arm closed very well, but buffer to counteract slap not easy,,,,.machine screw holding breech held by boss on nylon stock looks like it may not be up for a lot of pumping if rear hand is holding rifle by wrist of rifle.,,,have reservations about how long rifle will stay together if one does not place a finger over breech to hold it together while other hand pumps. tests of pumping with rifle held at wrist by rear hand sees considerable twist at front of receiver all of which is held by single machine screw threaded unto plate resting against nylon stock,
W,O,S,K, i have 2 more ordered, inexpensive workout blast, shoots well enough for highly contested grudge matchs excellent variable power for kids and adults, enough commonality for immediate and extensive tuning not pellet picky shoots cheapies well, high rings will allow you to get a finger under the scope to hold the breech tightly while pumping and not put too much presssure on that rear plastic stock.
Finally, i own a 1971 c model bought new modded by at that time McMurray and Son to 14 pumps, i also own 2 2006 benjy 392SE, i am saddened to think their on the way out, as the 362 is not the beast a 392 is in strength, corrosion resistance or velocity, further my dragonfly 1 isnt any faster than the old c model at 14 pumps, and has a host of other issues which make comparing it to my 392 SE ridiculous .HELLO CROSMAN I KNOW IT AINT GONNA BE CHEAP,,,, BUT THE BENJY 392 SE WITH CROSMAN TARGET BREECH AND BOLT, DOVETAIL,AND CHECKERED STOCKS OF WHICH 500 WERE MADE IS WHERE WE NEED TO GO IN 25 CAL ID PAY 500 BUKS EACH THANX
pumpnshots,
I have one of the 500 Benjamin 392SE and have occasionally wondered why that never went beyond the initial 500. Some of it was all the non-owner complaints about a scoped 392 being hard to pump and the “obvious” GREAT RISK of damage of some murmur,mumble,mumble,mumble sort!
The 39X conversion (as well as the entire 13XX & 22XX family) to .25 caliber is simple with the steel breach since the reciever is bored out to .25″ all you need is a .25 caliber bolt and barrel that fits…easy-peasy! A valve modification helps as well as conversion to bulk fill CO2 or HPA.
shootski
Second that! That is a gun I have been trying to figure out how to affordably build with aftermarket parts for 10 years. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had all the components in my shopping cart to build a 17xx or 22xx .25 cal gun and then go, “Dang- that’s $500. That’s what I bought my Marauder for.” So many times.
converted a 2289 to 25 calibre, using parts out of eastern ohio,used the oversized breech and 18 inch barrel. the skinny is @ 20 pumps with 19 gr. pellets 447 fps, so for almost 500 bucks poor ballistics, however because i have a heap of gamo gold plated ammo in 25 bought years ago i manage to get 530 fps out of it with decent accuracy, i would not recommend, as a 22 with 18 inch barrel will almost break 700 fps with 20 pumps. So while its really cool it has very little to recommend it. ballistically. further the nova freedom or seneca aspens i have will for less money blow the socks off of my multipumps, so while my heart is red white and blue my airgun case has quite a variety, i had 3 392 se 366 went to nephew for 8th grade graduation, 407 and 408 are in the case. i believe that it took to long to sell them,further at that time pcp was blowing up the airgun world, and a disco could be had for about the same money, In 25 a 392 isnt probably going to produce good enough ballistics to warrant building one without considerable mods and tons of hard pumping, we might be ok with that but with the aspen 25 cals i got 2@ 300 bucks apiece,cheap to buy, need to be good with orings and dont get it wet but multiple shots @ 700 fps with 28 grain benjies aint my marauders but they aint far behind and the maximus hunter is way easier to handpump and shoots lightsout to fifty yards, OLD airgunner am I
pumpnshots
If Crosman made a 362 in .25 caliber I would buy it today even if I was broke.
I want one bad. And I want to buy it ready to go out of the box from Crosman. I don’t want to make one or mod one. And I’m even a machinist and easily could convert a 362 to .25 caliber.
You listening to our comments about the 362 Crosman!
check out my comment that followed on the 362 part 2 where i get into my 25 calibre 2289, as i feel the 362 would have the same problem. why build what you can buy cheaper that works better, ballistically, even then i would build a 392 in 25 but that silver solder makes it very tough
pumpnshots
That’s one reason I don’t care so much for the 392. The soldered barrel.
In my opinion Crosman should of already built a .25 caliber pumper and a .25 caliber Discovery and Maximus. I guarentee you there would be people that would of bought them. Time will tell. We’ll see. Maybe they will one day.
Do you have any bit of a gap between the end of the barrel and your breech? I have a good 1/16″ gap with the same breech and it bugs me, I can feel the seal catch on it when I close the bolt and depending on the pellet it catches on it too.
frubois,
I think you are feeling when the pellet crosses the air transfer hole and most multi-pumps do that.
BB
Ok that may be, but I still have a visible gap between breech and barrel. I thought tolerances would have been tighter and I’m not sure if maybe (A) the transfer hole in the barrel is off a little bit causing the barrel to not come back all the way, (B) the barrel is a little short, or (C) the breech isn’t made to fit that tight.
I’ve done a bit of work on my 362. Ambidextrous brass breech with two barrel screws. It also has a flat spot so that one can use the stock sight. This also means that the stock screw can be used. Some metal breaches don’t allow the use of the stock sight. In that case, a shorter screw must be used. The stock screw will interfere with the hammer spring. A BSA RD 30 red dot sight. Larger transfer port. Extended stainless steel bolt probe w/magnet. Cross-tip breech screw. A longer bolt handle. A silencer from Buck Rail that works very well. I did take the trigger assembly apart, but just to add a bit of Pellgun oil. I have tried many things to muffle the loud clapping sound that happens when the gun is pumped up. I have removed the magnet. I have added felt pads to the main tube. I even filed down the “ribs” on the inside of the pump arm. All of those things only helped a little bit. It is the one dislike I have of this rifle, and it is a huge dislike. It would make a fine hunting rifle so long as you don’t need a second shot because everything within a 1/2 mile is going to hear you pump it up.
Trigger pull, measured with a Lyman gauge, had an average of 3 lb. 11oz.
Okay, here are my chronograph numbers. I’m using 14.3 gr. Crosman Premier H.P.s.
8 pumps, 10 shot string.
High-656. Low-650. Avg.-653. Using the avg. fps, the foot-pounds of energy (fpe) was 13.54.
10 pumps, 10 shot string.
High-702. Low-687. Avg.-693. Using the avg. fps, the fpe was 15.24.
12 pumps, 10 shot string.
High-732. Low-715. Avg.-722. Again, using the avg. fps, the fpe was 16.54.
Also, I have checked to see if all the air was dumping. Mine does, even with 15 pumps.
The accuracy is very good.
Here’s a photo of my 362.
Here’s another angle.
Not too shabby a setup, if you should ask me. Where did you get that breech? I have a left-hand breech on my 2240 but would like something ambidextrous.
RidgeRunner,
See my comment to Roamin below, Not the only option for sure, I have seen many on the web making different options for the 22xx Crosman and other similar models.
Mike
DAWard, that’s a nice set up. I too would like to know where you got the brass ambidextrous breech. How much did all the pieces cost you?
If you ever solve the Clackity Clack pumping noise issue, please let us all know! You have inspired me to try some mods on my 362 in the new year.
Roamin,
Like a lot of us he may not be getting email notification of a new post, so I found the brass breech over here, https://alliancehobby.com/brassbreech.htm There may be others making it as well.
Mike
Wow, thanks for the link. Never knew about that site. Looks like a modder’s dream website. I’ll take one of each.