Whoa Baby, now THAT'S more like it! This is the Model 2300, a product of Crosman's Custom Shop (http://www.crosman.com/custom-shop/), a division within Crosman which allows enthusiasts to create custom pistol and carbine interpretations of the super-popular 2240 platform. You choose your barrel length, long or short steel breech, type of sights, muzzle, and grips (These parts and others can be purchased separately from the Custom Shop to upgrade your 2240). Items from the custom shop demonstrate a noticeably higher level of finish than standard production versions, along with toned-down warning labeling on the airtube. You can even have yours custom engraved with your nickname or initials, how about that! Custom Shop triggers, though not perfect, are easily adjustable for pull weight, and include a trigger stop pin in the trigger guard.
I like the way you can click away on the Custom Shop site, to change the appearance and cost of your dream piece in real time. Neat! After several visits and lots of clicking, I was ready to go all the way. So, with the help of my good friend Vin (whose job was to sit there and say "Yeah, get it, get it!") I ordered mine up as follows: 10.1" barrel, long steel breech, black muzzle, Williams notch rear sight with front post, and Cocobolo grips. In about 4 weeks, Mr. Brown Santa came rolling up with the goodies, and I was about $220 lighter.
How's it work? I think you're gonna' like it! In warm weather (the friend of CO2-powered guns) the 2300 sends 14.3 grain Crosman Premiers across the chronograph at just over 500 feet per second (compared to around 440 fps for the standard 2240 with its 7.5" barrel). This gives a pretty decent 8 ft/lbs of muzzle energy (fpe). Figure on getting about 35 to 40 full-powered shots per 12-gram CO2 Powerlet with the 2300 or 2240. There are aftermarket modifications available which increase the muzzle velocity to near 600 fps while reducing the number of full-power shots to about 20. While this is no hunting airgun, it would be far better for close-range pest control than a .177 caliber gun firing its lighter pellet at the same velocity. A 7.9 grain .177 cal pellet moving at the same 510 fps carries only about half the energy, at 4.5 fpe. Do you want to be undergunned when that opossum comes charging out of the garbage can? Of course, for punching holes in paper none of this fpe stuff matters, and from 30 feet away I'll typically group about 3/4" to 1" using the open notch Williams sight and front round post, when shooting from a rest. I'm beginning to check out some red-dot sights, but I really enjoy the challenge and tradition of using open sights for handgun target shooting. I notice that the Custom Shop gun with its longer barrel is quieter than the standard 2240, wich could be a plus in some circumstances.
Every gun is best for something, and this one's best for shooting...stuff! Ping Pong balls, little army men, soup and Tuna cans, paintballs, whatever. Plastic drink bottles on tomato stakes give a nice "THWACK!" upon impact, but beer cans look cooler. The creepy single-stage trigger begs for a custom setup (A custom custom?) and the casting line on the barrel band reminds us of the gun's humble origins, but overall it's a beautiful, hand-filling and satisfying hunk of metal and wood. There is a huge cult following of this 2240 platform, and the aftermarket offers modifications ranging from the basic to beyond imagination. It's the Ruger 10/22 of the airgun world, you might say.
I enjoy the heavier weight and solid heft of this gun. It's this more substantial feel which seems to add so much to the perception vs. the standard 2240. Longer barrel, steel breech and wood grips will do that for you, yep. Speaking of grips, I believe they are supplied to Crosman by RB Grips (Ralph Brown). Aside from the Cocobolo, you can also choose Zebrawood, Maple or Walnut, all very nice. The set I received still showed more swirly sanding marks than I like to see, and I didn't care for the glossy finish anyway, so I chemically stripped them, then smoothed them using steel wool, then oiled them. They now have the perfectly smooth, satin finish I prefer. Overall the Custom Shop treatment results in a very cool, custom and unique air pistol that doesn't break the bank, while pride of ownership adds to the value.
Thanks for stopping by! Please keep this airgun blog in your sights, and I welcome your comments.
Safe Shooting,
Ken
