Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Air Guns Crosman 362 impressions

I finally got my Crosman 362 in the mail the other day, and gave it a bit of a shakedown today. For anyone potentially interested in this rifle, I figured I'd give kind of a quick and dirty breakdown.

The Good
1. The velocity was below advertised with lead pellets (up to 700fps), but still respectable, and very consistent per shot at each pump. I shot a range of pellets between 14.3 and 16.6 grains through the chronograph at 3-8 pumps 3 shots each for an average. The velocities ranged between a low of 433fps at 3 pumps with the 16.6gr SigSauer Daggers up to a maximum of 642fps at 8 pumps with the 14.3gr Crosman Pointed. The worst spread I got among my 3 shots for each was about 8fps, and that was at 3 pumps with the lighter pellets.

2. The rifle has a rear peep sight that is easily adjustable for both elevation and windage. I'm not real fond of scopes, so this was a big selling point on the rifle for me.



3. Accuracy was pretty decent, given one of the limitations coming up in "the bad" section. The rifle seemed to prefer domes of the pellets I tried. Groups with both the RWS Superdomes and H&N Hammer Domes at 15 yards were repectable. I'll try some groups at 25 yards after I make some tweaks to the rifle to help with accuracy.



4. The rifle is well balanced, and shoulders very nicely. The stock comb is matched very well for the peep, so aiming is quick.

5. Pumping effort isn't bad... takes way less effort than the old Benjamin or Sheridan Streak rifles.

Now... The Bad.

1. The front sight is waaaaaaaaay too fat for any kind of precision aiming past 10-15 yards. It is plastic, so I'm going to be sanding it down narrower before I shoot some 25 yard groups. Almost 1/8" thick is just unacceptable for a rifle that is designed to be shot with irons. Past about 20 yards, you are no longer aiming, you're just pointing and hoping.


2. The bolt ergonomics are horrible. The handle is tiny, and the way it is bent, it rests right up against the edge of the stock. It is almost impossible to use with gloves; I tried it with some fairly thin gloves on.



3. The trigger is lousy... even by cheap airgun standards. A Daisy 880 trigger feels like a benchrest trigger in comparison. Not only is it very creepy, the break point is inconsistent.


And on to... The Ugly.

1. I know looks are subjective, but this is an ugly rifle. The stock is just hideous, it looks like a prop from some crappy, made for TV sci-fi movie.

2. The barrel and air tube had some surface rust spots on it right out of the box. I had already cleaned it up, but you can still see some discoloration where a rust patch had been.




I have really mixed feelings on this thing. Given how nice it carries and shoulders I think I could like it if the accuracy is there once I thin that front sight down, but it just feels like there is a lot of missed potential with this design. I really wonder what they were thinking with the bolt handle and front sight. 🤷‍♂️

The sights, front and rear, are the same ones they put on the 2240 co2 pistol. In fact they use those same sights on several different rifles and pistols. They suck but they're cheap and that's why they use them.

I like the rear sight, but that front is crap. I just finished narrowing it down to .075" a few minutes ago. I'll give it a whirl at 20-25 yards tomorrow if the weather cooperates.

Accuracy was pretty good now that the sight isn't as wide as a 4 lane highway.

Of all the pellets I tried, it ended up shooting best with the 14.3gr Crosman Pointed at 7 pumps. H&N Hammer Domes, RWS Superdomes, and H&N Spitzkugels all grouped decent too, though.

best 4 shot group from 25 yards with the Crosmans.