Whose got a Crosman Challenger?

[Dairyboy]

Really looking into one of these for backyard shooting and shooting sparrows in our barns on the dairy.

Curious what FPS they actually are shooting at and any other info. Thanks!

[dpittman]

My daughter has one for 4H shooting. Very accurate. It gets about 530 fps +/- 15  for about 100 shots. Might be ok for small birds. It is also stupid quiet. Shot quite a few one hole 5 shot groups at 10 meters with peep sights. Very fun gun to shoot.

[Dairyboy]

That sounds like a lot of fun! It seems like it'd be a perfect backyard gun and good practice gun. For the birds it's usually close range (sub 20yds) and have used a 1701P to fill in that role before so that should be enough power as I believe it was around that FPS also. If not I've tuned quite a bit of guns and could boost the FPS on it to get it where it could do 12fpe pretty easily.

[Ribbonstone]

Do have one...but it has one feature I really do not like.

Been enough posts cussing-n-fussing the ball bearing locked straight pull bolt handle that you really should read do a search and read through a couple the post-strings.

Really do get a pot full of "good" shots as issued (about 5 foot pounds), with long sections of very uniform shots.  Fiddling with the supplied adjustments (just stroke and a "power wheel") can bring that up to maybe 6.5 to 7 foot pounds.

The transfer port is really-really dinky (it's the same outside size as a Disco/Maxi...but has a little .047-.05" hole).  To get power up, all that's really needed is to drill the issue port (would order a new Challenger port and drill it..saving the original).

Kicked up to 12 foot pounds, can still manage a nice long string of about 50 "good" shots.

The only other "quirk" of the Challenger is that the barrel is a couple of inches shorter than the air tube (that rectangular frong sight base extends to barrel to the end of the air tube).  Totally unimportant unless you ever intend to put an LDC on one...which can be done...just not an off-the-shelf item.

Accuracy great.....M-Rod type trigger....LW barrel...2K fill.

If you aren't wedded to the Crosman brand, for very close to the same money, could go with the AA 200T.  Speed is kind of "in the middle" as issued.  But the supplied transfer port screw ("strangle screw")  makes tuning a lot less trouble.

[Dairyboy]

Oh dang I completely forgot about the AA 200Ts. I wanted one awhile back but never did get one. I think I'll probably go with one of them. Thanks for reminding me. I will look into the Challenger problems though as I'm pretty comfortable with them and working with them.

[Ribbonstone]

Do not let me not discourage you if you find a good price on the Challenger PCP (you are going to scope it, so find a "no sight"price)...it will shoot well in a non-bench/not 10meter situation.

The following was shot with one (small) sandbag under the fore ened...my fist under the but stock...and a semi-stable rest (patio table).


I kind of split the difference berween 40-50 shots at 12 foot pounds (deending on your "trip wire" for % of varation) and  100 shots at 5 foot pounds, and when with 86 shots at about 6.9 foot pounds (likely more if I wanted to "aim a touch high").

Which ain't a whole lot of foot pounds.....but can promise you it will work for avain pests (excluding Emu, Condor,Ostridge, etc.)  at typical 60-100foot (20 - 33 yard) back yard ranges.

I USE TO BE quite willing to do a test shoot for airguns that were posted about often.  If I had one, I'd likely gas it up and try my skills at 20 or 25 yards. 

People would compalin...not accurate enough...too accurate to be belived...why shoot such long strings of groups...why not just pick the best....etc.

SCREW 'Em...nothing you do is going to make everyone happy (God bless a DEMOCRACY...51% of the people get to tell 49% of the people to go to hades.


give me a break here on photo size...Photobucket took a dump on me, and I'm just learning to use 'Flickr"...and I'll be DAMNNED if I can figure out a resize.


OOOPS...evidently I did figure out the resize after all.


DSCN0190 by Robert Dean, on Flickr

OK...old-Beeman 3-12X scope (no mil dots) and a previously un-trsted lot of JSB 8.4gr.  Sight in shots at top (it's been a bit from shooting sessions...really cannot remember (and shame on me...didn't note it down) what pellet it was last sighted in for).



DSCN0186 by Robert Dean, on Flickr

So a lady-bug (which is a nice 1/4" sized target) would have at least been well "clipped" for 80 out of 80 shots.

 I do believe it's a slight step behind (and I'm talking a couple of 100ths of an inch on average) than my AA 200T at about the same speed/energy/shot count....but just ONE "twitched" shot out of 80 shots would be all it took to shift thegroup average  difference one way or another.


So please...go ahead and get a low energy/low speed .177 "match type" PCP....will get a "carp load" of shots and the eye-hand-sighting practrice will be just as useful for your high powered PCP's as anything else (after all, unlike firearms, there isn'ta real recoil factor between low and hi powered PCP's).

[K.O.]

Was about to say that's not so good then read it was 20 yards not 10m... On  my better (and near windless)days I can come close to that with my 85 Daisy 953 @ about 500 fps... I think having to break form to pump is the biggest factor... still a lot of fun...

[Ribbonstone]

Certainly not the best shot in the forum....but if I can hit anything within 1/8" of center from a one-bag rest, not really going to sweat it.  FWB 300, AA 200T, RWS 75, or various other "match grade" airguns (although lower is speed) might group better...but the end result at 20-25 yards is the same.

[K.O.]

I shoot mine with a one bag rest on a cat tube... if I go prone  front bag it helps those 1 in 15 shots that look like a small lapse in concentration...

When I was young I did better when shooting unsupported than I do now... rested about the same but I am a hunter  not competition level shot overall IMO...

[Dairyboy]

Wow great shooting! After some thought I decided I'm actually gonna go with the AA 200T. I've always loved the look of them and heard nothing but great things of the quality. Also like said if I want and LDC there readily available.

[mobilemail]

If you decide to buy one, you might want to check out the classifieds on the Target Talk forum.  The Challenger is a very popular entry level target rifle, and often get sold when the kid upgrades...or loses interest.  Might save yourself a couple hundred bucks.

[Taso1000]

Dillon,

Stock the T200 isn't very loud but it "pops" like you a bursting bpacking bubbles.  I still bought a TKO for mine and it works great.

Taso

[Ribbonstone]

AA 200T is never a bad choice...and the price is at least close to each other.

Last time I had them both out were both set for about 4.5-5.2 foot pounds (depending on the pellet)....either would make a POT full of shots (+100) at that setting.

Can certainly see there is a style and size difference.  I've a .22 AA s200 from 2003 that is still working just fine, so the design isn't problem prone (although the folks who want to crank them up in power do seem to have more problems than the 12 foot pound or 5 foot pound shooters).



Unlike the previous post (one little bag on a patio table), took full beneifit of a front and rear rest on a bench.





Over the last couple of years, at least at the low end of power, really couldn't find an accuracy difference when shot on the same day (to at least try and get wind and lighting to be uniform).  Pretty much know why 10meter shooting is mostly indoors, as I do think the rifles could do better...but those little puffs of wind you'd pretty much ignore at such short range do make a difference.



YOu might find this interresting about the AA 200T.

Just using the transfer port adjuster (the screw on the right side of the reciever), leaving the striker spring adjuster alone (so it runs well over about the same pressure range).  Fractions at the top of each list is the transfer port setting starting at zero and backed out a fraction of a turn at a time.

Lists are velocites for the transfer port setting.



So basically, can just turn the strngle screw in until it stops (has a shape that stll lets air get past even at that setting) and have a 5 foot pound rifle...or out and have a 12 foot pound rifle.  It's not "flip a switch" easy, but close to it. 

Changing the Challenger requires a take down and transfer port swap....not even close to "quick change".

 (As to why some settings had 2 as much velocity varation than others...I haven't a clue.)

[Dairyboy]

Thanks Ribbonstone! You definitely give a bunch of info and I really appreciate your in depth reviews so to speak. Yup I'm sold especially on the size. Got one ordered with a TKO also and got 2 scopes to choose from to throw on it. Will probably tune it to 12fpe for most the time and then find out a good low power one for just plinking. Hope mine likes the 8.4 JSBs cause I have probably 5000 that I haven't used in forever.