The Battle Of The Cheapies ;- )

[wll2506]

Just when you thought life was boring, here I come (in between bouts of flatulence) with a post that that you could live without :-)

I have with me in my formally nicotine stained fingers, a Crosman Vantage, a Swiss Arms Tac1 and a Winchester 1100ss. The Vantage and the Tac1 are 22 cal, the Winny 1100s is 177 (My C362 Is Pulling Up The Rear On This Post).

The Vantage is by far the hardest to cock, followed by the Tac1 and then the 1100s.

As far as accuracy all these guns are hunting accurate and are built well. All these guns I did work on.

1st thing I did was take off the bear trip on all - a feature that I absolutely hate ! Next thing I did was modify the triggers to make them hunting useful. I then made sure all screws were firm tight with blue locktite applied. Last but not least was the correct lubrication for all areas.

The most expensive of these guns was my Crosman Vantage at ~ $102 when I got it. The next expensive was the the Tac1 that I bought for about $85 or so a few years ago. The cheapest out of all these was the Winchester 1100ss @ around $55 ---- (Just because it was the least expensive does not make it a bad gun ---- it is really a Great Inexpensive Air Rifle).

The stock on the Crosman Vantage is a very simple classic wooden stock, nothing fancy at all, it just works !!! The stock on the Swiss Arms Tac1 is a plastic thumbhole stock that looks very, very cool and it's very nice. The stock on the Winchester 1100ss is a big bulky POS --- It weighs about a ton, is the longest of the three guns, it's bulky, and has no social redeeming qualities, it's just a stock -- it is the worst stock of the bunch by far.

As far as shooting, the Crosman Vantage is very smooth although the most difficult to cock out of these three, it has a very nice firing sequence. The Winchester 1100ss is very nice to shoot, it is very easy to cock and has tremendous power ---- I'm getting ~825fps with 177 caliber Kodiak's, 730fps with JSB Monsters and 655fps with the 16.1gr Seneca Domes (Domes are unsized, and are very hard to feed, would have much higher velocity if sized). All of these have a very high ballistic coefficient and turn this 177 caliber gun into a real hunting machine !!

The Tac1 is the noisiest of the bunch, but she shoots well and shoots 22 cal CPHP pellets very well at just a few fps less than the Crosman Vantage's ~708fps area, this too is a good gun !

Which Do I Like Best Out of These Three ?

Well if I'm out hunting possibly Ground Squirrels, Jacks and Pigeons, I'll take the Crosman Vantage. If I'm going for Pigeons, Starlings and such, I think I would take the Winny 1100ss, as it buzz saws through feathers with its good velocity and heavy 177 pellets with their high BC. The Tac1 is the coolest looking for sure and I think based on the B19 frame as the Vantage is. For me, I would use this gun for general shooting as well as pesting, she has good power and is nice to cock, although not as easy as the Winny 1100ss. Although the Tac1 is third on this report, she is a darn good inexpensive gun for general use.

There is a issue with the Winny, but have not heard of problems, and that is getting parts.

This gun is a Daisy 1000 I believe and I need to call Daisy to get a few piston seals and maybe a couple if springs -- IF THEY SELL THEM !

And That Issue Brings Me To This:

As of right now I recently called Crosman and got a number of parts for my Vantage. I can keep that gun running for years and years and years, that is a big advantage by purchasing a Crosman gun. If today I wanted a inexpensive springer I would wait for the Crosman Optimus or get maybe a Chinese B-19 on sale it still will be more expensive than the Winchester 1100ss but I know I can get parts until the day I die from Crosman. If I could get a few parts for the Win1100ss, my opinion could very well change. I do really like the firing sequence of the Winny, I shot her this morning and was busting a small corn can at 40 yards with JSB Monsters :-)
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Crosman 362 !

I save this gun for last because it really doesn't fall into the category of the first 3 guns, this is a different beast --- for me this is pretty much a specialized little hunting gun !

I have a few of these and I set them all up to shoot JSB Monsters or Seneca Domes with either 6 or 7 pumps. These pellets being very heavy are slower at about 470fps, but they have tremendous momentum and they penetrate and smash like heck. My 362's are set up for short range hunting in the neighborhood of 30-35+ yds and for that distance they are little pounders because of their tremendous momentum !

An example:
Win1100ss@~608fps at 35yds=8,165.44 u/m
Vantage@~547FPS at 35yds=8,429.96 u/m
C362@~414fps at 35yds=10,531.72 u/m
C362@431fps at 35yds=12,255.00 u/m

All guns using the pellets I have been using in these guns:
Win1100ss=13.34gr Monsters - Vantage=15.3gr Daisy HP's
C362=25.43gr Monsters & 28.50gr Seneca Domes.
Momentum technically uses a different weight measurement, but for our use it doesn't matter --- Momentum is MxV.

Did not shoot the Tac1 because I use CPHP's and use it mostly for messing around and a little bit of HOSP pesting.

The C362 is a dream in the field, it is small and light, has a very, very nice stock - and is easy to pump to 6 or 7 times !! --- great for an older guy like me to carry in the field.

Crosman did an excellent job of designing this gun ---- it's a real keeper and one of my favorite airguns, especially at a sale price that comes in at times much less than $100.

What Would I Take for Food Gathering and Pesting ?

As we know nothing is perfect --- there are pros and cons to each one of these guns, but I think for my use, with the ease of carrying, the amount of power, the fact that I can keep it ready to shoot for long periods of time along with the availability of parts for both --- I would go with the Crosman C362, followed closely by the Crosman Vantage. Both are good solid guns that have good power and are capable of taking small game. The fact that they can be in the ready, yet uncocked is big deal for me. The Vantage uncocked and piston uncompressed. The C362 uncocked yet pressure in the tank, but very little movement needed to re-cock gun and get it ready, unlike the Vantage that has to be fully cocked ! The one big advantage of the C362 is the fact that it's pneumatic and there is no recoil, so it is not hand and pressure sensitive. Accuracy in my humble opinion is easier to achieve, I shot the C362 quite a bit today also and no recoil, just the smack of a can 40yds down range ! The Vantage has a very sharp snap, although smooth yet is quite a bit harder to control !!

Pic Of All 4 Guns Below :

L To R
Vantage-Tac1-Win1100ss-C362

OK, let me know what you guys think ?

wll

[Struckat]

I think my son took my 362. We are going to his house today and I will reclaim it.
I think you are having fun with inexpensive rifles.
I think I will order some heavy pellets next time and see how they do
I know I need more time and a better place to shoot.

[Bolillo]

Thanks for the write up.  If I ever hunt I think I'll go with the 362.  That was some good info.

[Matchstickshooter]

 I have had a couple of the Winnie 1100's;  they have come and gone. Used Tune in a Tube on both to reduce twang, smooth things out.
 Also did the trigger mod.  They are the same as the Daisy 1101, so perhaps parts are available.
  I currently own the 362,(now a .177)  and I think that would be the best choice. I can swap calibers, but being a pumper with varying power levels is an option I really like. And no recoil!  jmho.

[Wayne52]

I've been getting a lot of red squirrels and a few chippers in my back yard this year with my Crosman 362, it's a real accurate gun, even with my cast wad cutters, that's all I've been using in my back yard this year.