Got my Crosman Model 66/664GT air rifle

[birdmove]

  Well I got it a few days ago, but finally had a chance to take about 75 shots. Figured out the shooting procedure and how to use the plastic 5 shot magazine. It works pretty well, once you get then hang of it. Except, I did have one Crosman Hunter pellet fall out of the magazine due to a loose fit. I got very worried when the gun wouldn't pump any pressure the first 4-5 times I pumped it. But then, it started building pressure with every pump, and worked fine for the 75 rounds I fired through it. I started out using the open sights. These must have agreed with my crappy 60 year old eyesight, as it only took me three shots to sight it in using my 6:00 hold. I sight it to hit my point of aim at 10 yards, so I am hitting at the bottom of the bullseye. That's just my personal preference. My first group gave me a nice, round, tight cloverleaf with Crosman Premier hollow points, using three pumps. On my tenth group I got literal one hole group with Gamo Match pellets. The Model 66 showed itself to like Crosman Hunter pellets pretty well too. That's a good thing, since I bought 3 boxes of them to get my order of Crosman stuff up to $100 worth in order to get a $20 discount. Tried some Benjamin hollow points, which just shot okay. Later, I got two  really tight one ragged hole groups using Crosman Destroyer pellets. I then mounted up the cheapo scope that came with the gun. But, it was starting to get dark fast. I sighted the scope in without any trouble, and got out a few CPHP pellets again. Two out of the three groups were about as good as they get, with one group having a flyer out about 5/16". Shot three more groups with the Gamo Match-one being the size of a .177 pellet. Finished off with one last group of the Crosman Hunters, and it was another one hole tack driver of a group.

    I'll write up with more details soon. But, this gun is showing me some real promise.  I must say here, that I am really pleasantly surprised with the trigger. It does have a pretty long travel, but it's a very easy pull with zero gritiness. WAY superior to the two Daisy Model 35's that I have owned. Those have a very hard, stiff pull, with rocks rubbing the linkage, compared to the Model 66. And, this model 66 is showing itself to be very consistent with all the 6-7 pellets I've tried so far (with much more to come). The worst groups at 10 yards are just not that bad.

    I have a decent regular scope, and a BSA RD30 red dot that I could try, as the stock scope is impossible for me to get both the croshairs and the bullseye in focus at the same time. That scope is holding the gun back. And the groups with open sights are very good also.

    Now, I have a very short wish list. I want a scope mount and rings that are a truly see through setup where you can actually USE the open sights with a scope mounted. I have this for my Marlin Model 1894 lever action in .357 magnum, and it works quite well. Then, a guy can switch back and forth between the scope and open sights depending on eyesight problems, or varying weather conditions.  Or, you could have the open sights zeroed for close range, and the scope zeroed for longer range as needed. 

    Anyway, the 664GT/Model 66 at $34.98, with the $20 discount, seems to be a winner. I can only hope that it will hold up longer than the two Daisy Model 35's I have owned. One lasted 11 months. The other about 4 weeks. And this Model 66 outshoots them both easily, though that's to be expected as the 66 is a rifle, while the Model 35 is a smooth bore. Mind you, I have done zero to the Model 66. No cleaning of the barrel. No tearing down and wrapping the barrel with tape. Nothing.

[DavidS]

Nice.   You got the good side of QC on that one (I did with both of mine also).    On the one that I did not wrap the barrel with tape at first it shot good tight consistent groups for about the first 3000 shots, then the barrel began to wobble a slight bit.   So you may wish to pull of the shroud and add a touch of tape anyway.

[stonykill]

 sounds like you got one of the good ones. Congrats.

[birdmove]

   I'm looking forward to shooting this thing in good daylight conditions. I am still amazed that this trigger is so good. This trigger is light years ahead of the ones on my Phantom, and my 1077, and may be better than my Remington AM77 and my Crosman Custom Shop CO2 carbine. I'll have to try loading pellets without the magazine, as I hear that it is possible. I won't be firing BB's in it at all. I had thought that the Daisy Model 35 would handle that chore, but BOTH of them broke down. I do have a couple of CO2 hand guns that will shoot up my BB's.

    I still have a lot of experimenting to do with this gun. Good quality scope or red dot, lots of different pellets to try, varying the number of pumps (so far I've tried 3 pumps with very good results), longer range accuracy. I really don't care about power. If one pump showed to be the most accurate, I'd shoot it at that. Shooting at 3 pumps and using the magazine make for a very easy little rifle to shoot.
   I hope to get back to this gun this afternoon, but I have a very full day today.

[birdmove]

         Didin't get to shoot yesterday, and today looks grim. I read a message from someone living in my area that their rain gauge showed 14" in a 24 hour period. I have to work today and Wednesday. I teach chess to K-6th graders at a school in Hilo 3 days a week after school for the PTA.  I even get paid for it!!

[DavidS]

@birdmove:
That is why I have a covered area to shoot when the weather is bad.  I believe in staying in practice 365 days per year, and 366 days per leap year with no exceptions.

I hope you find a way and wish you good luck.

[K.O.]

Mine was ok but it had the shallowest rifling I have ever personally seen and on mine the trigger was heavy and mushy. Mine needed a good

bit of tuning but I think it would have been a pretty good shooter when I was done.  It is now what I picked it up for though.  I think I will be

able to squeeze  ~17 fpe from its power plant I am at 15.4 right now.