Crossman 362 Air Rifle: Examined and Reviewed

The Crosman 362 is a multi-pump pneumatic air rifle from an organization that has been producing air weapons for many years. It’s mild, helpful, inexpensive, and fairly correct. With its multi-pump pneumatic energy supply and strong accuracy, the Crosman 362 is an efficient selection for grownup shooters searching for a easy but highly effective air rifle.

Solely accessible in a .22 caliber, the 362 is highly effective sufficient when pumped to its max stress (8 pumps) to hunt squirrel-sized small recreation. However solely takes just a few pumps to make it the proper informal plinking rifle. This wide selection of energy and flexibility make the 362 a do-it-all air gun. After taking pictures the air rifle over the course of some months, I used to be happy with its efficiency and person pleasant design. One thing I believe different shooters will admire too.

Crossman 362 Specs

• Kind: Multi-pump pneumatic
• Motion: Single shot
• Caliber: .22
• Projectile sort: Pellets
• Toes per second: 700 toes per second (lead pellets)
• Vitality at muzzle: 17 foot kilos
• Sights: Entrance blade with rear peep
• Weight: 4 kilos, 8 ounces
• Required equipment: None
• Worth: $113.99

Crossman 362 Overview

Multi-pumps, just like the Crossman 362, share most of the identical traits of pre-charged pneumatics (PCPs), which have change into standard over the past ten years or so. They’re quiet, correct, supply adjustable energy, and are basically recoilless. The primary distinction between the 2 weapons is that PCPs don’t must be pumped earlier than each shot. However, whereas they’re slower to shoot, multi-pumps have the benefit of not needing exterior hand pumps or air bottles. 

The Crosman 362’s forestock is the lever, with every pump growing the quantity of air right into a chamber. Pulling the set off releases the air, sending the pellet down vary. Crosman recommends a minimal of two pumps and a max of eight pumps. The rifle encompasses a single-shot bolt motion. The bolt is metallic, however the breech itself is polymer.

With out a shroud or suppressor, the gun does produce a little bit of a snap upon firing however continues to be quiet sufficient for yard taking pictures, particularly at decrease energy ranges.

How I Examined the Crossman 326

I put lots of of pellets by way of the Crosman 362 over the course of some months. Though it has sufficient energy at greater pump ranges to achieve out to 50 yards, I did all of my goal taking pictures at shorter ranges—a 10-yard vary and a 20-yard vary. I examined all kinds of ammo, from mild alloy pellets to heavy lead slugs. 

The Crosman 362 options iron sights. The breech isn’t scope-compatible, however you’ll be able to swap it out for a Crosman’s aftermarket metallic breech—the identical one that may be a standard improve for the Crosman 2240 pistol. The metallic breech has 11mm dovetail slots for mounting a scope or an aftermarket rear sight. Crosman supplied a breech package and a Centerpoint 4X32 scope for this check. I shot the 362 with each iron sights and the scope.

How the Crossman 362 Carried out

Out of the field, the Crosman 362 options good construct high quality for a gun that doesn’t crack the $115 mark. The rifle is mild, weighing simply 4 kilos, 8 ounces. And at 35 ½  inches lengthy, it’s helpful and maneuverable.

The foregrip on the Crosman 362 is almost 14 inches lengthy, which supplies an necessary leverage benefit that shall be appreciated on greater pump counts—which prime out at about 30 kilos. An extended taking pictures session, when repeatedly pumping to full energy, will present an honest exercise. There’s a little bit of squeaking in the course of the pump stroke and a strong clap on the finish of the stroke. One thing I observed immediately. 

Crosman says the 362 maxes out at 700 toes per second for lead pellets. I hit that quantity with light-weight pellets, however the accuracy was poor.  Capturing 18.13-grain H&N Baracuda Diablos, the Crosman 362 produced a 5-shot string with a excessive of 619 fps and a low of 596 fps for a mean of 611 fps and an ordinary deviation of 9 fps. That’s 15 foot kilos of kinetic vitality. The rate for that very same pellet dropped to a mean of 527 fps with solely 5 pumps. The unfold was a a lot better 9 fps for the standard deviation of three.6. The vitality additionally dropped to 11 foot kilos with 5 pumps.

The 2-stage set off is surprisingly good for a gun at this value level. The again wall was strong, and the break was pretty crisp.

Accuracy

Lots of my teams featured three or 4 nice pictures and a flier or two. Was that because of the gun or the shooter? As an experiment, I pulled out my solely private rifle with a peep sight—a classic Feinwerkbau 124—and shot just a few teams. I do know from after I had the FWB rifle scoped that it’s very correct for a springer. Positive sufficient, my teams with the long-lasting German rifle had been comparable, which tells me that the Crosman 362 teams would possible be higher for shooters with higher eyes than mine.

If a gun shoots like that with iron sights, how good would it not be with a scope? Higher, as anticipated. However the place of the scope, which doesn’t add important weight, made loading pellets a bit of tougher. I really most well-liked the simplicity of iron sights. So I eliminated the scope and switched again to the inventory breech and the built-in rear peep. If I owned the gun, I would put the metallic breech again on and set up an aftermarket rear peep. Or perhaps not. Once more, the rifle is fairly good straight out of the field.

Ammo

Similar to with many PCPs with adjustable energy, accuracy diversified relying on energy and pellet sort. Dome-shaped pellets within the 18- to 22-grain vary carried out constantly nicely at 5 to eight pumps of energy. I had equally good outcomes with 18.1 grain FX, H&N, and Air Arms Diablo ammo. Wadcutters additionally carried out nicely, as did the polymer-tipped Gamo Purple Hearth pointed searching pellets. I attempted a pair totally different slugs and hybrid slugs at eight pumps, however the teams had been terrible. The accuracy candy spot for me was 5 pumps, which isn’t shocking given how the facility was extra constant than at eight pumps.

What I like about Crossman 362

The 362 supplies a variety of the identical advantages as a pre-charged pneumatic—respectable energy, no recoil, and good accuracy—and does so in a cheap, standalone package deal without having for exterior energy sources. Typically it’s good to only seize a gun and a tin of pellets and go.

The 362 is mild, helpful, and solidly constructed for a gun that prices lower than $115. It’s nice for plinking, however remember that the reasonably snappy report at greater energy would possibly garner the eye of tremendous noise-sensitive neighbors. It’s a nice gun for goal taking pictures and plinking, but in addition has sufficient energy for searching small recreation.

What I don’t like concerning the Crossman 362

As a result of effort required to pump the Crosman 362 to full energy, it isn’t your best option for youthful or smaller shooters. My younger grownup daughters couldn’t pump it with out bracing the butt. Even for stronger shooters, an extended session could be tiring. However the actuality is that this was by no means meant to be a gun for two-hour vary periods. 

Whereas the Crosman 362 has loads of energy and accuracy for small recreation searching, it isn’t ideally suited for conditions the place there’s a necessity for fast follow-up pictures or the place the unavoidable noise of pumping will spook recreation.

Remaining Ideas

This rifle is a value-priced shooter that does a variety of issues moderately nicely. It isn’t an alternative choice to pre-charged pneumatic rifle, however somewhat a easy entry degree air gun. The Crossman 362 is constructed for the informal shooter searching for a enjoyable plinker that may additionally get the job performed on pests or within the searching woods. However even air gun fanatics will discover quite a bit to love about this rifle, which might be a wise and sensible complement to a group, together with one which additionally options high-end rifles.