GTA
Gateway To Product Reviews => Air Gun Reviews => : Gene_SC February 23, 2010, 11:10:45 AM
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First I would like to say "Dat A Boy Crosman". With that said I had time this afternoon to break down the NPSS .177.
First is the stock. Personally I have never like any of the thumbhole stocks that I have shot. Reason being my thumb knuckle does not fit right. Very uncomfortable for me.
The rubber comb pad is a nice feature though. The stock weight is much heavier than any synthetic stock I have held in its class. On my NPSS the stock screws were securely
fastened to the point of aching hands after I got them out..:) That is a good thing though. The stock feels well balanced once the scope is on.
The Centerpoint "4-9-40AO" scope is very nice that came with the gun. In fact I was a bit surprised at its feature with the lock down gimbals. This is another feature that
Crosman seems to be dealing well with. Selling a combo with a good scope. It is clear all the way up to 9 power. As some of you know I am not a Centerpoint or Leapers
fan..:), but outside of this Center Point being heavier than any of my 50AO scopes I own, it has good glass and a bargain at that.
The barrel is a bull barrel and on close inspection it looks like it can be removed. Did not try but you can see at the end of barrel you can use an allen wrench to turn the
end to remove it. I am not positive but that is what it looks like. The barrel is a steel barrel in the shroud, not a sleeve with plastic around it. Great quality there.
The barrel and breech has a common screw to hold and adjust the preloads. Another good quality and it all is steel and not plastic...:) I checked the barrel with a swab and I
have to say it was very dirty with oil. So remember to always clean your new gun barrels before shooting them to get the factory goop out of there...:)
One other note is that Crosman has increased the size of the chisel wedge pin. I took a picture of it so you can check that out as well.
The NPSS is made right here in the USA. Lets hope Crosman keeps that up..
OK now for under the hood of the NPSS.
First off you really need a spring compressor to relieve the pressure from the gas ram. Right away I noticed that the action tube was much larger than any Crosman, Gamo,
Chinese etc. air gun's in its class. Once apart it was very apparent that the size of seal and piston were big. Seal measures roughly 1.1375". About the same O/D as a RWS
350 Magnum.
I had a chance to compare some of the parts from a Gamo that I exchanged the gas piston for a spring. Have had a few of these because of complaints that the Gamo with the
gas ram was way to harsh, and I tend to agree. The gas pistons are the same shaft diameter, but the Crsman gas ram is shorter than the one's I have taken out of the Gamo's..
I have heard the NPSS referred to as a short stroke air rifle... Here is where Crosman is way ahead. The piston itself is one machined part which ways in at about 16 oz. Very
heavy one piece piston but shorter than the Gamo piston which is just stamped metal and it is two piece affair. Crosman also machined a hole in bottom of piston so the gas
ram shaft would fit and not be able to move, unlike Gamo which they just use the standard piston. There are a few other details that make the Crosman NPSS a winner like the
rear adapter for ram to the inside diameter of action fit. Also Crosman has use a solid piece of steel for the rear block. What I have seen so far makes the NPSS a very
solid built air gun.
Three Main Improvements. The larger action tube. Then new design of the piston and it's weight factor. The over all weight of the gun makes for a great balanced shooter.
Just the weight itself will help with hold sensitivity. All around great build. I hope that Crosman keeps putting out guns built like the NPSS.
Chrony numbers. After the deburr and new lubes along with cleaning the barrel bore. I run about 40 pellets through her. Then set up on the chrony.. Respectively with JSB
Exacts "8.3 grn" she was pumping lead out at an average of 932 fps which calculates to just over 16 fpe. I only run 12 shots through the chrony but the overall deviation was
14fps. That is a good as some high end springers get..:)
I have taken some pictures so you can actually see some of the differences between the parts.
Next will be my review on CBT Trigger change. And when I have time I will take some target groups as well. I hope this answers some of your questions. Feel free to ask me
what ever comes to mind on this review that I may have forgot to put down.
Also I will be buying a new Trail NP but will have to wait until the .177's are released.
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A good read Gene..... sounds like a very well crafted rifle. Will be looking forward to part II :)
Jeff
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Many thanks for the eval Gene. Is that a Gamo piston and RAM you are showing as comparison?
What about cocking force?
I kinda like the snake skin looking finish of the stock. (http://../jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif)
Dave
(http://../jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-cool.gif)
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Great first take on the NPSS and I can see where the power is coming from with that big piston seal and compression chamber. :) I got say bro I really like the look's of that shooter, stock and all cause you know I'm a thumbhole guy hehe. Now I'm looking at the .177 is that style lol and if your review of the gas ram shooter stays in the positive ..........I'm now drawn to the gas ram shooters now, darn addiction will get you every time hehehe. She's a sleek looking gal bro and the design on the stock is hypnotizing lol. Ed
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Thanks for the info Gene! Great to know!
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The cocking force is shorter and smoother than the Gamo conversions.About half way through the cocking stroke it gets easy. Crosman has done there homework on this gun. They have actually designed the gun with the gas ram in mind. Cocking leverage is good.
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Hmmm... Not really knowing the dynamics of how a gas piston gun gets it's power here. But would spinning off a millimeter or 2 from the piston adaptor and the retaining block add a bit more stroke? Pretty much setting the whole ram assembly back further in the tube. Possibly giving it a bit more power? Not that it doesn't have enough already though :)
Also would taking a bit off the piston to make it lighter, lighten the recoil and lessen the hold sensitivity?
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Great write up Gene. I always wondered what the inside of my NPSS looked like but I'm chicken to take it apart. I bought the CBR trigger from Charlie Da Tuna and I think it's a big improvment. I have a question for ya? After cocking mine the barrel will not stay at a 45 degree angle, it moves up and down freeley with no resistance at all. Do ya think I can tighten the pivot bolt or does it just have shims in there to take up side play. I did try to tighten it, but that bolt would not budge and I was affraid to force it. Thanks again for the great write up.
Charlie,
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Chuck, yes you can tighten the screw. Just make sure you have a good fitting screw driver. Make sure that you can see some lube around the breech barrel pivot. Generally there are thrust washers in there with a bushing.
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great read. lots of good info. thanx.. i was wondering if you new how loud it is compared to the whisper
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I would say a tad less. I do not own my Whisper any longer but they are close as far as noise goes. My hearing is not that good anymore but maybe someone chime in on this and can give you true noise comparison.
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I would agree with Gene and say the my NPSS is quieter than my Whisper.
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Right interesting read, thanks for the in depth look at the gun. I have almost 500 rounds thru mine, it's shooting well, way better than me. I had an itch to shoot on a rainy day so I set up the 24' range in my shop and had a few groups of three that I was able to almost stack from a rest. It's a good in town gun as far as noise goes. Seems to like the RWS Super-H-Points, they do well on the tree rats. Again, thanks for the interesting review.
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Gene...! I need to tell ya, you're posts are fantastic! I bookmarked this one and several others....Motivated me to take apart my Nitro to Lube Tune...and I'm so glad I did. I felt an occasional 'grinding' when cocking before I took her apart and de-bured and lubed. Now after de-buring and lubing per Charlie Da-Tuna's guidance in the Library, it cocks and shoots as smooth as silk. Most of the parts were already de-burred as you indicated, but the cocking slot on mine was really rough. Without your detailed review and insights, I probably wouldn't have taken her down to investigate. Just thankful for your inquisitive personality, detailed work, and reporting here on GTA. My Nitro is much better because of you. I would post pictures, but I don't have any because my hands were covered in Moly... I'll learn how to better control the mess next time so I can take some pictures. Thanks for everything!!! Semper Fi Tom
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Well Tom I am glad the post gave you the rocks to pull your baby down and fix her up..:) I should mention that the gas ram rifles are much easier to work on than your conventional springer. I have learned allot myself here on the GTA in the past three years. Many of us feel the same way. Bob and I really want to help the new air gunners the best we can and with the additional knowledge of the rest of the family we all can share our thoughts and ideas with others. Best of luck.
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I have the Remington/Crosman NPSS in .22 cal and it's pretty smooth straight out of the box. Mine came with a Centerpoint 3x9x50 instead of the 3x9x40 that was listed on the site's I looked at before ordering. Mine likes the RWS 14.2 Super-H-Points also. It's a real squirrel getter.
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The NPSS is a very quiet gun, it may not seem that way to the person shooting it but I stood next to my friend while he shot mine and I was shocked. If you miss your target, reload fast because chances are it hasn't been spooked.
I'm able to stack pellets @ 25 yards with ease and the scope supplied is awesome.
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After surfing the web for 3 weeks looking for a new air rifle and then leaning towards a NPSS I ran across Gene's posting "Under The Hood Of A Crosman Npss". He answered all my questions I had and I ordered a Remington NPSS .177 today (5-3-10) from Pyramydair,can't wait. Just got married 2 months ago and my wife said she never shot a rifle.
So I pulled out the Gamo Big Cat and we had a great time shooting. She even takes the rifle out when I'm not home and shoots at a target trap that I made, she really enjoys shooting.
Thanks Gene and thanks for this web site.
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Sam, there is but just a tiny bit of preload on the ram. Maybe a 1/16" . I really do not think that would increas the travel at all.
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Larry you should really get allot of enjoyment out of the NPSS. That is cool that your new bride enjoys shooting as well. Generally speaking, women have a better eye for bulls eyes than men..:) She certainly found the right guy to marry..:)