This Legacy has really taught me a lesson - when you've got a lemon, let the manufacturer sort it out!
Anyway, when I first opened the box, the first impressions were pretty much favorable. The thicker stock and slightly heavier weight gave the gun a "meaty" feel to it, compared to a relatively petite Gamo Shadow. It balanced and pointed well enough, and the cocking effort was really quite reasonable. A few things were disappointing from the get-go, namely the chinsy rear sight and the sandpaper-rough finish on the barrel. Overall, though, I got a good feeling about the rifle.
That feeling dispelled with the first shot. The stiff trigger I had been warned about was there - but I did not anticipate a jumping barrel! When the gun was loaded and cocked, it seemed to have a significant amount of barrel droop that was not apparent when I first shouldered the gun. And when I pulled the trigger, the muzzle could be seen to snap upwards about 1/4 inch or so!
And here's where I made my boo-boo. It appeared that the cocking link was a tiny bit too short, and not let the breach close all the way when after gun was cocked. Instead of sending it back, I decided to fix it by grinding a bit at the foot of the lever.
So now, at least, I could shoot it.
And I quickly found out that accuracy wasn't consistent, velocity was low, the "twang" was terrible, and the cocking stroke was rough. I spent many, many hours of working the gun and replacing parts (including the barrel, seal, piston, compression tube, spring - some at Crosman's expense). Along the way I discovered that it is ABSOLUTELY the MOST dieselling-prone gun I've ever worked on. I also worked on it to address the stiff trigger, the weak barrel lock-up, and the horrible twanginess of the firing cycle.
And when all was said and done, I still could not consistently hit a circular saw blade at 60 yards with open sights - the POI would inexplicably jump up and down. I had discovered that the elevation adjustment on the crappy rear sight was jumping around, and I modded the sight to keep the wheel from rotating - but it wasn't much better! Finally, I tried a scope on it. I fitted the familiar 3-9x32 Powerline to it with HD mounts, and went plinking.
Well, that pretty much took care of the POI shift. The rifle would still toss a few to the 4 winds here and there, but I'll chalk that up to pellet preference. Where before I couldn't hit that stupid saw blade 10 times in a row with opens, I was able to hit it 39 out of 40 tries with the scope. Granted, that's not exactly precision shooting - but it did represent a massive improvement for this rifle.
So now it seems I've finally wound up with an acceptable airgun. I started out with a real oinker, so to speak - and if I knew then what I know now - it would've gone back to Crosman on day one. But, to Crosman's credit, they DID send me the most expensive parts (compression tube/piston) for free, once they heard about my troubles.
Still, compared to my other break-barrels (Quest, B19, Gamo's, Powerline 1000, B20) - I suspect it is probably the least accurate (or the hardest to shoot) and the least powerful. I'm glad I only paid $100 for it (refurb), and not the $160 or so that is commonly asked for it. Frankly, I can't really see the gun being worth it - even when it's working properly - compared to any of those other rifles.
But my judgment might be colored by my bad experience. If one likes the feel of the rifle, it's quite possible that he or she could be perfectly happy with it. My only suggestion would be this: if it ain't right, SEND IT BACK!!!
