One day, while prowling around a pawn shop in a town near my home, I stumbled upon a couple of old Crosman airguns, a model 180 and a 700. The proprietor admitted right from the start that neither one would hold gas, but otherwise they looked good. He seemed anxious to get rid of them (I suspect they had been sitting in his shop for upward of 30 years), so I picked them both up for $15.

After getting them home, I took a closer look at what I had bought. The 700 was missing the tap knob, and its bore was badly rusted. I decided it was a lost cause. The 180 was an early model, with the straight stock, cross-bolt safety, and metal trigger guard. It had a broken plastic seal between the barrel and receiver, and the other internal seals were hardened and worn out. There were no sights, and the safety didn't work. I took the little rifle to the local gun shop here and told them to ask around: try to find someone who fixes airguns.

This was duly accomplished. The tab came to $80 for a full overhaul, but I counted it money well spent. I felt the 180 deserved to be saved from oblivion, even if it cost a few dollars more than I had originally planned.

The 180 is a tiny rifle, only 34" long and weighing a little over four pounds. The stock is just a bit shorter than I like, but it is a clean and comfortable design. The barrel and receiver are blued steel, though most of the blueing has worn off the barrel on my specimen. The construction is somewhat startling to me, since I grew up with Daisy and Crosman BB guns made from cheap plastic. Though not fancy, the 180 is made more like a quality firearm.

A single 12 gram CO2 cartridge loads into the forearm under the barrel. With a simple adaptor, an 8.5 gram cartridge can be used. I did this after finding myself with a large supply of dirt-cheap 8.5 gram cylinders. The 180 made short work of them.

Yes, the 180 uses a lot of CO2, getting about 40 shots per 12 gram cartridge. Power is the reason. On a warm day the 180 will blast out .22 caliber pellets at 600 fps or better. That is not in the magnum class, but not far from it either. The power level is startling, coming from such a small gun.

The 180's firing behavior is impeccable. Cocking effort is trivial, the trigger is light, and there is no recoil to speak of. "Effortless" is the word that comes to mind when describing the 180. It is easy to carry and easy to shoot.

I have not fired the 180 from a bench rest. This gun is at heart a plinker, so I decided to test it as a plinker. In my back yard is a large cottonwood tree loaded with seed pods, each about an inch in diameter. They explode nicely when hit. Firing offhand from about 10 to 15 yards distance, I found the 180 can hit them reliably, provided I do my part. Shooting at tin cans and other targets proved the 180 can reach out farther, beyond 30 yards easily. My rifle seems to prefer Benjamin HC pellets. Sadly, these pellets are now out of production, but I have laid in a large supply.

The 180 has no provision for mounting a scope. I considered rigging up some kind of improvised scope mount, but over time my enthusiasm for that idea waned. The open sights work well, and they seem better suited to the gun's nature. Furthermore, I find that range estimation is easier and more natural for me with iron sights than with a scope. This can be critical when using an airgun of modest velocity.

The 180 has its quirks. At first I found spent cylinders extremely difficult to remove from the gun. I had to take a wrench to the end cap in order to get it loose. Later I discovered the cylinder should be fully discharged before removing the cap. Then it comes out with no problem at all.

The cocking knob is also odd. It has two settings, much like the new Crosman SSP-250 pistol. On the SSP-250, the first notch is the low power setting, and the second notch is high power. At first I assumed the 180 also had two power settings, but I couldn't tell any difference when I tried it. Finally, I decided the second notch is just for piercing a fresh CO2 cartridge, and the first notch is the one for normal firing. This remains pure speculation on my part. I would love to hear from someone who really knows.

The low CO2 "gas mileage" must raise questions about the expense of operating the Crosman 180. I went to a local hardware store and priced their CO2 and .22 pellets. I figured the 180 would cost about as much per shot as a .22 rimfire. Buying CO2 and pellets from a discounter could make a big difference. Considering my own situation, I decided not to worry about the cost. For others, this may be a problem.

To sum this up, the Crosman 180 is a really fun gun. It is almost a perfect plinker, with high operating cost as the only potential problem. It can also serve as a hunting gun. Certainly the 180 is easier to carry over hill and dale than the big spring-piston magnum guns, and it has enough power and accuracy to dispatch rabbits. All considered, the 180 is perhaps the most enjoyable air rifle I have found. It hasn't been produced since 1967, but is worth looking for. I recommend it.