Crosman 1077 Tactical

I’ve often said it, but if we want to attract youngsters into airgun shooting, then they need super lightweight hardware, otherwise just fighting to lift the gun in the first place is a big turn-off. On test here is an interesting proposition, and whilst it is firmly in the fun-gun category, it has a lot to offer. The Crosman 1077 has been a popular model for some time, and now the mighty American brand has decided to capitalise on its popularity by introducing the brand new 1077 Tactical. This features much the same CO2-powered action, yet offers a full-length tactical synthetic stock, complete with an adjustable cheekpiece. Consider that the entire rifle weighs just 3.6 lbs and it’s obvious that this compact little sporter can be handled with ease.

Repeater
The Crosman 1077 Tactical can fire pellets just as fast as you can pull the trigger! There’s a rotary mag held within the dummy box magazine on the underside of the action, and unlike many, probably the majority of CO2 guns, this model is designed to fire lead pellets only. That’s a big bonus in my book, as I’m no fan of the latter.

Features list
Open sights come as standard, and on this style of airgun, they’re vital, since whilst this model can accept optics, courtesy of the Picatinny rail up top, a heavy scope can be overkill, reducing the lightweight charm this airgun offers! The foresight is fibre optic, with a vibrant green element that really stands out. The rear sight is a sprung leaf design, more of which in a moment. Moving to the trigger, this is a single-stage affair, and with a push-button manual safety, it’s a well-thought-out design. The rifled barrel sports attractive chemical bluing and the CO2 cylinder underneath is also constructed from steel. Set this against the rear section being fashioned largely from synthetics, and it’s no surprise this model balances well, being slightly muzzle-heavy.

Practical tactical
The stock is a synthetic/polymer moulded affair, and there is a Picatinny accessory rail under the forend, allowing the user to attach a lamp, laser, bipod etc. The drop-down pistol grip is nicely thinned out, even offering a flared base to enhance feel and hold. All the synthetics feel dense and robust, and the rear skeleton-style arrangement gets a rubber pad at the back.

Gassing up & loading
Right, it’s time to gas up with CO2. First, we need to unscrew the metal tensioning cap at the front of the cylinder. With this removed, drop one 12-gram CO2 capsule neck first into the chamber, and then screw back the tension cap. Be positive with the cap, as it’s the tension here that pierces the neck of the capsule and releases CO2. You should hear a short hiss as the capsule is pierced, and then quickly nip up the cap hand tight, just until the hiss stops. On test, this worked absolutely fine throughout, but if you are sluggish, a prolonged hiss means the obvious - you’re dumping and losing all the gas.
As mentioned, the rotary magazine is held inside, so squeeze the twin spring-loaded catches and pull away the dummy box mag on the underside. Now, while holding the loose box mag, slide the small retaining catch to the left, and remove the rotary mag. It’s now easier to push pellets nose first into each aperture. Make sure they sit flush, and when all 12 pellets are in place, replace the rotary mag and slide the catch to the left to hold it in position. Reposition the box and slap it back up into place. We’re now ready.

Handling & operation
On the range, I thought I would start with the open sights, given that they keep everything refreshingly simple, and here, I found it best to keep the cheekpiece fairly low, for perfect alignment. The rear sight is basically a ramp with notches. To adjust, pull up the leaf and slide the ramp backwards or forwards to raise or lower impact. Some windage is also possible by slackening the fixing screw and sliding the unit. It’s all very basic, but it works, and the sight picture is excellent! I did eventually fit a scope, and this requires the cheekpiece to be raised. Just slacken the two nuts, slide the cheek up or down, and then re-tighten the nuts. Personally, with little difference in accuracy, I would stick to the open sights, and that simplistic approach is really what this Tactical is all about.
The 1077 Tactical is hardly noisy, with that muted report of CO2 gas exiting. As for the trigger, remember we’re pulling right through to work the repeater mechanism. In use, it’s perfectly acceptable. The broad trigger blade really helps, as it spreads pressure across the finger pad. Once you realise the firepower really is as fast as you can snatch that trigger, it’s quite liberating, and addictive!

On the range
I used Air Arms Diabolo Field pellets with this Crosman, as I like to use one of the premium pellets at the start, to give anything I test a chance to shine. That said, the 1077 Tactical is firmly in the fun bracket, and it seems foolhardy to spend out on top-end ammo when more middle-market fare would happily suffice. Over ten yards initially, and using open sights, my best efforts saw ¾” groups. Move to 20 yards and you can expect coke-can-sized groups, and here, setting up a tin can alley, all in front of a safe backstop, can be great fun.
We are talking low power here, around 4 ft/lbs at its peak on test, but with around 70 shots from a 12-gram CO2 capsule, there’s plenty of action to be had, all from a gun which is as light as a feather. As usual, keep tabs on the shot count to prevent any pellets getting jammed in the barrel from firing at too low a power, and you won’t go far wrong.

Conclusion
The new Crosman 1077 Tactical is a whole lot of fun, and the repeater action is a neat design which proved super reliable on test. Very pointable and so easy to handle, it’s a perfect first airgun for anyone, whilst being just a brilliant fun gun for others. In short, it’s Crosman doing what they do best - putting a large smile on our faces!