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Reader Survey >Crosman Vantage Review: A Budget Springer for New Shooters
- Last updated: 01/09/2025
Most shooters begin their involvement in the sport with basic equipment, which is entirely logical. Over-investing at the outset can backfire, as newcomers, especially younger participants, may lose interest when they realise the sport isn’t for them. That’s why it’s essential to offer products aimed at entry-level or novice shooters, to cater for this segment of the market.
Crosman is a big concern, based in the USA, and now operates as part of Velocity Outdoor. Traditionally, Crosman has catered for the budget/fun end of the market, and thinking about it, they must be responsible for having introduced thousands, if not millions, of youngsters to our game over the years. Crosman makes no secret of the fact that many of its products are manufactured in China, and that includes the budget rifle on test here – the Crosman Vantage.
With an RRP a whisker under £100, this model has to be worth a look for anyone in the market for a beginner’s gun. Admittedly, it’s rather conservatively styled and best described as a traditional configuration. What we have here is a break-barrel, spring-piston-powered rifle that sits firmly and unashamedly in the no-frills bracket.
The ambidextrous sporter stock gets a lacquered finish, and this is light enough to allow plenty of grain pattern to show through on the test model. I reckon the wood is beech, as it has the characteristic flecks in places, and overall, it’s well finished, smart, and functional. That doesn’t include the rock-hard rubber butt pad, which is actually so hard, it surely defeats the object of having a pad in the first place! OK, I’ve calmed down.
The finish on all the metalwork is of a good standard, with chemical bluing applied to the rifled barrel and the cylinder. A few plastic components can be found, including the foresight, rear sight, cylinder end cap, and trigger guard, yet despite that, nothing looks or feels overly cheap.
A scope can be fitted to the Vantage, which comes with a generous run of dovetail rails and an arrestor stud hole drilled into the receiver, making it ready for use straight out of the box. That said, fibre-optic open sights also come fitted as standard, and these work a treat. The foresight gets a bright green element up front, while the rear sight has a notch formed with two red elements. Finger-wheel adjusters are fitted to the rear sight, and while these don’t have number values marked, there are directional arrows.
Once I had experienced the fibre-optic sights, I did eventually fit a scope, just to see what sort of accuracy was possible. As with all spring-powered rifles, recoil is an issue, and it either pays to use a one-piece mount to prevent the mount from moving or two-piece ring mounts with an arrestor block.
In use, the Vantage revealed an irritatingly tight breech that needed a firm jolt to release the barrel from the jaws. This is a niggle that will vary with different examples of the Vantage, I’m sure, and with a small amount of wear over time, it’s something that should improve. Once the breech is open, the actual cocking stroke is fairly reasonable. Just be mindful to grab hold of the barrel slightly further back, as the green fibre-optic foresight element looks vulnerable with no protective hood.
With the Vantage cocked, it’s worth noting that the action cannot be de-cocked due to the internal anti-beartrap system. This is something that is very common on this type of airgun, and I suppose it should be welcomed, given the inherent safety afforded.
If you choose to use the manual safety catch, located in the trigger guard just in front of the trigger, it can be a minor source of irritation, as the tab sits very close to the trigger blade once engaged. But hey, the clue is in the name – it’s manual, so just ignore it if it offends. The trigger itself is unsurprisingly basic, yet pulls slowly through the creepy stage, and the final release is acceptable.
On the range, my test rifle was prone to ‘dieseling’, where excess lubricant/oil inside actually ignites as the shot goes off, and the accompanying spring resonance was also significant. This, however, is quite common for spring-powered rifles, as the mechanism burns off excess lubrication applied at the production stage.
Accuracy with the scope in place proved a little disappointing, with groups around the 2” mark over 30 yards. Imagine tin cans set up end-on, something I used to revel in during my early days with airguns, and the Vantage is suddenly in its element. Here, to be honest, I would stick with the open sights, as up to 30 yards, the sight picture was spot on.
Moving to the chronograph, and using Crosman Ultra Magnum pellets, the Vantage produced a total velocity spread of 22fps, which is highly respectable, and an average of 10.9ft/lbs. These are healthy figures for sure.
A mixed bag, then, but let’s remind ourselves that the Vantage is a budget gun, built down to a very affordable price, and as such, is a solid piece of machinery for the money. It should give many years of enjoyment, and with prices spiralling ever skywards at the top end of the market, it’s reassuring to see that cheap and cheerful guns are still available, as they so often provide the first step into our great sport.
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