User Panel
Posted: 11/12/2018 9:35:31 PM EST
https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/articles/2018/11/11/crosman-takes-bb-guns-to-another-level/
It looks like an AR-15; it feels like an AR-15; and it can serve as a cool way to introduce newcomers to the concept of a Modern Sporting Rifle without scaring them away with the noise, recoil and cost of ammunition. It’s the Crosman DPMS SBR Full Auto BB rifle. I’ll admit I was a little bit skeptical. I mean, could a BB gun—even one that lets you fire on automatic—really be that much fun if you’re not a kid? The short answer is, yes! The long answer is a little more complicated, but still yes. So I’m glad I decided to give it a go. Fair warning: don’t approach the concept with unrealistic expectations. It’s not really going to let you practice your trigger pull or work on long-range accuracy. But in terms of fine-tuning your shooting position or getting used to being in position for a while with the gun at the ready, this gives a taste of the real thing, thanks to the fact that the manufacturer stays as true as possible to the platform’s specs. These include a six-way adjustable butt stock, flip down sights, a charging handle and a bolt that locks back. Getting started is easy. Crosman relies on dual CO2 cartridges to help you power through a magazine with the selector on automatic. That help with consistency of firing throughout the lifespan of the CO2 cartridges, and it’s a decision that pays off in that regard. While there are no specific figures publicized for effective range, you’ll get a nice grouping from start to finish as you run through the BBs on full auto at 15 yards because there’s no recoil. As for distance itself, don’t think you’re that limited. The BBs will easily fly more than 100 yards—indeed, depending on your patience and environmental factors like wind, you can even hit a target at that distance shooting on semi-automatic. So, as with any gun, remember to abide by the safety rule about being sure of your target, especially when something might roam behind your target, or make sure there’s a backstop. You install the CO2 cartridges in the magazine, which comes with an Allen wrench. All you have to do it oil the tip of the cartridges, use the wrench to back out the tension screws, insert the CO2, and tighten the screws back in so you puncture the tips of the compressed tubes. After a quick test—insert an empty magazine into the magazine well, adjust the selector switch to semi-automatic, and pull the trigger once; if you hear a click, you’re golden—you eject the magazine, load your BBs and get ready to have some fun. When all is going well with the gun and all its accessories, you can expect to blow through several CO2 cartridge reloads in an outing, especially if you’re shooting on the automatic option. Figure on going through about 200 BBs between swapping out the CO2—a fairly simple task. If you’re planning to do much shooting at once, I’d suggest oiling the tips of your power cartridges before you head out as that will save a step during the shooting process. Another option is to buy extra magazines and set them up before you go, but more on that later. The ability to switch from semi-automatic to automatic is based on how a real AR works. In a real AR, the hammer is in the trigger-group mechanism and the bolt carrier group cycles back into the buffer to reset the hammer. The DPMS SBR is slightly different because the hammer is in line with the buffer tube. The bolt assembly goes back into the buffer tube and sears the hammer up halfway in the buffer tube under spring tension, Crosman representative Jay Duncan explained. When the bolt cycles, it resets the hammer after each shot on semi-automatic, but it does not do that when the setting is on full auto until you release the trigger. As for looks, the DPMS is a good clone of an AR. Besides having the heft of an AR (the weight is comparable even though the structural “metal” is a glass-filled nylon polymer), it boasts many of the features you’d expect in a real firearm, from flip-up “iron” sights to a six-way adjustable butt stock, to a Picatinny rail. If you’ve read any blogs or FAQ sites about the product, you’re bound to have discovered a hint of dissatisfaction as minor shortcomings have been noticed. That said, Duncan gave assurances that these were just wrinkles associated with the rollout of a new product, and he said Crosman is ironing them out. One complaint was that the magazine doesn’t last long—and with an MSRP of $49 for a replacement, it could be an expensive fix if you rectify the problem by just buying a new magazine. That said, the issue can be remedied more easily. Duncan said the woe was attributed to the seal for blowback function acting up or get pushed out of position pretty easily. Reseating the seal helps, and you can even replace it as needed. The problem presented itself with the first production run and affected only a fraction of that shipment, Duncan said. “Some of the guns basically were missing and e-clip that would hold the green seal in place. It could cause it to flip while for firing, basically preventing the firing pin from striking the magazine,” he explained. It’s worth noting that the speedloader presents minor difficulties, too. Basically, it has a holding well for BBs, and a spring-loaded plunger. An attachment hooks to the loading lever on the magazine and lets you push in new ammo pretty easily. While the concept is nice, it takes a certain touch to get it to work. Some critics address this on videos and say that jams are often related to using non-Crosman BBs, which can be ever so slightly bigger. I had to take the device apart to fix jams and I was using Crosman BBs, which was perplexing. But when it’s working well, it does make loading the magazine significantly easier. Be sure to deplete your CO2 cartridges or take them out of the magazine when you’re not using the gun, as leaving them in could lead to functional problems. As for extra magazines, you can buy them, but the company is selling them faster than it can make them. But, with the holidays coming up, Crosman has scheduled a production run that will hit inventory before Thanksgiving. |
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Pyramid Air is selling them for $150.
Sort of want. https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Crosman_DPMS_SBR_Full_Auto_BB_Air_Rifle/4571 |
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Hopefully it’s better than the full auto Umarex Steel Storm I bought my son a few years ago for his birthday. Made it through roughly 200 bb’s and it quit working, sent it back to Pyramid Air and gave up on full auto B.B. guns. The Russian Baikal Drozd is the one to get but no longer imported.
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Quoted:
Hopefully it’s better than the full auto Umarex Steel Storm I bought my son a few years ago for his birthday. Made it through roughly 200 bb’s and it quit working, sent it back to Pyramid Air and gave up on full auto B.B. guns. The Russian Baikal Drozd is the one to get but no longer imported. View Quote |
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I’d like to see a video of this thing in action, and to see how it does over time
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Quoted:
Hopefully it’s better than the full auto Umarex Steel Storm I bought my son a few years ago for his birthday. Made it through roughly 200 bb’s and it quit working, sent it back to Pyramid Air and gave up on full auto B.B. guns. The Russian Baikal Drozd is the one to get but no longer imported. View Quote My Steel Storm lasted at least 1500 BB's and countless CO2 cartridges before I gave it to a friends son that fell in love with it. Instead of pellgun oil I put a very small dab of vaseline on the top of every CO2 bottle when swapping them out, It really makes the seals last a long time. I do it with all all my air guns and never had an issue. |
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That actually looks like a fun toy to have around to shoot bugs with.
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Quoted:
Pyramid Air is selling them for $150. Sort of want. https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Crosman_DPMS_SBR_Full_Auto_BB_Air_Rifle/4571 View Quote |
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Quoted:
I’d like to see a video of this thing in action, and to see how it does over time View Quote |
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I wanted one of those Drozd full auto uzi'ish BB guns that EAA was importing. Never got one, though.
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I have a drozd with an airsoft large tank adapter. Do my own refills from a scuba sized CO2 tank from a soda dispenser. Super fun.
That AR pattern looks cool, but I absolutely hate the tiny cartridges. |
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All co2 BB guns are pieces of shit. They'll last like 1 afternoon if you're lucky.
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Having to oil the CO2 cartridge tips makes me think this will be the failure point that causes aggravation after the gun wears. Hopefully I am wrong.
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That Crossman is willing to produce this is awesome.
I may buy one just to validate their effort. |
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Quoted:
Hopefully it’s better than the full auto Umarex Steel Storm I bought my son a few years ago for his birthday. Made it through roughly 200 bb’s and it quit working, sent it back to Pyramid Air and gave up on full auto B.B. guns. The Russian Baikal Drozd is the one to get but no longer imported. View Quote |
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One of my buddies had one of those full suto bb guns that took cans of freon when we were kids. That thing was ridiculous. Held like 1500 bbs or some shit and fired crazy fast.
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Quoted:
Hopefully it’s better than the full auto Umarex Steel Storm I bought my son a few years ago for his birthday. Made it through roughly 200 bb’s and it quit working, sent it back to Pyramid Air and gave up on full auto B.B. guns. The Russian Baikal Drozd is the one to get but no longer imported. View Quote |
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Let us hope that brings about a massive stroke for Chuck the schmuck Schumer, Feinstein, Pelosi, Bloomberg, and Andrew I should have been a cum stain Cuomo.
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Heh. My Steel Storm lasted at least 1500 BB's and countless CO2 cartridges before I gave it to a friends son that fell in love with it. Instead of pellgun oil I put a very small dab of vaseline on the top of every CO2 bottle when swapping them out, It really makes the seals last a long time. I do it with all all my air guns and never had an issue. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
Hopefully it’s better than the full auto Umarex Steel Storm I bought my son a few years ago for his birthday. Made it through roughly 200 bb’s and it quit working, sent it back to Pyramid Air and gave up on full auto B.B. guns. The Russian Baikal Drozd is the one to get but no longer imported. My Steel Storm lasted at least 1500 BB's and countless CO2 cartridges before I gave it to a friends son that fell in love with it. Instead of pellgun oil I put a very small dab of vaseline on the top of every CO2 bottle when swapping them out, It really makes the seals last a long time. I do it with all all my air guns and never had an issue. As for the oil, I do the same to all my air guns also, the Storms being made at that time we’re just notorious for locking up. |
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I honestly thought such a thing was illegal. I seem to recall a BB sprayer that ran on a can of Freon and was outlawed...oh...wait.
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Every CO2 cartrdge bb gun I ever had contact wth was a major POS.
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That's pretty cool. Sure beats the Red Ryder I had when I was growing up.
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How long before they are forced to paint the front some color so that it is not mistaken for a firearm.
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Are the seals better than the Umarex? Seal failure and lack of suitable replacements make them a short term waste of money, IMO.
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As fucked up as NFA and Hughes had rendered the MG market, and people’s infatuation with shooting machineguns, I’m really surprised pneumatic full-auto isn’t more of a thing.
I think a well-made, reliable select-fire airgun would be market-viable at as much as 3-5 hundred bucks. |
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Bought one for the kid. Awesome gun and a good way to introduce someone to the AR platform. Decent enough recoil.so firing it at full auto is a hoot. I put a cheap red dot on it and replaced the BUIS. My only complaint is the price of the extra magazines.
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