Crosman Nitro Venom Break Barrel Air Rifle – Item of the Day
Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.
Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Crosman Nitro Venom Break Barrel Air Rifle available in both 22 Caliber and 177 Caliber. A few months ago I set out to find the best value to price ratio in break barrel air rifles and settled on this one.
There is a lot to like about the Nitro Venom Series. First is price, there are better break barrel guns out there but nothing close to this that I have found in the 200 dollar and under range. Next is quality of fit and finish, now a high end Weatherby this gun is not but as a pellet gun the finish is very well done. Next we have power. The 22 caliber version will put standard lead pellets down range at 800 FPS and the 177 smokes em down range at 1000 FPS.
Now were it really comes together is accuracy, please understand that piston guns have a break in period, more on that in a second. That said I was getting decent groups out of the box with this gun. After a full break in of 500 rounds I can now drill a quarter at 20 yards, and I can knock holes in beer cans off my back fence from my porch, about 60 yards.
Now another feature that I really liked and led me to this pick was the integrated picatinny rail. By that I mean the rail is fused to the receiver, not bolted on. Piston guns have forward recoil, they can be hard on scopes but harder on rings and mounts. Because this rail is welded to the receiver you eliminate an entire point of failure, this rail is NOT going to move.
The included rings are 4×4 rings, meaning they have 4 vs 2 bolts for each ring, this is really important with forward recoil. The included Centerpoint 3×9 Scope is in my opinion the only weak point, but I would pay the price for this gun with no scope so I am fine with it, in fact it is still on my gun. It isn’t a bad scope and it does hold zero (over 2000 rounds now).
It is just not a really clear scope. I don’t expect Leopold quality in a scope at this level but suffice to say it could be better. I will likely eventually put a UTG 4X32 1″ Mil-dot Airgun Scope on mine, I currently have that scope on my Crosman 392 and I really like it. I also think 4x is plenty of power for an airgun and like mildot to play with hold over and windage at extended ranges (50-100 yards).
On break in, one of the nice things about nitro piston is they break in faster. Older style pistons took 1500 or more to really settle in. Most now break in at about 1000 shots. Nitros tend to settle in at about 200-300 but I go 500 before I really start dialing in the “perfect pellet” for it.
Here is my basic break in. I get the gun hitting about center at say 10 yards, then move it to 25 yards, get it basically hitting center, not really concerned about a tight group. Then I put 100 cheap ass pellets in a small dish on my back porch. Every time I get a chance I shoot it until I am bored. I just shoot some of my metal targets off hand until the bowl is empty. I do that until I get though 5 bowls and then get down to picking the best pellet.
So far one of the most accurate pellets this gun shoots is a pleasant surprise. They are the quite inexpensive Crosman Premier 22 Hollow Points. As this is a fine hunting pellet and only $5.82 for 500 rounds, I have pretty much settled on it. It has been more than adequate for squirrels and rabbits so far.
The other thing to do is check the scope rings/mounts every so often during break in. This means check tightness but don’t keep torquing them down more and more every time, just make sure you are not getting movement or loosening. You can also mark your scope with a grease pencil along the rings which will show you any movement of the scope. Though be aware it is easy to wipe off.
So if you are in the market for a good quality piston air rifle that doesn’t cost as much as an entry level center fire rifle, check out the Nitro Venom in your choice of 22 Caliber or 177 Caliber today.
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I haven’t dropped by in what seems like forever, but I saw this in my email and figured I’d throw in my vote on these.
Hands down the best air rifle anywhere near this price point. I’ve had this model since the nitro pistons were a relatively new thing. I’ve taken more rabbits than I can remember with this model, and for those looking to learn trigger control and rifle marksmanship, an air rifle amplifies shooter errors by a wide margin. Learn to shoot an air rifle properly and you can shoot anything better.
Just to add, by best for price, I mean it stacks up to anything inside of $500.
Also, for anybody that wants a much nicer trigger, there are aftermarket triggers that put this up along with much higher end rifles. I leave mine stock because I’d rather build capability on the shooter’s end, but it’s an option.
Hey man thanks for commenting, missed having you around.
Thanks Jack. My electric canner arrived today – love your recommendations. Do you like these Crossman rifles better than the Benjamin 392 you recommended in the past – if you could only own 1 air rifle? Also, what is your recommendation for an even more powerful air rifle which could bring down larger animals?
This gun is more powerful, better range and more accurate.
That said it is larger and heavier and is one speed, if I could have only one it would be the 392, but that is personal preference and I bet I am in the minority.
The Benjamin 392 is multi-pump with typical fps around 500’s. This (and the benjamin trail branded versions of it) are single stroke break barrel piston rifles with fps rates around 800. The multi-pump is easier on non air gun rated scopes and is a bit quieter, but the nitro piston is what I recommend for small game hunting.
If you want mid sized game, you are looking at pre charged pneumatics (PCP) in the .357 – .500 caliber range and a price tag in the $500-$1500 range. It’s a fair substitute for a suppressed subsonic 5.56 for coyote sized game. But you pay for it.
InBox485 – can you recommend a good .500 PCP? Maybe one where money is a concern, and one where money is no object. Thank you very much for your informative reply.
What is the length of pull like on this. Is it intended for youth size folks? I’d like to get it for my son who is a bit small tho handle the LOP on a “normal” sized rifle.
Thanks
Haven’t measured it but it is a full sized rifle, likely 13-13.5 like say any standard rifle.