Air Gun Home :: View topic - Crosman 1000x

albionwood · New Member

First time airgun user here, long time shooter tho. Got a Crosman Quest 1000 with the 3x9 scope, mainly for shooting starlings and other small pests around the farm. It shoots pretty well with the open sights, about as well as I can do with these 50-year-old bifocal-assisted eyes. But when I attach the scope and try to sight it in, the groups open up - way up, especially in the vertical direction. Can't sight-in if you can't get a group, and at 10 yards I can't group closer than about 3 inches with the scope. With the open sights I can keep them under 2 inches. This despite the fact that I get a vastly better sight picture with the scope.

Is this a problem with the gun, the scope, me, or something else? The open sights are mounted on the barrel, whereas the scope mounts on the receiver - so I suspect the barrel just isn't getting perfectly aligned with the scope each time it's cocked. This would be a problem with the gun and its design. Do other break-barrel rifles have this problem? Is there any way to make the rifle work with a scope? I can't expect to hit a starling at 30 yards with open sights, even if he holds still long enough for me to get the damn bifocals adjusted right...

AirGunEric · Site Admin

The 2100 you have- as it came with a scope I assume it's relatively new (i.e. from the last 7 or 8 years- which makes it a "2100B". Now add in that it came with the scope in the box and Crosman calls it a "2104X". None of this is particularly relevant- except to tell us that you have the Crosman 0410 scope on it.

It would be this gun, correct?

That being said, perhaps a bit of scope 'terminology': The 0410 is a "4x15" scope, which means it has a 4 times magnification and the aperture through which you look is 15mm in diameter. I personally own two of the 0410 scopes, but my eyesight isn't great at the best of times- and I find the 15mm aperture a real pain-in-the-a$$, so I've only tended to use it on occasion mainly for testing guns.

Anyways, the 0410 is a "Made in China" special, it is cheap (price-wise) and not the sturdiest unit (i.e. don't use it on a springer-type airgun). If you are comfortable with it, it should work on the multi-pump pneumatic 2100 just fine. Unfortunately- if you just can't get it sighted and you are shooting 3" groups with it, and 2" groups with the gun's sights- it may just be defective straight from the factory (not going to be the first time I can assure you), either that, or because of the small aperture it has- you are shifting where you look through it ever so slightly every time you line it up. It has very little margin for movement and is only usable when about 2 3/4 - 3 1/4" away from your eye- anything closer or further out and you will notice "shrouding" creeping around the edges.

I would suggest you take it back where you got it and see about a replacement. Or, call Crosman customer service and tell them your problem and they may just send you a new one straight off (Crosman USA customer service is generally exemplary, Crosman Canada customer service not so much so, and Crosman International dealers who do warranty repairs can be great or not so great depending on who they are).

If the rifle and scope are out of warranty- you can buy a 0410 for less than $20 both in the US and Canada to try another. But keep your receipt handy in the event you decide you don't like it and want to return it.

Now- for the last thing to mention: The 2100 is a pellet and BB gun. As a result of this, it will either have no rifling in the barrel (a smoothbore) or a very shallow rifling that may not do the best job- the 2100 and it's copy/sister gun- the Remington Airmaster 77 (both made by Crosman) are not guns built for maximum accuracy. Crosman's barrel crown jobs often leave a lot to be desired, so re-crowning it might also help tighten the groups up. Don't get me wrong, I've almost bought the 2100/AM77 on a couple of occasions- but decided against it at the last minute in order to cobble together dollars for something else (or parts for something else).

Here's a topic on the 2100B/AM77:

http://www.airgunhome.com/agforum/viewtopic.php?t=40

Good luck and let us know how you progress. Post any other questions you may have and we'll do our best to assist.

albionwood · New Member

The gun is a Quest 1000, not a 2100. (I considered buying the 2100 and have some notes about it on my desk - must have subliminally jumped from there to my fingers!) Whole other beast!

So, can a break-barrel gun really work with a scope?

23ib0d0n · Moderator

AirGunEric · Site Admin

From the factory a Quest has a 4x32 scope- a bit easier to work with. Check your positioning for each shot as well, and be sure it is attached to the barrel tube properly- the Quest (I own one) can be a bit finicky as to how the mounts are positioned- if they are not on straight and tight they will move around. Make sure that the scope "stop" block (the metal tab with the screw through it) is snug up against the rear scope mount and tightened to the rail. If you still can't get a similar group to the guns sights- talk to Crosman. The scope will rarely/never allow you to shoot better than the gun's open sights at close range- but it will allow you to shoot better at greater distances where your eyes (eye) might tend to lose focus or wander away from the sights and be distracted and pointing downrange. But if you can shoot 2" with the sights and only 3" with the scope- it's likely defective.

Now, because it's a springer- sighting a scope is typically a bit harder than on an MSP or Co2 gun- so try a bit longer and see what you can do with it.

Also- there are a couple posts in here on the Quest- so poke around.

Good luck and let us know how you are making out with it!

albionwood · New Member

Thanks - I did poke around here and elsewhere before buying the Quest - I'll try remounting the scope and try again. How hard should I cinch down on the mounts? I tightened them with a screwdriver; it looks like I could get an Allen wrench on them if necessary. I did have the rear mount backed right up against the stop. What frustrated me was I could put two shots within 1/2" and then the third would be 2 or 3 inches off - usually low. There's no way I was pulling that far off - the sight picture was good every time.

The scope itself is an upgrade from the 4x32, it's a Crosman 3-9x32. One odd thing is that the target image is blurry even though the crosshairs are sharp... could there be something wrong with the scope itself?

AirGunEric · Site Admin

23ib0d0n · Moderator

albionwood · New Member

Barrel straying - that's what I suspected too. I will check the mechanism and see if there is anything obvious. It seems like the break-barrel design would be susceptible to this problem - is it common, or is my experience unusual?

I tried refocusing with the rear lens but that didn't seem to work: first, I had to unscrew the lens almost all the way off to get the sight picture focused for short range, and by then the crosshairs were out of focus. The scope is set up to focus at long distances, which is kind of odd for a gun with an effective range of less than 100 yards. I will try remounting after loosening the scope rings.

Another question: I read the article on re-crowning the muzzle, but on this gun the front sight is part of a plastic tube that covers the entire muzzle. Do I have to get that off somehow, and if so, how to get it back on? I don't see any screws, so apparently it is a friction-fit.

23ib0d0n · Moderator

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Well- you installed the 3-9x32 scope- so the fact it is setup for long-range shooting, I can't explain- but you shoudn't have to have aperture/lens housing practically off the tube to get focus at 10m (I'm assuming you have it set at the 3x magnification at this point). Maybe the scope is a defect.

And yes, the Quest has a plastic cover that is part of the front sight covering the end of the barrel- to really get a good view of things it has to be removed. It is either friction fit, or glued, or both (apparently people have seen all these variations). The best bet to try and get it off is to blast it with a hair dryer or heat gun (without melting anything using the heat gun) to loosen it up and pull it straight out/off.

As for the barrel straying- anything's possible but I would hope on a brand new gun this is not the case. Can you feel/sense any barrel movement when you have the rifle closed? The Quest has plastic/resin barrel block/breech bushings which can wear out- but this more often results in a more consistent barrel droop than straying (at least on this gun anyways). You can buy brass bushings to replace the resin- but the one place I know that made them jerked me around on a transaction, so I won't be recommending him/his services anytime soon.