It’s great to see companies come out with unique ideas. Whether they are new mechanical improvements, or just design changes, it’s fun to try out new products. Today we are going to take our first look at a very uniquely designed breakbarrel that’s cast off the traditional moldings for a highly tactical and modern look and feel. It’s the Crosman MTR 77 NP.
Aesthetics:
The Crosman MTR 77 NP is a nitro piston break barrel airgun surrounded by a composite stock shaped to look like an M-16 or AR 15. The weight and balance is amazingly similar to the firearm it mimics. The materials used for the stock and the aesthetics feel extremely well made and do not feel like cheap plastic.
Crosman MTR 77 with Hawke 2-7×32 ScopeThe stock is ambidextrous and pulls well to the shoulder. While most of the aesthetic accoutrements are composite, the flat
top receiver is metal and will accept any optic that uses weaver style mounts. This version of the rifle does not ship with any open sights so Crosman bundles their standard 4 x 32 Centerpoint scope. There must have been a mix up somewhere because the bundled rings were not the heavy duty rings pictured on the box. You’ll definitely want to get a set of heavy duty rings along with this rifle at the time of purchase.
Some other unique features of the MTR 77 NP include the built-in sling mounts and magazine storage. This would be a good place to store a 177 bore snake for quick barrel cleaning in the field.
All in all it’s a very good looking rifle that also feels really good in your hands and pulled to your shoulder. The big question will be, will the MTR 77 NP perform as good as it looks.
Basic Operation:
Although the look of the MTR 77 NP is dramatically different from other break barrel airguns it operates in the same way. Here are some basic steps to properly operate the MTR 77 NP.
- The first thing you’re going to need to do is engage the manual safety.
- Next cock the gun by pulling down on the barrel until it locks into place. ALWAYS make sure to secure the barrel at all times while cocking and loading the rifle.
- Next load the pellet into the breach through the loading slot in the top of the hand guard, again make sure that you are securing the barrel with your other hand.
- Next go ahead and close the barrel.
- To fire, aim the gun at your desired target, release the safety, and gently squeeze the trigger.
Shooting the Crosman MTR 77 NP is definitely a lot of fun as long as you’re not trying to achieve match grade accuracy. You can get reasonable accuracy but it’s going to take a lot of practice and patience. Because of its design, use of the artillery hold is problematic because you can’t get the same balance that you would normally get from a traditionally designed break barrel. Another major shortcoming that impacts the rifle’s shootability is the standard Crosman trigger. The second stage on this trigger is extremely long and hard at 5 pounds 2.5 ounces. It has a smooth pull however which is an improvement over other Crosman guns that I’ve tested. This overly long 2nd stage will give bench shooters a challenge. When shooting from the shoulder it seems less of an issue. With that said it is accurate enough to get the job done out to about 20 yards and more importantly it looks amazingly cool doing it.
Well that wraps up part 1 on aesthetics and basic function. In part 2 we’ll talk about accuracy and performance.
