Noise Level Performance:
An important aspect to performance relates to the “backyard friendliness” of an airgun. While other Nitro Piston equipped Crosman guns come in around 99 to 100 DB, the MTR 77 topped out at 104.7 DB in my indoor tests.
I’ll take a minute to put this into perspective and explain the importance of DB levels with regards to shooting in your backyard. Most, if not all, municipalities have zoning ordinances that limit the amount of noise you are able to generate on your property during different times of day, weekends, and holidays. In my town, you can’t create noise that is over 65DB as measured in the complainant’s property. What is 65DB? It’s normal conversation at about 3 feet. (see included chart for information on relative DB levels) The ordinance reads as follows:
It is unlawful for any person at any location within the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction to create any noise or to suffer, allow or permit the creation of any noise on property owned, leased, occupied or otherwise controlled by such person, which causes the noise level on any property to exceed the noise standards as a measured average over any 5 minute period of measurement, or the noise standard plus 10 dB(A) at any time.
Crosman MTR77 NP scope differenceAs you can imagine, that’s pretty restrictive. Essentially if I fired this gun and my neighbor complained about the noise, and it registered over 75 DB in his yard, then I’d be in violation and possibly guilty of a misdemeanor. Personally I would not feel comfortable shooting the MTR 77 in my backyard based on the above restrictions. This is a VERY important consideration when choosing an airgun.
Optics, Pellet Velocity, & Accuracy Results:
Because the MTR 77 does not come with any open sight options, you are dependent on the bundled Centerpoint Scope and mounts. Unfortunately, I was unable to get the bundled scope to hold zero no matter what I tried. I’m not sure if this was due to the scope or the light duty rings.
Crosman MTR77 NP with Hawke 2-7×32 Sport HD IRFortunately this is an easy problem to resolve. I simply replaced the scope and mounts with something more appropriate. I opted to go with the Hawk 2-7 x 32 Sport HD IR scope and a set of high Accushot heavy-duty Weaver mounts. This combination works extremely well with this rifle both aesthetically and functionally. More importantly, the etched glass reticle is more resilient to the harsh recoil this gun produces. I’m using heavy duty Weaver mounts to lock everything down and they held everything rock steady.
When it comes to shooting accuracy, the MTR 77 NP is going to make you work for every shot. The extremely long trigger pull makes it very difficult to hold steady on the target while the shape of the gun makes using the artillery hold problematic. This results in inconsistent shot groups. While perfectly acceptable for plinking and basic recreational shooting, hunting accuracy drops significantly after about 20 yards.
The numbers on the box for the Crosman MTR 77 NP tout it can shoot up to 1200 FPS with lightweight alloy pellets. The best I was able to do with Crossman’s lightest alloy pellet was around 1130 FPS. Frankly, that’s pretty close to 1200 FPS but they are very inaccurate as you can see from this shot group at ten yards.
The most accurate pellet for the Crosman MTR 77 NP was the Crosman premiers in the cardboard box weighing in at 7.9 grains. These pellets averaged 876.7 FPS with an extreme spread of 13.5 FPS and a standard deviation of 3.7 FPS. The average energy was 13.21 foot pounds. The Crosman Premier pellets in the cardboard box are a great pellet for everyday shooting as well as small game hunting and pest control. Below are a couple of shot groups. The first was shot 10 yards and the second was shot at 20.
Crosman MTR77 5 Shot Group at 10 yards Crosman MTR77 5 Shot Group at 20 yardsFinal Summary on the MTR 77 NP
The MTR 77 is a very unique airgun and worth a look simply on that merit alone. It looks and feels great to shoot. When it comes to basic usability out of the box and the ability to consistently and easily putt lead on target, you’ll need to keep in mind a few key things.
- The bundled scope would not hold zero in my testing. I’m not sure if this was due to the mounts or the scope itself.
- The noise level was uncharacteristically high for a Crosman nitro piston airgun,
- The length of the 2nd stage and trigger pull weight makes it harder than it needs to be to see consistent accuracy.
If you are interested in a really fun gun to shoot recreationally, one that certainly stands apart aesthetically, then the MTR 77 could be a great option so long you consider the various shortcomings.
