crosman c40 review

Picture courtesy of SL33pyRiceBoi.

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Value for Money	8.1/10
Reviewer Rating	7.9/10
Overall Rating	8.1/10

85% Recommended17 out of 20 Reviews

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Review of Crosman C40

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By tmbechtel on 10th Apr 2005

tmbechtel's Ratings

Value for money	8/10
Overall value	8/10
tmbechtel's recommendation

Good Points

Well built overall. Strong power. Easy loading (CO2 and ammo). Heavy/not plastic. Not toy-like. Good value.

Bad Points

Grips (but see review).

General Comments

The Crosman C40 is a clunky, heavy American product (the norm), but it is well constructed and very fun to shoot. It really packs a wallop for a pellet gun.

I saw all the review on the loose right grip. I bought this (and a Walther CP 99) a week ago after reading all these reviews (helpful, thanks). Right grip notwithstanding, it was a great choice, especially for $105 US. Yes the grip is loose, but it is meant to be, unless a CO2 is installed. With the CO2 bottle in place, it is tight (although tightening the metal hold down clip on the grip helps make it absolutely tight, per another review). All-in-all, the grip is no biggie, unless you handle it without a CO2 installed. Does anyone know if it is OK to store an empty cylinder in the gun or does this damage anything? I wish Crosman would put either heavier plastic grips or wood grips on the thing, as the rest of the gun is so sturdy and heavy you could back your car over it.

The CO2 loading/piercing mechanism is really neat. I have never owned CO2 guns, so I am a neophyte, but the C40 system keeps the CO2 cylinder away from your hand; that is, you place the bottle inside the grip, then flip a lever to pierce it. When you wish to remove it, you pull the trigger and push the hammer in, and it empties completely while in the gun -- the Walther unit can freeze your hand off if you are not careful because it is out of the gun (removable CO2 magazine) when you relieve pressure. American ingenuity, I guess, or maybe I don't get the gist of the Walther setup.

Anyway, C40 power is great. I noticed better power with Beeman pellets as they fit the plastic magazine better (tigher fit). Gamo pellets and some Crosman pellets were non-uniform in diameter, and some fit loosely. Gamo pellets are so irregular they would jam 1 out of 8 or 10. I would recommend Beeman or Crosman. Not a pellet review but at least don't use Gamo or you'll be frustrated. Maybe due to the Crosman's plastic magazine. Cheap but maybe too cheap.

Accuracy is hard to review, as I have one eye and am a bad shot. But it seemed consistent, and pretty accurate. The Walther is more accurate and more consistent, it seems. However, I have used my C40 much more than the Walther as it is a really cool gun. The weight gets a bit much after a while, but it is neat that it is a realistic weight.

I am glad I bought the C40 and want 1 more for my left hand. It is cheap enough and yet great quality.

12 Comments on Review by tmbechtel for Crosman C40

1. Particle on 30th Apr 2005

   Would you recommend this over the CP-99 you bought?

2. tmbechtel on 4th May 2005

   Actually, I probably would recommend the C40 over the CP99 if you want an all around pistol for shooting and having fun. I have shot probably 1000 pellets through the C40, maybe more, and so far it is the most fun to shoot.
   
   Good and Bad Points relative to each gun, after using both for a few weeks:
   
   C40:
   Good: Power, balance (my hand shakes but this is gun is stable), weight, simple operation, fast loading and surprisingly accurate after sight is adjusted. And the price.
   Bad: Cheap plastic slide release lever is loose...maybe normal but it seems looser than before and it is an important piece that I suspect may not last. Also finish is not nickel, it is just silver/gray metal so not as nice/realistic looking as CP99, but it still looks cool. Now I would not classify the grip as a bad point...it is fine when using the gun. Oh, the rear sight can get knocked loose easily, which is why initially I thought the C40 was not accurate. The sight wiggles a bit and can get knocked out of whack. Easy to adjust though.
   
   CP99:
   Good: Very well built and realistic, if seal goes bad, buy a new magazine for $40 US, almost as accurate as C40 (same for a good shooter..too short and light for me), very loud crack when fired.
   Bad: Paint (black slide version) scratches off easily, white writing is paint, not engraved and it also wears off, not as powerful as C40, need to pull slide back and hold to adjust rear sight = tricky.
   
   Both are good guns. I would recommend the C40 because it has turned out to be way more fun, with its feel and power. I see that it can be purchased for $66 at
   
   https://www.dnrsports.net/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=DSC&Category_Code=airgunscro
   
   which means you can get two C40s for the price of one CP99. I would do that! Either way, you really can't make a bad choice.
   
   Hope this helps.

3. Particle on 5th May 2005

   I feel stupid now for paying $105 @ pyramydair - oh well. Hopefully the C40 will be a good choice...I only wish the CB40 (black) was more available than it is.
   
   Thanks for the information and I hope it turns out good for shooting cans.

4. Particle on 18th May 2005

   After using the C40 for two days now, I'd have to agree about the Gamos. I tried two magazines loaded with Gamo Magnum (pointed, heavy) pellets. The first magazine was rapid fired and all shots fired fine through a frisbee. The second magazine jammed the gun for the first time. After rotating the magazine using my fingernail, the clip was able to pop up and half of the pellets were out of the magazine. They seemed fine when loading, but they were too small during firing.
   
   Crosman wadcutter pellets and Skenco type 2 sabot pellets work wonderfully. Overall, the crosman pellets seem to be more consistant, but the skenco move a lot quicker through the air.

5. tmbechtel on 26th Jul 2005

   An update to my review...I still think the C40 is worth the money. I found a few interesting things after using for a couple of months:
   
   1) The rear sight seems to get knocked out of adjustment, not by bumping it as I first thought, but apparently by a burst of CO2 escaping from the sight screw hole with every shot. I'm serious. I put a Crosman red dot on it and now it is dead on and stays that way.
   2) The gray accent paint will scratch off fairly easily (like when installing a red dot sight).
   3) Barrel is loose (supposed to be that way) and rattles...for some reason no accuracy problems.
   4) "Slide" release lever is painted steel, not plastic (I scratched it and discovered it was metal when refinishing).
   5) Seems to shoot better if I don't put a drop of pellgun oil on the CO2 cartridge every time -- maybe every third or fourth cartridge. Some people do every time. I found it causes leaks.
   6) Very durable (other than maybe paint...but paint on my CP99 is much more easily scratched).
   7) Shoots about same power in single and double action (my CP88 is much weaker in double -- annoying).
   
   Overall, I would buy another. I wish Crosman would spend a little more time with the finish and details, and they would have a better gun than some of the more expensive models.

6. Particle on 26th Jul 2005

   I think you chose the wrong review to update--this one was done by myself.
   
   Good points, though! I'm glad to hear that the magazine release lever is indeed steel. Have you noted if the safety and indexing wedge are this same sort of painted steel? They all look the same and I thought they were all three plastic.
   
   Oil should be applied about every 4th or 5th 12gr cartridge on average. They say in the manual that any light oil is better than none (so turbine oil does work [I use it]--much cheaper also) and that you should definately not over-oil your gun.
   
   I'm still very happy with my C40, months later.

7. tmbechtel on 27th Jul 2005

   Hmmm....looks like my review. Yes, tmbechtel, that's me. Seriously, we did previously comment on each other's review though, so it could go in either. I suppose we have beat the C40 thing to death but it sure is a good product. Thanks

8. Particle on 28th Jul 2005

   My mistake. I thought my email said that my review had received a comment so I didn't even bother to check the name once the page was brought up.
   
   Anyway, cheers to the C40! =)

9. sciungan on 27th Dec 2005

   I was wondering if the trigger was black or silver and if that was metal? I have seen many different pictures and they all look different. Also I was wondering if the whole outside frame is metal because in the pictures it looks like just the top slide is metal and the rest is plastic.

10. tmbechtel on 3rd Jan 2006

    Trigger and hammer are black metal. I have seen the pictures you are talking about; they must have made a slightly different model before, with silver trigger and hammer.
    
    Frame is entirely metal. The color difference you are seeing is because of the paint job -- the sides of the slide are polished while the rest of the gun is painted a gray color. Plastic parts on the gun include the grips, rear sight, round magazine, and the mechanism inside that rotates the magazine. Everything else is metal.
    
    I looked on the Crosman site, and the C40 is missing from the web page. Maybe it is not being manufactured anymore (?)

11. Particle on 3rd Jan 2006

    I've found nothing on the C40 that isn't metal (except for the rear adjustable sight). The entire body is a zinc alloy. The levers, trigger, CO2 mechanism, etc are all metal. The trigger is black and very uncomfortable looking but doesn't actually hurt. I shoot 64 rounds at a time usually, and my trigger finger never hurts. Of course, almost all of my shots are single action (which is a softer trigger).
    
    After having a C40 for half a year now, I still absolutely love its design. Nothing has broken--it appears quite solid. It's also rather heavy. It's actually heavier than a (real) 1911 .45 that I held a while back by a little...so it is no plastic toy.
    
    On that note, I've been hit by a ricochet once. It just barely glanced by me but it cut my leg. So, if you are looking to get one of these, exercise proper caution while using it. While it may not be a high powered hunting rifle, it is powerful enough to hurt you.

12. sciungan on 5th Jan 2006

    You are right, that Crosman is not manufacturing them anymore, I called the company. Thanks for the answers!

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