May the Force be with you – Marketing bods are usually a pretty clever lot, and the folks in sharp suits over at Crosman are about as smart as they get. So when the company decided the world needed another semi-automatic BB rifle, someone in marketing had been watching Star Wars and said, “Great idea. Make it white and we’ll call it the Storm Trooper 1.”
Of course, it’s entirely possible I just made all that up. Or did I? After all, the rifle is white and black, is called the ST-1 and wouldn’t look out of place on a Hollywood sci-fi set.
Like so many BB Airguns today, this rifle is all about fun. It’s fun to look at and fun to shoot, so let’s take a closer look at one of the most outstanding Air Guns on our website…
STOCK TAKE
Out of the box, the Crosman ST-1 comprises five components – the main block of the rifle being the main one to which the chunky shrouded barrel, shoulder stock and voluminous magazine attach in seconds. The last component, a red dot sight that has two levels of brightness, is screwed onto the long Picatinny scope rail using the Allen key provided.
There’s nothing flimsy or plasticky about any of the parts; indeed, they all have a reassuringly solid feel to them, and they snap into place securely. The 265mm barrel pushes onto three lugs on the end of the action before being rotated 90 degrees to snap home on a short pin. Pushing a catch at the top of the action releases the barrel when it’s time to pack up.
There is a little movement but bear in mind the ST-1 is all about quick fire tin can bashing and not printing one-hole groups. At the other end, the length-adjustable plastic stock simply pushes onto a stem at the back, where it is held in place by a pop-out button. At its longest setting, the length of pull is 322mm. Pushed right in, that comes down to a kid-friendly 267mm. Thanks to the 335mm Picatinny rail, eye alignment on the red dot scope, or even a conventional telescopic sight, isn’t a problem.
Overall, the Crosman ST-1 measures 830mm on its longest stock setting and weighs less than three kg with a full magazine of BBs.
That magazine slams into the breech with a satisfying click and is released again by pushing a catch on the right just forward of the trigger. Behind it, the shot selector toggles between a safe position and semi-automatic mode, which enables a shot to be taken each time the trigger is pulled without having to re-cock the rifle. A third selection hints at a fully automatic mode that is available overseas but not here in the UK.
It’s easy to dismiss out-and-out fun guns like the Crosman ST-1 as toys. But doing so somehow implies a lack of quality or engineering finesse. Nothing could be further from the truth as the build quality is first rate and there are plenty of design features.
For example, a sling attachment just behind the pistol grip and another at the tip of the forend will accommodate a sling on either side of the rifle, and there are Picatinny accessory rails on both sides and underneath the forend.
The pistol grip has a contrasting black, slightly rubberised panel that not only stands out against the predominantly white block but is stippled for added grip. There are more panels of black stippling on the front of the magazine holder, which also provides a secure leading hand grip.
The combined effect is a rifle that feels solid and well-made and demands you take its ability to throw BBs out one after another seriously.
TAKING AIM
The ST-1’s magazine is a reassuringly solid component made from metal and good quality black polymer. Removing a panel on the side reveals a cavity into which two 12g Co2 cannisters are inserted. An allen key is provided so you can turn screws on the bottom to secure the cannisters in place and piece the top to release the Co2. Make sure you tighten the screw on the left hand cannister marked ‘first’ before attending to the second.
Can bashing Co2 BB blasters like the ST-1 are all about the fun. What often gets in the way with such rifles is the need to keep stopping to reload the magazine. There are no such worries with the Crosman though.
Releasing a trap door in the bottom of the magazine reveals a cavity into which you can simply tip in as many BBs as you like. Then, with the trap door closed again, pulling a sprung loading clip and then simply shaking the magazine and turning it upside down a few times fills a secondary firing chamber – you can see the BBs lining up through a series of slots.
When you’ve fired your last shot, simply extract the magazine, pull out the loading clip, give the magazine a few more shakes until you can see more BBs lined up again and off you go once you’ve remembered to pull back on the charging handle located on the right of the rifle.
Given the nature of the ST-1 and what it is designed for, it’s hardly reasonable to expect a precise, match-grade adjustable trigger. However, the unit does have two stages, and the blade is comfortable on the finger – which is a good thing given how many times you’ll want to pull it. The let off is a little heavy, but in no way detracts from the fast-action fun.
ON THE RANGE
The red dot sight that comes with the Crosman ST-1 complements the rifle superbly. Adjustable for both elevation and windage, it throws an easy-to-see dot down range with two levels of brightness.
The long Picatinny scope rail means you can locate the sight just right to ensure a comfortable in-focus image. I’ve often found installing Co2 canisters to be a bit of a faff, with catches and covers not always easy to open. However, on the ST-1, everything came apart and went together again with reassuring firmness.
I fully intended to count how many BBs the magazine would take but soon gave up and simply tipped the bottle up and loaded as many as I could. However, I found transferring the BBs from the main magazine into the loading chamber took a bit of getting used to.
The blurb implies you simply have to give it a shake. Instead, I found slowly turning the magazine over a few times was more successful. It’s a quickly acquired knack, and once mastered, no one can deny the pleasure of slapping the magazine into the breach and yanking back on the charging handle.
The first set of a dozen tin cans at 15 metres disappeared on the first pass. I have to admit to not taking my time when zeroing the red scope. Shame on me, but I felt an approximate zero would be good enough, and spending any more time on the task would simply detract from having fun.
However, having satisfied my childish enthusiasm with the first pair of Co2 cannisters, which, incidentally, easily delivered more than 100 shots on a cold day, I screwed in a fresh set and zeroed the red dot properly.
Now, I’m not saying the Crosman ST-1 is going to win any sharp-shooting accuracy competitions, but at 15 to 20m metres, it was easily accurate enough to reward considered shooting at more challenging plinking targets. That said, having proved the ST-1’s accuracy potential to myself, I couldn’t wait to get back to the tin cans again.
CROSMAN ST-1 AT A GLANCE
Price: £309.99
Weight: 2.8kgs
Length: 75 – 830mm
Barrel Length: 265mm
Calibres: 4.5mm BB
Test Rifle Power: 3.5 ft/lbs
10-Shot FPS Variation: 360 FPS
Safety: Manual Resettable
Trigger: Two-Stage
The Crosman ST-1 is the happiest blasting tin can but is refined enough to take on more challenging targets if the mood takes you…
Two 12g Co2 canisters provide the power and are inserted into a cavity in the magazine. The shot count will vary according to air temperature but expect at least 80 before re-gassing…
Open a trap door on the bottom of the magazine and pour your BBs in…
Then pull down the spring loader, give the magazine a shake, and you’re ready to go…
The magazine slaps home securely and is released by pushing a button above the rifle…
Don’t forget to pull back on the cocking lever…
The red dot sight is adjustable for windage and elevation and throws a clear red dot image downrange with adjustable intensity…
Adjustable stock has two lockable positions…
Detachable barrel is chunky and locks securely into position…
WINDING UP
At the risk of showing off, I get to spend an awful lot of my time shooting and reviewing rifles I don’t own. Someone has to do it and I love every minute. However, the downside is that it is all too easy to take yourself too seriously and lose sight of the fact that, at the end of the day, we shoot for fun.
Who here hasn’t worried about regulator pressure, or whether their rifle is leaking? Or how about a mysterious deterioration in accuracy? I know plenty of shooters who get properly stressed out about such things.
Rifles like the Crosman ST-1 provide an ideal antidote because though well designed and solidly made, they are unpretentious and designed purely to have fun with.
Having spent a couple of hours terrorising tins cans, it certainly delivers on that promise, feeling great to handle and operate. And when it came to accuracy, it certainly punched above its weight.
So, if you need to let off a little steam and remind yourself why you took up air rifle shooting in the first place, the Crosman ST-1 could be just what you’re looking for. If nothing else, the kids will love it too. Just remember to wear a pair of safety goggles, as BBs do bounce.
Take a look at the Crosman ST1 BB CO2 Air Rifle on Just Air Guns.
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Shop Address: Just Air Guns, Trimex House, Pier Road, Feltham, TW14 0TW
Website: www.justairguns.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
Blog Name: May the Force Be with You (Crosman ST-1)
Phone: 0330 999 5224
Blog Author: Richard Sanders
Publisher: Mark Watts