Crosman MTR 77 NP
by: Rick Eutsler, Jr.
Part 1 – Aesthetics and Basic Function
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.
The stock is ambidextrous and pulls well to the shoulder. While most of the aesthetic accoutrements are composite, the flattop 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.
1. The first thing you’re going to need to do is engage the manual safety.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Next go ahead and close the barrel.
5. 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 (below the video) we’ll talk about accuracy and performance.
Crosman MTR 77 NP
by: Rick Eutsler, Jr.
Part 2 – Noise Level Performance | Optics | Pellet Performance | Accuracy | Final Summary
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.
As 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.
Fortunately 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 sports HD IR scope and a set of high UTG 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 indoors at 10 yards. The 2nd was shot in the field at 20.
Final 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.
Thank you’s
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When you are looking for Honest, real world airgun reviews, think AirgunWeb where we tell you the facts, not fluff. I am Rick Eutsler with airgunweb.com. Thanks again for watching.
Rick Eutsler, Jr.
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Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart
Source: http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/loudness.html
Here are some interesting numbers, collected from a variety of sources, that help one to understand the volume levels of various sources and how they can affect our hearing.
ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE | |
|---|---|
Weakest sound heard | 0dB |
Whisper Quiet Library at 6′ | 30dB |
Normal conversation at 3′ | 60-65dB |
Telephone dial tone | 80dB |
City Traffic (inside car) | 85dB |
Train whistle at 500′, Truck Traffic | 90dB |
Jackhammer at 50′ | 95dB |
Subway Train at 200′ | 95dB |
Level at which sustained exposure may result in hearing loss | 90-95dB |
Hand Drill | 98dB |
Power mower at 3′ | 107dB |
Snowmobile, Motorcycle | 100dB |
Power saw at 3′ | 110dB |
Sandblasting, Loud Rock Concert | 115dB |
Pain begins | 125dB |
Pneumatic riveter at 4′ | 125dB |
Even short term exposure can cause permanent damage – Loudest recommended exposure WITH hearing protection | 140dB |
Jet engine at 100′ | 140dB |
12 Gauge Shotgun Blast | 165dB |
Death of hearing tissue | 180dB |
Loudest sound possible | 194dB |
OSHA Daily Permissible Noise Level Exposure | |
|---|---|
Hours per day | Sound Level |
8 | 90dB |
6 | 92dB |
4 | 95dB |
3 | 97dB |
2 | 100dB |
1.5 | 102dB |
1 | 105dB |
.5 | 110dB |
.25 or less | 115dB |
NIOSH Daily Permissible Noise Level Exposure | |
|---|---|
Hours per day | Sound Level |
8 | 85dBA |
6 | 86dBA |
4 | 88dBA |
3 | 89dBA |
2 | 90dBA |
1.5 | 92dBA |
1 | 94dBA |
.5 | 97dBA |
.25 or less | 100dBA |
0 | 112dBA |
Perceptions of Increases in Decibel Level | |
|---|---|
Imperceptible Change | 1dB |
Barely Perceptible Change | 3dB |
Clearly Noticeable Change | 5dB |
About Twice as Loud | 10dB |
About Four Times as Loud | 20dB |
