The Optimus is an airgun that offers solid power, and very respectable accuracy at good ranges, but won’t destroy a buyer’s wallet, leaving plenty of money in there for pellets.
This break barrel, spring piston pellet gun is not without its flaws (like the difficulty of sighting in) but it produces 1000-1200 fps with good regularity (depending on the pellet type) and is accurate at relatively long ranges.
As rifles go, it is roughly medium size, made of a wooden stock and a steel barrel, the Optimus weighs just over 7lbs and is roughly 45 inches long.
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It can come in either .177 or .22 which means there is some versatility in the practicality of the platform itself, given that the .177 and .22 will take out different sizes of pest.
This air rifle is also generally pretty good out to ranges just beyond 20 yards, but accuracy does take some time to get a feel for accuracy with this airgun. It is a great buy but not without its flaws. In general, it is not the best in any one way, but it is a good value air rifle for small pest control or hobby shooting.
Elegant Design: The Crosman Optimus
This Crosman air rifle is of a very simple design, incorporating basically metal and wood to create a simple and reliable design. The stock is comfortable, and while it is a bit on the long side, the Optimus is not overly heavy and is a lot of fun to shoot, whether it is .177 or .22.
The .22 obviously has notably more recoil but that is to be expected. Both boast solid accuracy and nice power, but neither is enough to consider it the best ever.
Accuracy
There are two ways to discuss accuracy with the Crosman Optimus. On the one hand it is quite accurate. Both the .177 and the .22 are accurate out to about 20 yards, making roughly quarter sized groupings when shot by experienced, diligent shooters.
Unfortunately, obtaining this kind of accuracy depends on the sights and scope to a certain extent and these both are notoriously unreliable straight out of the box and require either a lot of careful sighting and in many cases, a complete replacement on the part of the scope.
So, put in layman’s terms, the gun itself is a good and accurate shooter, but unfortunately the sights and scope do not help the rifle in this aspect and generally need a lot of work before the system works accurately with any regularity.
Additionally, both accuracy and the power attained with each shot depend to a certain extent on the brand and weight of pellet used. This is always something to keep in mind when firing an air rifle.
Power
Both the .177 and the .22 bring pretty decent power to the table and can fire with decent distance. Obviously, as stated above, power and accuracy depend on the make of the pellet, but overall the .177 will fly out of the Optimus’ barrel at around 1200 feet per second, while the .22 flies at just under 1000. That’s a decent speed for a .22 air rifle.
The power is nothing special but if you’re looking to hunt some small pests the .177 should reliably do the trick and if you need some vermin control that is slightly bigger than rats or birds, the .22 should be able to take down rabbits or equivalent. It’s decent but not great, but in terms of value it is a good choice.
Reliability
Reliability is good, and what that means is that it’s a break barrel air gun with a spring piston that is well constructed. If you put a pellet in the chamber and operate the system properly, this rifle will fire with regular accuracy all day long. The reliability problem has to do with the difficulty of the scope and sights being attuned to firing at targets.
They require too much tampering before they make the gun as accurate as it can be. With modern manufacturing techniques these quality control problems should not be happening. Given the sturdy construction, the reliability of this air gun is decent but it is held back by the sighting issues and the poor quality scope.
Value
Looking at the statistics, this is actually a great value air rifle. It shoots with good velocity, achieving decent power and solid accuracy once the issues with the scope and sights are sorted out.
It is comfortable in the hands and produces minimal recoil in either calibre of pellet. Finally, given its power and accuracy it is fairly practical for pest control, but that obviously depends on what you need to shoot.
Rabbits and anything that size will be most likely taken care of with the .22, and anything smaller is all but a sure thing with the .22 or the .177.
Despite its issues, the Optimus is a good air rifle for its price. With regard to its issues, which for its power and accuracy is a great deal. So what if the scope and sights are off, the value is obvious.
Overall
At the end of the day the Optimus has a few issues, but is a genuinely good air gun I spite of them, when you take into account the price. The power is pretty good, the accuracy is spot on after a few tweaks and the availability of a .177 or a .22 makes it a decent choice for a couple of purposes.
Overall this rifle is a great value choice, but if you want to make great shots with it right out of the box, that will not happen, but after some time, tweaking and getting used to, it will probably be a favorite.