Gun test: Crosman Iceman

Mark Camoccio gets to grips with the new Iceman pistol from Crosman

Standard 12g CO2 capsules are utilised

credit: Archant

American manufacturer, Crosman, are well-known for airguns that are just fun to shoot, and the relatively new Iceman pistol is a classic example of what they do best. It's powered by a single 12g CO2 capsule, and includes an eight-shot rotary magazine, concealed inside the pistol body, so we're talking fast-fire action here! Crosman specify BB or pellet, but I would stick to pellets every time, given that BBs regularly ricochet, and pellets should be more accurate.

Simple synthetic construction helps to keep costs down, and at less than a pound in weight, the Iceman does feel a real lightweight, so over an extended session, this pistol is unlikely to tire the user.

Snap the grips off to access the CO2 chamber

credit: Archant

Standard diet

Accessing the CO2 chamber is easy - just snap off the two sides of the grip, nudging the indent at the base, slacken the wing nut, seat a new 12g capsule in its slot, and tighten the nut until you hear a hiss of gas. Now we're powered up, but we need to fill the eight-shot magazine which is exposed by pulling forward a small catch on the top of the body. Pull the mag' from its spindle and insert a pellet into each chamber. Snap shut the upper section, and now the action can start.

Loading the mag’ is simple

credit: Archant

A quick word of warning here: Firstly, I would recommend safety goggles, since close range and low power can produce the odd ricochet...even with pellets. Secondly, CO2 capsules get incredibly cold when in use, so mind those fingers when handling.

Keep it real

CO2 power doesn't lend itself to super consistency, so it would be foolish to expect too much from this pistol on that score. That said, I was interested to see the range of velocity, so a quick check over the chronograph was my next stop. Using Umarex flat-headed wadcutter pellets, velocity started at 323fps, and then dropped to around 160fps over the course of 45 shots; 1.8ftlbs at its peak, but again, largely irrelevant data, given the Iceman's remit for fun shooting.

An 8-shot magazine is neatly concealed

credit: Archant

On test, I tried firing the Iceman double-action and single-action, but here, it showed a preference. Pulling the hammer back manually before taking the shot in single-action is super-smooth, but I did experience intermittent failure of the magazine clip to rotate in this mode, missing the odd shot. Shooting the Iceman in double-action, though, pulling the trigger right through from start to finish, worked brilliantly and without a hitch.

The trigger pull is reasonable too, and resultant groups of just over two inches at 10 yards were very acceptable. Effectively, the base of a drinks can, with an appropriate eventual backstop, would make an excellent competition - summing up nicely what this neat little pistol is really all about.

Safety is a manual option