Richard Saunders on CO2 rifles

Crosman 2250 XL Buntline

RRP £409.99
A CO2 gun that will tackle tins and pests alike

Crosman is one of the best-known names in the game, and if such a thing were to exist, its Ratcatcher rifles would certainly deserve a place in the Airgun Hall of Fame.

As a result of its success, the Ratcatcher range has grown, with new models being introduced. The rifle on test here is the 2250 XL Buntline – a designation that marks it out as having an extra-long 610mm barrel that results in power outputs north of 10 ft-lb.

At first glance, the £410 price tag seems expensive, until you realise that a Hawke 3-9×50 scope is included, as is a silencer, a gun slip and a tin of pellets.

The overall length, including the minimalistic skeleton stock, is 1015mm, and on the scales, the 2250 XL Buntline weighs only 1.7kg without a scope. The black plastic stock is superbly designed, and although there’s not much of it, the rifle feels great in the shoulder. 

The supplied scope fits onto the 9-11mm rails, and gives perfect alignment to help you exploit the Crosman’s impressive accuracy. At 20 metres, I was able to hit pellet-on-pellet groups, and these increased in size only marginally at 30 metres.

Unlike the other rifles on test, the 2250 XL Buntline is a single-shot action. To load, simply pull the short bolt back and insert a pellet into the breech. That said, the opening could be a little larger, especially for those of us blessed with fingers of sausage-like proportions.

The trigger is a little heavy, and if there are two stages to it, it’s hard to tell them apart. That said, the let-off is predictable and didn’t impede either levels of accuracy or fun. Like everything else on the rifle, the push bolt safety, which is located just above and behind the trigger, is simple, but effective.

Using a single 12g CO2 capsule, the 2250 XL Buntline will give around 30 shots before needing to be replaced. Doing so is straightforward – simply unscrew a cap at the front of the short forend and drop a new capsule in nose-first before replacing the cap.