Velocity Test Results for the Crosman Trail XL-1500

Straight Shooters Use Score

Plinking	Target Shooting	Pest Control	Hunting
4	4	5	5

We've tested some very powerful .177 caliber spring guns in the past. Guns such as the Beeman RX-2 and the RWS Models 48, 52 and 54 and the Trail NP-XL-1500 belongs right in there with any of them in terms of sheer power.

The test results of this .177 caliber rifle brought up a few questions as well which we addressed with Crosman/Benjamin Sheridan. The velocity is advertised at 1500 fps in .177 caliber which our tests were unable to verify. Our tests came out well short of that and never exceeded 1176 fps although the gun still has a ton of power. Based on our results we placed a call the Crosman. Crosman literature shows that the velocity of 1500 fps assumes testing with an alloy 4.0 grain pellet. Alloy is defined as non-lead and very light in weight, hence the higher velocity rating. In our phone conversation we were also informed that when using a lead pellet, velocities would be a couple hundred fps or more less than that.. The person we talked to thought a Crosman Premier 7.9 grain pellet was used for testing with a "lead" pellet. Our test of the Premier pellet came out to 1062 fps and the test Premiers weighed 8.0 which is just slightly above the advertised weight. Being as the velocities were to be a couple hunrdred fps or more less than advertised for the alloy pellet fps, it means we were pretty close to what would be normal for this rifle. Bottom line is that advertising can sometimes be a little confusing but once we got this clarified our tests made more sense. Nevertheless, this is one powerful hunting gun which still packs 22-23 fpe of pure hunting power depending on the pellet used, which for a .177 caliber rifle is a pretty incredible amount of power. For sure 23-23 fpe is far more power than is needed for any small game hunting or garden variety pest control.

Although we don't test for accuracy perse, we did find that the gun seems to shoot mid-weight and heavier pellets quite well. Being as powerful as it is, there was a fair amount of recoil. The cocking effort was actually a bit less than I expected and it cocked easier than most rifles in this power range. As with all gas rams the motion was smooth with no sideways play as is experienced with spring rifles. The trigger was heavy but I expect that there are tuners in the marketplace that could improve that if needed. I found it to be functional and I did get used to it very quickly.

In summary, the gun is well worth the money for a hunter or person looking for a lot of power in a .177. The Trail NP-XL 1500 has plenty of power and is a good economical choice for a hunting rifle.. Velocity results can differ from one test bed gun to another, but don't let that deter you from looking at this gun. It's a gun that will thrill any shooter.

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.177 Caliber
Pellet Name	Pellet Weight (grains)		Ratings at the Muzzle		Ratings at 10 Yards		Ratings at 25 Yards		Ratings at 50 Yards		Ballistic Coefficient
Name	Advertised	Tested	Velocity (fps)	Energy (ft lbs)	Velocity (fps)	Energy (ft lbs)	Velocity (fps)	Energy (ft lbs)	Velocity (fps)	Energy (ft lbs)	Average Energy
Hobby	6.90	7.00	1163	21	954	14	788	10	601	6	.011
R10 Lite	7.00	7.00	1129	20	938	14	778	9	594	5	.011
Meisterkugeln Pistol	7.70	7.00	1148	20	959	14	803	10	625	6	.012
Silver Bear	7.10	7.40	1161	22	965	15	807	11	628	6	.012
Super-H-Point	7.40	7.20	1176	22	983	15	828	11	656	7	.013
H&N Match HS	7.70	7.50	1080	23	985	16	829	11	656	7	.013
Napier ProHunter	7.72	8.00	1118	22	990	17	869	13	729	9	.018
JSB Express	7.90	7.90	1057	20	935	15	813	12	664	8	.015
Premier Lite	7.90	8.00	1062	20	950	16	836	12	697	9	.017
Bearcub	8.09	7.50	1068	19	895	13	737	9	549	5	.010
JSB Predators	8.10	8.20	1016	19	894	15	768	11	611	7	.013
R10 Heavy	8.20	8.30	1075	21	921	16	778	11	607	7	.012
H&N Match	8.20	8.30	1058	21	912	15	771	11	602	7	.012
SuperDome	8.30	8.20	1087	22	945	16	813	12	655	8	.014
SuperPoint	8.30	8.40	1074	22	921	16	778	11	607	7	.012
Meisterlugeln	8.30	8.30	1079	21	923	16	780	11	608	7	.012
JSB Exact	8.44	8.50	1002	19	913	16	814	113	687	9	.018
FTS	8.60	8.60	974	18	873	15	760	11	615	7	.014
Silver Sting	8.61	8.90	1039	21	879	15	726	10	541	6	.010
FTS Double Gold	8.70	8.70	1023	20	913	16	797	12	652	8	.015
Crow Magnum	8.80	8.70	1024	20	900	16	772	12	614	7	.013
Super Mag	9.50	9.30	1009	21	882	16	750	12	586	7	.012
JSB Exact Heavy	10.30	10.40	948	21	882	18	802	15	694	11	.021
Premier Heavy	10.50	10.50	962	22	901	19	827	16	727	12	.024
Kodiak Match	10.60	10.30	973	22	883	18	780	14	647	10	.016
Kodiak	10.60	10.20	984	22	886	18	777	14	636	9	.015
Kodiak Double Gold	10.62	10.50	963	22	880	18	784	14	657	10	.017
Silver Arrow	11.50	11.80	889	21	788	16	669	12	512	7	.011

Crosman Nitro Piston .177 Digital Camo

$279.00

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