1923 crosman pics

DJSR

Member
Aug 26, 2024
6
13
i recently aquired what i think is a 1923 crosman. has no serial no. and no buttplate.
PXL_20240921_171645470.jpg
PXL_20240921_171617003.jpgPXL_20240921_171458993.jpgPXL_20240921_171703235.jpg
 
DO NOT shoot that rifle any more!

They are notorious for the receivers breaking due to the age of the material that they were manufactured from.
As it sits, that is a valuable rifle. Once that receiver cracks or breaks, not so much.

Go to the American Vintage Airguns forum, register and post about it over there. It should cause a little bit of a stir.

I do believe that you should receive the opinions of some knowledgeable collectors before shooting it any more. I may be wrong about which model was prone to breakage, but be sure to find out before continuing. I know that the 1925 model was known for receivers breaking apart, and am not absolutely sure that it does not apply to the earlier models as well.
I posted on the AVA forum in the hopes that one of the guys who knows stuff will pop in here and comment on your rifle.

Great example by the way, very nice early rifle, actually the earliest model due to the rear sight mounting.
 
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DO NOT shoot that rifle any more!

They are notorious for the receivers breaking due to the age of the material that they were manufactured from.
As it sits, that is a valuable rifle. Once that receiver cracks or breaks, not so much.

Go to the American Vintage Airguns forum, register and post about it over there. It should cause a little bit of a stir.

I do believe that you should receive the opinions of some knowledgeable collectors before shooting it any more. I may be wrong about which model was prone to breakage, but be sure to find out before continuing. I know that the 1925 model was known for receivers breaking apart, and am not absolutely sure that it does not apply to the earlier models as well.
I posted on the AVA forum in the hopes that one of the guys who knows stuff will pop in here and comment on your rifle.

Great example by the way, very nice early rifle, actually the earliest model due to the rear sight mounting.
Thanks for the info, I'll check the website out.
 
DJSR, your gun certainly seems to be an early version with STEEL receiver, not the later fragile non-ferrous cast version (a magnet will confirm). Normally there is a composite buttplate (not steel as on the later 101 series), which could be brownish or more typically black. The fact that yours has none, plus the "Crosman Brothers" stamping, is either quite rare or unique. The "Pat. Pend." mark could indicate it was built before the patent issued in October '24. Stocks on this model are not normally checkered, though that could have been added later. Your bolt handle appears to be a replacement, as the usual one has a chunky knurled portion to grasp.

Other folks know lots more than I do about these - Chuck-in-Ohio has placed a link to this thread over on American Vintage Airguns forum and likely someone there will add some insights.

Don R.