by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

My best friend, Mac, got his Bronco a week ago and went through a tin of pellets in a day. He was amazed with the accuracy at 25 yards, and he loves the trigger.

Mac owns a Mendoza peep sight that he mounted on his Bronco first thing. Of course, he ran into the too-high thing right away, but not at 25 yards. He’ll increase the height of the front post to offset the problem until the front sight spacer becomes available.

Today, I’ll look at the Bronco with the new Crosman peep sight mounted. You’ll remember that it’s the lowest peep sight on the market right now. The sight almost clears the stock on the left side, but not quite. If I were going to keep this sight on this rifle, I would relieve the stock just a bit so the sight could sit flat. As it is, it’s canted to the right. That doesn’t affect my test, but it means that the windage adjustments will also include a bit of elevation and vice-versa. No owner will like it the way it sits now; but with a relief slot cut in the left side of the stock, it’ll look fine.

Oh, what the heck, I decided to cut the relief myself. I routed it out with a Dremel tool and a rasp. The work was fast and easy and the sight now sits squarely on the receiver. So the test will be legit.

The Crosman sight sits so low on the receiver that sighting was a problem for me until I got used to it. Those with slender faces will find it easier to do, I’m sure. Also, the aperture in the sight is large for shooting targets. While that doesn’t cost any accuracy, it does require a more careful hold and use because it’s easier to get off target with such a large hole. On the plus side, though, the hole admits a lot of light, making it okay for hunting.

Mac reported to me that he loves the trigger. I do, too. At only 30 oz., it’s light yet entirely safe. I enjoy the two-bladed action for both stages.

Let’s shoot
Sight-in put me on paper at 10 meters, but the rear sight needed a lot of elevation to get up into the bull. The first I tried were the Crosman Premier 7.9-grain pellets. They shot to the right of center but grouped very well.

JSB lites
JSB lites shot almost as well as Premier lites. They load more easily than Premiers and may be smaller in diameter, so they sit deeper in the breech.

What’s the verdict?
The Bronco works well with the new Crosman Peep, but the stock does have to be modified for clearance. It adjusts much than anyone will ever need, but it also has the elevation you need for farther targets. Of all the peep sights currently available, this one is the best I’ve tested. It makes a good addition to the Bronco, and I believe I’ll leave it on the rifle for awhile.