Crosman Model-150

Crosman Model-150.

Courtesy of Leonardj.

For fans of the Crosman 150 and it's variants.

The Crosman 150 has been one of my favorite CO2 pistols since the very first time I shot one - and that is quite some time ago.
I soon found myself seeking out the many variants of this great little pistol, and over the years have managed to find a few very nice specimens.

This early 1st series variant is still equipped with it's variable power hammer assembly. As you rotated the hammer knob, the pre-load on the hammer spring was adjusted for more or less tesion, and this could be noted visually by viewing the gap between the hammer knob, and the main tube, as noted by the two arrows in the close-up.

The variable power mechanism proved both costly, and troublesome, and was quickly replaced with a hammer of simpler design with two sear notches, to allow for high or low power shooting. Any guns sent for repair to an authorized Crosman Service Center for repairs was automatically retrofitted with the newer hammer.
This very nice, boxed specimen is of a later 1st series variant, with the two step hammer.

For the 2nd series 150s, Crosman replaced the two piece barrel/breech unit with a one piece barrel/breech unit. A concave fillet on the underside of the barrel/breech unit allowed the full length of it to seat solidly and cleanly against the main tube. The two step hammer was retained, and on some models, a three step hammer has been observed, allowing for three power levels of shooting. This is a fine, boxed specimen of the 2nd series gun.

One of the more interesting box variants that can be found, is this box for the "150-7" from the Crosman Arms Canada Ltd, Dunnville factory. The gun in the box is a 2nd series Model 157, and clearly marked as "157", but for reasons unknown, the boxes were printed with the "150-7" description. The gun in this box looks identical to the 2nd series gun shown above, but has black grip panels.

A 2nd series variant, which I am almost inclined to call a 3rd series, is this "Dunville Oddity". I have seen a significant number of these guns over the years, and the one feature that seems to be present in all such guns that I have examined has been the full, round barrel, mounted to the gun with the use of a plastic spacer, as was used on many other models of Crosman guns. the barrel does not have the full length concave fillet. As well, the rear of the grip frames is not countersunk for the mounting screw - the screw head sits proud of the frame, and can be a bit of an annoyance. Some of these "Dunville Oddities" have been seen with some very unusual features which are not at all common. It is unclear why the Dunville facility produced these oddly equipped guns, but they do make for an interesting find.

Crosman also offered various shooter's kits, bundling the 150 pistol with all the necessary accessories for a shooting session. One such bundled kit was this 150PK, which provided the shooter with a convenient method to transport the gun, CO2 powerlets, pellets, and a target backstop, all in one nice clean package. The RHS of the kit holds the gun, the pellets and the box of powerlets, while the LHS of the kit has a steel reinforced target backstop, with a spring clip to hold the targets in place. The central steel panel closed down over the RHS to retain the items in that section in place when being transported. This particularly clean kit has never had a single pellet strike on the target plate.

The pinnacle of the 150 line is the 150 Medalist. Factory chromed, and issued in a beautiful wood presentation case. A much sought after prize for many collectors, and when found in pristine condition, is like icing on the cake.

Another 150 variant highly sought after by many collectors is the Ted Williams version, with it's elegant appearing vent ribbed barrel, and the image of Ted Williams on a small silver inlay in the RHS grip. This particularly well preserved, boxed specimen came complete with the owner's pamphlet, and the Sears Infograph - a guide to shooting and care of your new Sears airgun.

This rather rare J. C. Higgins "22" Caliber pistol is, in my opinion, one of the more appealing of the many variants of the 150. The grip frame, and the bolt cover have a gray crackle finish, and the spacer between the barrel and the main tube is made of gray plastic. This early J. C. Higgins is based on the two piece barrel/breech gun, while later versions of the J. C. Higgins "22" Caliber are based on the one piece barrel/breech guns, and no longer stand out, having lost the two-tone colour scheme of the early versions.

The Mongomery Ward Hawthorne M-150 is another interesting variation. There are no outstanding features to make this particular variant stand out, aside from the markings on the side of the main tube, so it can be easily missed if the gun is on it's own. I have noted some unusual grip colours on the few Hawthorne versions that I have seen, so that may be something to watch for.

There are a few other variants of the Crosman 150 that I am still hoping to add to my collection someday, such as the Mexican version of the 150, or the (European?) Podium version of the 150, but in the meantime, I have these to enjoy.

Crosman Model-150 - Brochure.

Courtesy of Leonardj. 

Crosman Model-150 - Shooting Kits.

With thanks to Stu of MrGuns Place for permission to post these pics.

Crosman Model-150 - First Series Variant.

With thanks to Jim for these pics. Note that the box outer in the third pic is red, unlike the black outer in LeonardJ's collection.

Crosman 150 Ted Williams 

Crosman Model-150 (boxed) 

Crosman Model-150 JC Higgins 1st series 

With thanks to Steve. He says: "DT Fletcher’s collection is being sold here in the last few months. I have been able to buy a few of his guns. He tried to collect every variant of the 150 pistol. I was hoping he had a first series JC Higgins which I did end up grabbing. It may be the rarest variant as it was made for a very short time and had some unique features that I think make it the nicest 150 ever made. Two piece barrel and breech, gray Kringle paint on base and cover plate, gray spacer under barrel. (Only 150 with a spacer)."

Crosman Model-150 PK shooting outfit 

With thanks to Daniel.

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Crosman Model-150PK

With thanks to Louis.

Crosman Model-150 shooting kit (box) 

With thanks to Jim.

Crosman Model-150PK portable shooting kit (orange tin) 

Crosman Model-150 custom (brass) 

Crosman Jet Line Gun (based on model-150) 

With thanks to Bob.

He says:

Came across this and bought it.  Supposedly used a 150 as a base gun.  It was a tool for electricians to feed wire through conduit.  It shoots the whole CO2 cartridge with the string attached through conduit and then you pull whatever wire you want after tying it to the string and pulling it back through.  You cock the gun which pulls the piercing pin to the rear then insert cartridge and fire and off the cartridge with string tied to it goes through the conduit. Of course this is just a curiosity but still kinda cool with Crosman being involved. As best as I can tell it's from the 60's.