I bought this (without a PAL) for managing rabbits and squirrels in my urban backyard. It is substantially more powerful than the equivalent .177 version, especially with proper hunting (pointed) pellets. I'm not sure if the .22 version is technically legal in the city - it exceeds the maximum joules allowed - but in any case you don't seem to need a PAL to buy it. (edit - the rifle needs to exceed both joules and speed to be classified as a firearm)
My one quibble is the silly safety trigger. Who thought this was a good idea? You have to put your finger inside the trigger guard area, and push forward on the safety trigger to set it. Why was this determined preferable to a good old-fashioned and simple push button safety?
All in all, a great air rifle for plinking or dealing with small yard pests.

I had one of these when I was a pre-teen. Almost every picture of me between 11 and 13 I had my Crossman phantom .22 in my hands. I've shot about 15,000 pellets out of my Crossman phantom before i put it up for good. My longest kill was a bird at 48 yards!

I own three .177 cal air rifles. I have tried several .22 cal air rifles with unsatisfactory results. I purchased the “new” 22 cal Crosman Phamton June 2023. I liked the weight and feel of the gun. Once I had the Phantom zeroed in with the open sights all my shots were hitting a 2 inch bullseye at 15 meters. After mounting a Crosman Center Point rifle scope and zeroed in my shots were hitting a 1 inch bullseye at 15 meters. I’ve tried different types of pellets but for “consistent accuracy”, I find the Stoeger X-Hunt pellets best. So far I am thoroughly impressed with this “new” Crosman Phantom.

this was my very first non-Junior air rifle, it is slightly heavy and it took me a very long time to sight in the iron sights. This is a great rifle for beginners, and some hunting/pest control.

this was my very first non-Junior air rifle, is slightly heavy, took me a very long time to sight it in but it's a great first air rifle.

I have owned this rifled air gun for ten years and to date have fired 16500 Crossman pellets though it and it is still as accurate as ever. This rifle has real weight as many parts are steel and feels great. The power of this is very good for 495 FPS and i have killed many rabbits, squirrels, and birds all with one shot. I highly recommend for anyone looking to buy a low cost air gun for pest control or plinking. The break barrel is tough for a kid under 14

Has great weight to it, shoots better than expected.