Benjamin Synthetic Stock PCP-Powered Pellet Rifle

I’m 62 and have been target shooting high powered rifles for 40 years. I have owned several break barrel air guns including the NP2 Trail. And after reading so many reviews it was hard to make a decision on trying this gun. I called several companies including Crosman to discuss the barrel issues and was assured they had been fixed for several years now. Still I read many blogs about tuning and mods to fix accuracy problems. Most all of the blogs complaining of accuracy problems are 3 or more years old. Still I come from the world of high power firearms and target shooting and it was my goal to purchase an accurate rifle to plink and hunt with. Had to be at least equal to my NP2 Trail in power. I like my NP2 Trail, but it’s hard on scopes and is a little touchy about holding when fired. Mine hates a front rest, even if the back is supported. The NP2 is very powerful, but as stated, a little finicky about shooting hold. The Marauder is not picky about hold, just like a high powered rifle except you don’t have to worry about recoil, there is non. And the specs on the Marauder indicated all I wanted in an air rifle. I choose 22 because its easy to find pellets and all my other guns are of that caliber. True the 25 has almost double the power, but since hunting is not my primary use the 22 once again was the better choice for me. And 22’s have been used for hunting for more than 100 years and are known in almost every country in the world.. And I would imagine that this gun in 22 would drop anything you could with a 25 caliber if you can place your shot right.
Being a target shooter first, and hunter second, accuracy was a big issue for me. The marauder I received was extremely accurate for what it is. (You must note that shooting pellets of any kind is like shooting a flat nose bullet in high power because they are not very efficient in flight due to their shape) Right out of the box it placed less than 1/2 inch groups at 20 yrds all day long. This is the distance I sighted it in for to test accuracy. And this was using cheap pellets. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AU6EICA/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_0?th=1&psc=1
Anyone with high powered target shooting experience will appreciate the adjustable comb stock, the 2 stage target trigger, which is adjustable, and the floating barrel with a good crown finish. A fully encased barrel for sound reduction is added plus and one of the reasons I bought this gun. It is very quiet, with the target making as much noise when hit as the shot did from the gun…
Some things you should know: 1st a floated barrel is a little delicate. They are not designed to be bumped or moved and I suspect that some peoples accuracy problems were from the barrel moving on them. BTW, floating a barrel is one of the first things you do to accurize a high powered rifle. So take care not to bump it into things, and if you do, make sure it is centered in the barrel ring and not touching. 2nd pumping this thing up with a hand pump is a real workout for someone my age but it is fun and like most people say, about 60 pumps will take you from 2000 psi back up to 3000 psi which is a full recharge as long as you don’t go much below 2000 psi. And if you don’t touch the factory adjustments for power and such, you can get 40 usable shots or more depending on what you call usable. For me and a friend, we moved out to 50 yards or so and used soda pop cans for targets, and with a good scope, it was boringly accurate. If you missed, it was because of you, not the rifle. I ran 50 shots on a single fill and it was still shooting that distance but the last 3 or 4 shots started to loose accuracy, still that’s not bad for 50 yard shooting. That 50 shots took the gun from 3000 psi to 1900 psi based on the built in gauge on the rifle. A squirrel wouldn’t have much of a chance at 50 yards with this gun. So if you”re looking for a fun gun, with an excellent trigger and accuracy I don’t think you can beat the marauder. Handling and weight are also very good, not too heavy and the stock just fits your grip. A lot of thought has gone into this gun and its design. And honestly, I cannot think of anything I would change except to maybe support the floated barrel a little for carrying. Time will tell if that is an issue. But I am happy as a clam, all smiles…. even if it is a workout to recharge. Coming from high power target, this is a keeper for me. And I don’t think you will be disappointed with it either as long as you respect the design and handle it appropriately.