Benjamin Trail NP XL Air Rifle

(Note: I reviewed this rifle under another seller in May 2011, which has now apparently stopped selling so I’m transferring my review here)

Love this rifle!

From some reviews on the web it sounds like there may be a lemon or two off the production line, but the one I got from Amazon is very nice, and Amazon Prime shipping was practically “Next Day” delivery.

I’ve never had a .22, nor a nitro piston, so this is a BIG step up for me in air gunning.
My previous favorite is a Sheridan C9 Silver Streak. Beautiful gun. With only iron sights it seems I can’t miss with that thing even after only shooting it once a year or so on visits with the family where it is stored. (And about 15 years old now!)
The NP XL can’t beat the C9 for good looks but it’s not far off, and in power it takes the cake with no sweat. That is saying something, since I always loved the effortless power of the .20 cal C9 (except when my neighbor shot me in the butt at 13 with only two pumps through a pair of Levis and I cried). The NP XL isn’t quite so effortless, but then again only having to cock once instead of pumping 5 or 8 times kind of makes up for it.

My only previous break barrel is a Benjamin Legacy 1000 springer. It has far better power than any .177 pump I’ve ever had, but the metallic crashing sproing when it fires and crappy trigger really detract from the experience.

The NP XL trigger is much smoother, although a little long and mushy through the pull. Looking at the GRT III trigger as many air gun reviews recommend, but the CharlieDaTuna website says a few NP XLs don’t work with it.

It is a big rifle, at 48″ and 9 pounds, and takes some grunt to cock. My upper thigh where I brace the butt of the rifle while cocking is getting pretty sore. The instructions aren’t joking about “dieseling” on the early rounds; even after about a 100 rounds through the rifle I get a little smoke out the barrel, and the first 10 or 20 rounds looked like I was shooting a black powder gun.

I’ve fired Crossman Premier Hollow points (14gr by some reports, although the can doesn’t say), H&N Baracuda Match (21gr), and JSB Exact Jumbo Monster (25.4 gr). At 100 rounds on a 14yd indoor range I’ve got the accuracy dialed in fairly well, but I’ll reserve judgment until I’m shooting at least double or triple that range. Putting a .22 pellet alongside a .177 pellet is almost comical. A MUCH bigger piece of lead, especially at the 25gr size!

My “trap” so far has been a length of dense hardwood 2×4 I had laying around. My Crossman 66 .177 at 8 pumps would barely stick in the wood or even bounce pellets off it many shots. The Benjamin Legacy 1000 .177 would bury pellets into the wood about flush with the bottom of the pellet. The NP XL, on the other hand, sinks the 14gr .22 pellets at least a full pellet length into the wood. The 21 and 25 grain pellets sink at least flush into the wood, and often further. I’ve been firing the last few dozen rounds into the same quarter sized hole since I’ve gotten the scope dialed in and the dieseling has died off, and it is digging pretty deep. Every 4 or 6 rounds a lump of fused lead will pop out. One or two have popped out almost to my feet, so I wear safety glasses even though they don’t have any force.

As far as noise goes, the NP XL was AS quite as the Legacy 1000 on the first shot, and is even quieter after 100. I know the noise level to the person firing is much louder than to a person even a few feet away so it is hard to say how it sounds to neighbors. Not too bad I’d guess, but not silent for sure.

I’m not sure that I wouldn’t have been happy with the 4″ shorter Remington NPSS rifle, but I think in the long run the 30 ftlbs of the NP XL (some reports say 28) vs the 23 ftlbs of the NPSS are probably worth the extra size. With most things in life you usually wish later that you’d bought the bigger, and seldom that you’d gotten the smaller.

One quality note: After a couple hundred rounds through the gun I had a weird development. During one cocking stroke (which gets easier over time, btw) the gun jammed up and wouldn’t continue through the stroke. I cycled it through the range of stroke it did have a few times, and put a little more omph into it and finally it continued through the cocking stroke. The next cock had some hang up, but not a hard stop, and the following strokes got progressively easier. There is now only a slight catch as it passes through that part of the stroke, and shot power does not seem to be effected.
After a hundred rounds or so, the hardwood 2×4 that my old .177 pump couldn’t even reliably embed a pellet in now has a big hole through it from the NPXL. I switched to a new spot on the 2×4, and found that the rounds are much tighter on target now.
A half year later I got a chance to shoot outdoors for the first time. I found a piece of oak 2×4 and set it up at about 30yds. My old Sheriden Silver Streak finally met its match, the oak bouncing back a pellet over my head from 30yds! Had to stop using her for fear of injury. The NP XL, on the other hand, would sink the pellet in almost a full pellet length every time. The accuracy was pretty good for offhand standing after a long break. I’m sure if I’d had more time to put a lot of rounds I could have dialed her in even better.

There’s plenty of informative reviews so I’ll post this specifically for anyone trying to decide between the .22 standard and the .22 XL, a conflict I definitely experienced. I’m in a unique position, having owned both rifles. I first bought a standard then returned it and bought an XL. I only returned the standard because of a defective scope that I believe is not a common problem and its the same scope as the XL.

So first, the standard. The craftsmanship of the standard is better than the XL. The XL uses the same stock as the Benjamin Titan but the standard is different and IMO a better, more attractive design. The difference is in the rougher scroll work on the XL, less of it on the XL and an out of place looking piece of plastic glued to the bottom of the stock for some reason. My standard was a very attractive weapon. The XL isn’t much worse but the standard is superior.

The standard shot hard. It was adequate for the one hunt I took it on and a couple of squirrels met their maker at 20 and 25 yards. With the hollow-point rounds it delivered a lot of energy and very accurately. Out back I could make 2 inch groupings at 30 yards. I’ve heard of better with this gun but I’m no sniper. However, as far as I can tell the pellet simply falls out of the sky at anything past 50.

I was overall very impressed by the standard and would have simply returned the scope but I was hooked and wanted to try the XL.

The XL…

I noticed immediately that its heavier. Its also longer by a couple inches. I then noticed the black and white medallion of plastic glued to the bottom of the grip and grimaced with disapproval. However, the overall effect of such an imposing, sturdily built pellet gun is one of surprising power given its “pellet” nature. I took it out back for a first shot…

I got the gun late Saturday night and was far away from the porch light in near darkness to fire the first round. (FYI for some reason the first time you shoot either model of the NP series the first shot is far more powerful than the standard energy hence forth) With the standard this meant surprising recoil and a ricochet sound worthy of a western flick. With the XL it was mayhem. It sounded like a shotgun and neighbor’s dogs began barking. THERE WAS A MUZZEL FLASH. It must have produced enough velocity to vaporize lead and produce a flash but really, there was a flash. I was actually concerned that that was how the gun would always fire and I’d gotten in over my head for a backyard plinker. It now produces no flash and nothing like the percussion of the first shot though it is half again louder than the standard verison.

The accuracy is about the same, i.e. very good. About an hour ago I finished putting 10 rounds through 4 holes at about 40 feet. All in all I am very happy with the XL. If you’re trying to decide whether or not its necessary consider this. The standard can hunt but the XL will probably do so from 15-20 yards farther than the standard. The XL is heavier and not as aesthetically refined as the standard though it is still quite attractive. The standard is still a remarkably powerful pellet gun, but if your the type that must have the absolute most power available then it is worth the extra $50 or so.