Benjamin Marauder
A Very Serious Air Gun

May 10, 2017

I purchased a Benjamin Marauder. This is a PCP (pre-charged pneumatic) air rifle. It has a tank of high pressure air (or CO2) that is integral to the rifle. So you can fire multiple rounds, without pumping any air. It still needs to be cocked (at least in the case of the Marauder).

Let me first put this rifle in perspective. The most expensive air rifle I've purchased to date was the Crossman Optimus. I paid under $100 for the rifle and scope. It's a spring operated single shot riflt. It is .177 caliber and has a muzzle velocity about 1000 FPS.

The Maurader (the total package, rifle, scope, air pump, sling & two tins of pellets) cost just over $800 with tax. The rifle alone is about $480, but the rifle doesn't have sights so you have to have a scope. It requires an air pump to charge it so you have to purchase that too. And it's .22 caliber, so I had to buy pellets because all I have up to now is .177. So from a cost standpoint, this is in a whole different league.
It fires a .22 pellet at around 850 FPS. A .177 caliber Maurader fires a .177 pellet at around 1000 FPS. So from a power stand point it's about equal to the Optimus. It should be more accurate than the Optimus. Hopefully, signficantly so.

So, just out of the box, here are my first impressions:
- the quality is outstanding
- the wood stock is beautiful
- the trigger is very, very light (it's also adjustable, so I may stiffen it up)

May 16, 2017

I got to spend some time sighting in the scope on Sunday (the 14th). I had several issues with the magazine not feeding, or a pellet getting jammed up. I'm not sure what was going on. It may have been user error. It seemed to get better as I worked the gun. I guess as long as it's better, I won't worry about it.
I got the scope sighted in pretty close. I wasn't shooting from a bench but from a sitting position. It's a pretty stable position, but not equal to a bench. So my next steps are to head to the range and work off a bench from 25, 50, and 100 yards. Hoping to get some idea of the ballistics.

I'm getting used to the trigger. It's going to be alright as is.

June 4, 2017

September 1, 2017

It's been way too long since I shot this rifle. I'm so glad I got it out today and put some rounds through it. It shot splendedly and has way more knock down power than I imagined. I shot at this steel can from at least 50 yards. It easily punched through both sides of the can. I really expected it to glance off the can if I hit it at anything but dead on, and I wouldn't have been surprised if the pellet just flattened and bounced off. No sir-ee! Its punching through both sides of the can every time! This thing may turning out to be most favorite rifle. I'm just tickled with it.

All three shots that hit the can (I missed once), penetrated both sides of the can, even the shot that hit near the top, right at the can bead The holes that look like clean cut holes aren't. The clean cut is only in the paper. See the picture below at the hole from the inside of the can.

This gun was ripping up the can!

November 22, 2017
Comparing the Crossman Optimus to the Benjamin Marauder (video)

July 1, 2017 - First Kill