by B.B. Pelletier
Benjamin’s new Marauder air pistol is a large, powerful precharged air pistol. It will be among the very few legitimate hunting air pistols.
Man, there was strong interest in this new pistol when Part 1 was published. It’s riding the coattails of its rifle siblings, but I see that many people feel this smaller format will be just right for them.
First things first
I promised Kevin that I would try to run the drawing of the pistol’s trigger, so he could get some sense of how it works. So, we’ll do that right now.
I’m concentrating on the top image, though, I included all three. That is how the Marauder pistol trigger works.
I doubt that loading the 8-shot magazine could be any easier than it already is. A counter window faces the shooter, informing him which pellet’s on. But, when the last pellet is fired, the gun cannot be shot again until the mag is removed. The mag rotates to block the bolt from going forward so there’s no doubt that you’re out.
The counter window on the Marauder magazine tells at a glance where you are with respect to expended pellets. If you just cocked the pistol and loaded a pellet, the counter tells you it’s the last one.
When you insert the magazine back into the receiver on the right side, there will be a sharp click to tell you the mag has gone home. Then, simply cock the bolt which loads a pellet, and you’re ready to shoot.
Shooting the Marauder pistol
There’s noticeable recoil when the pistol fires. Not as sharp as a rimfire cartridge — it feels more like a rocket push. But the gun definitely moves.
The trigger breaks too cleanly to feel, in light of the recoil and noise of the discharge. And, speaking of the noise, the Marauder pistol makes less noise than a silenced Ruger Mark II shooting CB caps. That’s about equal to a Talon SS with a 24-inch barrel and an Airhog bloop tube. Read this report. You’llmake more noise clapping your hands.
I filled the gun to the recommended 2,900 psi and was surprised to note that the gauge on the gun and on the tank were in complete agreement. That doesn’t happen too often. I can’t guarantee you’ll have the same experience, but I liked it! Time to shoot.
Crosman Premiers
The first pellet I tried was the 14.3-grain Crosman Premier. The first string of 10 averaged 655 f.p.s., with a spread of 25 f.p.s. They ranged from 638 to 663 f.p.s. The average muzzle energy of 13.63 f.p.s. They dropped into the magazine with great ease and there were no feeding problems.
Because they were the first pellet and because they’re Crosman pellets, I continued to shoot until the power was on the way down. How many shots do you think I got? One magazine? Two? Before I started the test I guessed there would be as many as 20 good shots in the pistol from a single fill, but that was way off. I shot four full 8-shot magazines, plus one extra shot, for a total of 33 shots from the initial fill. Shot one registered 638 f.p.s. and shot 33 registered 639 f.p.s. The fastest pellet went 677 f.p.s., and there were three that went that fast. The average velocity for all 33 shots was 663 f.p.s. and the gun pressure had dropped just below 1,600 psi. In case you aren’t a precharged buff, that’s some impressive performance! And looking from that perspective, the gun generated 13.96 foot-pounds.
RWS Superdomes
Next, I tried RWS Superdomes. They weigh 14.5 grains in .22 caliber and averaged 665 f.p.s. in the test gun. The spread went from 649 to 671, which is a 22 foot-second spread. The average muzzle energy was 14.24 foot-pounds. From a pistol! Yes, they’re a little heavier, but they’re also made from a nearly pure lead alloy, so they’re self-lubricating. Also, they have a thinner skirt, which helps seal the bore behind the pellet.
Beeman Kodiaks
The last pellet I tried was the tried-and-true Beeman Kodiak. If you’ve got a .22 caliber PCP, you’ve got to try it with Kodiaks. It’s a heavy pellet, but it’s made of pure lead and therefore a little faster than if it were harder, because there’s not quite as much resistance when it goes down the bore.
But with Kodiaks, I noticed two additional things. The Marauder made half as much noise with Kodiaks as it did with either of the other two pellets. And, perhaps because it was quieter, it seemed to whack the target harder than either of the other two pellets. The quiet pellet trap actually moved when hit by Kodiaks.
Kodiaks averaged 584 f.p.s., with a 9 foot-second velocity spread from 578 to 587 f.p.s. The average muzzle energy came out to 16.01 foot-pounds. So, the Marauder pistol I’m testing is a 16 foot-pound gun. Pretty impressive for an air pistol, don’t you think?
I have to tell you that I’m lovin’ this pistol so far. If it turns out to be accurate, as well, I might have to buy it, rather than send it back.
B.B.,
Wow! This does sound like an impressive pistol. Kind of makes it hard to consider anything else. I have a good buddy who retired from the army as a paratrooper. He says that he has no need for rifles. Pistols are the only thing that he trusts. This might be the airgun to recommend to him.
Victor
Victor, i shoot a pair of Rem XP-100’s in the firearm world to put meat on the table. When this Marauder came out and at first sight was love..if you know what the XP’s look like then you’ll know why. Being pretty much a handgun hunter, this looks like a fine tuned shooter. With the addition of the stock…WHOAAAA BABBBYY SBD on bunnies and squirrels etc
B.B.
Amen on trying the Predators. I shot some in my HW77 and at 30 yards they were Great…3/8 in groups. If they group well, that would be a Super Combo for small game.
No need for rifles.
Someone once told me that the only reason you need a pistol is to fight your way back to where you left your rifle LOL!
kevin
Kevin,
That’s funny! I’ll have to run this one by my buddy.
Victor
Sounds like my brother. Loves his handguns. He says he can’t hold a rifle steady for the life of him (Although I don’t think he can hold a pistol that steady either 😉 )
Victor, interesting comment from the paratrooper about preferring pistols. Why? I thought the wisdom on a battlefield was to use your pistol to get to a rifle.
Matt61
Matt61,
I can’t speak for him, but I do know that he’s completed an entire career doing this. In fact, his body is seriously banged up from all of his jumps and other related activities. I believe that most of his experience was with very tight close-quarters combat. I don’t think that he ever had the luxury of taking a long shot. We’ve not discussed this in great detail, so that’s all I really know.
Victor
It is .22, has a shroud, a carbine stock, plenty of power and enough shots for your bag limit – this is a pure hunting rig. Do Predator Polymags fit the magazine? If they do, You should definitly test them.
Markus
Markus,
Okay, I’ll add Predator Polymags to the accuracy test, if I have them.
B.B.
Markus,
Predator Premium Hunting Pellets (no Polymag on either of my tins) do fit the Marauder Mag–just. I will include them in the accuracy test.
B.B.
I’d be surprised if the predator poly mags (with the soft red tip) fit the magazines in the marauder pistol since they won’t fit in the .22 caliber nor the .25 caliber marauder without modification. Greg Davis machined the magazines to allow the fit of these longer pellets.
Personally, I don’t think it’s a big deal since the devastation of the predators without the red tip (remove the red tip prior to loading) has been proven to be the same and in some cases the accuracy of these pellets improves with the tip removed.
kevin
Kevin,
Yes, the Predator pellets with the red polymer tips do fit in the Marauder pistol magazine. I tried them yesterday, and I will include them in the accuracy test.
B.B.
B.B.,
This would be impressive if it were a rifle. But a pistol, Amazing!
Lloyd
I WANT ONEEEEEEE no I NEED one!
It’s just everything I need and want. I can’t think of something more I’d want on this thing, I know some would like open sights but to me it’s perfect this way and I think the front of the barrel would look weird with a front post.
J-F
Off Topic, but perhaps interesting to others here… Almost free reactive targets!!
We all love reactive targets, but they come at a cost, and there is that juvenile joy of shattering glass. Unfortunately, blasting glass makes the area around it dangerous, leaving shards of sharp glass around. I found something almost as good, it shatters and explodes, but lenses no dangerous shards on the ground. It’s also way cheaper than shatter blast targets, or even Neccos.
What is it? My daughter loved the idea of the edible tea cups in Willy Wonka. To reproduce something close, I found a mold to make ice shot glasses, which are small enough for a little tea party (no Comments about introducing my daughter to shot glasses!! I know the irony). A little food color, and they look and shatter quite like glass. On warm days, they just melt away, leaving nothing but water behind. They shatter quite nicely, and cost nearly nothing. Obviously, a ice glass is going to give your pellet in an unknown course correction, so apply Common sense as to where it will go and choose your site and backdrop accordingly. No wonder they’re called shot glasses.
We were using Necco’s back in the 60’s when they were only a 5 cents a roll. For more of the dangerous “Game” use plain Animal Cookies (and feed the birds…or bait the area for Starlings)
I use animal crackers too. I’ve setup a safari of sorts in our woods with animal crackers scattered around. I’ve also set them up as a course. Once you hit one, you go to that spot and then get the next one. Each is at a different range. Let’s me give my daughter a challenge, lots of different ranges, up hill, downhill, etc. Made learning to range and compensate for angle more exciting. I setup targets from 5 to 40 yards. It was fun.
Interesting. Someone on the blog once mentioned ice cubes as a target. This might be more exciting.
Matt61
Answer to Alan in MI who asked me a question in yesterday’s blog comments:
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Not yet, but I will. I had noticed that dimensionally they were the closest thing I could find to the Bearcubs I’ve been using (although not identical by any means), but I have not had the opportunity to try them. I amassed a large enough stockpile of Bearcubs when I realized they were being discontinued that it just has not yet become a priority. Whenever I do get the chance, though, (probably not until spring if this weather keeps up!) I’ll try to remember to come back and post the results.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Neil in VA
Don’t overlook Eley Wasp pellets. They’re still made and are one of the few pellets that my webleys and a bsa shoots well. They’re short, fat pellets that fit oversize bores well.
kevin
Kevin,
I have 30 tins of .22-caliber Eley Wasp pellets that I bought to feed any vintage airguns that came my way over the years. I got them on the advice of Golden Joe, of Golden Toller airguns. He warned me that Eley would be terminating their shipments of pellets to the U.S. Oddly, they still show up in Canada.
I am trying to work a deal that will get the 5.6mm Wasps brought in under another name, so we can have a steady supply here.
But I don’t think the Marauder needs an oversized pellet. It has a choked Crosman barrel that should work well with regular pellets, I think.
B.B.
B.B.,
I’m sure the Marauder pistol doesn’t need over size pellets. I was piggy-backing Neil’s comment to Alan in MI. Alan in MI was talking yesterday about a gun he owns (BSA??) that had a loose fitting breech/bore that needed fat pellets.
I have some of the older wasp pellets in the red tin and newer wasp pellets in red, blue and purple tins. You’re sitting on gold if you have the older wasps in the red tins since none of the newer wasp pellets are as good in my guns as the older pellets are. I think I shipped a tin of those wasp pellets in the red tin to Matt61 long ago.
kevin
Kevin,
That was Neil that has the older gun – I just suggested he try the H&N in the larger head size. I didn’t know about the Eley Wasps, but it sounds hard to find them anyways.
Neil,
If you can’t find the larger H&N Field Target Trophys and still want to try them, contact me at amcd1709 at comcast.net and I can send a you at least some to at least see how they work for you. I don’t have many now, but I have some more coming that should show up any day. It would be great to find a steady supply . . . .
Alan in MI
Alan in MI,
You can find the newer wasp pellets with the click of a mouse either in Canada or the UK.
You’re right, the older wasp pellets take diligence and perseverance. Egun is where I found mine.
kevin
Interesting – Blackpool Air Rifles even carries a 5.6mm Eley Wasp, and ships interantionally (PA does not carry these). Never knew that – thanks Kevin!
Alan in MI
Kevin,
What I have are .22 caliber Wasps in 5.56mm and they are in blue tns. I bought them because I shoot a Webley straight-grip Senior from the 1930s.
B.B.
Oops…I tried to quote Alan’s question above, but the blog software ate my quote. Inside the should be:
“The H&N Field Target Trophy pellets are available with head sizes up to 5.55mm. Have you tried any of the larger ones?”
Neil
Really appreciate the trigger diagram. This is encouraging. Even though the metal is sintered I’m sure this trigger can be adjusted to a nice range. Two stage with overtravel.
I’m also pleasantly surprised to hear about the noise level. The shot count blows me away. 33 shots with a 40fps spread.
I have visions of carbine stocks dancing in my head.
kevin
Good Morning Everyone,
Thanks, B.B. for this continuing report on the Marauder Pistol.
I have heard that the trigger is not the same on the Pistol as the rifle… That it is really a 2240 upgrade, not the same one as the rifle. So, please tell us more about the trigger and how well it adjusts and breaks.
That is an impressive shot count… even with that high spread of fps… not great for field target, but one could use a shorter shot count like 20 or so, and tighten it up.. But for hunting, a little valve lock that causes one to hold over a little on the first and last shots (if they were long shots), would not be a problem.. out to 20 yards one would hardly notice any POI shift with the 40fps spread.
I imagine a regulator could be installed as well to really tighten it up. We put one in our .22 cal Marauder rifle, and we now get a spread of about 12fps over 35 shots… at 19fpe.
I’m also a little worried about the felt recoil and a not as good trigger, effecting ability to stay on POA.. Will it take a special amount of “follow through” to shoot this beauty as accurate we want for pistol FT?.. something like 1/2″ groups at 25 yards??
Wacky Wayne,
Match Director,
Ashland Air Rifle Range
Wacky Wayne,
We’ll know soon enough! I plan to publish the accuracy report next week.
B.B.
B.B. & All…
A friend of mine also got one of the first 100 Marauder pistols.. And he just posted some results of his testing it. He LOVES THE TRIGGER! as is.. and tuned his down to just under 12fpe.. here is what he said:
“this pistol has been a pure pleasure to shoot and play around with. i have been tuning a bit here and there and finally landed on this one. i really like it and it is one hole in em pretty good at 13 fps spread over 25 shots just gabbing them straight from the tin. if weighed, even better.
the trigger is also more than what i expected as it is telepathic. i herd some fantastic things about the new trigger group but had no idea it would be this good. no grinding or sanding needed imo. it pulls lighter than i would like a pistol to shoot so i had to actually put some pull weight back into it a little happy.gif
i also ground down a 22 mrod rifle single shot tray and fit it to the Pistola. it works excellent for about 12 dollars. ”
He also linked to some photos of some real nice groups… http://www.network54.com/Forum/451309/message/1292555140/MrodP+tuned+and+thumpen+pretty+good.
Ronnie is the Pistol FT champion of California..
I’m looking forward to your report now… even more Tom.. Looks like another winner by Crosman..
Wacky Wayne,
Match Director,
Ashland Air Rifle Range
Oh well, at that poundage(both power and money) my fantasy is dead.
Very exciting to see and read about though BB.The power to size ratio would make this a fantastic all day small game hunter over here.
My son in law( a PCP guy) was drooling when I showed him it from your previous blog.
That will teach him for flaunting his wares under my nose. lol
Bristolview:
That’s a great idea about using ice shot glasses for reactive targets.Love it.
DaveUK
DaveUK,
Don’t be so sure that the Marauder pistol won’t come your way. Crosman considers the UK to be an important market for them. The Benjamin Legacy was developed strictly for the UK and only sells in the U.S. as an afterthought, though that is where they got the idea for the Crosman Titan lower-powered Nitro Piston rifle.
It would be too easy for them to lower the power of the pistol just enough to reach, but not exceed the legal limit for the UK. And, as for the cost, I think several people have noted that this pistol sells for about half of what a Daystate or other UK PCP pistol would.
B.B.
All you guys…continue to fight for your rights!!! in the USA.
I called my local dealer (Canadian) this morning to see if they are going to import the Marauder.
Well it’s over the 500fps limit which makes it a ‘firearm’ in Canada.
And since it’s pistol (and a ‘firearm’) it is a restricted firearm…meaning you need an R-Pal licence and can only shoot it at a bonafide range. If you’re even caught transporting a restricted weapon and you’re not on your way to the range your in trouble. Can’t legally shoot it on your own property, even if said property was 1000 acres.
So the end result…it seems no dealers in Canada are going to import it.
Move to Texas. If you don’t own a bunch of guns in this state, you’re an oddball!
Edith
Texas a nice place to live, from a freedom standpoint? I’m getting sick up here in the northeast.
Dick Whicked,
A nice place to live from any standpoint. I hope I never have to live anywhere else. I’ve also lived in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida and Colorado. Texas is the best by far.
Edith
So would you disagree with the joke that the worst thing in Texas are…the Texans? 🙂
Matt61
Maryland : by far the best state.
HK
Texas is a great state for freedoms… and if you want fun friendly people – move to Austin. It has a small town feeling with a large population… And great weather.
And someone said you’re odd if you don’t own a gun… that’s very true 🙂
I’ll add Washington State, Ohio and California to Edith’s list. Texas is the best by far.
B.B.
You are among the blessed if you’re living in the best place you’ve so far experienced in Life. Colorado is an absolutely horrible place to live and wouldn’t suggest it to anyone 😉
kevin
Kevin and all..
Yeah.. Oregon is the worst place to live also.. don’t move here. We can buy a gun in 20 mins. if we are not a criminal.. so it’s pretty dangerous around here.. most everyone has guns.. and know how to use em:-)
and it rains here… and it’s green! and we don’t have the wonderful fireants.. so move to Texas.. it’s real nice there:-)
Wacky Wayne,
Match Director,
Ashland Air Rifle Range
I am sorry for you and DaveUK. But here is a deal. You buy one and ship it to me, I will shoot it for a few 1000 rounds, and when the seals are leaking so bad it will be legal in your ‘hood, I will sell it back to ya. Deal?? lol
Gene
Merry Christmas to my cyber friends
Gene:
Sounds like a plan 🙂
DaveUK
Nevermind all the license required the shroud/silencer makes it prohibited here just like it’s rifle big brother.
JF
J-F:
The only saving grace in Britain is the availability of Silencers/suppressors.
Nearly every decent air rifle comes with a silencer as standard and you can have them on .22lr rifles simply by adding them to your ticket(licence)so I have been told.
Sorry to hear you guy’s in Canada suffer the same rules as us.
Do yourselves a favour and leave the commonwealth before Jug eared prince Charles becomes king 🙂
DaveUK
Afternoon B.B.,
The shot count and foot pounds of energy are very impressive. As quiet as my Talon SS with its 24″ barrel and AirHog shroud is very impressive. Going to move this guy up to number 2 on my to buy list as long as it’s an interesting shooter.
Bruce
Bruce,
I said that from memory. But now I am interested, so I will slip a 24″ barrel into my SS and try it with the bloop tube to see if that’s correct.
B.B.
B.B.,
When someone asks me about noise and shrouds, I use the sound of a Crosman 1377 pumped to how ever many pumps it takes for the sound signature to be the same as the shrouded, LDC,muzzle braked that is being discussed.
Bruce
I do the same. A Crosman 1377 can be had for $50 and is a great benchmark to communicate with other shooters. Plus if you put the time in by shaping the front post to a point and use the aperture rear, you can shoot 2″ at 20 yards with this little gun.
G,I’m with you about filing the front blade to a point.I’ve never mentioned it to anyone,so I wouldn’t be chastised….but the results speak for themself,especially with a stock mounted.I got lucky with the angle I chose because the wedge represented half the circular sight picture,making it really natural to center! The best part is my friend’s teen son threw this rig out,and I retrieved it straight from the garbage can!! I own some fairly expensive rigs….but there is a different thrill to nailing faraway targets with a garbage can rig.BTW,I used a file,then shaved the final point with a sharp pocket knife.
Bruce,
I used to do the same thing at the SHOT show, substituting the Sheridan Blue Streak for the 1377. That’s when I learned that not very many “mom and pop” gun store owners have a clue about airguns. So I developed the hand-clap analogy.
B.B.
A pcp with recoil? Why, how? Is it because the minimal recoil that you do actually have with other pcps is magnified by the pistol size here?
Victor, Feynman may have had great intentions as an educator, but his published lectures apparently fell short. Even he admitted that only the smartest students at Caltech could understand them, and apparently they are difficult even for professional physicists. The problem seems to be (ironically enough) excess simplicity. They show the mind of a genius who can ask simple insightful questions and pursue them. But to everyone else it looks easy to start with and quickly becomes baffling in spite of the simple language. Make it as simple as you can, says Einstein, and no simpler. However, I do agree with his comment that the best teaching situation is self-study under the guidance of an expert–like the blog. 🙂 And I might have mentioned how the Chair of the Oberlin math department tutored me all the way through her textbook online, sight unseen. Amazing woman.
Loren, I’ve read quite a bit about the p-47. Fill me in. The way I see it is that the p-51 was a great plane but sort of like the (dare I say) ultimate fraternity boy in being great in a conventional way. The range and speed were truly phenomenal; otherwise, it was very good-looking with other attributes proportionally good. The p-47, on the other hand, challenged expectations. Looking, as one of its pilots said, like a big, mean SOB, it was huge with great armament and armor, fantastic dive speed, large turn radius, great rolling ability which helped it change direction at low height although its low altitude performance was generally poor. On the other, considered the finest high altitude fighter off the war above 30,000 ft. You just didn’t quite know what to make of this plane.
I find that lowering landing gear on my flight simulator is quite helpful in hitting the right landing speed which I am still working on. However, since it’s a simulator I wouldn’t know if the gear would really be torn off. I guess it would when I lower the gear for the F-22 at 500 mph. 🙂 That plane just will not slow down.
Matt61
Matt :
I’m no expert on p47 a/c, I’m partial to them because I flew a hanger 9 scale model of one 80 inch w/s for about 3 yrs. Finally crashed it at an. A.M.A. fly in at Fort Payne Al. It was the finest flying model I’ve ever owned. I got my p47 info by googling thunderbolt on the internet, an article by Chuck Hawks and Rip Collins
Loren
Matt61,
“…it looks easy to start with and quickly becomes baffling in spite of the simple language”. Now that is saying something. This happens often when insight gained from a lot of experience motivates one to hide the what they consider to be tautology, or distracting, detail. They are trying to capture the essence of a problem and it’s solution. Sometimes when we think we’ve done a service by providing a feature rich solution that is simplified, we generate more curiosity, and even disbelief. Strange things can happen when others can’t believe that your solution really does what you say it does. After all, they’ve seen solutions to the same problem that required orders of magnitude more work to fully utilize.
Victor
Matt 61
I think it is the lighter weight, that makes the p-rod recoil. The rifle does too, but it is so heavy to the point that the recoil negligible. The spring powered FT rifles are made heavy for this reason I believe. The weight of the TX200 seems to bear this out.
I can’t be certain that I wasn’t talking about the SA-80, but I think the gun I was talking about was made in Belgium, or Denmark or something.
If you let me drive you to the airport, it wouldn’t matter if I did get pulled over for speeding, I would still get you there in time to make your flight no matter what mischief you got into. Keep in mind I have driven Mrs. Slinging Lead to the airport many times. You just have to try and relax and put your trust in me. I have the reflexes of a cat, and the intuition of a Jedi.
I’m glad we see eye to eye on that corporate rock teeny bopper. If he makes your skin crawl now, I know a little tidbit that would send you running up and down the street screaming at the top of your lungs like your hair was on fire. Fortunately for you, I like you, so I will spare you the torture.
Having trouble staying single? Poor soul. So many social engagements, so little time. Maybe a severe case of herpes would relieve him of all this complication.
CSD
Work some Led Zeppelin into the mix. The bluegrass genre also contains some astonishing guitar prowess. If he’s strictly rock, maybe the Melvins would be up his alley.
“The Feynman Lectures on Physics” is a collection of three marvelous books on physics ranging from simple mechanics to quantum mechanics. They can be read, reread, and admired by anybody with a PhD in physics, but as Feynman himself noted later, they are too minimalistic, too elegant for the undergrads for whom they were intended as texts. The beauty of them for the advanced student is the “Aha!” effect when the Master shows just how elegant and simple some very complex things can be. But you cannot learn how to do them yourself starting with The Lectures.
Feynman was not, in fact, a terribly good educator. He was too fast, and too brilliant to have any ability to guide a beginning graduate student through the typical difficulties of understanding and getting to the frontier. I knew Feynman slightly a long time ago. There was nobody more brilliant. If you can ever find his Messenger Lectures (given at Cornell), you can see the master simplifier at work putting on the best physics show ever — but for non-scientists, explicitly. Oddly, he was better at that than teaching scientists how to do physics. One small excerpt is at http://vodpod.com/watch/2208155-feynmans-messenger-lecture-series, but you have to put up with Japanese subtitles. Oh, a complete set is available at http://research.microsoft.com/apps/tools/tuva/index.html#data=3%7C%7C%7C
I had the honor as a first year grad student to be in the audience. I show up in an audience reaction shot in lecture 4 or 5 as I remember, but never mind. It was one of the great experiences of my career.
Pete,
That one lecture by Feynman is amazing. I want to thank you for that link. There are other lectures by him that I intend to pursue also.
-Chuck
Feynman was brilliant, but his Feynman Lectures are simply wonderful — if you’re a pro and know the answers already. The “Aha!” effect of seeing just how elegant things were in the mind of the master. But the books are utterly unsuited as textbooks for undergrads. I got mine as a grad student (first edition/first printing!) and used them heavily. Richard was just to subtle and too quick to see things to have much patience with grad students just starting out and having difficulties reaching the research frontier.
Oddly enough, he was much better at making science exciting, and fairly understandable, to lay audiences. The best proof of that is his magnificent “Messenger Lectures” given at Cornell in 1963. Bill Gates was so impressed he bought the rights and made them widely available (see: http://research.microsoft.com/apps/tools/tuva/index.html) I had the honor to be in the audience as a first year grad student; I show up in one of the audience reaction shots from one of the last couple of films, but never mind on that. I knew him slightly; my admiration is unbounded. But he was a lousy teacher of physics students. 😉
For anyone wanted to use the link, because of the close parenthesis, the link will fail. You can, however, cut and paste the link in your browser. That will work.
Pete,
You’re what I call a “High Powered” brain. What a treat it is to have someone like you aboard.
Thanks,
Victor
Many of the P-47’s performance problems were solved when the four blade propeller was installed.
Mike
Nice looking bunny buster. I may have to get one.
On another subject, I bought myself one of those Bronco youth rifles to use indoors, and it arrived yesterday. While I was debating whether or not to get the blemished/returned one, the regular ones sold out and forced the issue. The stock blemishes were minor and sanded off in about a minute and a half. I may or may not wax the sanded area. It shouldn’t require further treatment.
Very nice for $107, you are to be congratulated for your part in bringing them.
It was shooting a little to the right at first, until I put my thumb around the comb and now it’s hitting
center without any sight adjustment. Otherwise, it is not picky about how it is held.
So far, Gamo Hunter (domed) are the second best for accuracy. They are hard to insert, though.
The big surprise was TechForce wadcutters are extremely accurate: repeatable same-hole performance. And I mean same-hole — at first I thought I had completely missed the paper. And this with the factory sights. These pellets look ugly and will slip out if I’m not careful closing the barrel. But wow!
Anyway, nice little “youth” rifle you got there.
-Bob B.
OOoo Bob B.
You beat me to the punch. I was considering buying this one after the holidays. I waited too long. Carpe diem. Well done. I suspect you will enjoy this rifle immensely, and for years to come.
Mine liked Crosman Premier Lights in the box.
Bob,
I know those “blemishes” are next to nothing, but Pyramyd AIR rightly wants for warn its customers, because there are a few who are extremely fussy. The Bronco blems are probably one of this season’s best buys.
BB.
I feel like I got a good deal. Also, I did not want the wonky, bent-to-one-side fiber optic sights I see on so many of the airguns these days.
FWIW, Daisy Precision Max (almost as inexpensive as the TechForce Pellets) go in, stay in, and shoot as good as the TechForce pellets. I have a steady supply of them. I look forward to hours of shooting.
-Bob B.
B.B.,
One thing that puzzles me a bit is the amount of curvature of the Maruaders trigger. Maybe this isn’t an issue with the Marauder specifically, but it is with some guns. I think that some guns would benefit from a almost straight trigger. It seems to me that this would assist in providing a wider range of control over things like trigger pull weight because of leverage, and in some cases, better ergonomics.
With some guns, the best hand placement of the grip leaves my trigger finger so low that my finger is almost touching the tip of the trigger blade. This configuration between my finger and the blade is not optimal. Some higher end guns that I have shot allowed you to adjust a shoe up or down so that you have a nice linear (horizontal) pull. It seems to me that on less expensive models, less curvature would be better?
What are your thoughts?
Thanks,
Victor
Victor,
I think the Marauder pistol trigger is perfect for the gun. It isn’t a 10-meter gun, you know, and the trigger doesn’t act like a 10-meter pistol trigger. It’s just a good sporting trigger and the curve fits the performance very well, in my opinion.
Sometimes the double-set triggers on modern black powder arms are too heavy to be as straight as they are. They feel odd and strange when pulled. A deep curve is right for a sporting trigger, which this is.
B.B.
B.B.,
I actually didn’t expect there to be any problems with the Marauders trigger, because it looks like it has very little travel. But there are many other guns in which the travel is long and there is too much curvature.
Here’s what came to mind. I bought 2 GRT III triggers, one for my Quest 1000X and one for my Gamo CFX. Both installed fine, but once I started shooting them, I noticed something odd about the Quest. You see, when the GRT III trigger is installed on the CFX, it extends out into the trigger guard nicely, exposing more of the trigger, so it’s easy to get your finger on it. But with the Quest, the trigger installs into the gun further up into the stock with less exposure within the trigger guard. With the Quest, I’m pushing the tip of the curved end of the trigger with my trigger finger. It doesn’t feel as well as with the Gamo.
I’ve seen this kind of thing before, where the trigger has too much curvature for the amount of travel that the has. One possible solution for this is for someone to make a trigger shoe that can be installed near the end of a curved trigger blade. This shoe would pivot a bit, and provide a better vertical fit against the finger, allowing the trigger finger to feel as if it’s moving more horizontal, while obtaining more leverage, since it’s towards the end of the trigger blade.
Make sense?
Thanks,
Victor
Mrs. Gaylord,
The introduction of this new UTG scope looks promising for PA:
/product/utg-3-12×44-ao-swat-accushot-rifle-scope-ez-tap-illuminated-mil-dot?a=3493
In the title it says “F.S.”. I must assume that this designation is for “Side Focus” for the AO adjustment? If so it should be designated S.F. No matter since the important issue is that the description does not indicate that this is a side focus scope (if as I assume it is??!!). Very important to many scope buyers. All the more important since with the introduction of this scope it now becomes the 4th or 5th “mini swat compact 3-12×44” offered by PA that is/was either branded as a leapers, centerpoint or UTG. The main difference being that either the side focus knob was to adjust for AO or turn on the Illuminated Reticle (IR) and some of these scopes have IR and some don’t. Clarifying whether the side knob is for IR or AO is important. Hope this is helpful.
kevin
Might the F.S. be short for “Full Size”, given that they also make a 3-12 compact (but not SWAT)?
Sure is confusing – they shoudl spell things out, like the “IE” too.
The scope does look good – similar to their 4-12 SWAT that I have but a little shorter and lighter. If it is as durable as the “5th Generation” scopes it would be a very good value . . . .
Alan in MI
Alan in MI,
When I read the specs it says 14.02 Length. Doesn’t seem like a Full Size swat since the Centerpoint and Leapers (same manufacturer I think??) had/have the compact/mini swat at 13 3/4″ length.
Is it possible that the diffeence between “Full Size” and “Compact/Mini” is 1/4″? Not a big deal to me or most buyers. Semantics or marketing.
The BIG difference is the Side Focus that is apparent vs. the side knob that is sometimes used by Leapers/Centerpoint/UTG for IR. I think making the distinction could be the difference between selling this scope and being overlooked in a search by potential buyers. Just my opinion.
kevin
Alan in MI,
Forgot. It not only looks good it is good. I have and really like the Leapers/UTG/Centerpoint 3-12×44 mini (or compact. my old box says mini) with side focus for AO. Short, relatively lightweight, fairly thin reticle and target turrets. I do not like the weight that is added for Illuminated Reticle (IR) whether it’s activated by soft buttons on the ocular or the side turret since I find IR rarely helpful. The constant weight of this feature is not worth the infrequent usage for me. The other great benefit for these side focus scopes is that you can buy either a small or large sidewheel for the side focus AO. This is a wonderful attachment that you will instantly grow fond of whether you’re target shooting or hunting.
kevin
I agree on all points. I have the Leapers 4-12 standard size SWAT and love it, but never use the IR so it is a waste. I took the batteries out shortly after trying it as I realized I would almost never use it. I tried the large side wheel, but it puts too much stress on the turret with my spring gun – but I loved the concept. I’m saving it for when I can finally take the plunge into a PCP.
This new one has to have side focus, as there is no front focus, which is the only other way to make the AO work. They should make it clear in the name, and even add a photo of the IR buttons to make it completely understood by all.
Alan in MI
Kevin
Thank you for pointing out that scope. It looks like a winner. It may be the next scope I purchase.
Good of you to point out the lack of promoting the side AO (adjustable objective), which it plainly is by virtue of the EZ tap buttons near the eyepiece and the lack of an adjustment collar up front. I wish all my scopes were side AO.
I don’t think much of illuminated reticles either. I have found them useful in only two situations.
Sometimes when shooting target bulls, it can be hard to determine if I am perfectly centered when the black reticle blends in to the black rings on the bull.
It also helps with night plinking, which goes without saying must be done with the utmost care. I just wish they would use a rheostat rather than preset light levels, so that it can be adjusted more precisely to what the user needs.
Did you see that new feature in the listing copy? 36 different illumination colors!!! I can adjust it to match my outfit! Or vice versa! Sweet.
Alan in MI,
Tell me what you mean when you say the “sidewheel puts too much stress on the turret with your spring gun”.
Do you mean the recoil is bending the turret when the sidewheel is attached? Was it just your sidewheel that just shook loose? Were all 4 allen screws aligned and snug? I never had this problem but now you’ve got me curious.
kevin
Kevin,
First off, my scope holds its focus over dozens, if not hundreds, of shots in my indoor range. When I put the sidewheel on, I noticed it would go out of focus really quickly – like in 3 to 5 shots. Sensitized to this, I then noticed that it would be a little out of focus in only one or two shots. I checked all the grub screws, and they were fine.
So I decided to just watch the wheel as I shot into the trap, and sure enough, it jerks violently very briefly (as expected since the gun does), including a little side to side as well – the bending you mention. The focus wheel started to feel a little “less firm” to me in this regard (at least that was my impression, so I decided that it was best for the scope to take it off, which I did. It continues to hold its focus well for at least dozens of shots. My gun is a tuned Quest 800 putting out about 16 ft lbs., and shoots really smooth now compared to an untuned one my father has.
I then asked on this blog for people’s opinion on the matter, and several people (including BB) thought the recoil was too much for the scope with added mass hanging on the side.
I did love the function while I had it on the gun, but I’m sure the scope would be trashed by now if I had left it on.
Alan in MI
Alan in MI,
Thanks. Sorry to hear that. The sidewheel is what makes this scope for me. Did it jump out of focus even when you used the small sidewheel? Would you like to sell your sidewheel(s)?
kevin
Kevin,
I only tried the 100mm one. I am hoping to get a Maurader within the next year, and I’ll move the sope to it with the wheel too, so I’m not interested in selling it. At least not yet anyways . . .
I suppose I could try th 80mm wheel to see if that does better. Which do you use on your springers?
Alan in MI
Alan in MI,
I have both. The depth of the stock determines the size of the sidewheel for me. I prefer the smaller one when I can get away with it.
kevin
Alan,
One obvious observation is that you have added something that has a lot of weight plus the ability to change the focus of the scope.
B.B.
Kevin,
I agree, they should explicitly say whether or not it’s side focus. It is confusing, if you’re never bought one of these before, because unless they say SWAT, the control knob opposite the windage knob is for the illuminated reticle (and not the AO), but from the pictures you can’t hardly tell the difference. I’ll bet a significant percentage of customers have made this mistake.
If you’re familiar with the newer product line, then you’ll recognize that the control knob for the illuminated reticle is on the top of the rear. In any case, adding “side focus” doesn’t sound like a lot to ask.
Victor
It would be helpful if the description was clearer.
If you are looking for an AO, it should be clear. If you are looking for an AO sidewheel it should be clear.If there is a larger sidewheel available that will fit as an accessory then it should be clear.
Make it easy for the buyer to see if this is what they want.
As for illuminated reticles…I find them to be almost worthless except under exactly the right lighting conditions.
twotalon
Kevin,
Leapers contacted me yesterday, asking if I planned to review this new scope. I told them I hadn’t noticed it, because when it came out, I was having my last big operation.
So they are sending me one to test. Of course I’m colorblind, so we’ll see what all those extra colors mean to me.
B.B.
Earlier this morning I checked my old 3-12×44 leapers swat scope that doesn’t have an Illuminated Reticle (IR). It’s 10 1/2″ long. Since these “newer” 3-12×44 “compact” swat scopes are almost 14″ long I might have been wrong and they could be the “Full Size”. A 14″ scope is a nice size for most springers and with up to 12X magnification and side focus AO this is a good combination.
I also like the relatively thin reticle on my scope. The bug buster is a great compact scope but I hate the thick reticles.
Am I overlooking the 3-12X44 swat scope that is 10 1/2″ long and doesn’t have an IR on PA’s site? I can’t find it. Does anyone know if these are made anymore?
kevin
Kevin,
The compact leapers you mentioned is the same as the centerpoint but it shows up as $90. more at pyramyd.I have the 30mm 4-12×44 like yours mounted on my A/A S200 was going to use it for hunter class field target (12 power limit). But my new Hawke air max is so much easier to get a clear AO adjust so I’m going to swap them out. The Hawke is also a few ounces lighter and the mil dots are set up for field target. I like the side AO on the leapers but its harder to read and the scale is way off while the hawke is right on and clear as a bell.
Loren
Loren,
Thanks for that. I’ve never had a hawk air max. I’ll look into those.
kevin
I just measured my Leapers 3-12×44 30mm SWAT with IR, and it is a hair under 14.5 inches long without a shade or the flip cover . . . .
Alan in MI
Oh, and my AO scale is way off too. That is one of the reasons that I wanted the side wheel on it – to remark everything on a bigger diameter wheel. I have pretty much learned the conversion, kind of like my own Farenheight and Celsius . . . .
Alan in MI,
I usually remark my sidewheels as well. They’re always off a little.
kevin
One thing I might like to see…
If someone can make a scope with illuminated reticle that allows you to selectively light up just one mil dot. That would be useful. Even to light up two mil dots selectively at a time. That could be even more useful.
twotalon
BB:
That would be great to see the Marauder pistol over here.
In terms of cost,I meant in terms of my particular financial position 🙁
However,now I have a nice springer I can hear the PCP calling again and its name is Marauder.
A real head turner no doubt about it.I await sleepless nights with anticipation.
DaveUK
BB
Buy it?! Buy it?!
Certainly you must be kidding. I would think that Crosman Corporation would comp you this one, considering you helped them with the development of the Benjamin Discovery. And the voice of Benjamin airguns in their TV ads.
Plus, it’s used! What are they gonna do with it? It’s already got your stink all over it. 😉
Slinging lead:
Was this the bullpup assault rifle you meant?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAMAS
No excuses for dropping this baby with such a big grab handle.
DaveUK
DaveUK
Thats the one. I don’t know much about military rifles but I was almost sure that the SA-80 wasn’t the rifle I was talking about as I remember the other rifle (FAMAS) being an unqualified success. But not completely certain, so I didn’t pursue the matter further. Note the part about them being used in limited numbers by other military forces. Thanks for the link mate. Have a pint on me.
SL,
Crosman would be only too happy to do just as you say. And if I let them do it, how long would it be before I was sold out?
I do take my own sweet time in returning certain guns to them, especially this year, but eventually things have to go back.
When I play by those rules, then you know you can trust what I say.
B.B.
Very true BB, very true . . . . the key point here is not whether or not you have sold out, it is whether or not readers think you have sold out.
Nobody can question your judgement when you do it this way. Personally, I armire your honesty and objectivity in your blogs, and I have no doubt that you are this way as you are not beholden to any manufacturer.
Alan in MI
B.B.,
We all know you’ll never sell out but send those free guns to me to insure that your image remains untarnished. I’ll verify to the world that you don’t keep these guns. I’m not with the government but I’m here to help. 🙂
kevin
HA! Good one Kevin.
Most everyone that frequents this blog knows danged well that you would no sooner sell out, than write a scathing review just for the fun of it, or make redicule a new airgunner for their ignorance. But I can understand you must keep a certain distance for your own peace of mind and maintain professional impartiality.
Yeah, I think you should keep it. But wait. What will the accuracy results bring? I am on the edge of my seat. (not!)
Off topic as you can’t believe….
This afternoon when my wife went to supper with my father in law I decided to rock for a while.
Well, the cd player in her cheap stereo was on the fritz. I sccrewed with it a while, took it apart, screwed with it some more. Thought about getting her a new one, or trying the tape player to see if it was still working. The FM still worked good.
All of a sudden the cd started workin….my wife walked in the door to massive AC/DC at near max volume. Good thing it was not my stereo at my house. Just a bit more power. A lot more.
Her cats did not leave the living room. My cats would have cleared out fast at my place.
I should see how her cats respond to Ozzy. Mine don’t care much for him. They hide fast. In fact, they really don’t like my stereo at all. Must be that the volume level tends to be rather high.
twotalon
Speaking of rocking……..
I was in a bar at Udorn Thailand one night. I was at a table right down front and had to hold onto by beer bottle to keep it from shaking off the table. The band was called ‘After Die’. They were good.
Those Thai rock bands were really good, even though most of them couuld not speak a word of english.
twotalon
I’m not surprised by how many shots you get in a fill, a 10-meter pistol will shoot on a fill, at least a full 60-shot match plus sighters, so 80 shots, and I mean 80 shots that are going to be in the most accurate zone of the pressure curve, you know what I mean, so for purposes of plinkin’ around, call it 100 shots on a fill. Oh, and right about 600–620 FPS too. The velocities being very consistent is part of accuracy so, some will “tune” their gun’s velocity for the tightest groups. and they won’t vary by more than a few fps.
Of course this is a lot cheaper than a good 10-meter gun, I believe those are all over a thousand $ now.
This is also a .22 cal being tested that’s getting those velocities. You make a good point about pricing.
Oh – hehe. Wow. .22 yeah that’s decent. And chances are, this is going to be used for field target, hunting, plinking, etc.
Hmm!!
(I still want one!)
flobert,
Yes, but each shot from the Marauder is about three times as powerful as one from a 10-meter target pistol. It takes a lot of air to produce that.
B.B.
Yep Kevin set me straight.
It’s a very impressive gun.
Pete Zimmerman:
Re: Physics
What do you think of “The Dancing Wu Li Masters” by Gary Zukav?
-AlanL
This is strange, in pt1, “zero recoil” vs pt2 “There’s noticeable recoil when the pistol fires.”
Also strange, given *considerable* mention of the dual-fuel capability of the Mrod rifle, and the quite inaccurate advertising of “all the functionality of the Marauder rifle”, not a single comment on the lack of CO2 as a propellent gas?
For those Cannucks & Brits, an C02 only option, might bring the fps down to legal <500fps?
But for me the greater utility of CO2 (not the preferred performance fuel, I know) would be a great “option” that is currently lacking for this ‘ultimate’ pistol everyone is raving about :(.
Would it be possible to have someone custom modify the MrodP, to be dual fuel, or just C02 only?
This is one big feature I think is missing from the MrodP, imho.
I just don’t like PCP for the heavy equipment you need. Paintball C02 tanks are the ideal, lighter weight/portable fuel of choice…like for hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, traveling, etc where you can stash a smaller paintball tank in an easy to carry backpack along with your MrodP, no?
As I understand Crosman’s description states CO2 is not recommended. I’m guessing because the power level would be so low.
Of course that will not change the legal standing in your country. Sorry about it… hope the USA never does anything like it.