by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Second-generation Benjamin Marauder in a synthetic stock.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
This report covers:
- What we are testing today
- Rifle is now adjusted perfectly
- Removed the UTG folding stock adaptor
- At the range
- Changing pressure doesn’t change POI
- More fun
- Bottom line
We are looking at a .25-caliber gen 2 Benjamin Marauder with synthetic stock that I purchased specifically for this extended test. Dave Rensing of R. Arms Innovations send me a modular stock to test, and I attached a number of Leapers UTG parts to it. Read the earlier parts of this report to see what’s been done so far.
What we are testing today
Today we will look at accuracy with the rifle installed in the modular stock. You may recall what I’m about to say, but I will summarize for those who haven’t been following and don’t like to read the earlier parts of the report. I found the accuracy was only good in the RAI modular stock, but it was superior in the factory synthetic stock. I noticed a dense rubber pad in the synthetic stock and right away readers started talking about using dense material to bed rifle actions. But my discoveries did not end there.
Rifle is now adjusted perfectly
I also have discovered the best velocity for the 25.4-grain JSB Exact Kings the rifle likes best. I get a total of 16 shots from a fill and they go to the same point of impact when the rifle is in the synthetic stock. Yes, a lot of other pellets were tested and you can read about them in the earlier parts of the report.
The trigger is now set exactly the way I like it. In short, everything is set up to function as well as the rifle can, but I had only tested it this way in the synthetic stock, shooting off a sandbag rest at 50 yards.
Back to the RAI stock
Today we will see how well the rifle does back in the RAI modular stock, shooting off a UTG rubber armored bipod. There was some speculation that the bipod introduced harmonics in the stock that allowed the groups to open. Today we shall see.
Removed the UTG folding stock adaptor
Before I started I removed the UTG Folding Stock adaptor that allows the buttstock to swivel to the left side of the gun. The swivel function isn’t important, because the rifle is still very large, even after the stock is folded. It offers no advantage for carrying. It does give access to the striker adjustment, but I now have that where I want it and don’t plan to adjust it again. Even if I did, I remove the stock to adjust the rifle, so I wasn’t using the adaptor anyway. It added weight, plus it made the butt so long that the 6-position Mil Spec stock could not be adjusted. It had to be collapsed all the way for me to use the rifle, and my pull is 14-3/4-inches! I like the setup much better with that adaptor off, because the stock is more than one inch shorter.
At the range
I filled the rifle to 3,000 psi and loaded the first 8 pellets. Then I shot when the morning light was just good enough to see the target clearly. This is one time when I actually used the illuminated reticle in the UTG 2-16X44AO Accushot scope. For the first half hour of shooting I was using the red reticle on increasingly bright settings as the sky brightened. People have asked me if these reticles have a use. This is it!
The first 8 pellets hit the target about 0.8-inches high and 0.8-inches to the left. I attribute that to changing from the synthetic stock to the aluminum one. Eight pellets went into 1.044-inches, which I thought was a very good start.
I adjusted the scope to the right and lower and the second group of 8 went into 0.981-inches. This group was still high and a bit to the left, but it was now time to refill the reservoir. When I did I noticed the pressure inside was right at 2000 psi when the fill started, so 16 shots accounts for 1000 psi of air. I refilled to 3000 and continued.
This second group (on the fill) of 8 JSN Exacts went into 0.918-inches at 50 yards.
Changing pressure doesn’t change POI
I wanted to see where the next group would go, so I left the scope where it was. This time the rifle put 8 into 0.795-inches at 50 yards. And this group was in the same place as the group before, which was the second 8 shots on a fill. So that answers both questions I had about the RAI stock. It does shoot accurately and also does not shift its aim point when the pressure in the rifle drops. All the stuff about harmonics and bipods versus sandbags is mute. This Marauder can shoot, once it is properly tuned!
This group was shot after the rifle was filled, and went to the same point of impact as the group before. It measures 0.795-inches between centers. It is the smallest of 6 groups fired.
More fun
Then, I just had fun. I shot 3 more 8-shot groups and adjusted the scope to bring the shots closer to the aim point. I shot another 0.796-inch group and the rest of the groups hovered just under or just over one inch. I found shooting off the bipod legs was easy if I pushed forward on the rifle to tension the legs. I also used the micro adjustments in one leg to perfectly level the rifle on the table. After that it was like shooting in a gallery. I couldn’t miss!
This group was shot after the rifle was filled. The impact point is in the same place as the group before and measures 0.796-inches between centers. It is the second smallest group fired.
I may return to this Marauder again, just to see how fast it’s shooting. And there is a chance I will try it at 100 yards. I haven’t decided on that yet.
Bottom line
We have now looked at this Gen II .25 caliber Marauder 7 times. We have tested it straight out of the box, adjusted the velocity, adjusted the fill pressure and adjusted the trigger. We have used both the stock it comes with, and a very fancy setup from RAI. We have adjusted both the rifle and the accessories to the point where they gave the best performance, and as you have seen, the accuracy is pretty fine!
I wondered whether a .25-caliber pellet rifle could ever be as accurate as a .22 at 50 yards and this Marauder has shown that with the right pellet, it can. So I will keep it in my inventory for those times when I need a quarter-inch pellet.
The test is not over but the results are in. The Gen. II Benjamin Marauder in .25 caliber is an accurate air rifle that’s also very affordable. Put it on your short list.
I was just watching videos of this gun in action!
Thanks for breaking it out again!
Man, that is sweet.
Please test it at 100 yards. Heck, test it at 200 yards. I just want to see what happens…
I just saw a headshot on a ground squirrel at 156yds.
It didn’t happen on the first few but the little bugger just sat there too long.
Rco1234
I’m with you on the 100 and the 200 yard shot.
But I’m thinking on the 200 yard shot you would have to lay a target flat on the ground because the gun would be pointed so high up that the pellet would be like dropping a bomb on the target. I bet that pellet would be almost comming straight down at that distance.
And you would need a nice dry dusty feild to lay the target on so you could see where the pellet hit to adjust your hold.
But you know what. It would be fun trying. And I guess I’m exagerating the pellets trajectory. But maybe not.
Thank you to all who responded to my inquiry regarding current market price if the HW77. Yes it is a rarity to see a good springer here in contrast with the Hatsans, Webley and Gamo brands. Now I have a starting point for negotiations. Just have to try it first before making my pitch. Who knows it might not be as satisfactory as I believe it to be.
Good to see that the Marauder did not disappoint at the 50 yard mark and as you have remarked many times adjustments are there for the owner to tune the gun for maximum potential, once you reach that forget about making further adjustments.
A Beeman R1 turned up at the shop of a gunsmith friend of mine (unfortunately not for sale) and it appears somebody had played around with the trigger adjustments to the point that it would not cock consistently. If it does cock it would not release when the trigger was pulled. Does anybody have an idea how we can adjust the trigger properly for it to function?
Thanks in advance!
Siraniko
I’m definitely not familiar with the inner workings of a R1 trigger but I’d have to take a close look at what exactly each adjustment controls.
Siranko,
I can not help with R-1 trigger adjustments, but I can relate my experience with a TX 200 and having trouble with it latching all the way. About 1000 shots in, I was really having to “drive home” the last click on the underlever. Too slow and it would be a hit and miss affair. I tore it down for it’s first tune and just poked in some moly as best I could in the latch area of the trigger housing. I did (not) tear the trigger housing down.
It worked great and 3000 shots further, no problem. So, don’t overlook that area while you are sorting out the rest of the problem.
Siraniko,
Somebody has messed with screw 52b. That is the sear engagement screw.
Look at what Vince callse the engagement adjustment screw here:
/blog/2009/1/for-the-rekord-part-1/
And here:
/blog/2008/11/hw55-tyrolean-part-6-adjusting-the-trigger/
B.B.
B.B.,
That is my first look at an R-1. Very clean. Forget the 1st and 2nd and get the 2 steps “just right” when it’s designed. I like it.
siraniko,
I dont want to spoil the show, but DO consider the walther lgv!
I have and had weihrauch rifles. I had 3 hw97k rifles, as you will know its the sameaction as the 77.
The hw97k cannot touch the walther lgv in terms of accuracy and smooth shotcycle.
The hw97k needs tuning. It surly needs an other spring.
If you want a weihrauch, then go for the hw80\r1.
That is from being taking apart, the safety was not replaced properly I believe.
And no pellet holes that have a sideways tear on the paper.
Do a 100 yard test just for the heck of it. I would like to see if you Marauder does like the AirArms TDR did at that distance.
Pull off a 4″ 100yd group and I’ll start looking for a place to shoot it!
Reb
Start looking for a place and get you one.
I think you might surprise yourself.
I’d really like to get one but that’s a good chunka change for something that can’t pay it’s way.
Trying to get some air staying in this HIPac right now.
Reb
My .25 Mrod is by far my all purpose air gun.
It can dispatch almost any pest I want and even bigger ones if I watch what distance I’m shooting at.
It target shoots good even out at longer distances and if I choose it kills steel spinners. Or I can just plink. And sure does send my plinking targets flying farther and harder than my other air guns.
Can you guess what air gun is ready for action in the breezway whenever the need arises.
If you got a place to shoot. The .25 Marauder can pretty well do them all. And they do make for a fairly quiet back yard shooter. But you must have a very good backstop.
So, where did you wind up putting the heavy rubber pad?
Reb,
It’s still in the synthetic stock I’m not using.
B.B.
Reb
That rubber pad is suppose to help reduce the ping noise that transfers to the resivoir when the gun shoots.
If I remember right there is also a rubber piece a few inches long that wraps around the inside diameter of the resivoir tube in the gen 2’s.
Both of those things were being done to the gen1 Marauders by people and Crosman caught on and copied the mods in the gen2’s.
So it is part of the depinger.
Reb
Yep. And maybe helps support the stock and tube some.
There I only one screw that holds the stock on and that’s all the way back by the trigger. So I’m guessing that’s part of why the pads up front now. The inside of the gen2 wood and synthetic stock maybe are made different than the gen1’s. I can’t remember without having them both in front of me.
And I haven’t seen one of Dave’s stock that BB has. But I bet it’s got resivoir tube support areas made into the stock.
Maybe BB can give us a top view picture of the RAI stock. Then we can see if there is areas of the stock that purpously contact the tube for support.
The depinger is a seperate internal piece, but helping with ping it may also but I think saying part of the depinger is cause for confusion.
If it consists of more than one part, remotely located I actually prefer to call it a system.
RDNA
But it works is all that matters.
😉
B.B.,
I am glad the rifle liked all the add-on “goodies”. To me, it looks so much better.
The lighted reticle works quite well when shooting at my 50 yd. alum can, 20 yards into a dark woods. Now that Winter is here, I can see the can fine, (leaves off). In the summer, it’s a must. I pull off a target and onto the can and the black reticle all but disappears.
And I must add, GF1 mentioned no paper tearing (due to pellet landing sideways), which I don’t think anyone expected to see anyways, but it did make me look back at my targets and note the “punch” marks and how they looked. All were very clean. Even with your official targets and a card board backer, you would be amazed at how much cleaner the holes will be with (duct tape) affixed to the back of the target paper. You did try clear packing tape, which I have tried as well, but the duct tape is far superior. In fact, the clear tape gave worse results than no tape at all most of the time.
The best I can say is that you could shoot a 4 leaf clover, pellets over lapped ever so slightly, all paper gone in the middle and you will still see the outline of each pellet very clearly. If you tried duct tape, I missed it or forgot. If you have not, give it a try.
Do I ever get tears in the paper? Yes, but it is when I have several pellets all real close (1/16″ apart) and then start blowing out the center of the group. That is something else too, the duct tape will hold 1/16″ between holes and not tear open. Just a suggestion.
B.B.,
I’ve embraced the thought of buying a .25 caliber airgun many, many times. The thought has so far waned and then vanished. In my mental debate I’ve never been able to convince myself that a .25 can do something so much better than a .22 to justify the purchase of a gun and much more expensive ammo.
When I shoot alongside other airgunners that have .25 calibers the SMACK of the pellet on either a reactive target or a pest usually rekindles my desire for a .25 but after a little time I’ve never gotten past my mental debate.
Would you mind sharing what you’re referring to when you say, ” those times when I need a quarter-inch pellet.” Thanks.
kevin
Kevin,
I was thinking of hunting when I said that. Game like woodchucks or raccoons really need to be hit hard, and the .25 gives you a slightly larger wound channel. Those are the circumstances I was referring to.
Like you I think a .22 is the biggest pellet that’s required most of the time. And they certainly are accurate — where .25s have not been until recently.
With the Marauder I think the Green Mountain barrel is probably better than Crosman’s in-house .22 barrel most of the time. This test certainly seems to have come out that way.
B.B.
B.B.,
It’s the accuracy of your Marauder with the green mountain barrel that rekindled my interest.
Understand your application and logic. I agree.
Please update us after you take your pack of cats and your Marauder coon hunting.
kevin
🙂
Kevin,
I want to point out that within my 8-shot groups there are some phenomenal 5-shot groups. This Marauder is really accurate!
B.B.
BB
I saw that. And I say you need to get it out to 100 yards at least once.
Especially since you haven’t shot one out that far with the RAI stock.
Not that the RAI stock will make any difference in the way it shoots. I’m just trying to come up with a excuse for you to shoot it out that far.
🙂
Have you tested the hatsan AT-44W-10 in 22? It seems like a good deal and reviews are favorable to say the least, in 22 it might make for a good woods walker, its quite stought, looks pretty good, open sights, enough beef under the hood… free bipod and good scope? The dark side beacons me deeper… 🙂
RDNA
I had one of the newer model QE in .177.
Powerful gun and fairly accurate.
Buldawg has the standard model in .22 caliber like your talking about and he loves it. They will shoot a pellet at a higher velocity than some guns. But you know how that goes. Some pellets don’t like to be pushed that fast. There’s a balance for everything you know.
RDNA
Correction. His is not a -10. His has the longer barrel.
Yeah, the shorter barrel looks cool to me, im all about carbine. Well, those are some testimonials I can take to the bank though, thanks for the heads up.
B.B.,
You’ve really got my curiosity up with that rubber pad. I’ve got to believe you have a strong enough relationship with Crosman (Benjamin) to simply call them and ask them their reason(s) for installing it. I would like to know. My first hunch is sound deadening.
One of my best shooting buddies has the Marauder in .25 cal. and loves it. I’ve watched him shoot it and it’s very accurate. About the same as yours.
I have often thought about getting a .25 cal or even a .30 cal. rifle but I would be looking for a rifle accurate enough for long range, 50-100 yard, paper target/silhouette target shooting as opposed to hunting. That’s my thang.
By the way. Shot in a Regional USARB match on Saturday. Finished 3rd with a 731. Not my best day by any means, but respectable.
Merry Christmas
G&G
B.B.,
Just saw Gunfun 1’s post above which was posted a few minutes after mine. It explains why the rubber pad was installed so I now know. You don’t need to repeat it unless you have something to add.
Thanks
G&G
So can the new stock shoot better than the factory stock? I think when all is said and done the effect of stock change on accuracy is not that great, unless you get a super-adjustable target style stock. Savage’s Accustock has not had any of the effects like its Accutrigger. While some complain about Savage’s cheap factory stock, I’ve come to like it. While it feels a little meager in the hand, I think it is hilarious the way it can shoot sub-MOA for the price.
Matt61
Matt61
The way a stock is mounted to a particular gun can make a difference.
If the stock mounting bolts are holding the stock but not secure in certain places and the action can move in the stock your going to have a problem getting consistent groups.
And as far as the two stocks go that BB has there’s only one way to find that out about his particular gun and the two stocks he has.
Shoot the gun the same day and change the two stocks. Stay with the same pellets and fill pressure. Try to keep the shooting conditions the same is what I mean.
What could be a problem though is what happens if maybe the RAI stock dimensions are not held consistent on each stock. Not saying that is true because I have seen Dave’s work and he actually only lives about 6 miles from me and we have talked in person several times. And he does use a reputable machine shop.
Crosman stocks may have the variations in the stocks too. But them adding the pad in the stock like people were doing to the gen1 Maruaders may just take up that variable that could be associated with stock making.
What I’m saying is the people that was doing that mod with the pad and then Crosman putting into production stocks could kill two birds with one stone. Quiet the ping and help take up variations in the producing of the stock.
And again that is all just thoughts. Again as usual there could be alot things that could make one work better than the other. Or not.
GF1,
Notes made. If I were trying to fill gaps, the first thing I would try is mastic tape, hands down, no question.
Squishable, firm, removable.
Chris USA
Don’t know if cit ould help or hurt.
But it would be something to consider on a gun to see if it helps.
I did it on my gen1 Maruaders and the .177 caliber Hatasan QE I had.
If anything the gun felt smoother when it shot. Although there isn’t much of a shot cycle on a PCP gun there has to be some kind of slight vibration if you hear the ping in the resivoir.
The ping is the sound transfering from the hammer spring and the hammer striking the valve stem on the valve. So if its quieting the noise then it means its absorbing the vibration that happened. Even if it is very little. Kind of like greasing a spring on a springer. So a part of tuning the springer to make the gun more enjoyable to shoot. Well that’s kind of what that pad does too. It gives you a sense of a smooth quiet gun.
That just made me wonder…. are any airguns cross compatible with any rifle stocks? Like by dumb luck a 10/22 or marlin or something would seat a marauder or air arms etc just right? That would be an interesting investigation for someone who works with a lot of powder rifles to line a bunch of stocks up and try dropping some air rifles in. Imagine a marauder in an m1 old wood stock? Or any similar combination, if ANYTHING worked, it would be good to know.
RDNA
I’m going to say that would be rare for that to happen.
Think about a firearms action and the receiver and such. Something could be close but I doubt it.
The m1 idea is cool. And I do know Crosman makes a pcp based off the Discovery that will fit a AR frame. It’s been awhile since I looked so I could be remembering wrong. I will have to look on the PA site and double check now that we’re talking about it.
RDNA
Here it is.
/product/crosman-mar177-ar-15-upper-pcp-conversion-kit?m=2703
Took some doing but I finally got the HIPac to hold air!
Having only 7″ of barrel I was determined to run it without the extension I also got.
Gave it all a good once-over and put it all back together with the extension included and “Voila!”
I got 3 Superpoints through it. It’s currently holding the rest of the 2000psi charge.
Reb,
Congratulations on getting your project done. Looking forward to hearing some results.
I’m kinda stuck for now, I may drain the 2400 and try swapping fill ends to get it back behind the muzzle.
It’s got about 10 shots off a 2250 fill so that’s gonna take about 50 shots.
I’ll try to run it down some tonight but it may take a while.