Benjamin Gunnar.
This report covers:
- Long time
- The test
- Magazine
- First group — JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy
- Baracuda 18
- Baracuda Match with 5.53mm head
- Crosman Premier
- So — how is it?
Today we back up to 25 yards to test the accuracy of the .22-caliber Benjamin Gunnar. This rifle has been interesting from the start and we now have a good handle on it’s performance.
Long time
It’s been a long time since I last shot the Gunnar, so I read the previous reports to see where things were. I remembered the part about the DonnyFL Ronin silencer not aligning with the barrel, causing me to put pellets into the jamb of the door leading into my garage. Even if I didn’t read the reports I had the pellet holes to remind me.
I forgot how quiet the Gunnar is. But in Part 2 I found that on full power it was only 91.9 dB. I also discovered that in the center of the power adjustment range the rifle is still getting 30+ foot-pounds, and there are as many as 60 shots per 3,000 psi fill, which is performance you can take to the bank. The 3,000 psi fill is a wise step because it doesn’t drain your air tanks fast like a 300-bar (4,351 psi) fill does.
I also enjoyed reading that the 12-shot rotary magazine is straightforward to load. It doesn’t require pellets to be put in backwards or other nonsense. When I finished reading I was ready to test.
The test
I shot the Gunnar from 25 yards off a sandbag rest with the rifle resting directly on the bag. I extended the buttstock as far out as it goes and the scope was in perfect alignment with my eye. The trigger is quite good, as I have reported in the past.
Magazine
The rotary magazine holds 12 rounds and as I said it is straightforward to load. For the first group I loaded all 12 chambers because I would use the first two to sight in and then adjust the scope to shoot the group. After that I loaded 10 rounds of each pellet. All the groups shown today were 10-shot groups.
First group — JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy
First to be tested were JSB Jumbo Heavy pellets. They were the most accurate at 10 meters. The first shot landed two inches high, as the rifle was sighted in at 10 meters. I cranked in a lot of down elevation and shot two hit an inch low and an inch to the left of the aim point. I adjusted the scope up and to the right and the next shot, which was the first in the 10-shot group, was a pinwheel that took out the center dot in the bull of a new target. Oh, boy! From this point on I had to overlay the reticle lines over the target ring numbers to center the shot. With that I put the first four shots into a tiny hole that would have been smaller than one-tenth inch between centers. Then the group started to enlarge.
The final 10-shot group measures 0.357-inches between centers. Not bad for 25 yards when I had to guess where the center of the target was! Because of that I adjusted the elevation of the scope 6 clicks down.
Not bad for blowing away the aim point on the first shot! Ten JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy pellets are in 0.357-inches at 25 yards.
Baracuda 18
We are on a roll. The next pellet tested was the 18-grain H&N Baracuda. Ten of them made a 0.517-inch group at 25 yards. Once more I almost blew the aim point away with the third shot.
Ten Baracuda 18s went into 0.492-inches at 25 yards. Like before I almost blew away the aim point on this target.
Baracuda Match with 5.53mm head
The next pellet I tested was the H&N Baracuda Match with 5.53mm heads. Ten of them went into 0.582-inches at 10 meters, with nine of them in 0.385-inches at 25 yards. Shot seven is the one that dropped low and to the right and I don’t know what happened. It wasn’t a called pull. And as before I blew the aim point away and had to guess where the center of the target was.
The Gunnar put ten Baracuda Match with 5.53mm heads into 0.582-inches at 25 yards, with nine in 0.385-inches. I have no idea why the one shot hit low and to the right, but it wasn’t a called bad shot.
Crosman Premier
It dawned on me that I had not tried Crosman Premier pellets in the Gunnar. Yes, we know that Crosman probably didn’t make this rifle in the U.S. But it is still one of their airguns.
However, I also discovered in the Part 3 test that the Gunnar likes medium-to-heavyweight pellets best. That suggests the Premiers that weigh 14.3 grains will probably not group as well as the heavier pellets. Yet they did. I blew out the aim point early in the test, of course, and guessed where the aim point was after that.
Ten Premiers went into 0.505-inches at 25 yards, so it wasn’t that bad. It looks larger than the others, but when I measured it several times it really wasn’t.
The Gunnar put 10 Crosman Premiers into this 0.505-inch group at 25 yards.
So — how is it?
The Gunnar is pulling its weight. Of course we need a 50-yard test to know for certain, but as a hunting air rifle, it looks like a winner. Lots of shots on a 3,000 psi fill, accuracy, quiet report, nice magazine and decent trigger. There is a lot to like.
BB,
Seems like Crosman got a good manufacturing partner for now. Maybe they did a technology transfer on making accurate barrels too?
Siraniko
Siraniko,
You have just suggested tomorrow’s report, whether you know it or not. This (what you said about partnering with a good manufacturer) is a key to success and continued existence in the marketplace. Oh, oh! I have to stop now because I am writing tomorrow’s blog! 😉
BB
Siraniko,
Kral, out of Turkey. They have come a long way. I can remember when BB showed up at the Roanoke show with two Kral copies of the Gamo CFX. I took a look at those two things and went and bought a used Gamo CFX.
Many have been teaming up. The Chinese really opened the door for that. Then the Koreans and now the Turks. The truth is, they have all come a long way. They had to in order to compete in the American market.
Even the Europeans have gotten together. Gamo decided to step up a notch, so they bought BSA. That has helped Gamo immensely. Gamo really understood sproingers, but they did not have a good grasp of the PCP. Teaming up with BSA has really helped them in that market.
Hatsan is one of the few who decided to make it on their own. They have come a long way from their beginnings. They have a vast array of models, which they are starting to thin down a bit. Some of them they really should hang on to.
Of course, if you want affordable optics, they are coming out of China. Some of them are pretty decent now. Unless they are bundled, then just throw them away.
OFF SUBJECT ALERT!
Well, a little bit anyway. The airgun shows are starting to come back. For those of you in the Northeast, mark your calendars.
https://hardairmagazine.com/news/first-details-of-the-2022-baldwinsville-airgun-show/
I am really hoping for the Hickory, NC show this year.
Hickory still isn’t scheduled? Wanna drive up to Ohio? The Findlay Ohio is just a couple weeks away on April 23.
https://www.flagcitytoysthatshoot.com
With 120 tables already sold, this will be the biggest show they’ve ever had.
Derrick!
I was just over to your site yesterday. I had been away from it for a while and you slipped a bunch of reports in on me.
I am sure I would enjoy Findlay, but that is a long haul from down here in the Virginia hills. It would be an over nighter trip for me and I tend to stay away from them. I have not worked out any of the logistics that would be involved.
.Tony has not scheduled it yet, but he probably will not be too long. He usually has it in October.
https://www.tmacsairgunservice.com/.
I am hoping for a show in Hickory this year. Long drive but Hickory is the closest.
Deck
Deck,
I will be be there, most likely on the Saturday. Check here for Tony’s notification. It is typically in October.
https://www.tmacsairgunservice.com/
RR
Thanks for Tony’s site. Will watch for show date and try for Saturday.
Deck
BB,
The Gunnar ticks off most of the feature boxes for me, Interesting airgun.
In reading the reviews on the Pyramyd AIR site I see that Benjamin needs to look at the stock design, seems that the hardware tends to loosen up. Maybe lock-washers or loc-tite would address that.
Hank
Hank,
Yeah, the AR-style adjustable stocks are always a little sloppy.
BB
B.B.,
Nice shooting; even with shooting away your aimpoint.
Interesting rifle!
Is the Castle Nut on the buffer tube to receiver connection the same (similar/metal?) to an AR’s?
shootski
PS: the 1st Login attemp is back to failing.
shootski,
Yep, I have to log in two times, too.
BB
Hank,
I took a look at your links to carving lures and painting them, Good stuff! I can’t find time for all my hobbies now LOL. Some of my hobbies, like the garden, are on the verge of becoming chores. Please post some pictures of your lures. Went fishing yesterday and got skunked.
Don
Don,
Know what you mean about too many hobbies! I’m more busy now than I was before I retired …and the project list just gets longer every day!
My daughter is the gardener in the family, when she moved out I inherited several flower gardens and the 16×24 foot vegetable garden, I like gardening but it can take up a lot of time.
Glad you got out fishing! It will be a couple more weeks here. The rivers are high with run-off and the lakes are still mostly ice covered.
I’ll send pics of some lures when I have some, got to get rid of my cataracts first.
Hank
Well, one thing is for sure, this thing could not be made in America. AEA makes some affordable PCP’s too, same price point, check them out too. Maybe if it was affordable to manufacture things in the USA, then we could sell stuff to other countries. Maybe thats why West Virginia is coverinp up old coal mines with solar. The low end products are made in other countries, thats how airgun dealers make a profit, the problem is, the high end products are mostly made there as well. I’m glad that airgunning doesn’t need to be expensive to be fun. and my .177 pellets go in the 3/8th ” hole at 47 yds more easily than the more powerfull .22 ones do, Maybe I need a nicer .22?
Hope the .25 yd test goes well.
Rob
In my morning news today I read that Airgun Depot will have the exclusive rights to sell the Seneca Dragonfly MKII in the USA. I understand that Pyramyd and Airgun Depot have an financial relationship, but why would Pyramyd’s marketing department let the Dragonfly slip through their hands this way and deprive loyal Pyramyd account holders the privilege of buying where we’re most comfortable? After BB’s stellar review of the Dragonfly, I certainly put it on my “I want it for Christmas” list. Oh my . . . what can I do? Tell us what happened Tom, (or any other knowledgeable seer). As always, thanks, Orv
Hoppalong Doc,
Huh? /product/seneca-dragonfly-mk2-multi-pump-air-rifle?m=5170
Pre Order and an estimated date.
I think you will be good to go!
shootski
I can’t seem to figure out how to forward this news article from today’s Airgun Wire news, but perhaps someone else will read this article and repost it here for us. Then again . . . I may have gotten my wires crossed and Pyramyd AIR will be carrying the Dragonfly MK5. Orv.
Orv,
The piece was published on March 31st…April Fools? But AD lost control of publish time/date?
https://airgunwire.com/controversy-abounds-as-airgun-depot-grabs-exclusive-rights-to-the-seneca-dragonfly-mk5-air-rifle/
shootski
I’m still not sure that understand: does Airgun Depot have the exclusive US rights to the Dragonfly, or is this article in the Airgun Wire obsolete? Orv.