Benjamin Marauder | Air gun blog

Gen 2 .25-caliber Benjamin Marauder: Part 4

Posted on June 29, 2015 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 159 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Second-generation Benjamin Marauder in a synthetic stock.

This report covers:

Farewell Marv Freund
Some updates and corrections
Shooting the gun
Stabilizing the bipod
First group is the best
Baracuda Hunter Extreme pellets
Diana domed pellets
Possible change in comments

Farewell Marv Freund

Before I start today’s report, I must sadly announce that Marv Freund passed away last Friday evening. Marv was in his mid-80s and, in the words of Dennis Quackenbush, has been an “old lion” of airgunning for as long as I’ve been involved. Anyone who attended the airgun shows at Roanoke probably saw and spoke to him.

Marv was retired from the National Bureau of Standards before it became the National Institute for Standards and Technology. He was well-known for fixing and rebuilding music boxes and other complicated mechanical things. Marv is the man from whom I purchased my Nelson Lewis combination gun, the cased FWB 124 and my Falke 90.

Gen 2 .25-caliber Benjamin Marauder: Part 3

Posted on June 17, 2015 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 43 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Second-generation Benjamin Marauder in a synthetic stock.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 4

This report covers:

RAI modular stock
The buttstock
Leapers
Rifle weight
Scope
Bipod and sling
2015 Texas airgun show

Today, you’ll see the real reason I’m testing the .25-caliber Gen 2 Benjamin Marauder. I had not planned on this test at all! In fact, I found a high-end European air rifle at the SHOT Show that I planned to test for Shotgun News and my personal website. I tried to order that rifle, but it just never happened. So, when Dave Rensing of R. Arms Innovations (RAI) approached me with his modular stock at the Malvern airgun show, I decided to buy a Marauder and test it in a way I’ve never done before. This test will become part of a much larger feature article in Shotgun News this November, which is their full-color edition. If you can’t buy the magazine, don’t fret. It will also be posted on my website a few months after it’s published.

Gen 2 .25-caliber Benjamin Marauder: Part 2

Posted on June 5, 2015 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 142 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Second-generation Benjamin Marauder in a synthetic stock.

Part 1
Part 3
Part 4

This report covers:

Bipod, scope and rifle — oh, my!
2-16X44 scope
Sight-in
First group better?
The key?
Sound
Second group on the second magazine
What have I learned?

I told you in Part 1 that this is going to be a different kind of report. Not just because this new .25-caliber second-generation Benjamin Marauder is my personal gun (I bought it for a project involving a new modular RAI stock), but also because I’m installing some Leapers parts, including a killer new UTG 2-16X44AO Accushot scope. What I didn’t tell you (yet) is that I’m also installing and testing a new UTG rubber-armored folding metal bipod.

The new .25-cal. Marauder with synthetic stock is set up with a UTG bipod and the new UTG 2-16X scope. I’m gettin’ with the program!

Gen 2 .25-caliber Benjamin Marauder: Part 1

Posted on May 29, 2015 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 89 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Second-generation Benjamin Marauder in a synthetic stock.

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

This report covers:

Introduction
RAI modular stock
Leapers parts
New Leapers scope
Past Marauder reports
Why this project?
Adjustments
Trigger
Power
The basics

Introduction

This is the beginning of a very long test series. I’ve just purchased a second-generation Benjamin Marauder in .25 caliber for several reasons. First, I have read in so many places that the .25-caliber second-generation rifle is extremely accurate. It has a Green Mountain barrel that many people say is the bomb. I have tested the first-generation Marauder in .25 caliber and found it to be a very nice PCP that will reliably produce one-inch 10-shot groups at 50 yards. While that’s good, it’s not exactly what I would call the bomb, so I want to see if there’s a difference with this second-generation gun.

Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 5

Posted on February 17, 2014 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 77 Comments

by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier

Benjamin Marauder .177 caliber: Part 1
Part 2
Secrets of loading the Benjamin Marauder magazine
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Fixing a Marauder magazine
Part 7
Benjamin Marauder .25 caliber: Part 1
Benjamin Marauder .25 caliber: Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 1
Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 2
Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 3
Benjamin Marauder .177 caliber 50-yard test: Special part
Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 4

New Benjamin Marauder with synthetic stock has all the features of the classic Marauder in a lighter, trimmer package.

Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 4

Posted on January 21, 2014 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 71 Comments

by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier

Benjamin Marauder PCP .177-caliber air rifle: Part 1
Part 2
Secrets of loading the Benjamin Marauder magazine
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Fixing a Marauder magazine
Part 7
Benjamin Marauder .25 caliber: Part 1
Benjamin Marauder .25 caliber: Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 1
Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 2
Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 3
Benjamin Marauder .177 caliber 50-yard test: Special part

New Benjamin Marauder with synthetic stock has all the features of the classic Marauder in a lighter, trimmer package.

Benjamin Marauder .177 caliber 50-yard test: Special part

Posted on January 6, 2014 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 28 Comments

by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier

Benjamin Marauder .177-caliber air rifle: Part 1
Part 2
Secrets of loading the Benjamin Marauder magazine
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Fixing a Marauder magazine
Part 7
Benjamin Marauder .25 caliber: Part 1
Benjamin Marauder .25 caliber: Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 1
Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 2
Benjamin Marauder .22 repeater with synthetic stock: Part 3

Benjamin Marauder .177.

Today, I’m doing an accuracy test of the .177-caliber Benjamin Marauder at 50 yards because I forgot to do it when we were looking at that rifle back in the summer of 2013. I’m inserting it in between the tests of the .22-caliber Benjamin Marauder with synthetic stock and will go back and make a notation in the original Part 6 of the .177 rifle test that alerts readers to this omission and links to this test. The next report after this will be the first accuracy test of the synthetic-stocked Marauder. I apologize for any confusion this has caused, but I didn’t want to overlook this test.