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.

Few people know this, but Marv was directly descended from the Freund brothers. The Freunds invented a more positive means of chambering and extracting the cartridge case in a Sharps single-shot rifle, making it far more reliable than it came from the factory. Their Wyoming Armory was a fixture of the Old West that moved around many times as the railroads were constructed.

Not everyone who knew Marv will get a call about his passing. Please pass along this info to other airgun forums and social networks. He’ll be missed by many airgun collectors.

Today, I’ll start shooting the .25-caliber Gen 2 Benjamin Marauder with the RAI modular stock and accessories mounted. First, though, I need to say a few words about the stock and the accessories.

Some updates and corrections

No. 1 — let’s talk about the weight of the assembled and accessorized rifle. Some of you found the extra weight that I reported to be excessive, although I don’t agree. When you shoot an accurate air rifle from a bench or a bipod, the more weight the better, as a rule. Weight helps with stability. But that aside, my rifle weighs more than it needs to because of the accessories I installed. The UTG deluxe mil-spec stock I mounted is a new one that has battery storage compartments, plus it has a fat cheekpiece. It weighs more than their standard 6-position mil-spec stock that Pyramyd Air carries. And the UTG Sniper pistol grip I mounted is heavier than a standard AR15 grip. Dave Rensing of RAI tells me that with both standard items mounted, his gun weighs just a half pound more than the Marauder with synthetic stock. That would still be under 8 lbs. before the scope and bipod are mounted.

No. 2 — the folding buttstock adapter I showed you is a UTG product that RAI modifies so you can adjust the rifle’s striker spring tension with the stock mounted. I believe I gave the impression in the last report that it was an RAI product (I thought it was), but Dave tells me he gets it from Leapers. Anyone with an AR-15 can have one. It comes without the access hole; but for an additional $5, RAI drills the hole. I think Marauder owners will want it that way.

No. 3 — Dave told me his RAI Universal Adjustable Adapter — the same idea as the RAI adapter I tested for you with Crosman pistols, but made to fit an AR buffer tube — can be installed in line with the folding butt adapter. That lets you position the buttstock higher or lower and with some cast-off or cast-on (the angle of the butt in relation to the rest of the rifle when viewed from above). I told him I originally installed both adapters, but they made the minimum pull length about 14-3/4 inches. That gave me no adjustability with the 6-position deluxe mil-spec stock, so I removed it. Dave told me the stock I used measures nearly an inch longer than the 6-position standard mil-spec stock Pyramyd Air carries, so that accounted for the difference in length.

As I told you, the 6-position stock I’ve mounted is a different one. It’s beefier and has 2 storage compartments for spare CR123 batteries. It’s new this year and carries Leapers product number RBUS1BMS.

When the butt swings to the side, you can access the striker spring adjustment.

Shooting the gun

I arrived at the range early, and there wasn’t a hint of breeze. That’s perfect for shooting an airgun at 50 yards. The rifle still has the UTG 2-16X44AO Accushot scope mounted, and it was sighted-in, so I was ready to go. This scope, by the way, is a revolutionary new wide-range variable from Leapers that just came out. Blog reader Kevin Lentz just bought one, so maybe he’ll comment on it for you. I like it a lot; and as you’ll see today, It does very well on this rifle.

The Marauder as it’s now set up.

Stabilizing the bipod

I mentioned last time that shooting off a bipod is less stable that shooting off a bag rest. This time, I fixed that to a large extent by leaning forward into the butt of the gun. The bipod legs were pressed forward, and that stabilized the light rifle. Light? Absolutely. I call it light because a long-range target AR-15 I once tested (and now own the upper of) weighed 14 lbs. when I tested it. It was stable on its bipod. So, weight matters when shooting off a bench.

I lean forward into the rifle, and that locks everything tight.

First group is the best

The .25-caliber Marauder magazine holds 8 pellets; and during the range session before this, I’d determined that the first 8 were more accurate than the second 8. I also noticed that a couple pellets had hit the target on an angle, as if they had tipped in flight. That’s never good! I disassembled the baffles after that session, but found no hard evidence of pellets hitting any baffle edges. So, I just reassembled them, hoping that I might have corrected any misalignment problems they had during the assembly. The plastic baffles have holes that measure 0.315 inches in diameter, which should be enough for good clearance.

I also determined on this previous trip that JSB Exact Kings are the best pellets in the rifle. So, that’s what I started with in this session.

I shot the first magazine into a group that measures 0.639 inches between centers. Not a bad start! The second group with the same pellet opened up to 1.48 inches. And, just to say I did it, I shot a third group on the same fill. It started out well, and I thought I was going to have to recant my position of the first group after the fill being the best; but after 4 shots, things came apart. The last 2 shots landed very low on the target. I had to hold the final shot 4 inches above the bull to get it to land 2 inches below, so 16 shots are, in fact, the absolute maximum on a fill the way the rifle is currently adjusted.

Eight JSB Exact Kings went into 0.639 inches at 50 yards. This was on the first magazine after a fill.

On the third magazine after a fill, I got 8 JSB Kings into this huge group by holding the scope up four inches for the final shot, which landed lowest. Without question, the rifle, as it’s now adjusted, is out of breath on this third magazine! No group size is given because this isn’t a real group, since I changed the aim point as I shot.

I shot these groups in a growing wind that was gusting 7 m.p.h. and more. By that time, I decided the test was almost over for this day. But I got what I came to learn. The Gen 2 Marauder in .25 caliber is very accurate. And the RAI modular stock and UTG accessories make it more stabile and comfortable to shoot.

Baracuda Hunter Extreme

The wind meant my time was limited. I shot a group of .25-caliber Baracuda Hunter Extreme hollowpoints. These went all over the place, with 8 ending up around 2 inches! Enough said!

Diana domes

Twenty years ago, the best pellets we had in .25 caliber were 20-grain domed pellets called Diana. RWS imported them and they were superior to everything else. In the Marauder on this day, I fired 2 pellets that landed about 5 inches apart. I removed the magazine from the rifle and emptied it manually. No sense wasting pellets or air.

Benjamin domes

These should be labeled .25-caliber Premiers, because the Benjamin domes that have no brand name are one of the 3 most accurate .25-caliber pellets on today’s market. In the Marauder, the first magazine of 8 went into 0.734 inches at 50 yards. The second mag followed suit with the JSBs landing 8 in 1.489 inches.

Eight Benjamin domes went into 0.734 inches at 50 yards. This was on the first magazine after a fill.

Now I need to learn what the rifle is doing, velocity-wise — over the first 16 shots. There have to be more than 8 shots on a fill, so it’s time for me to start adjusting the powerplant for greater stability.

Also, I don’t like the way the trigger is adjusted. Stage one seems way too long, which is probably due to changing the grip from the factory stock to the UTG Sniper grip. I can now feel the trigger-pull through stage two, rather than the crisp break I want. So, the trigger is also on the list to be adjusted.

Finally, those oblong pellet holes from the test before this are still bothering me. The pellets all seemed to land nose-first on this day, but I still reamed all the baffles out from 0.315 inches to 0.324 inches.

Lots more to come in this report.

Possible change in comments

We’re considering a change in how comments are made because we’re getting hundreds of spam comments a day. Edith has been doing some things that make it harder for spams to post, and they’ve been reduced by more than 50%. However, they’re now on the rise, again.

The first change we’re thinking of implementing is to make it mandatory to have a registration account and be logged in before you can make a comment. Of course, you can still read the blog without logging in.

The second change would require that a person’s first comment be approved before going live. That means the comment would be held for moderation until either Edith or I approve it. After that, comments would go live immediately. If you’ve never commented before, this will affect you. If you currently have an account and have already posted one comment under that account, this change won’t affect you.

We welcome legitimate interaction and hope these changes won’t chase away any airgunners. Feel free to comment and let me know if there’s anything in either of these changes that will cause you a hardship.

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.

RAI modular stock

I chose the .25-caliber Marauder because of its Green Mountain barrel. It has a reputation for tack-driving accuracy that I’ve already caught glimpses of at the range. I won’t get into that today, as this report is about assembling the Gen 2 Marauder in the RAI modular stock with accessories from both RAI and Leapers. But, I will say that I collected some valuable data that will help me tune this rifle for optimum performance in the future.

The Gen 2 Marauder with the RAI modular stock (arrow) plus other RAI and Leapers accessories. When the boxes arrived, it felt like Christmas!

The modular stock looks small next to the original synthetic stock, and it is. But the modular stock is machined from aircraft aluminum, so it has the strength to accept all the accessories. It isn’t a whole stock at all. It’s just the forearm that accepts the action, and RAI calls it a chassis. It’s set up to accept an AR-15 style buttstock, and it gives you many options to choose from.

The AR-15 is the civilian version of the M16 battle rifle platform — the firearm equivalent of a Lego set. Modularity is one key feature of this platform, so the options you see here are but one set of possibilities for the Gen 2 Marauder.

Because there are so many options, you have to look at the modular stock as a base for building a rifle. I’ll talk you through my set of options and explain why I decided upon them. Dave sent the stock to me with an AR-15 triggerguard already attached, but this is the first part the buyer must choose. I found 7 variations to choose from on one popular firearms website, so this is your first choice.

The RAI modular stock came with an oversized AR-15 triggerguard attached. This is a part the buyer must supply.

The buttstock

The main reason for taking on this project is the possibilities of different butts that I can select for my Marauder. Dave showed me a clever adapter at Malvern that allows the butt to swing to the left side of the rifle, thus significantly shortening the overall length of the gun. Dave makes this adapter, and it was a chief interest of mine for this project, so he supplied one.

Not only does the butt swing out of the way; but when it does, it opens a port for adjusting the striker spring tension with the butt attached. The factory stock also allows for this. But what the factory stock does not allow is adjustment of the air transfer port while the stock is installed. The RAI modular stock permits that adjustment at any time. This is a feature the public has begged for since the Marauder was launched. These 2 features allow the shooter to easily and quickly adjust both the velocity (air transfer port adjustment) and the reservoir fill pressure (striker spring tension).

The RAI modular stock has a cutout so you can adjust the air transfer port (arrow) without removing the action from the stock.

The swing butt adapter attaches to the modular stock, then the buffer tube screws into the other end. Obviously, the tube has no buffer spring installed (it isn’t needed). Fortunately, Leapers sells the tube by itself. I planned to install a UTG 6-position mil-spec adjustable butt, so I used their mil-spec buffer tube. Mil-spec buffer tubes are a different size than non-mil-spec tubes, so pay attention if you go this route.

The butt swing adapter attaches to the modular stock, then the buffer tube screws into it.

Leapers

Leapers supplied a large number of parts for this project. The mil-spec buffer tube was screwed into the RAI swing adapter and locked in place with a castle nut. Then, the 6-position mil-spec extendable buttstock was slid onto the buffer tube. This completed the rifle’s butt, though RAI did supply another option.

If you don’t want the butt to swing to the side, there’s a separate RAI butt adapter that lets you adjust the butt for some different heights or for some cast-on and cast-off — depending on your desire. Then, you have a rigid butt that, once adjusted, fits you perfectly.

With the butt installed, the next step was to install the pistol grip. As with most of the parts, the modular stock accepts all AR-15 pistol grips, so I selected the UTG Sniper grip for my rifle. It has finger grooves and is made of a rough synthetic that’s grippy. It feels just right in my hand.

Rifle weight

The RAI modular stock is much smaller than the factory stock but doesn’t include things like the grip and the butt, plus the adapter and buffer tube for the butt. In factory trim, the Gen 2 Marauder in synthetic stock weighs 7.3 lbs. That’s before the scope is mounted. The rifle as modified for you today — again, minus the scope — weighs 9 lbs. The new forearm is much slimmer than even the forearm of the synthetic stock that was itself a great reduction in bulk from the original wood stock on the Gen 1 Marauder, but the combined parts are heavier.

Scope

I still have to add the scope, which is that new UTG 2-16X44AO Accushot scope I’ve been testing for you on the factory Gen 2 Marauder. I’m finding it to be everything I want in a scope for the field and an ideal match for this hunting rifle I’m building. With it mounted, the rifle weighs 10.5 lbs.

Blog reader Kevin asked me if the reticle lines in this scope are thin, and I told him they are. Last week, I discovered just how handy that illuminated reticle is. I lost the center of the reticle in the black bull at 50 yards because the day was overcast. So, I turned on the illuminated reticle and switched it so the lighted lines were faint. That made the crosshairs as thin as they could be, and I was able to bisect the center of the bull quite easily. It resulted in 6 shots from one pellet going into 0.417 inches and from another pellet into 0.552 inches at 50 yards. Without the ability to see the center of the reticle, both groups would have been larger.

Bipod and sling

Finally, we come to the bipod and sling — both Leapers UTG products. For hunting, the sling is essential for carrying the rifle. I have the UTG rifle sling. The bipod is less essential, but that will be dictated by how you hunt. I have a choice of 3 UTG bipods to choose from — the UTG rubber armored folding metal bipod you’ve already seen, a UTG tactical bipod that extends 6 to 8.5 inches and a UTG tactical bipod that pans (allows rotation of the rifle on the bipod). That’s a lot to test, and I plan on trying all of them.

It took me 45 minutes to install everything mentioned in this report. Nothing was difficult, but most things required some thought. The onboard pressure gauge is still visible on the bottom of the stock, and the rifle looks ready for the field. Better yet, it fits me quite well. I was concerned over losing the adjustable cheekpiece of the factory synthetic stock, but the straight line of the AR stock raises my sighting eye to the correct height. Had it not, I could have also installed the RAI adapter that allows for some movement of the butt and raised it that way.

The butt swing adapter attaches to the modular stock, then the buffer tube screws into it.

The cost?

I bet you’re interested in what this modification costs. I can’t possibly cost all the options for you because they largely depend on your personal tastes, but the bare RAI modular stock (they call it a chassis) retails for $309.99. The chassis with a rigid butt adapter, a 6-Position UTG mil-spec butt, an AR standard pistol grip and an AR oversized triggerguard retail for $447.99. The side-swing adapter costs $29.99. And, of course, you can order the parts from RAI and mix and match to your heart’s content.

The UTG parts to which I’ve linked have prices, so you have what you need there. And nothing stops you from selecting other AR-15 accessories in place of those I’ve shown.

Next, I’ll begin testing the modified rifle at the range. As mentioned earlier, I already know a couple things, so this test is well underway.

2015 Texas airgun show

The 2015 Texas airgun show is approaching fast! The show will be held on Saturday, August 29, and the reception will be the evening before. Don’t forget that you’ll get to watch a Round Table segment being filmed for the American Airgunner TV show at the reception. And, the film crew will be at the show all day.

Don’t miss the big bore match and be sure to participate in the action pistol and rifle matches we have planned for everyone. And, plan to buy some raffle tickets for the wonderful prizes that will be given out all day long. Your admission to the show also enters you in the door prize drawing at no extra charge.

If you want a table at the show, act now while they’re still available. I expect them to be gone before long. The information for tables, the motel and the reception is on the show flier.

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!

Leaper’s new UTG 2-16X44 scope is a lot of glass for the price. It’s the same size as a 3-12X.

Bipod, scope and rifle — oh, my!

I’m going to address the bipod, then the scope, then what I’ve done with the rifle. First the bipod. I’m not a person who uses bipods as a rule, but the new RAI modular stock screams for one; so, I thought I would test the standard Marauder synthetic stock with one.

This bipod is very compact and extends to a maximum 8.5 inches. The legs fold in either direction and are rigid when locked in position. The bipod attaches to a Picatinny rail; but if your rifle doesn’t have one, an adapter converts the Marauder’s front sling swivel stud to a Picatinny rail and gives you another sling swivel stud to boot. You lose nothing and gain a bipod that folds flat when not in use.

The rubber-armored UTG folding bipod legs can swing forward or back when not in use.

2-16X44 scope

This UTG 2-16X44 scope deserves its own report. First of all, this scope has a greater range of power than you’ll find in any other affordable scope. You’ve heard of 4-16X scopes. They’re considered to be very versatile because of their great range of power. I probably use a 4-16X more often than any other power range, with a 3-12X coming in second. But 2-16X? There hasn’t been such a scope until this one — at least not for less than a thousand dollars.

On 2X, the view through the scope shows everything clearly. When you want more detail, you can zoom all the way to 16X. First, you find the squirrel; and then, you pick the place you want the pellet to hit.

This scope has all the bells and whistles that Leapers puts into their finest scopes. The reticle is etched glass, so it seems to float in the field of view without touching the sides. It’s illuminated, so there are 36 shades of reticle color to choose from when the light is low. Or, leave the reticle switch off, and it’s the regular black lines you’re used to. Flip-up scope caps on both ends keep the lenses clean until you need them.

This scope comes with UTG Weaver/Picatinny rings that will save some people money; but since the Marauder has an 11mm dovetail, they don’t work with this rifle. Ironically, I used an older set of Leapers high 30mm rings that do fit 11mm and 3/8″ dovetails for airguns and rimfires. I put one shim under the scope tube on the back ring just in case the Marauder droops, and sure enough — it does!

Once the eyepiece was adjusted, the image in the scope was also very bright and clear. This scope is short for its power, but it has sidewheel parallax adjustment that’s a lot easier than reaching out to turn a ring on the objective bell.

I’ll have more to say about this scope as this report unfolds. Today, however, I just wanted to get the scope mounted, and the rifle sighted in.

Sight-in

I sighted-in at 12 feet before moving back to 25 yards to refine the scope settings. The first shot landed low on the paper, which was where I wanted it to be at 12 feet, so I moved back to 25 yards. The UTG scope has locking rings on both the horizontal and vertical adjustments; so when the settings are where you want them, just screw down both locking rings and nothing will move.

Once I was back at the shooting bench, I rested the rifle on the bipod legs with the butt on my shoulder. It took 3 additional shots to get on target at 25 yards, and I initially sighted for the center of the bull. But when I blew it away in 3 shots, my group started to grow because I was guessing where the center of the bull was supposed to be. So, I dialed the elevation down 9 clicks for the first group.

The .25-caliber Marauder magazine holds 8 pellets, so all the groups I will shoot today are 8 shots rather than 10. I’m shooting only the JSB Exact King pellet, which may or may not be the most accurate one in this rifle, but I know it’s one of several that are very good. I’m not interested in shooting the smallest possible groups right now. I just want to learn how this rifle functions, and this is a good pellet for that.

Since I used an entire magazine sighting-in and confirming my zero, the first group I shot was the second 8 shots after a fill. And, by the way, I filled the rifle last week, and it was still holding all the air when this test began.

Notice that my 8-shot 25-yard group, which measures 0.366 inches between centers, is vertical. I wondered if the air pressure and velocity was dropping below the useful point by the end of the group. And it was the final 3 shots that made the group so vertical.

The first 25-yard 8-shot group is small but very vertical. It measures 0.366 inches between centers. That .25-caliber pellet is big, isn’t it?

First group better?

I wondered if the first group after the fill would be any better. I refilled the rifle to 3,000 psi and shot 8 more JSB King pellets. This time, they landed in 0.421 inches, so no better. The group isn’t as vertical as the last one, but it’s larger overall.

The second 25-yard 8-shot group measures 0.421 inches between centers. It isn’t as vertical, but it’s larger than the first group.

The key?

Before deciding anything, I noticed something while shooting this second group. My heartbeat was moving the crosshairs around the target by about 1/16 of an inch. Though the front of the rifle was resting solidly on the bipod feet, the rear was against my shoulder and wasn’t supported by anything else. When I shoot from a sandbag, the entire rifle is rested and all I have to do is move it gently until the crosshairs are on the target. Then, it stays put. Another test was in order.

Sound

The .25-caliber Marauder is quiet for what it is, but it’s not silent. Far from it, in fact. It’s about the same sound as a magnum spring rifle firing, which is to say a 3.5 on the Pyramyd Air scale. You aren’t going to shoot this one on a tiny suburban backyard! Marauders have a reputation for being quiet PCPs, but it’s the .177s that are super-quiet. As the caliber increases, the sound that comes from the muzzle does, too.

Second group on the second magazine

Since I already fired one group following the fill, this would be the second group. In other words, the same conditions as the first group I showed that had verticality. However, the rifle was rested on the sandbag with the bipod folded flat.

This time, 8 JSB King pellets went into a group that measured 0.316 inches between centers. It’s noticeably smaller than the first group and also not as vertical. I believe this target demonstrates 2 important things about my new Marauder. First, it has at least 2 full 8-shot magazines on a fill of air. Second, it groups better when rested on a sandbag than it does rested on a bipod.

The third 25-yard 8-shot group was the smallest group I shot — measuring 0.316 inches between centers.

What have I learned?

The rifle is now set up the way I want for the present. I’ve adjusted the trigger as I want it, but I left the power alone for now. The scope is mounted and sighted-in. I know the bipod is a handy rest, but it isn’t as steady as a bag rest. So — shoot groups from the bag and shoot at game off the rest. I can hold the rifle steady for a single shot, but not 8 times in a row.

I have no idea if there are other pellets that are even more accurate than the JSB Exact King in this rifle. All I know is that Kings are accurate enough to shoot at 50 yards. There don’t seem to be any funny interactions with the baffles inside the shroud. The scope will have to be adjusted for that distance, but that can easily be done when I get to the outdoor range.

I know there are at least 16 good shots on one fill of air. The onboard gauge reads 2,000 psi when the last shot is fired, and my carbon fiber tank gauge tells me the rifle has 2,100 psi remaining. Small air gauges seldom agree, and I think my tank gauge is the more accurate gauge in this instance.

Are there even more than 16 good shots on a fill? I don’t think so because of the low ending reservoir pressure, but it doesn’t really matter. The magazine holds 8 pellets, so 16 shots is very convenient.

Notice that I haven’t yet chronographed the rifle. It’s as if I don’t own a chronograph, and yet I can still set up the gun to suit me.

My next move will be to take the rifle to the 50-yard outdoor range and test a variety of premium pellets. Only then will we know if this new second-generation .25-caliber Marauder is really accurate. I believe it will be.

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.

RAI modular stock

I also want to mount the Marauder in a modular stock from R. Arms Innovations. I saw that stock at the 2015 Malvern airgun show in April and made arrangements with Dave Rensing to get one for this test.

R. Arms Innovations modular stock for the second-generation Benjamin Marauder.

Leapers parts

There are a lot of UTG parts that go on that stock that Leapers has provided for this test. The modular stock calls for them, and some are very exotic — namely, the folding butt. I’ll cover all of those parts in detail when I mount them on the modular stock.

New Leapers scope

Leapers also sent me one of their brand-new UTG Accushot 2-16×44 Tactical scopes for this project. Yes — I did say 2 to 16 power! I showed you this scope in the 2015 SHOT Show report (see Day 2) and mentioned that Leapers also has a new 1-8x and a 3.5-28x that will be out this year. The 2-16x is hitting the market right now, and Pyramyd Air will have them in stock very soon.

For those who are new to the shooting sports, a variable scope with 8x magnification ratio is very special. The cheapest 1-8x scope until now has cost over $1,500. Leapers already sells their UTG Accushot 1-8×28 CQB for a fraction of that.

There are now other 2-16x and 3-28x scopes coming on the market, but they carry very stiff pricetags. Those who know Leapers know they won’t put their name on a scope until it’s exactly what they want it to be. So, this is the chance to be able to purchase an exotic telescopic sight that was, until recently, out of reach for most people.

Past Marauder reports

I’ve done a lot of reports on Benjamin Marauders over the years. I thought this would be a good place to list links to all of them, so you can go back and reference if you want. Here they are:

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

Why this project?

Clearly, I’ve written a lot about Benjamin Marauders. So, why this project? Well, while I’ve written about the gun, I’ve never had the opportunity to modify one and make it my own. I’ve always been testing them as they came from the factory, with whatever adjustments the gun allows — which is a lot. This time, I’m going to take control of the rifle and really wring it out. I want to test that RAI modular stock because it seems so small and slim — although I have to admit the synthetic stock the Gen 2 Marauder comes with is pretty slim and svelte already.

Compared to the old wood-stocked Gen 1 Marauder, this one is a full pound lighter. And when you shoulder the rifle, you notice how slim the forearm feels, compared to the thick wood stock on the Gen 1 rifles.

I really wanted to test that Green Mountain barrel that I see so many people bragging about. I know that Crosman rifles the .177- and .22-caliber barrels in-house, and you can read my reports linked above to see the accuracy I’ve extracted from this airgun. Regardless of caliber, it always seems to hover around one inch for 10 shots at 50 yards. That’s pretty good, but it isn’t as good as what I hear people bragging about. So, this test will be seriously focused on accuracy.

Adjustments

I’ve already written volumes about the Marauder trigger, the fill-pressure adjustment and power adjustment. I expect this rifle to act the same as the others I’ve tested, which is to say it will be very flexible and tunable. Will I be able to get it to the level of perfection I’m seeking — the level others have written about on various chat forums? We shall see.

I’m going to run this test a little differently. I’ll combine Parts 1, 2 and 3 in this report and the next as I sort out the rifle, adjust the trigger, mount the scope, adjust the stock and set the power where I want it. Past reports described it pretty well, so I’ll borrow from them.

Trigger

The trigger was set very heavy with a lot of creep in the second stage as the rifle came from the box. I lightened the trigger-pull adjustment as far as it will go and then worked on the stage-1 and stage-2 adjustments. When I finished adjusting, I had the trigger breaking at 1 lb., 1 oz. with a crisp second stage that has no creep. I bumped the rifle several times, and the sear didn’t release.

The large round screw at the left adjusts the trigger-pull weight. Behind the trigger blade, the two small screws adjust the first- and second-stage pull length. And the screw behind those 2 allows for slight repositioning of the trigger blade.

Power

I’m going to leave the power adjustments where they are until I shoot some groups at 50 yards. No sense changing something before I know how well it performs. Unlike the trigger, which is a matter of personal preference, I can’t tell anything about accuracy without shooting the rifle at targets.

The basics

I’ll close this report with the basic description of the Marauder I’m testing. It’s a .25-caliber 8-shot precharged pneumatic repeater. It comes with one magazine and may or may not come with a degasser tool included. The rifle accepts up to a 3,000 psi fill of air, but that level is adjustable by the owner. You can also operate the Marauder on CO2, if you prefer.

The rifle weighs 7.3 lbs., but it comes without sights. A scope and mounts will add another pound or more to that, and I’ll install a UTG bipod, which adds another pound. My rifle will tip the scales around 10 lbs. once everything is installed.

My Marauder has a black synthetic stock that I’ll use for the initial tests. At some point, I’ll install the new RAI modular stock with folding butt. I don’t know what that will do to the weight, but I’ll keep you informed.

The barrel is inside a baffled shroud, so the report is much quieter than it would be if the muzzle was exposed. While this isn’t a super-quiet airgun (I’ve already fired it many times), it’s very quiet for what it is — referring to the caliber and the power level.

There are links to 18 past reports if you want to know more about Marauders in general. For how this one performs, you will have to wait and see, just like me.

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.

Today, we’ll look at the Marauder’s accuracy at 50 yards. I had to wait a long time for a calm day at the range for this.

Clearing the air
Before I begin the report, though, I want to address something. The new Marauder — both the one with the synthetic stock and the one with the wood stock — are the same rifle in different stocks. The actions are identical. Crosman waited to bring out the wood-stocked model, but both rifles have the new set-back trigger and also the new valve and hammer depinger. Which brings me to my second comment.

Owners who have used the new Marauder seem to like it a lot. They praise it in their comments on the product page. But those who don’t own one are making comments such as, “Tom Gaylord said the new .22-caliber Marauder only gets 860 f.p.s. Where is the 1,000 feet per second that Crosman claims? And where are those extra shots?”

Let me make this very clear — Tom Gaylord DID NOT say that the new Marauder only gets 860 f.p.s. What Tom Gaylord did was test the new Marauder exactly as it came from the box. He discovered that his test rifle seems to like a 2,900 psi fill, instead of the 2,500 psi fill suggested in the owner’s manual.

Tom Gaylord shot his test rifle at 25 yards and showed you the accuracy the rifle got when filled to that pressure. Today, he is going to show you how well it does at 50 yards, and it will also be filled to 2,900 psi.

Don’t extrapolate!
This is a pet peeve of mine. When people read all the performance specs of an airgun, they lump them together as though the gun does all of them simultaneously. The new Marauder may very well get 12 percent more shots per fill because of the new valve. And it may very well shoot a .22-caliber pellet at 1,000 f.p.s. And it may also be very accurate. And very quiet. But don’t expect it to do all of that at the same time — just as you don’t expect a new Corvette to go 0-60 in 4 seconds and also get 21 miles per gallon. You get one or the other — not both at the same time.

I haven’t even adjusted the gun to see how fast it will shoot. And I haven’t played with the fill pressure, either. All I’ve done to this point is take the rifle out of the box, put a scope on it and test it for accuracy. During that testing, I’ve accomplished several things:

1. I know the best fill pressure of the test rifle as it stands right now — 2,900 psi
2. I know the most accurate pellets — 14.3-grain Crosman Premiers and Beeman Kodiaks.
3. I know that for top accuracy, I can count on getting 2 full magazine’s worth of shots on a fill — 20 shots.

Now, don’t go running around claiming that I just said the new Marauder only gets 20 accurate shots. What I said was for top accuracy I can count on getting 2 full magazine’s worth of shots. There are a lot more than 20 accurate shots in this rifle!

If you’ve been following this report, you know that I’ve eliminated several pellets during earlier testing. They didn’t hold up to the 2 I chose for this test. That’s not to say there aren’t other pellets that might outshoot these 2 — just that, of the pellets I’ve tested, these are the best.

Testing at 50 yards
The day was completely calm — perfect for this kind of test outdoors. I shot the rifle off a sandbag rest. The first group was with Crosman Premiers, the pellet that proved to be the most accurate at 25 yards.

Since I didn’t know when the wind might kick up, I went fast in this test. There were 2 other air rifles to test on this day, and one of them was the Double Disco that shoots the same velocity as the Marauder. I wanted to complete this test so I would have time for that one afterward. I also had an AirForce Escape to test; but given how powerful that rifle is and also given the heavy weight of the .25-caliber pellets I’d be shooting, I thought that one could endure a little breeze.

At 50 yards, 10 Premiers went into a group that measures 1.112 inches between centers. It’s a reasonably round group that has 7 of the 10 shots in 0.558 inches. There’s nothing wrong with that!

Ten Crosman Premier pellets went into a nice tight 1.112-inch group. Seven of the pellets are in 0.558 inches.

Beeman Kodiaks
Next, I shot a group of 10 Beeman Kodiaks. This was on the same fill as the Premiers. Again, I was going fast to finish before the wind kicked up, so I didn’t stop to adjust the scope. Ten Beeman Kodiak pellets went into 1.516 inches at 50 yards, with 9 of them making just 0.888 inches. As with the Premiers, this group was also reasonably round.

Ten Beeman Kodiaks made this 1.516-inch group group. Nine of them are in 0.888 inches.

Here comes the wind
When I finished the Kodiak group, the breeze was just starting to blow. I refilled the Marauder and tried one other test pellet that I’m evaluating for Pyramyd Air, but it didn’t do very well. So, I ended the test for the Marauder.

The new Marauder is very accurate. This test shows that clearly. As far as the absolute top velocity it can get or anything else, I still have to test that.

In my opinion, the new Marauder shoots as well as the old Marauder did. I do like the new synthetic stock for its slim profile and lighter weight; but as far as accuracy and quietness goes, I don’t see any difference between the new rifle and the old Marauder.

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.

Well, it’s certainly been a long time between reports on this rifle, hasn’t it? Today, we’ll begin looking at the accuracy of the .22-caliber Benjamin Marauder with the synthetic stock. Some of you have already asked me if I plan to also test the new wood-stocked Marauder that has the same new action as this one. I have no plans to test it because I feel this test encompasses everything on the rifle, except for the stock material.

I was particularly keen on testing this rifle because we had a couple new readers who had purchased this gun and were having accuracy problems with it. I wanted to pay closer attention to accuracy than normal. After all, this is a new action, even if the changes have been relatively minor. Also, this is the first .22-caliber Marauder I’ve tested. Since Crosman makes both the .177- and .22-caliber barrels and buys the .25-caliber barrels from Green Mountain, I feel it’s worthwhile to examine this rifle more closely.

Sight-in
I filled the rifle to 3,000 psi because we learned in Part 3 that it’s on the power curve with a 3,000 psi fill. Then, I fired a single shot from 12 feet to see if I was on paper. Following that, I backed up to 25 yards and refined my sight picture. Only the 14.3-grain Crosman Premiers went everywhere! I got them on target, but sometimes a pellet landed an inch away from the aim point.

What was happening?
This is what a couple readers had described, so I did what I advised them to do. I removed all the baffles (see Part 2 of the Synthetic Stock review for this) to see if the pellets were touching any of them. Since they’re just plastic, it would be obvious if a pellet nicked one; but there was no sign of this on close inspection. So, I assembled the baffles and closed the shroud again.

And the next 10 shots with Premiers were remarkable! They went into a group that measures 0.246 inches between centers. Right away I guessed what might be happening is that the rifle was smoothing out as the air pressure dropped. So, even though the power curve seems to support a 3,000 psi fill, the targets do not show the same thing.

Ten Crosman Premiers in 0.246 inches is pretty conclusive! The new synthetic-stocked Marauder can shoot!

You can’t tell everything from just a single group — even a tight one like this. More testing was needed, but now I would be careful about the pressure level at which the groups were shot.

I tried many more pellets, but I’m not going to show all the groups. In all, I fired a total of ten 10-shot groups, making this test more exhaustive than my usual 25-yard accuracy test. I wanted to pin down this pressure-versus-accuracy correlation to see if it was real or imagined.

JSB Exact Jumbo
The 15.89-grain JSB Exact Jumbo pellet gave a very clear example of how the pressure affects the groups. The first group was fired from a fresh 3,000 psi fill and 10 pellets went into 1.131 inches. You can tell at a glance that the pellets are scattered around.

On a fresh 3,000 psi fill, 10 JSB Exact Jumbos are scattered around in a 1.131-inch group.

The second group of the same JSB pellets was fired after the first group. By this point, the rifle’s internal pressure has dropped to the mid-2,000 psi point (2500 to 2600 psi). This group still isn’t a good one, but you can see that it’s tightening up. It measures 0.872 inches between centers.

The second 10 JSB Exact Jumbos on the fill tightened up to 0.872 inches. Still not a good group, but better than the first.

On the third group of 10 shots (still on the same fill), the group really tightened up. These 10 went into 0.592 inches. That’s a good group, but maybe I don’t want to use this pellet in this rifle because it seems too fussy.

The third 10 JSB Exact Jumbos on the fill tightened up to 0.592 inches. This is an acceptable 10-shot group for 25 yards.

No Predators, no Newboys!
I tried both Predator Polymag and Skenco Newboy Seniors, but both were too long to fit in the Marauder’s rotary magazine. If you want to use these pellets, you’ll need to use a single-shot tray; and since Crosman no longer makes them in .22, good luck finding one. Of course, you can load pellets without the tray, but it’s more difficult to align them with the breech.

I wondered how Premiers might do on the third batch of 10 shots after the fill. Ten pellets went into 0.496 inches. Not as tight as the second 10 after the fill, but still very good!

The third batch of 10 Premiers after the fill went into 0.496 inches. This is a good 10-shot group for 25 yards.

JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy
The 18.1-grain JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy pellets behaved much the same as the regular Jumbos, except the groups were tighter. The first 10 went into 0.653 inches; the second 10 went into 0.657 inches, and the third batch went into 0.591. All 3 groups are pretty close to one another; but in light of the Premiers and the Kodiaks we have yet to see, I don’t think they’re the best in this particular rifle.

Beeman Kodiaks
I was burned out when I got to the Beeman Kodiak pellets — 100+ shots is too much for a single session when every shot requires concentration. I didn’t mention shooting RWS Superdomes yet. I did shoot 1 group with them, and it was a bust at 0.83 inches. When I got to the Kodiaks, I wasn’t concentrating as well as I would have liked. And I shot this single group on a fresh 3,000 psi fill. I felt I could get away with that because of the weight of the 21-grain Kodiak pellet.

And I was right. Even though I was fading, 10 pellets still went into a tight round hole that measurtes 0.378 inches between centers! It’s the second-best group of the test and earns the Kodiak a spot in the 50-yard test, for sure!

Ten Beeman Kodiaks made this very round 0.378-inch group at 25 yards. What a nice finish to today’s shooting!

What I’ve learned
The first thing I learned from today’s test is that this particular rifle doesn’t seem to shoot as well on a fresh fill as it does on the second and third magazine of pellets. So, if you stop filling at 2,600 psi, you’ll get 20 good shots from the rifle and not waste any air. I also learned that Crosman Premiers are the miracle pellet in this rifle, just like they’ve always been.

That last group of Beeman Kodiaks has me thinking that Premiers and Kodiaks will battle it out at 50 yards for the overall accuracy championship. I know Premiers are aerodynamically excellent, but the Kodiaks look like a real challenger in this air rifle.

I need to comment on the noise, or lack of noise. This .22 caliber Marauder is extremely quiet. It’s more like a .177 than it is like a .25 in that respect.

I expected to have problems with accuracy when I encountered those wild shots during sight-in. But by hanging in there and shooting both the second 10 and the third 10, I learned that this rifle likes to push its pellet slower than most. I would have to live with the gun for a long time to learn all of its secrets, but the test rifle is a very accurate PCP that’s worthy of the Benjamin Marauder reputation.

I like the synthetic-stocked rifle, but in my opinion it is no better than the older model in the wood stock. I never minded the thickness of the old wood stock, so I’m just going on the performance of the gun at this point.

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.

First, let’s focus on what we’re doing today — the 50-yard accuracy test of the .177-caliber Benjamin Marauder. This test was conducted outdoors last week at my rifle range.

The day was cold with a light but swirling breeze that had to be waited out for every shot. I selected the two pellets that I knew to be the most accurate at 25 yards (see Part 6). That simplified things a lot since I already knew these were both good pellets. I could afford the extra time to wait for the wind to calm down before taking the shots.

The rifle was sighted for 25 yards from before; so unless the scope had been moved since August, I expected the pellets to be low and centered on the target. That’s exactly where they landed, so the gun was ready to go.

Crosman Premier lites
The first group was shot with Crosman Premier lites — the most accurate pellet at 25 yards. The first group was very horizontal, indicating that I didn’t do a good job of waiting out the wind. The problem was the variability of the wind. If there was wind where I was seated, there would be none at the target, or vice-versa. The wind was swirling on the range this day, which is the hardest kind of wind to predict.

The first 10 shots landed in a group measuring 2.051 inches between centers. You will note a lone hole on the left and the other 9 are closer to each other. Those 9 measure 1.218 inches between centers. I do feel the wind is the cause of this spread because this rifle has not shown any tendency to string horizontally before now.

Ten Crosman Premier lites made this very horizontal group at 50 yards. The group measures 2.051 inches between centers, but 9 of the shots measure 1.218 inches between centers.

I felt I could certainly do better than that if I waited out the wind better. So, a second group was shot without adjusting the scope. This group measures 0.957 inches between centers, and is more like what I’d expected. You can see that it’s still somewhat horizontal, however. I think the rifle is capable of even better groups under better conditions, but putting 10 shots into less than one inch at 50 yards is never to be sneezed at!

That’s more like it! These 10 Premier lites made a much better group that measured 0.957 inches between centers. But the wind is still an influence because this group is also horizontal.

What about heavy pellets?
Okay, if the wind is a problem, won’t heavier pellets solve it? It was worth a try. The most accurate heavy pellets in this rifle are the JSB Exact Monsters. They weigh 13.4 grains, which is edging into the middleweight sector for .22-caliber pellets.

Because of their weight, I expected these pellets to strike the target a lot lower than the Premier lites, and I wasn’t disappointed. They landed 3 inches below the aim point, where the Premier lites were hitting about .75 inches low. Despite their weight, I still waited for the wind to die down between shots. Ten pellets went into a group measuring 1.434 inches between centers. Compare that to what the Premiers did. You can see that, even though they’re much lighter, the Premiers are still better. But this group isn’t as horizontal, so they do seem to buck the wind.

Ten JSB Exact Monsters made a 1.434-inch group at 50 yards. While it’s not a terrible group, it isn’t a great one, either. But it’s less horizontal than either of the two Premier lite groups.

It seems that Premier lites are still the fairest in the land — at least of the pellets used in this test. Remember, these were selected from all the pellets tested at closer distances, so they’re among the most accurate in this rifle.

Overall evaluation
The day was far from ideal for long-range shooting. But, still, it does represent what can be done with a .177 Benjamin Marauder under these conditions. This is the last time I’ll review this .177 Marauder, but I believe you’ve seen enough to make a choice.

The Benjamin Marauder is a landmark air rifle that has forced the rest of the airgun world to sit up and take notice. It offers more solid features than the best European PCPs, but at a fraction of the cost.