Page 3 - Benjamin 397 Reviews

Durability,accuracy,lightweight,bolt action,powerful nuff to drop big birds from 50 yards away,iron sights are dead on.love the simplicity. Reminds me of an ak47's toughness

scope universitality, stronger piston arm(flexes after 5 years of use.) Better pump safety(shoots while pumping if pellet is preloaded while pumping occasionally) just be sure to load after pumping.

had this benjamin sheridan since i was 13. Im 25 now and it still shoot perfect and i have never oil or maintained it.

This is a very well made, beautiful . durable and very accurate air gun at a reasonable price.

How to make the pumping less strenuous for a medium built person. I can only pump 3 to 4.times.

You get to have strong muscles to enjoy this gun. You don't need a scope to attain 99% accuracy. This gun is very durable and can last a lifetime.

great gun!!!ACCURATE POWERFUL DURABLE awesome for hunting varmit... my dad had one when he was little which inspired me to get one....never dissapointed me on the hunt

you cant mount a scope unless you buy the B272 intermount and rings with a 3/8" base for the dove tail provided by the B272 mount

BEST AIRGUN YOU CAN BUY for this amount of money

This is my first air rifle. I've been having loads of fun shooting in my basement. It's more accurate than I am.

The rear sight doesn't have enough windage adjustment. Mine's all the way to the right and still shoots a little bit to the left. The iron sights aren't very good. There's a crosman peep sight available, but I mounted a scope.

Length of pull is pretty short - this will work well for children and small adults.

Ver accurate, plenty of power, feels good in the hand.

The rear sight is not quite to my taste but does what it is supposed to. A bit more adjustment would be nice.

This is a classic airgun. If you think you want one, trust me, you do. Buy it! Have read that it is hard to cock. Just put a little oil on the pivots and it smooths right out. Seems to shoot just about anything I stuff in the breech very well.

Accuracy is good. Pump power is nice.

The wood seems to be softer than my neighbor's 397 bought 15 years ago. Also the barrel looks like it's been powder coated. Fit and finish is just not what I expected. even the small screw holes on the pump are rough to the touch and torn. I'm keeping it, but the workmanship could be better.

Accuracy, no recoil, solid feel, all metal parts,

Black finish should be sprayed on better (mine had air bubbles) Trigger could use improvement, but it much better then a gamo trigger

This gun has amazing accuracy and power for the price, Dont let the 800 fps scare you away, this gun has more then enough power to get the job done!

Accuracy pretty good out of the box , added the williams sight after about 100 rounds and like it even better.Gun feels solid . I too enjoy the ability to adjust power with the pumper.

The Finish!! I thought I bought a remanufactured gun with the terrible spray job on barrell.Big scratch for a new gun but that is because of thin finish.

The 397 and its .22 brother the 392 are accurate airguns, sturdy, and very versatile with their ability to adjust velocity by pump stroke. Equipped with a Williams rear aperture sight, the 397 is a short, handy carbine - the best backyard target/pest rifle I have found. You can keep it in a corner with a pump of air ready to load and use on a moment's notice. The Williams sight mounted easily and required no modification to shoot to point of aim at 15-20 meters with heavy 10.3 grain .177 pellets. Without a telescopic sight, the 397 is more accurate than I can shoot with my aging eyes. Groups with heavy dome pellets like the CPH and AA .177 heavies cluster around a quarter size at 15 meters. Mine seems to prefer the heavier dome and semi-pointed field pellets. Pumping effort is a little jerky and loud on the close (clacking noise) for my tastes, but the overall effort is reasonable. I think the pump linkage geometry could be improved. I do like the ability to adjust velocity as needed to reduce or increase target penetration. My stock finish grain was excellent, a satin coating that showed off considerable grain. It's actually very difficult to tell that it's not actually walnut. Metal finish was good with the exception of the stamped-dot serial number. No paint overspray in the bore noted in my example, and the barrel was clean. A drop or two of pellgun oil was needed on the pump head to eliminate a squeak, but the pump linkage was well lubricated.

I threw away the useless factory rear sight immediately for the Williams rear aperture. The Williams is best suited for knockabout use and is an excellent sight for quick shooting of pests, but its accuracy potential is limited with older users. The 397/392 guns are just begging for a solid machined area on the breech for installation of a proper scope mount that will not interfere with cocking/loading. The trigger is gritty and far too heavy, and I modified mine with a lighter spring and polished sear/trigger surfaces - much, much better. For the money it costs, Benjamin/Crosman should really install a better-quality adjustable trigger.

The gun is accurate, functional and fairly inexpensive

Fit and finish is not up to the german guns and it took a few hundred shots to sooth out the pumping action. Tradeoffs in exchange for price.

mine seems to like heavier pointed pelets

Solid. Well made. Accurate.

There was a scratch in the blacking of the barrel when it arrived. This takes a strong arm to pump, not something my son will be able to use for a while. I had to lower the rear site as far as it would go for accuracy at 30 ft. left/right is and was perfect at 80 ft +.

This is an awesome gun. I like everything about it! It has plenty of power and is super accurate.

Nothing.

Kinda loud and it's hard for some to pump.

Soil, powerful, classic, and just pure fun to shoot! I can even fit it in my back pack for hiking and hunting trips. Just one stock screw.

Better open sights.

Good looks, nice stock

The Benjamin can come up with a better trigger pull.........they need to work on that.

I think the final inspection of my gun was lacking a decent functioning test.
If they did it correctly...they would have noticed that the bolt was vety tight and difficult to cock. While pulling it back it was binding and felt like metal to metal contact. No amount of lubricant would correct it. I can't find a shop manual or a parts list anywere. It has to go to the gunsmith to fix it. A proper inspection would have found this. Benjamin used to be top of the line........No more.

Accuracy. Quality. Good feel

I added a Williams /Crosman 64 peep sight and had to modify it to get it low enough. Either the holes in the sight or the gun were off.

How can you not love an American classic? After reading several reviews and online buzz you get a better understanding of just how attached people can and do get to this gun. When you first open the box, how can you not smile. The finish is fantastic. My wife thought it looked like a shotgun because of the air chamber I guess, underneath the barrel. The weight is perfect for any age, & will not fatigue if carrying for hunting for example. There simply is not another gun out there near this price range that can touch this quality of workmanship, accuracy, aesthetics, and fun factor. From the very 1st shot you take you are grinning from ear to ear. A little shocked at the crack it gives when discharging at first, but it makes you say "WOW" there is definitely plenty of power here. If backyard shooting, you definitely don't need to pump it the full 8 times. 4 or 5 is DEFINITELY enough. 5 pumps will go through metal cans & water bottles, even dispatch squirrels or small rodents. Once the sights are set & tightened to "your" personal liking, forget it for good! You almost can't miss your target!!! If you are in the market for a new gun, a first timer, or just wanting something different from what you have, don't even think for another second. Just buy it. I can almost guarantee whatever caliber you buy, you will want the other caliber immediately. I can guess with high confidence this gun does NOT get returned or exchanged, because your first impression should be way more than you'd expect for what you paid.

A little bit better finish on the bluing. Mine had a bump on the top of the barrel, and the first time I touched it, the bump came off and exposed the finish underneath. Other than that, just the cocking effort. It can be a little tough after quite a few rounds are dispatched through it. You will definitely get a workout! Other than that, nothing.

If using just for close target shooting, i.e. 50FT. or less, don't bother with a scope. The open sights are tight and fantastic! If you Might be using it for small game hunting occasionally, buy a Leapers bug buster or something similar in size. Otherwise, this gem is go to go right out of the box!
Enjoy.......

the fact everything is made out of metal and wood nothing plastic. the accurcy is very respectable (especially at 30ft away ) , decent weight to it

more FPS maybe 1000?

after awhile dirt grime and oil has sepped into the seals/pump area, ive taken the rifle apart as much as i could cleaned it out very good and its like the day i opened it up, and holds air in the rifle without any leaks (before over night the air would escape)

The feel is solid. & comfortable. The sights are true once you find that perfect spot for alignment. You can nail tacks at 30 feet. This is the most consistant air gun I have ever fired. I have shot air rifles for the last 50 years & Benjamin is the BEST.

NOTHING!

I have hunted all my life and now live in the city so the only hunting that i get to do now is when i get an occasional squirrel to cross my property, but it is usually their last time. The .177 cal has more power & is my own personal choice.

One of the best air rifles in the market... IT HAS EVERYTHING... power, control, accuracy, style, lightweight, short sized, scopeable, "peep-sightable", excellent trigger pull, safety button, cheap, it comes also with a trigger lock (the key sucks, but nothing is perfect)... In summary, GO FOR IT... every air gunner must have one...

NADAAAAA

Of course, you'll need some muscles... But don't worry, you'll develop techniques that will make it easier to pump... And besides having fun you'll develop your Pectoralis Major, Pectoralis Menor, and every other arm and back muscle (LOL)!!! Go For It.....

Made in USA ! They don't make many things this well anymore. I'm glad I spent just a few bucks more and got something that will last for years. Solid hardwood stock, steel trigger, & sights, this is not a crappy toy. This is a tack driver at 15 - 20 yards.

After 5 pumps it gets a little tough. Luckily 6 pumps is plenty to damage coffee cans at 25 yards. And it buries the pointed pellets in hard wood targets at 15 yards.

The rear sight is a good basic blade sight, but I got the crosman 64 peepsight. It really makes this baby tack driver and does not interfere with pumping the gun. This gun is well worth the money. I'm trying to think up an excuse to get the .22 cal version. Any ideas?