Benjamin HB22 Reviews

Wood grip and pump lever Really like how heavy it is

Rear site is a bit cheap and tough to adjust. I gave accuracy only three stars because of that site. I'm sure once I get the site where it needs to be it'll be quite repeatable.

Well built benjamin quality, shoots good. I have the model 132 circa 1966 model still shoots good and holds air very well. I like the wood on the new model.

The sites aren't the best, hard to shoot accurately , need to be upgraded otherwise great pistol. The price is kind of high for this pistol.

Just remember to store with a pump in it.

Very well built gun with high quality wood grips and stock. Trigger isn't bad and weight is very well balanced.

The rear sight is terrible and shoots about three inches to the left out of the box. No wind age adjustment whatsoever. This is sad because this is such a great gun otherwise. I have owned two of these and both had the same problem. Ii am going to buy a red dot sight and inter mount to try to remedy the issue with the windage.

Do not buy this gun unless you plan on replacing the rear sight with an optical unit. No aftermarket rear sights are available for this gun.

Well Made,Classic

Had to replace grip screws with longer ones. Good shooter for an air pistol.

everything about this gun is great.

nothing

this gun is soon to be out of production.

Read an article in "Airgun Hobbyist" magazine that they were built like a tank like the old days. I think they are as good as the "Benjamin Franklin" pistol I had for years. Just had it overhauled though it was shooting OK. Sad they are being discontinued.

I don't know what needs changing.

Harder to pump than the old ones.

Great concept, nice wood & metal construction, will last a lifetime with proper care.

Better quality control. This pistol could(should)be a joy to own if the mfg would just place a little more emphasis on quality control.

A nice looking pistol that hits hard & is not nearly as tough to pump as I thought it would be. Lot's of small dysfunctional things let it down from being what it could be though: paint & burrs in the muzzle & breech areas(will kill accuracy potential), grips that don't fit(weren't fitted)properly, forearm grip not aligned properly & hits grip frame, rear sight has no provision for windage adjustment(no slot in the sight to allow L/R adjustment, just a hole for the hold down screw)...etc. If you like to tinker you can make this into a great shooter by spending a few hours cleaning, de-burring, re-fitting & polishing. I personally would prefer the pistol to be cleaned, fitted & functional right out of the box...buyers deserve better QC for this kind of money IMHO.

Brass steel and wood construction, American made, easy to use and maintain. It is smaller and lighter and more durable than many more modern looking pistols of similar power. Variable power is a plus when noise is an issue. Price has stayed about the same over time, when adjusted for inflation.

Nothing, a nearly perfect example of form following function.

I originally purchased this air pistol after wondering how it could possibly still be around without much change for so many years. Once I started using it, the Benjamin demonstrated itself as a great value. I have owned many air pistols over the years but the Benjamin has been the best long term performer right out of the box. I shoot better groups more consistently with this pistol than with nearly any of the other air pistols I have used.

The overall build quality of the gun is terrific. All of it is nice, solid components. The gun shoots very well, and has an excellent balance, despite the long barrel. The wood on mine was reasonably well-done. I've owned it for eight years without a problem. It dispatches small pests and squirrels reliably at under 15 yards.

The bluing on the gun (if it is bluing) could stand to be a little bit better; it's uneven in a few places. The casting seam inside of the trigger guard is apparent, and required a little smoothing. The trigger on this gun is extremely rough if you don't do something about it. The adjustment for windage on this gun is minimal, at best, and the front blade is a little thin. However, it can be worked with. I painted mine to help it. The electro-penciled serial number is kind of ugly.

You'll be violating a warranty, but if you feel adventurous enough, you can smooth out the trigger pull by filing and then polishing the contact surfaces of the sear. It makes the weapon have a SUBSTANTIALLY better trigger pull. As some others say, it's a diamond a little bit in the rough.

All steel and wood, no plastic. Multi-pump for variable power. The .22 caliber pellet is easier to handle with my big hands

The sights and trigger. The front blade is too narrow or the rear sight is too wide. At this price the sights are a disappointment. S;ghts should atleast be standardized for after market replacement. I had too turn the mount screw hole into a slot before I could get far ehough to the left (I am cross dominate so may be fine for most). I spent alot of time with files and a Dremol too get a smooth pull. NOTE: a small spring and ball is easily lost when disasmbling.

I find it somewhat difficult to pump just 3 times. Three is plenty of power indoors at 10 meters. By time you buy a steel breech and other upgrades for a Crossman multi-pump you be at nearly the price of the HB22.

Very nice pistol. Finish on front sight missing. Wood grips and pump handle finished nicely. Have not yet shot gun so I have no read on accuracy.

Pump mechanish very stiff and difficult to pump. May loosen up with use. My old 192 has a bolt with a stud on it that turns and fits in a slot. This bolt turns less than a quarter inch and is very difficult to manipulate. Will take much practice to master this.

The actual use of walnut isntead of hardwood or plastic is nice for a change. I was surprised by the acccuracy. Accuracy depends on pellets used, wind, condition of pellet skirts etc of course but 1 inch or less at 30 feet, 2 inches at 50 feet would be about average. Much past 50 feet and trajectory becomes more pronounced. Great gun as long as you don't expect it to be a .22 LR.

Trigger is pretty bad but I've been shooting for around 40 years so I've actually seen worse and it just takes familiarization. Longer grip would be nice.

I actually starting shooting handguns with the 1950s or '60s version of this gun back aound 1974 or '75 couldn't hit a thing with it. Bought a Benjamin 342 rifle used from a friend of my btothers' for the princely sum of $15 and used it on pigeons and sparrows for years. The gun eventually developed problems and in those pre-Internet days it was basically impossible to find someone to fix seals or re-braze the receiver (it saw alot of HARD use) that would have killed a Crosman 760 in a few weeks or months as opposed to DECADES. I Need to break down and buy a new Benjamin 392 to see how they compare.

godd shooter. Accurate. Not too loud

Better sights, improve the overall build quality

The way to shoot this pistol is with a scope. Use 2 sided tape under the clamps to secure Crosman B 272 intermounts to the barrel. With this setup I shoot 2 inch groups, off hand, at 25 yard (7 pumps) and 3 inch groups at 4 (8 pumps) . I have a P-1 and a Browning 800 Mag. I shoot this as well if not better.

Nothing

You don't have to pay a lot for a quality air pistol that will be accurate at typical pistol distances.

This is metal and wood. No plastic. Nicely made, nice feel to it.

Trigger is a sort of rough stamped piece, not great. The trigger function does not compare well with guns from the same maker at a similar price point (in particular, the 392 rifle).

My first air gun is a benjamin 392 that I bought at a local sporting goods store mostly because my wife was mad at the squirrels eating the garden. I found I enjoyed the challenge of shooting. I bought the pistol since I expected similar quality and workmanship that I enjoyed in the 392. Similar metal and wood construction, but I am disappointed in the construction and function of the trigger. Function wise, it is rough, catches and jumps despite my best effort at a "smooth squeeze". Construction, it is cheaply stamped metal and roll pins throughout. (I took it apart). Contrast with the 392 with its very very smooth pull. (I did not take apart my 392, yet). Accuracy. I had a hard time hitting things with the pistol vs the rifle. After making a "holder" for both I think that their accuracy limit is about a 2 or 3 inch circle at 10yds for the pistol, and a 2 or 3 inch circle for the rifle at 25yds. This is with benjamin discovery pellets. I dont know if this is good or bad, but I cannot see well enough to shoot better than that anyway, at least not with the stock site on the pistol, and the williams peep site on the rifle. So no reasonable complaints about the accuracy of this gun, but I will likely spend more in the future to get something better.

Amazingly accurate for an inexpensive pump pistol. I paid the extra $10.00 to have it checked by the tech guys at Pyramyd and as they promised the gun was good to go right out of the box. Good people to buy from.

Don't hesitate to pay the $10.00 fee to have your purchase checked and adjusted if necessary. It was well worth it.

The look and weight of the gun as well as the wood stock.

There's little or no play in adjusting the sight for windage. Elevation adjustment is fine. The first gun I received could not shoot straight no matter how hard I tried to adjust the sight for windage. I called Pyramydair, paid for the $10 test, and asked the technician to please check the windage. If the gun shot straight to send it to me. Well, Pyramydair apparently did just that, and the second gun I received shot pretty accurately out of the box. It is a fairly heavy pistol, so even slight movement of your hand will throw the shot off a bit, but overall this gun shoots quite accurately and seems to have some power if you pump it six or seven times.

I like the Crosman .22 cal. Premier domed pellets. They are the most accurate I found after using a couple of other pellet brands. I'd like to see Benjamin eventually design an adjustable sight for windage, but as I say, if you get a gun that shoots straight, you'll enjoy shooting this one.

Great heft and durability so you know it is made to perform. Accuracy is excellent once you get the iron sights lowered. Power is amazing, you can really tailor it to the range you like. I took this out to 50 yards and easily hit cans and tennis ball sized targets. Mine seems to like the Beeman FTS Double Gold 14.66 pellets a lot. Incredible accuracy with them and no lead fouling in the barrel either. Trigger pull is light and crisp the way I like it. The heavy barrel means it shoots where you point it. It loads nicely with the bolt action and is very quiet for the blistering power it delivers. I was pleasantly surprised at that. Also, the pseudo 1911 style grip make it easy to handle and acquire sight lines... it is a well thought out gun, very much like a ruger.

The stamped serial number looks a bit cheap for the Benjamin name. I bought the scope mount so I could attach a scope and it wobbled like a drunken sailor. After I rigged it a bit to hold the scope mount firmly, I attached a scope and started shooting dime sized groups at 25 feet. Nice. The iron sights are dialed way too high, so I had to screw mine down all the way before deciding the scope was the way to go. Should you choose to go the scope route, you will understand why it will make you a target master with this little beauty. Also, the grip is a bit awkward on the pump lever for the kind of power some shooters may need, so be careful not to bust a knuckle. Pehaps a little texturing on that pump grip would make it ergonomically superior, but no worries, just take your time and pump slowly but firmly, keeping fingertips away from the underbarrel area, and your finger off the trigger.

If you can overlook the obvious but minor faults, you will enjoy this gun. It is by far the best value I have gotten on a .22 air pistol anywhere. The fact that it does not need any CO2 or gas is nice... so pump away, load up on ammo (heavy domed) and go for it. You should really like this. Safe and happy shooting!

Loved the look of it when I opened the box. Very accurate. Feels great in your hand. Nice and solid wood and metal construction. Pretty solid shooter with a few minot quirks. 3 pumps works fine for me when target shooting ~25 feet.

If you have big hands, an extra inch of vertical grip would be nice. The pumping is pretty tough on the hands if you are going for lots of high-power shots. Poor sights. The gun shoots accurately, but you can't really take advantage of it with those sites. The front site is too skinny, and being black, disappears on a dark target. At least a bright red front sight for visibility would help a bit. Like to try a red dot scope on this one....A lighter trigger would be nice too.

I read you should put it away after shooting with 1 pump in it to protect the seals (let me know if I'm wrong). I would probably buy some kind of 3rd party site for this gun to take advantage of its accuracy. I like these guns, they're old-school--they force you to practice your marksmanship instead of just spraying lead everywhere. Overall, very nice gun.

It is Solid, shoots well, powerful, accurate, etc.

The cocking action is more difficult than it needs to be, they should extend the lever like the "IZH 46M". The main thing that annoys me the most is the bolt at back of the gun above the grip is painful on the crook between your thumb and trigger finger. Also the trigger is slightly sloppy side to side, but that doesn't really bother me that much, it just gives you an impression that they don't take a lot of pride in there craftsmanship.

I don't use the stock sight, and the Crossman B272 4-Pc Intermounts didn't fit quite right if I remember correctly. I had to alter them with a Dremil to get them to secure. My red dot sight works great though.