Page 5 - Benjamin NPS Air Reviews

This is a great gun for the money. I've done alot of "testing/experimenting/hunting" with it over the past several weeks. Mine is a .22 caliber. At first the gun seemed inaccurate only shooting 1 - 1/12 groups at 25 yards in windy conditions. I've tested several types of pellets thru the gun including, big boy predator's, gamo rockets, crow magnum, multiple beeman pellets and jsb diablo's. After alot of work it seems that any pellet that does NOT have a round tip does is not as accurate. The pointed or hollow point pellets just don't seem as accurate in my hands. The gun performs best with JSB diablo match grade pellets in 18 grains giving 5 shot groups that can be covered with a dime at 25 yards and covered with a quarter at 40 yards. It also seems to like the 15 grain gamo hunters. I am a hunter, so I am still experimenting with some heavier pellets. It seems like pellets that are over 20 grains have quite a bit of drop 40 and 50 yards. I am going to work with them a little more. In a few weeks I will shoot thru a chronograph to see how the heavier pellets perform. In the "heavy pellet category" the 22 grain long range gamo pellets and the JSB Diablo Monster pellets at 25 grains seem really pretty accurate, but the trajectory is still giving me some difficulties at long range. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE - makes pellets in the bullseye and plenty of dead varmints.

The trigger is rough and you must work to pull it straight back. I did adjust mine, to make it a bit lighter than it was from the factory. The adjustable trigger from the factory was easy to adjust. The stock also feels kind of "plastic" and I wonder how it will wear over the years.

This gun works great on varmints as big as some really large fox squirrels. At close range (30 or so yards) it will dump them like a bag of dirt with a good vital shot. The gun seems to prefer a grip with your non trigger hand placed just in front of the trigger and a light grip performs best. Furthermore, I was originally shooting from a solid rest. I now shoot off of a soft rest with my hand in between the gun and rest. Really seems to improve accuracy. I assume it eliminates some of the vibrations. The scope is plenty of scope for the gun. I like mine, the mil-dot recticle is very handy for compensating for the trajectory..

This is my first air rifle, and I got the bug just after the NPSS hit the market. I decided I wanted a nitro piston rifle and narrowed it down to the NPSS and the Walther Talon with nitro piston. My final choice was simply based on research on all the customer comments I could find. The overall positive comments on the NPSS convinced me. Lucky me! It is really quiet with minimal recoil. Fit and finish are excellent, and the scope is very nice for this price range. You can zoom the power, focus for any given distance, and even focus the rear ring for your vision. The adjustable trigger is more than adequate, and I only shortened the second stage travel by one half turn on the adjusting screw. One entire turn made it too short.

Not much.

Many users have commented that each weapon has one particular pellet it likes best, and that the NPSS gives awesome accuracy once you find it. I am still searching. So far the Crosman 14.3 grain pointed pellet is giving me the best shot groups. I have also tried the Crosman 14.3 grain HP (next best), the Predator Polymag 16 grain (not as good for me as some other NPSS users have reported), and the Gamo TS-22 22 grain (problematic so far). I completed the 100 round break in, and have tried my shot groups with all four pellets at 10, 20, 25, and 30 yards. The Crosman 14.3 grain pointed round gives me acceptable shot groups at all those distances. I'm still hoping to find a somewhat heavier pellet that will do as well. I have 9 other types on order from 13.7 up to 21.1 grains, so I'll comment again, if I find the best pellet for my rifle.

Hefty rifle...feels good as you shoulder it..also like the REAL adjustable trigger, 3 1/2 turns CCW and it's right as rain. the carbon fiber look of the stock is very nice..almost "sexy" looking..Scope is really nice as well, it's physical size goes well with the size of the rifle and is a GREAT SCOPE...this my first AO scope, WOW! what a difference!! Recoil is so slight, it's not even worth mentioning. and with the shroud, it is SUPER quiet..Your next door neighbor won't know you're over the fence blasting away at ....whatever.

If there's a way to reduce the total weight of the gun , that would be fine for me. Is a little on the heavy side...perhaps a "carbine" model ? doubt it that ever happens , but I'd buy one right quick!

Cocking effort is tolerable . At 61 years old, and a small frame, maybe 130 lbs., I can cock rifle for say 100 rounds at a time, with no problem. It is one of the nicest airguns I've owned ,( which is quite a few,) and I feel that Crosman has (as usual) built another high quality airgun, without the high-quality price!!

Gun was purchased for wife to shoot euro doves. She said my Gamo .177 did not have enough knock down,but is quite impressed with the .22cal. The gun is much more quiet than my Gamo. Still not quite sighted in, still breaking it in.

Stock is a little strange and a little short, needs to be longer for adults.

it is very accurate and has a good scope for hunting.so quite the other dove on the powerline stayed after droping the one next to it,also the trigger is tough intil you adjust it.

there is about 100 shot break in

This is one very accurate air rifle. I'm by no means a marksman but after setting up the scope and sighting in I'm able to put pellets on pellets at 20 yards and the guns not even broken in yet. The scope is a great addition to a real value for money package.

Not a complaint but It would be nice to see this combo with a good quality wood stock option.

I have .22 .i like everything but power. make in america.

this gun need more power.if you shot any pellet over 14. gr after 35 yards pellet seem go down alot( never mind after 50 yards) when i test it never go over 700fps

you may stay with PBA ammo for better increases distance

The scope and mount are far better than you would expect on a combo air rifle. They are up to the quality of the rifle. The thumbhole stock is comfortable in a patrol carry mode. Accuracy seem good.

The finish on the plastic stock is thin and will probably not be durable. Lots of folks seem to be having trouble with it. Crosman needs to make a wood stocked version available, still in a thumbhole configuration.

Penetration into soft pine is slightly more than a Sheridan .20 Blue Streak. Breaking the barrel once is a lot less trouble than pumping up the Blue Streak. Power varies quite a bit while it is breaking in, so you will have to rezero your scope a few times in the first tin of pellets if you want downrange accuracy. I would have accepted a harder cocking effort for more power, so I hope they decide to offer a high powered hunting version of around 25 fpe that will use Kodiaks. I am estimating around 16-18 fpe for my NPSS at this time. This is my quiet gun for shooting in town, as I have a BSA Lonestar .25 with about 48 fpe for serious hunting.

This is a very nice pellet rifle. It is exceptionally quiet! After a break in period of 80 or so shots, the gun now displays very good accuracy. The scope supplied with the rifle is of good quality and the mounts are robust. So far, the only game I have shot has been pigeons, and the gun has plenty of punch for them. At first, I did not like the looks of the thumb hole stock, but after cocking the gun a few time I found that I appreciate the design. One of my favorite things about the rifle is that it is made in the good old USA! The gun is a home run as far as I am concerned.

The trigger is good, but it could be better. The first stage of the trigger is not very smooth and positive. I like a light trigger on my rifles, and when I tune this one down to a weight I like, it was difficult to not inadvertently discharge the rifle as you pull through that rough first stage. The fix was I had to tune the trigger to a slightly higher weight than I would have liked. Not a huge deal and I got used to it after a hundred rounds or so.

Easy to cock. Light weight. Hopefully I won't have to replace the nitro piston as often as I had to change springs on my Crosman Phantom.

The way you grip the pistol grip. If you do not pay close attention to make sure you grip it the exact same way every time you shoot you will be off your target. After breaking it in (I think) it shoots pretty well accurate except for the wild pellet every 10 or 15 shots. At 100' I can sometimes put each pellet virtually in the same hole until the wild one comes along then I miss my mark by 2". The scope is good. Only problem being I have a range set up with targets at 30', 50', 100', 50 yards and 100 yards. On my other scopes if I sight it in at 100' then choose to shoot a target at 50 yards the center is the same. On this one if I shoot farther I have to adjust my sighting up if shooting closer I have to adjust my sighting down. I have sighted it in at all ranges and it's the same. On my Phantom I sighted it in at 100' and shooting nearer or farther I still use the center and hit my target. Over all though this is a better gun except for the Benjamin/Sheridans. But with this one I don't have to do all of that pumping. And since I shoot more than 100 rounds a day sometimes up to about 400 rounds not having tp pump so much saves your arm muscles. I have 6 single cock spring air rifles, 2 Benjamin/Sheridansand this Crosman Nitro. I have to say that the Nitro is the best of the single cock rifles.

Make sure you hold the grip the exact same way every time you shoot.

Everything, as per my previous review. I'm just adding to it here.

Ahhh, the reason I came back on to further my review...

What you should know is that the barrel, when broken open, sways side-to-side, indicating that there is too much free play between the barrel and the receiver. What I did was remove the screw that holds the barrel to the receiver (the same screw that the barrel pivots on). This screw is a real b**** to remove, so be sure you use the correct size driver. You will need a 3/8" flat screwdriver that is the exact same thickness as the slot on the screw head. This screwdriver will also need to be wrenchable (somewhere along the shaft, there should be a place where you can slide a closed-head wrench), because you will need to use a wrench with it to get the torque you need to remove this screw. Okay, once that was done, I installed teflon spacers exactly .067" thick on each side. I work at an archery shop and these are standard items on compound bows. These spacers I used were originally .080" thick and I slowly sanded them down evenly and test-fitted them each time till I got to the .067" thickness. The other thing I had to do was make the center hole bigger - 3/8" to be exact. Once that was accomplished, I reassembled the rifle with the new spacers and the free-play between the barrel and receiver was gone. With no more wiggle in my barrel, my groups now got even tighter. PyramydAir, I hope you can use this information to help other customers with this rifle.

Great communication, and great service. Great product.

IT'S LIGHT!!! Perfect for trekking through the woods on a little hunt. Accurate as it can be! And QUIET!! I live IN a MAJOR city where you are literally 10-20 feet from your neighbors!! Scope is pretty good too.

Not much. It's pretty cool the way it comes.

Shooting less than 1/4" groups at 35-40 yards with the Beeman Silver Arrow, and less than that with Predators! SUPER nice accuracy with this gun! I have a beard and the cheek pad is a bear! LOL!! It has to pull about 100 hairs out every time I shoot it! I'm going bald on one side of my face! I have a Super Streak and LOVE it, but have trouble shooting it in the city cause it's pretty loud compared to this gun. I love being able to go grab this thing and shot till my hearts content! NEVER had a neighbor try to peep over to see what I was up to while shooting this gun (unlike the Super Streak!). If you like hunting and being quiet; GET IT!!!! It's a great addition to my air gun collection. Just get it already! Pyramid Air is the best! ALWAYS on top of their game!

This is a nice air gun for the money. It is Quiet and accurate. The air piston is a great improvement over a Steel spring. The scope is very good and does not need to be upgraded.

The stock is nice, but the coating that contains the carbon fiber look, will start to peel off from contact and abrasion. It doesn't look bad, and the peeling can be localized and does not spread.

Be sure to clean your barrel when you get the gun. Use the orange type citrus cleaner or degreaser. Then I recommend a couple drops of Otis Ultra Bore on a patch to finish the job. The trigger adjustment only effects the second stage of the trigger pull. Back the screw out to reduce the second stage, but not so much that you can't feel the stopping point at the end of the first stage.
I have read reviews of this gun by a few people, who like to back the screw out until it operates like a single stage trigger. Experiment until you get the accuracy and feel you are comfortable with.

Not much. Nice overall finish to the metal parts. Center Point scope is crystal clear and compliments the gun nicely. Sighting in the scope was a snap about 1" to the left and 3" low - but shot a NICE GROUP easily covered with a dime. This is with only 10 or so shots thru it - not broke in yet. Cocking is fairly easy and the gun is definately quite.

Not too fond of the safety location - in front of the trigger - but I'll get used to it.

Nice that this is American Made. For the money I think this one is a WINNER. Made my first squirrel kill this morning off one of my bird feeders....about 30- 35 feet....he never knew what hit him....Shooting Crosman Premier Hollow Points. 22 caliber is the way to go for backyard pests control.....

Love the scope! Very accurate with heavy pellets. The trigger improved after about 70 shots.

It's a little on the heavy side

Pivot point needed lube after about 120 shots. Felt like metal on metal.

Noise reduction over spring air guns, recoil reduction over spring air guns, the scope that comes with it is awsome. The weight and feel of the stock is outstanding. The looks of the rifle are an eye opener.

More time to shoot with this gun, paper targets or pests.

I currently have two other spring air guns and have owned about three others, you get what you pay for and this one is a winner.

this gun is very nice and quiet and xtreamly accurat but .

find out how to get 5 shots with out that one flyer every time. I shoot alot and hold alot of wins in the shooting field. This gun needs a little work from crossman to be able to go a long way.Exact match shot best three shot groups at 25 yds a ragged hole 4 the same the 5th as much as 3 in off group.also could use a little more fps.this guns add boust 900fps did not see over 680fps.

add another 100.00 and upgrade. trigger was ok nothing grate but alot better than all the gamos i owne incuding all the extream hunters.

accurate as heck, easy to cock, very quiet, nice scope, AMERICAN made

Needs a better trigger for a gun of this price range

I sure like this gun, the trigger takes some getting used to but it's real accurate.
I'd recommend it.

American made, if nothing else, should say a lot about this product. Crosman, I take my hat off to you. Me and a couple of my friends try to shoot about once a week in my back yard. Since we are all professional people in our 50's and 60's it is hard sometimes. Although it is more a social thing, than a compediative thing, we are all compediative people. When we started this thing, one of the rules is that we spend less than $250 for the gun and scope. Everybody bought something different, Beeman, Mendosa, Gamo. Now we have relaxed the rules a little. And I wanted to try something better than my Big Cat, tuna trigger, $60 Leapers. So I ordered a NPSS, boy is this an upgrade. If I new now, what I didn't know then, I should have ordered this first, but they weren't availiable when we started. Quaility, fit and finish is damned good. The feel of the gun is excellent. I noticed a tremendous difference the way the mechanics feel. When you close the barrel there is a thud sound, like closing the door on a Lexus not the clank sound that I am use to on the Gamo. The stock trigger feels good, but a little on the heavy side. Accuracy: After running about a hundred rounds through it I can get 1 inch groups consistantly at 25 yards, with JSB. Am I compediative, I feel that I have improved by at least 40-50%, my consistancy has improved. I like the way the gun looks, feels, sounds and shoots. It is by far a great improvement over a traditional springer.

Availiabilty, I am not a patient person, and had to wait about three weeks for it to come in.

You have to break this gun in, it took mine about 100 rounds. The gun is quite different, once you get the feel of the gun and trigger, you will realy like it and appreciate it.

For the money it is a great deal and a good value.