Page 17 - Benjamin Trail NP XL Reviews

OK this is my second review after having this gun for a bit. This is a top notch rifle. I found that my rifle loves the H&N Crow Magnums 18.21gr. I shot a hek of a lot of different pellets through this rifle and at different weights to find the right pellet. At 25yds I am hitting a roofing nail on the head. It took me a bit to get use the Nitro Piston since it bounces the gun just a tad when fired. Hold the rifle as litely as you can and let it do its thing. When I first got it I said it was like a cannon going off. After just a short time this rifle is super quiet. Hitting the target is much louder that the shot itself. I have no complaints with this rifle at all. I will tell everyone to get this rifle.

Nothing so far.

I bought a tin of H&N Crow Magnums .22 that had 70 .177 pellets in the tin. Quality control at H&N needs to get better.

Fit and finish is nice, bluing is nice and dark. I like the scope, the glass is bright and works quite well. I may in the future get a different scope with a little more zoom and illuminated reticle but for now the scope is plenty nice. The included shoulder strap is a very nice feature. The wood looks good, not 100% perfect but nice enough that I don’t really have any complaints. Most important, when I do my part the rifle is very accurate and consistent with good pellets.

Not a big fan of the trigger, I can shoot decent groups about 1/4 – 1/2 inch groups at 20-40yrds with the rifle but probably could improve on that with a better trigger and more practice. Rifle is a bit heavy but not too big a deal. I’ve carried it for a good day of small game hunting and target shooting and didn’t find the weight too much of an issue. The strap is very nice for all day treks.

This rifle after the break in period (for mine about a tin of pellets) is very quite, consistently powerful, and consistent in making tight groups. This is my first air rifle; I chose this rifle in .22cal for small game hunting. In the woods the rifle is very quiet. When I shoot, more often than not, birds and other game in the general area don’t all scatter like when I shoot with my Ruger 10/22 (which is why I purchased this rifle) So far I have shot and had nice results with Diabolo Exacts Jumbo Heavy 18.1 grains and Beeman Crow-Magnums 18.21 grain. Crosman Premiers are what I used for the break in because they were cheap. They group ok at 10 or so yards with about ½in to 1in+ groups, with random fliers, but shooting further out they’re really not much good in my opinion. The scope mount is slightly angled to comp for barrel droop. My barrel must have been pretty straight or the scope rail over comped a bit, because the rifle was shooting a bit high. I didn’t run out of elevation adjustment but I had to adjust it more than I liked. I like my scopes to be as close to optically centered as possible when mounted, so I purchased high mount Burris Signature Zee Rings and their shim ring set. The rings are made of steel so they grip the scope better than the rings that came with the rifle, and with the shim system I was able to mount the scope very close to its optical center. This rifle hits hard and accurate, very satisfied

This rifle can be accurate out of the box if the barrel is first cleaned with Hoppe's #9 followed by a good scrubbing with J-B bore cleaner. I strapped on the scope, sighted in my .25 caliber at 10 yards and then took it out to 50. Tweaked the elevation a bit and was soon hitting golf balls and the 1 1/2 inch kill zone on the Gamo knockdown targets. I'm not interested in hitting aspirins. This is a hunter. There are many good smaller caliber rifles out there which would give you pin point accuracy if that's what you're looking for. But this is a winner in terms of power, accuracy and report (surprisingly quiet).

The trigger could stand some improvement. Having said that the adjustment that allows for shortening the second stage enables the shooter to touch it off after having taken away the unduly long travel inherent in the first stage. You just have to learn where the break is located by feel and experience.

I can't say how well this rifle will hold up over time but as of now, it appears to be the best bargain on the air gun market for small game hunting and pest control. You can plink with it too if you so desire provided you're in pretty good shape as the cocking reqires a heavy effort.

Best gun ever! ive had is for almost a year and its been an outstanding gun. its so quiet. if theres 2 birds in a tree u can shoot one and it wont scare the other one from the noise because its so quiet!!

nothing its an amazing gun!

if your thinking about buying this gun just buy it! you wont regret it EVER! It comes with a great scope and sling. predators and kodiacts shoot great and so do crossman premier hollowpoints.

still breaking in and trying different pellets, but i think it will be very accurate, the grip is comfortable and the quality is great for the price

its a bit heavy

this is a large gun. don't expect a small toy, its for real

Look of the thumbhole stock and bull barrel. Great power; this things spits out pellets fast, or really fast....sometimes to fast. It is pretty accurate and consistent. Weaver base mount. I wouldn't say 70% quieter, but definitely quiet for what it is. After break in: noticeably easier/smoother cocking effort and reduced report.

It is on the heavy side, so it makes it difficult to shoot standing. Much easier to shoot on a rest of some kind. Things I did change... GRT3 trigger (awesome) and centerpoint 4x16x40AO (also awesome).

It does shoot a more consistent with mid to heavy weighted pellets. 16 to 18 grain pellet seem to be the most consistent. I got the 10 for $10, and was shocked to see the numbers. With Beeman Crow Mag (18.1 gr) it averaged 880 FPS out of the box. That's nice!

Man what a great shooting rifle. Very accurate, and very powerful. Worth every dime I spent on it.The scope rail is great as is the wood stock.

Put in a GRT 111 trigger and better scope. Both that comes with it are good but I like the best

I see theo said he didn't think the GRT-111 trigger would work. Well I am here to tell you it does. I have one installed and I love it. Great improvement, also I replaced the scope with a Leapers Accushot 4-16x56AO Rifle Scope, Illuminated Mil-Dot Reticle, 1/8 MOA, 30mm Tube. This rifle is heavy and cocking it takes some muscle. But if you want power and accuracy This is the one for you.

this gun shoots very hard but is a little fusy about what pellets it likes. I have a 177cal and am very happy with its power.

I would put it on a stock simular a discovery. I myself am not a big fan of thumb hole stocks. But thats just my opinion. Wish it would come already broke in and ready to shoot.

expect to shoot a couple hundred pellets through it to get any accuracy .

extremely powerful good design

Power of the 22 version, accuracy, and overall quality.

A better trigger with more precise and shorter let- off would improve accuracy even more so.

I researched the GRT-III replacement trigger and it is not fully compatible with all the Benjamin NP XLs. In a few of these rifles this trigger becomes a hair trigger by chance and is deemed unsafe. It is however compatible with the other Benjamin Trail NP models but not the XL.

Impressed with the quality at this price point. This rifle is well balaned and shoots good groups (3/4" @ 25 yards). I am still getting used to the trigger (needs improvement), and the gun is still breaking in. The weaver mount made setting up the scope very easy, and rock solid (which can be an issue with break-barrels).

Better trigger. Plan to change the trigger to a GRT-III once the warranty is up.

This rifle is heavy at 8.8lbs and will take some getting used to depending on the type of shooting position. However, since the rifle is well balanced, this helps with the overall weight in a standing position.

Fantastic scope, very accurate with the predator polymags and crosman premier hollow points, This rifle sure can build your upper body strength, but it gets easier Pyramid packaging is terrific, double boxed the rifle, the inner box is with all rigid foam

the trigger pressure Pyramid Air should have a showroom, when I was in Canton, Ohio last summer would have liked to visit. Come on Pyramid Keep the polymag's in stock

Mount a tactical light mount and put on a fenix tk12-5 light, you can scope in @100 yds easy at night
Thinking of a lazer next for closer shots

Power, lots of awesome power. Nice scope. It is a lot of fun to shoot holes through 1" pine. The recoil is not much as advertised. The noise is very low for the power but it still makes my ears ring without hearing protection. It is still quite enough to shoot in your back yard without any neighbors getting upset. :)

get rid of the nice wood stock for a cheaper synthetic stock and then give the gun a nice trigger. The gun should have an automatic safety.

It can make a real mess shooting wood.
It has so much power it frequently just explodes wood targets. :)

This air rifle is POWERFUL!!! I got the .22 cal flavor and it rocks! It's much more powerful than the 2 Gamo CO2 Extreme rifles (also .22) I bought and had to send back. I almost didn't buy it b/c I knew it was too big to fit in either one of my 2 cases (1 hard/ 1 soft). The extra power (is there a such thing as "extra" power?) made it worth replacing both my rifle cases.

Only had the gun a week...still breaking it in...

This is a great air gun, especially if you have back yard pests (like I do) and you don't want to alarm your neighbors. The sound of the pellet hitting my target is usually louder than the actual firing of the piece. One last thing; it does NOT sound like the crack of a firearm (unlike my air pistols and those Gamos). It sounds a lot more like a piece of wood being struck by a heavy piece of metal. If your neighbors hear you, they'll never guess you're using a firearm.

Almost everything...

The that came with it didnt stay zeroed for me. And my npxl doesnt have as good of accuracy as others say theirs do. Ive been shoting like 1 1/2 - 2 in groups. I guess i just got a bad one but im not complaining i still can drop a rabbit out to 100 yrds easy. The jsb diablo jumbos work great.

Its awesome. I guess i just got a bad one but im not complaining i still can drop a rabbit out to 100 yrds easy. The jsb diablo jumbos work great.

This is a real rifle. I was not prepared for this to be so much like a real gun. I have an old .22 caliber rifle, that doesn't have wood as good as this. This thing is very good quality. The power is more than I expected. I have less than 100 pellets through it, but I have been able to get some pretty good accuracy out of it.

I really don't like the trigger. I have not tried to adjust it yet. It has a lot of travel, before it engages and fires.

You might need to adjust the trigger or change it to a better one.

Has the look and feel of a real high power rifle. Great power and accuracy so far. I have shot about 100 rounds thru it so far so it's still being broke in. I bought mine in .177 cal. and am shooting groups of about 3/4" at 42 feet. I expect great things from this rifle and so far I am not disapointed.

I would like to see a 3 X 9 X 50 scope on it, I put a Leapers on mine, and put the scope that came with this rifle on my Crossman Titan rifle.

Try heavier pellets in this rifle. Mine so far likes Gamo Rockets over all the pellets I've tried to date. With any new air gun, you have to break them in, before expecting great accuracy. It also takes experimenting with all sorts of different pellets, I have between 10 and 15 styles and weights I try in any new gun.

2 weeks in - WHAT A GUN! solid, awesome scope - and what power! Talk about quiet!! a little 'poof' - similar to my nephews 10 pump air gun. I purchased 5 different types of rounds, and they all perform just as you hope they would. 950 fps w a 25 cal slug is quite impressive for a break barrel air gun. The nitro piston is getting broken in, but is very quiet and consistent. All 3 of the pointed tip rounds went right through a 400 page paperback! The 'crow magnum' went in 200 pages, and shocked the next 100 pages (and made the book jump a foot into the air). Very impressed with this gun, and I can not thank the sales rep that recommended it over the other spring gun I was considering.

notta thing yet - will post as I get more familiar with it

This is exactly what you likely wanted from your air gun, quiet, powerful, solid!

I read other reviews about weight and trigger pull and I think both compare wiht my 30.06 .Love the weight and the trigger pull.Only took about 200 rounds to break it in.I am nailing the ends of shot gun shells at 50 yards.

Nothing

be patient

Hits hard. Knocks the squirrels out of the trees. Sling is nice. Scope does not move with the weaver mount.

Trigger is far from perfect. Barrel was filthy from factory had to clean.

Difficult to cock first 500 shots. Very hold sensative only likes artillery hold. Scope is good but not great. Great hunter, not an all day plinker. Mine likes 15.9- 18.1gr best. 1 inch groups at 25 yards is the best I can currently get. Do not regret my purchase.