Beeman R1 Elite Series Combo

This is my first and probably only air rifle I'll buy and as such I wanted a quality rifle that would last. Everything I have heard and read about this rifle was top notch and it didn't disappoint. The stock, trigger, cocking mechanism were all very nice. Everything was working perfectly and I have no regrets.

The rifle is pretty heavy since everything is metal and wood. One thing that I didn't get sufficient information on was the scope that it came with. Reading reviews lead me to believe the scope was a bushnell banner series scope. This was concerning since that series is not air gun rated, however it ships with the trophy series scope which is and is a better scope overall.

I liked the heft and solidness of the rifle. It is easier to load than I expected and is easier to cock and handle. I liked that the scope was setup and just needed some tweaks for my eye and we were good to go. It is a powerful gun in 177 and has a definite bark to it when firing but the recoil is not that big of a deal. I had read about springer recoils and I was thinking of getting whacked like my 25/06 but really, it is a lot closer to the recoil of a 222. The accuracy out of the box is great but the gun itself requires you hold it a certain way to get good groups. Get on paper and shoot a while and you will quickly learn that tight hold is bad, loose hold is ok, but medium is best for good groups. Once I had the hold worked out, I was able to hit the stands (3") for the deer feeder at about 75 yards consistently.

I wish the manual would have said more on maintenance. I was surprised at the "no lube in compression chamber" in the manual and the lack of lube discussions elsewhere. They really should put out a detailed discussion of how the owner would maintain the rifle. I called Pyramyd and they confirmed no lube in the compression chamber so now I have an email in tech support asking where I am supposed to lube the spring and with what.

Don't delay buying one. I put off buying mine for almost 30 years and finally bought it on a whim. It is truly an excellent rifle and scope package. Mine will get used extensively at the ranch for general plinking. Buying from Pyramyd was easy and they were very helpful. I called sales prior to buying asked a few questions then just ordered the gun over the phone. Very helpful group!

Exceptionally well made. Accurate right out of the box. Great scope which hopefully will hold up in the long run.

This is a solid and fairly heavy gun which is a bit much for the wife to handle. Cocking effort is fairly easy however. My only complaint is the flip up lens cover on the scope snapped off the first day.