Hey all,
I have been thinking of getting into PCP for a while now. One of the rifles that is most mentioned when I ask someone is the Benjamin Marauder. I fully admit that I don't know much about the PCP systems and whether having a rifle that's regulated means much or it doesn't. I am trying to learn more though. I would likely want a .177, but I guess I could be swayed to a .22 if it is a better shooter and performer.
I am curious to know how accurate an entry type rifle like that Marauder really is. Can it group as well as PCP's that are 2 or 3 times as much as it costs? How would it perform next to an Air Arms S510 Ultimate Carbine or one of those Kalibrgun Cricket Carbine rifles?
I have also read about some that have their rifles "tuned" right after they get them. Is this a necessary step if you want to get your Marauder to shoot up to its potential? How much does a proper "tune" add to the rifle? Can you tell me how the groups would differ before and after a tune? What about the number of shots on a fill? Will it shoot many more after it's been tuned?
That's about all I can think of to ask. If you'd like to add more, feel free cause I cam always use more knowledge. If there are any other "entry" level PCP rifles that you can think of that are as accurate or more than the Marauder....please tell me so I can start trying to learn.
Thank you for your time and any help you decide to give me. Have a good week everyone.
Larry
I just shot my first Marauder this past week. I have not done any pellet testing with it. I just slapped a scope on it and sighted it in. I want to shoot it some more as soon as we get a break in the weather. My gun is a .177 and my first group was about 3/4" at 35 yards. This group was with junk pellets. I know it will do much better.
I have a lot of friends that have shot Field Target with Marauders. From what I have read, it seems that .177 and 25 caliber Marauders are more consistently accurate that the 22 calibers but I think the 22 caliber rifles may have caught up.
I don't think you will be disappointed with a Marauder. I think it is a good first PCP as long as you have a tank. If I were going to hand pump, I would look at a Disco or one of the other models that fill to 2000 psi. Here the link to my recent post:
https://airgunwarriors.com/community/airgun-talk/my-latest-purchases-marauder-stock/
David Enoch
Hey all,
I have been thinking of getting into PCP for a while now. One of the rifles that is most mentioned when I ask someone is the Benjamin Marauder. I fully admit that I don't know much about the PCP systems and whether having a rifle that's regulated means much or it doesn't. I am trying to learn more though. I would likely want a .177, but I guess I could be swayed to a .22 if it is a better shooter and performer.
I am curious to know how accurate an entry type rifle like that Marauder really is. Can it group as well as PCP's that are 2 or 3 times as much as it costs? How would it perform next to an Air Arms S510 Ultimate Carbine or one of those Kalibrgun Cricket Carbine rifles?
I have also read about some that have their rifles "tuned" right after they get them. Is this a necessary step if you want to get your Marauder to shoot up to its potential? How much does a proper "tune" add to the rifle? Can you tell me how the groups would differ before and after a tune? What about the number of shots on a fill? Will it shoot many more after it's been tuned?
That's about all I can think of to ask. If you'd like to add more, feel free cause I cam always use more knowledge. If there are any other "entry" level PCP rifles that you can think of that are as accurate or more than the Marauder....please tell me so I can start trying to learn.
Thank you for your time and any help you decide to give me. Have a good week everyone.
Larry
Larry, From a price point the Marauder is a excellent choice especially for the Hunter PCP class. This rifle has won three National Hunter Championships since 2011. Most shoot great out of the box but add ons can improve the shot capacity for a reasonable investment. For a beginner FT rifle you can't beat this rifle you enquire about. I added a 6" extension for about $75 to one of my Mrod's and get over 70 good shots out of it with a regulator. I own many airguns and some of the best made including three marauder's of which two are customized. I'm getting up there in age and have been considering reducing my collection. Keep your eyes open on the members classified for that is a excellent source to find some interesting FT Equipment. Hope to see you around the Ft circuit some where this year.
P.S The 3 National Hunter championships referenced were all shot by three different National Champions so the Marauder isn't fussy who shoots it.
As a rule...the Marauder will out shoot the abilities of most airgunners. It's an excellent choice to enter this sport, and it's functional as well. With .25 caliber you can hunt any small game in the U.S.
There have been reports of this caliber being used on hogs and such, but that was likely using slugs and guns capable of a lot of energy and velocity.
If you are going to target shoot, the .17 caliber is economical and has a great shot count per fill.
Crosman makes a great product in that price range that can hold it's own with more expensive rifles. I recently shot a Gen 2 .177 FT rifle that had the standard Crosman barrel. Accuracy was quite good. If you are interested in competition, you may consider having one built in the Crosman Custom shop with a Lothar Walther barrel. BTW, the triggers on these guns are very impressive.
I think for the money its the best of the low price PCP. I have won a FT match with my stock non regulated Synrod before but I also shoot bench and never had a chance against the high dollar stuff on the bench. My advise is to get the new FT model with the LW barrel. It has everything that you need to get the accuracy wanted. Last christmas season sales one could be had for around $550 shipped. Unfortunatly that was still too much for my budget. About tuning. I got my rod refurbed and shot it at 25 yards. I was not impressed with the accuracy at all but the gun was cranked up to shoot JSB 10.3 at over 1050 fps. Just shortning the hammer strike down to around 900 FPS made it a very accurate rifle. When talking about serious competition accuracy on bench against real competitors you can forget about even trying unless you wanna refi the house and spend all your free time trying to get there and have piles of used expensive barrels laying around but you know me I don't complain..
The .25 cal Marauder out of the box has fine accuracy and power with all pellets, preferring the JSB Exacts. This has the Green Mountain Barrel as I recall. I get 4 mags out of 3000psi but the drop off is rapid after 2nd mag.
The .177 cal Marauder out of the box will only shoot one pellet well for me: JSB Monster. This has a Crosman barrel. I get 4 mags out of 3000psi but the drop off is rapid after 2nd mag.
Both have iffy triggers and shot counts. Magazines are flawless and sound level is low-moderate. Bolts are heavy. M1 safeties are a nice touch.
I also have a Kalibr Cricket in .25 that is flawless: superb accuracy out to 100 yards with JSB Exacts, devastating power, one of the finest triggers I have on any type of gun. It is whisper quiet. Easy to cock, but you lose your cheekweld each time. There is no real comparison between the Marauders and the Kalibr. Is it worth twice the price? Given what it does, sure. Only cons: no safety, no loaded chamber indicator, magazine removal and mounting is awkward as heck. I get 4 mags out of 3000psi, and the drop off only really gets noticed on the 4th mag.
I also have an HW100FSB in .22. Excellent trigger, excellent accuracy and fair power to 75 yards with JSB or CPs, whisper quiet, easy to cock. Safety is designed so that it can only move if gun is cocked....nice feature for those of us who forget if we cocked it or not. I get 4 mags with a pretty dramatic drop after the third one.
For budget, Marauder in .25 is best out of the box. No flaws except it is blocky.
For elegance, the HW100FSB is fine. No flaws at all.
For power, accuracy, and trigger, the Kalibr will be the one for you. Only flaw is awkward mag exchange and losing cheek weld.
I recently bought 2 Field and Target regulated guns, one in 177 with the LW barrel and the other in 22 with Crosman barrel. They both shoot perfect and nothing IMHO needed done.
If you watch shooter1721 videos and watch his 22 caliber Marauder Field and Target review shooting with its factory Crosman barrel I personally bought that gun from him.
Otherwise I would have bought a new one with a 22 Lothar Walther barrel on it.
HA
I used to have 2 one in 22 one in 25 .mine shot awesome...For a few weeks then suddenly they shot like crap I could do nothing to have them shot like there were new so it was not the barrels even my 22 have a awesome barrel and I use them to shot 100y and on.i sold them and buy 2 taipans
I used to have 2 one in 22 one in 25 .mine shot awesome...For a few weeks then suddenly they shot like crap I could do nothing to have them shot like there were new so it was not the barrels even my 22 have a awesome barrel and I use them to shot 100y and on.i sold them and buy 2 taipans
Now that aint' fair! But I must agree with you on the Taipans, I have a few Mutants and a Veteran and they are of a much higher level with a price that reflects that fact.
HA
Another option to serioously consider for a first PCP (on a budget) that shoots fantastic straight out of the box is a Umarex Gauntlet. They can be bought for around $220 brand new or $199 refurbished if you shop smart. You will need to run several hundred shots through it before it settles in though and gets smoother to shoot after broken in. I have 2 in 177 (one is at factory setting shooting 10.34 JSBs at 915fps avg. and the other I plan to lower the power to make it a 12-15fpe gun since its too powerful in 177 IMHO to be practical unless you use only heavier pellets but the first one shoots so well I didn't want to mess with it and bought another one in 177 to back the power down to shoot JSB 8.44s for plinking) and one in 22 and they shot great straight out of the box and once broken in they are a real joy to shoot. They are a bit crude straight out of the box but will put pellet on pellet at 50 yards and IMHO there is nothing out there in a PCP format that can beat it for regulated PCP accuracy at 50 yards straight out of its box at its price point and class. The only items I would recommend adding or replacing (but not totally necessary) is adding a barrel band and improved air stripper at the end of the barrel only if you want everything to be perfect for another $67.
There is also the ATI Nova Vista Liberty to look out for, I bought a few in both calibers and stocks from ATI but didn't get a chance to put them through their paces yet. They are in the $300 price range and are regulated. Online reviews do look promising...
HA
I'm a bystander here, since I haven't invested in a PCP yet--probably will at some point. I've shot a few and they were very-nice. Plenty of power and great accuracy. Neither was a Marauder, though. One was a Weihrauch HW100 in .177, and the other was a DAQ. The latter was bigger than .25 caliber. More like at least .357 IIRC, but it's been awhile and I really don't remember.
Anyway, I read the above posts and can't help but wonder why .177 and .25 were accurate out of the factory box, but .22 caliber in the middle wasn't as good. Were the barrels made somewhere else, or is it simply an unknown?
Anyway, .22 is a caliber I like, and David said he thinks they may have cleaned up their act on those barrels/rifles. I actually prefer .25 caliber for the extra knockdown power, but I know that, usually, the larger the caliber, the lower the shot count per fill. That's why I thought I might go with a .22 version as sort of a compromise, when the time comes.
And, as to my commenting on the .22 barrels, as almost anyone who has read my posts know, I'm pretty-much a springer guy so far. But, 'barrels should still be barrels', and the same manufacturing processes (e.g. good steel, rifling and crown-finishing techniques) should apply to any and all when it comes to obtaining the best accuracy (I would think).
I want to know if anyone has bought a Marauder with the new Lothar Walther barrel. I am considering buying a .22 cal and weighing the option of upgrading the barrel. I think it's about 80.00 more. Thanks
Don't hesitate for one minute! This gun is super reliable, and with an LW barrel it will shoot with thousand dollar plus guns all day long!!! I've owned a couple over the years and they were more accurate than I was able to achieve. I was the limiting factor, not the gun. That's what you look for...a gun that will out-shoot your abilities!!!
Kindly 'Ol Uncle 
