Benjamin Discovery PCP Air Rifle – Detailed Review

Benjamin Discovery air rifle is setting a new benchmark in the market and may be the most popular, inexpensive PCP air rifles available on the market today by the combination of great power for long distances with precision, as well as unbeatable value. 

Benjamin has made it possible to bridge the gap and take the pain of PCP guns. This is not just the cheapest price you’ll find on a PCP rifle and it’s also so simple to get it up to a point that even an untrained teenager can accomplish it! The Discovery has raised the bar for PCP guns as it only uses 2000 PSI of air. 

While European companies are racing to increase the air pressure- Benjamin is moving in the opposite direction and making it more simple than ever before to use hand pumps. If you’re looking to utilize a scuba tank and carbon-fiber tank you can also do that and benefit from numerous more fills than you can get from a gun that works at 3000 PSI. 

The Discovery offers you the option! Its air reservoir is 135cc. The air tank has a fitting with male Foster. The gun comes with a hardwood stock. It also comes with Williams fiber optic front and rear sights, as well as an air pressure gauge that is built-in. 

If you’re an experienced user, then you’ll realize how Discovery is the most user-friendly PCP you’ve ever had. If new to PCPs they can turn you into an expert in several steps.

If you’d like to convert to CO2, it’s very easy to accomplish, however, you’ll require a degasser to swiftly exhaust all air before filling the tank with CO2. Install the optional CO2 adapter to the standard paintball CO2 tank and then fill it up! Then, shoot! With high-pressure air, you can be able to take up to 25 strong shots.

Note – Topairguns.net earns a small commision when you buy the products by going through our affiliate links. Learn More.

Specs

ManufacturerBenjamin
Caliber.22, .117
Velocity900 fps
ConditionNew
Ammo TypePellets
ActionBolt-action
Barrel StyleRifled
Fire ModeSingle-shot
Gun Weight5.20
Overall Length39.00
Barrel Length24.25
Loudness4-Medium-High
Magazine Capacity1
MechanismPCP & CO2
Rail11mm dovetail
SafetyManual
Front SightsFiber Optic
Rear SightsAdjustable for windage & elevation
Shots per Fill25
Trigger AdjustabilitySingle-stage
Trigger Action0
Benjamin Discovery Air Rifle Reviews

CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON

CHECK PRICE ON PYRAMYD AIR

Benjamin Discovery Rifle Details

Power

It is a dual fuel PCP air gun that is able to use CO2 cartridges (for shooting indoors or for pinning) and be charged to 2000 PSI by the use of a hand pump or scuba tank (which is usually sold in this version). 

When fully charged, this gun can shoot the 14.3 grain Benjamin Discovery .22 caliber cartridge up to 990 feet in a second. This is equivalent to 26 FPE in your barrel!

Consistency

A Benjamin Discovery tested gave excellent consistency in muzzle velocity.

Gamo Raptor Platinum pellets were the most inconsistent they had an Extreme Spread of 35.49 FPS during our 10 shot test, however this is a variance of 3% from the average velocity of muzzle. The most reliable pellets were the H&N Field Target Trophy with an Extreme Spread of 11.19 FPS. This represents only 1.2 percent, which is a great performance.

However, as the Discovery is equipped with a very small air reservoir with a capacity of 126.2cc (7.69 cubic inches) and is not controlled so the muzzle velocity can drop quite quickly as it gets more shots. This results in vertical stringing. To get the most accurate results, HAM recommends topping up the pressure approximately once every twenty shots.

The gauge for the Discovery’s pressure measured 2,000 PSI while our standard gauge also measured 2,000 PSI. Again, excellent consistency.

The weight of the trigger’s pull varied from 3lbs 10oz and 4lb 1oz during the tests conducted by HAM. This is an excellent consistency for an item of this kind and cost.

Trigger & Cocking Effort

Bolt operation is extremely lightweight with a cock-on opening. However, loading pellets is quite difficult. Pellets tend to rotate around inside the loading tray, and they can be load backward, with the skirt facing forward in the event that you’re not careful.

The pull weight for the Trigger is heavy, averaging around 4 lbs. Its trigger blade is broad however, the plastic feeling isn’t as comfortable as the feel of a metal trigger.

Noise

The Discovery certainly makes a lot of noise for an air rifle. Since there is no suppressor, the gun makes a loud bang when it is discharged. The normal amount of noise is far lower.

The noise output of the Disco is on par with that of a 22LR firearm, however, the supersonic crack created by firing lightweight lead-free pellets at velocities in excess of sound (about 1,100 FPS) can be rather audible. There’s more justification for loading the Discovery down with hefty lead pellets.

Sights 

Crosman makes it clear that they anticipate you using a scope when shooting a Discovery. Scope rails have been machined into the breech.

The gun does not come with a scope, so you will have to buy one separately. Because Weaver and Picatinny rings, which are included with most modern scopes, do not suit airguns, you’ll need to be sure you have a separate set of airgun/ 22 rings.

Front and rear iron sights feature fiber optic inlays, however, their limited effectiveness is due to the lack of click-adjustable windage and elevation.

Without a scope, you won’t make very many shots. The HAM score in this subsection was calculated using our established rating rubric. Assuming a score of 90% and a standard cost of $120.00 for the scope and mounts to be installed on the Discovery.

Shootability

In terms of portability, Discovery is excellent. Even though the trigger is very heavy, it is not in any way uncomfortable, and the release is uniform. In order to prevent pellets from entering the barrel skirt in the reverse order of their insertion, the loading tray must be tilted at an angle.

Overall, it’s an air rifle that is easy to shoot. There is virtually no recoil, and no additional hold is needed to ensure accuracy in shooting. This is why Benjamin Discovery is a great choice for shooting. Benjamin Discovery earns a RateAGun score of 4.6 when the scope is 3-9x40AO (as it is in this report). It’s therefore easy to shoot effectively.

Appearance and Finish

The Discovery is generally agreed upon to be an unappealing air rifle. The stock’s distinctive oar shape has earned it the nickname “the oar.” Most people will find the forend to be too short, and the comb to be too low, for comfortable usage with a scope. However, it will have to do.

The “soda straw” barrel has always struck me as unsightly. The Discovery’s barrel appears far too skinny to be any good, but first impressions can be deceiving.

The black powder coating and bluing on the metal are a decent finish. Hardwood with a varnish finish is used. The quality of the finish is about par for a weapon of this price range, but adequate for general use as an air rifle.

You should search elsewhere if you want a buttstock made of Grade 2 Walnut and a metal finish that mirrors the light.

Buying & Owning

Benjamin Discovery is available Benjamin Discovery is readily accessible via both physical and online stores. Like majority of PCP airguns, it requires a source for high-pressure air. It’s often together with the Benjamin High-Pressure Pump. 

Since the Discovery utilizes just 2000 PSI it is quite simple to pump it by hand. It takes about 110 strokes to fill the tank from empty, but just 30 strokes to increase the tension from 1500 PSI to 2000 PSI.

Crosman offers a 12-month warranty and offers a wide range of spare parts on hand when needed, along with the ability to download parts diagrams as well as backup assistance after warranty from the selection of Crosman Authorized Repair Centers. This kind of support sets the standard for the industry of airguns.

Pros

This gun packs a lot of punch and hits its target dead on. The classic design is significantly sleeker than that of the Marauder, and it makes good use of fiber optic sights and a nicer stock. The rifle is incredibly lightweight, so it shouldn’t be a problem supplying the power required for hunting small game or firing at a small target from a considerable distance.

Cons

Crosman still hasn’t found the sweet spot between firepower and portability. The lower pressure makes hand pumping easier but at the cost of only 10 to 15 shots every fill. Then, in an effort to make things right, they make it so inefficient at using air that the pellets are pushed at speeds of up to 900 feet per second, sending them careening in all sorts of unexpected ways.

The gun comes with no extras, which is a bummer but makes sense given the low price in order to make shooting more accessible to newcomers. One of the most insidious issues is that it becomes increasingly annoying to deal with the many places where the developers obviously skimped on quality in favor of lower pricing.

Benjamin Discovery Review (Video)

Conclusion 

Crosman’s Benjamin Discovery is a great PCP rifle for beginners because it’s easy to use and a fun introduction to the sport. It’s a handy rifle to have, but veterans might not appreciate the changes made by the Marauder to keep the price down.

Despite this, it is still a serviceable firearm and a good option for those who want to ease into PCP air rifle shooting, a hobby that can be both costly and intimidating to newcomers.

Value For MoneyExcellent – but you need to buy a scope and PCP charging equipment to use it.
Best ForHunting, target shooting.
Best Pellet TestedH&N Baracuda Match
Caliber Tested.177, .22

CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON

CHECK PRICE ON PYRAMYD AIR

Leave a Comment