Whether you’re new to airguns or a seasoned veteran, the Benjamin Marauder PCP air rifle is a great option. This versatile air rifle performs exceptionally well for the cost and may be used for a wide range of applications.
A marauder is an armed bandit who uses the highways for plunder. This Benjamin air rifle is so deadly it deserves the moniker Marauder. Even though I’m no real highwayman, I can say that this weapon is among the most potent available and is fantastic for shooting.
Now I have a whole new respect for PCP air rifles. Based on my testing, the Benjamin Marauder is best suited for experienced gun enthusiasts.
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Contents
Specifications for the Benjamin Marauder
- Designation: pre-charged pneumatic (PCP)
- Repetition: Bolt-action
- Shot size:.25
- Traveling at a rate of 900 frames per second, roughly
- Muzzle Energy (in foot-pounds): 50 ft. lbs. (or less)
- Each full magazine may fire up to 16 bullets at maximum capacity.
- A safety lever is located in front of the trigger.
- Absolutely no sights, although a scope can be mounted on a dovetail rail.
- Weighing in at 8.2 pounds
- Equipment Necessary: a container, a pump, and scope or other optical device
What Kind of Air Rifle is the Benjamin Marauder?
The Benjamin Marauder PCP air rifle is ideal for hunting, plinking, and controlling unwanted pests.
This Benjamin Marauder review is focused on a powerful air rifle that comes in .177,.22, and.25 calibers. While the larger pellet may have a lower muzzle velocity than its smaller counterparts, its increased mass makes it a more effective hunting tool for air rifles. The rotary magazine and bolt action work together to keep the pistol hot for 10 quick shots with the lower calibers, or eight with the one we tested.
The pellet rifle does not come with sights but has a dovetail mounting rail, so you may attach a scope if you choose. The Marauder can be a great first PCP air rifle because of its versatility and ability to develop with the shooter. Its actual price is less than $500, making it competitive with other entry-level devices.
How the Benjamin Marauder Works?
The Benjamin Marauder, like other PCP airguns, needs to be refilled with compressed air from the outside. The Foster fitting is a quick disconnect that allows you to use a high-pressure tank or pump. Even with a hand pump, the process of filling the Marauder’s reservoir to the recommended 3,000 psi will become tedious in a hurry.
For high-volume shooting, you may want to invest in an electric compressor made specifically for PCPs or a larger, external tank capable of withstanding roughly 4,500 pressure. You can easily know how many bullets you have left until you need to reload thanks to the manometer or pressure gauge incorporated into the fore-end of the stock.
The Benjamin Marauder takes its ammunition from a rotary magazine that can contain up to ten pellets in the smaller bores or eight in the.25 caliber. The magazine-loading mechanism may seem foreign to those more accustomed to shooting firearms, but it is actually rather conventional for airguns.
First, place a pellet into the opening and spin the cover around once. Once the first cylinder is placed, the spring pressure locks it into position, making it easy to insert the others. Eventually, it will just feel natural to you. Each cartridge is chambered by the Marauder’s bolt action, and the magazine inserts into the receiver on the right. Shooters of either hand can alter the bolt to their preference.
Features of Benjamin Marauder
Accuracy
While the Benjamin Marauder could produce respectable groups on paper, it truly came into its own while taking long shots at pigeons and gulls. Because the transfer stations were typically larger than football fields, there were lots of opportunities to stretch the barrel.
It was usual practice to anchor gulls at 50 yards, and even a 75-yard poke wouldn’t win any accolades around the water cooler. I don’t recall ever firing the Benjamin at a distance of 100 yards, but I think it could be done with enough hold-over. However, remember that the doors were closed, thus there was no breeze to disrupt the pellet’s path.
With nearly every round we fired through the Benjamin Marauder, the best group size was under an inch at 50 yards. The pellets were often obtained in multiples of 1,000 to support various removal activities, and the department picked whatever domed pellets were available locally. They sacrificed velocity for power by purchasing the heaviest available version of each caliber, as they were intended for use on animals.
Power
In airgun ads, the velocity is frequently highlighted, yet this only tells part of the story. Ethical hunting requires using an airgun with sufficient energy, which is determined by the projectile’s mass and velocity. With a full tank and 25-grain pellets, the Benjamin claims muzzle energy of 50 foot pounds.
Assuming the Benjamin Marauder is producing roughly 38 foot-pounds of force, given that the heavier-than-average 31-grain Superdome pellets slowed the velocity down to around 750 feet per second. With the right ammunition and a steady hand, you can kill animals as large as raccoons without suffering.
Stealth
Airguns are more silent than powder-burning firearms because they use compressed air to propel a projectile. The air that drives the pellet, however, is traveling quickly and is leaving in large quantities through a relatively small opening. By enclosing the barrel in a shroud and progressively siphoning off the escaping gas, Benjamin is able to reduce the noise produced by this process.
This drastically reduces the air rifle’s report, making it nearly silent. A “de-pinger,” or device that dampens vibrations caused by the hammer striking the valve stem and the resulting “ping,” is included in the updated model of the pistol. The volume is also lowered by a few dB as a result of this. Thanks to its setup, this pneumatic is exceptionally silent compared to others of its kind.
Trigger
Another notable feature of the Benjamin Marauder is its trigger, which can be broken at roughly three pounds. It’s a match-grade, two-stage design that only requires basic equipment to fine-tune. Getting it just right only takes a few minutes at the range. You can just put it in automatic mode and leave it.
Handling
The Benjamin Marauder isn’t exactly featherweight at 8.2 pounds. A scope and mounting rings will add a few more pounds. Still, it’s about average for centerfire bolt action rifles, so you probably won’t notice a huge difference if you swap between that and another brand.
However, the Marauder doesn’t feel like your standard deer rifle and is more equivalent to a.22 rifle designed for competition. Offhand shots were more stable and the rifle stayed put when used with a rest, so I consider the weight a plus.
Effortless Operation
Considering it is a pre-charged pneumatic air rifle, loading the Marauder is about as simple as it gets. Use the Foster quick-connect connection to join the Marauder to a storage vessel, pump, or compressor.
Just put three thousand pounds of pressure in the Marauder’s tank, bleed the line, cut the power, and you’re ready to fire. No external pressure gauges are necessary thanks to the manometer mounted in the bow, which removes all room for error. The fill valve cap is a thoughtful addition that will protect the valve in case the gun is dropped.
Pros
The Benjamin Marauder is a well-rounded ship with several appealing features. The pumping action of this PCP rifle is much less taxing than that of comparable weapons. This rifle is virtually silent thanks to its inbuilt shroud. Is there total silence? No. Although it is true that the.177 caliber makes a bit more noise than the.22, this air rifle is significantly quieter than the majority of its competitors.
Cons
This gun’s 10-round magazine may be too tiny for your large hands, but I can’t say enough good things about the repeater feature. You’ll need to pay close attention when you load the magazine.
If you don’t aim carefully, you’ll waste more pellets than your shot. Even for a Marauder, the Marauder is a touch hefty. It’s 8.2 pounds in its unscoped form. You probably won’t need more than one or two bullets to bring down your target, so the gun’s weight shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The reversible bolt requires a little practice, but it’s not difficult to use.
Conclusion
The Marauder’s high degree of internal tunability is a major selling point for many gun owners. The muzzle velocity, number of shots, optimal fill pressure, and trigger settings can all be adjusted to the shooter’s liking. The Owner’s Manual is where you’ll find the bare bones of instructions from Crosman on how to accomplish all this.
The Marauder is exceptional amongst common air rifles because of its adaptability and flexibility to be personalized. The Marauder is a fantastic choice if you enjoy hunting for medium and smaller species. It’s a bargain compared to similar products in terms of both power and accuracy, as well as ease of use and cost.