wow!

i just got a new PCP; a .25 caliber Benjamin Marauder. what a rifle!

it is designed to operate on 3000 PSI but will operate at lower pressures.

it has a well designed and built trigger that's user adjustable (that in itself is almost, unusual, in today's airguns)

the stock is well designed and constructed from good American hardwood and is ambi-dexterous with a high comb on both sides of the butt for right and left hand shooters alike. it has good checkering and should be enduring for the years to come. one may remove the action from the stock for trigger and pressure adjustments by way of removing ONE, hefty Allen screw.

it has a built in pressure gauge that allows the shooter to monitor pressure quickly and accurately.

refill is easily accomplished by way of a foster fitting and may be accomplished by either SCUBA/SCBA tank or hand pump.

oh, and it has a great shrouded barrel. all one hears is the metallic ping of the hammer when shooting. I'm sure that will cause the legislators in many locations (especially kaliphornia) to weep, wail and wring their hands in anguish.

the rifle, as it comes from the factory, has no mounted sighting devices of any sort but comes with a built on rail to accommodate any optical devices one chooses. one should be advised, though, it is NOT equipped for open/iron sights so if you are an open/iron sight only shooter, this is NOT the rifle for you...unless you take it to a licensed gunsmith for installation of front sights of some sort. it's not impossible, but probably expensive and maybe "iffish" as they would have to mounted to the removable sleeve/shroud that encloses the barrel and it's possible the sleeve would rotate. i suppose there are those who will do it, though.

the rifle itself is surprisingly large, but not proportionally heavy. it weighs in slightly over 6 lbs. judicious use of aluminum and alloy helped to accomplish this fact. there is almost no plastic on this rifle.

there is little doubt this is a 100 yard rifle. it has the power and accuracy to reach out there for the taking of game with no hesitation or doubt and is proving as such with many hunters as we speak. however one must keep in mind, it is a PCP, NOT a rimfire or centerfire rifle so it should be judiciously used in the taking of LIVE game...in other words, don't expect to shoot deer, or similar sized game, with it. the taking of coyote and similar sized animals should be within it's capabilities at reasonable ranges, of course...

its proving to be accurate to say the least. right out of the box i was able to shoot a 5 shot group of less than 1" at a measured 31 yards. with some work with air pressure and pellet style, i suspect a a person could easily shoot near one-hole groups with it as the norm.

the single biggest flaw i find with this otherwise, fine, rifle, is the amount of air used; a 3000 PSI fill is good for only 20-25 shots before refill is called for.

i suppose one could enlarge the air tank but that would cause other factors to change. such as the weight and handling characteristics and i suppose there are those who will do something like that and I'm interested to see what they do. if one does nothing but range shooting i suppose it could be hooked tandem to a large SCUBA/SCBA set up for many shots...but...would it be worth the effort?

overall...i think Crosman/Benjamin have written themselves a ticket for a long, successful trip into airgun history with the Marauder.