Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

shedhorn

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so like the title says. iam going to buy a Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle. i cant make my mind up if i want the 22cal or the 25cal. please help me out. thank you. i saw this rifle on this forum awhile back and have wanted one every since. now iam going to buy me one for xmas
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

i do know that this forum is for rimfire but since this is were i first read about it, i thought i would ask this forum what to buy. i will be shooting small critters and targets. i was thinking the 25cal wouldnt be affected by wind as much as the 22cal.
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shedhorn</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i do know that this forum is for rimfire but since this is were i first read about it, i thought i would ask this forum what to buy. i will be shooting small critters and targets. i was thinking the 25cal wouldnt be affected by wind as much as the 22cal. </div></div>

Actually not as much as you would think due to the physical size of the projectile. I use .177 because I like the velocity and all I shoot are nuisance birds, squirrel, and rabbits. It kills most of them with 1 shot, and doesn't do too bad in the wind as long as the shot is around 20 yards or so. Being by Lake Eerie, the wind always blows here and I rarely use windage unless I am taking an extremely long shot.
The Gammo 1200 fps .177 caliber is a hot shootin little rifle at a reasonable price.
If you are going to shoot anything bigger than squirrels and rabbits, I would think the .22 would do the trick and give you more velocity that the .25!
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shedhorn</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i do know that this forum is for rimfire but since this is were i first read about it, i thought i would ask this forum what to buy. i will be shooting small critters and targets. i was thinking the 25cal wouldnt be affected by wind as much as the 22cal. </div></div>

How much wind do you expect to encounter on your air rifle excursions? Just get the .22 due to ammo selection and availability. I've killed hundreds of animals with my .177 over the years, .22 should be plenty.
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shedhorn</div><div class="ubbcode-body">so like the title says. iam going to buy a Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle. i cant make my mind up if i want the 22cal or the 25cal. please help me out. thank you. i saw this rifle on this forum awhile back and have wanted one every since. now iam going to buy me one for xmas </div></div>

I had a Career 25 once. It gets to the point where one might as well use a rimfire instead. As someone stated, they use a lot of air at the 40-60 ftlb range. Conversely a 25 will have a loopy trajectory at 25-30 ftlbs. They do hit hard though with the heavy pellets, which is fun.

I'd rather have a 22 cal in the 35 ftlb range. JSB just came out with a 13.4 grain pellet. Very accurate and flat trajectory with more knock down than a 17.
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

the .25 has a green mountain barrel, and the .177 and .22 have crosman barrels. The .177 and .22 can be interchanged with barrel, mags, and maybe something else. I honestly see no reason to go with the .25, when a Rainstorm or Sumatra with LDC can do the same thing in .22. M-rods are like 10/22s or Remington. THey make regulators, air tube extensions, better triggers, longer shrouds, aftermarket barrels etc. You have a better chance of getting a shooter in .25 because of the better barrel manufacturer, but the smaller tube makes shot count, especially in .25, really low. I would only buy a .177 in Marauder because the shot count would be okay, and it can get lighter pellets supersonic with the right tune.
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Shaman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I would only buy a .177 in Marauder because...it can get lighter pellets supersonic with the right tune. </div></div>

I sure hope you are joking. Any sober thinking airgunner will tell you that you need to stay subsonic with an airgun, regardless of caliber. Sometitmes even below 900 fps for the best results...
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

I have the 22, very accurate, shoots slap through squirrels out to 60 yards, kills rabbits, crows, robins, sparrows, starlings, blue jays etc, etc etc, and I heard that it will put a cat down too!
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

I have the Marauder in 177 for field target use, and I purchased all of the correct parts to convert my Marauder to .22 I love the rifle, right now it is tuned for World Field Target Federation (WFTF) shooting 12fpe or less with Crosman premier lights... The rifle is quite remarkable for an entry level PCP. Here is mine:

IMG_4040.jpg
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

.22

Pellet costs and availability make the .22 a better choice than the .25.

I almost bought a new Maureder, but, stumbled across a Discovery at such a good price that I had to take it. This is the first airgun I've ever shot that will consistently shoot under 1/2" at 50 yards, with pellets it likes, and has enough power for small game. It is also quieter than any "spring" gun I've ever shot, or, .22 rimfires with CB caps.
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: VYD</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Shaman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I would only buy a .177 in Marauder because...it can get lighter pellets supersonic with the right tune. </div></div>

I sure hope you are joking. Any sober thinking airgunner will tell you that you need to stay subsonic with an airgun, regardless of caliber. Sometitmes even below 900 fps for the best results... </div></div>

I wasn't joking. I was simply stating that in .177 trim is has power. It doesn't in .22 or .25 for any decent shot string. Rainstorm in .22 will keep up with the Marauder in .25. Now, stick on the extended tube, and reg, and you are getting somewhere, but that's another few hundred $, and getting close to the nicer PCPs.
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

I don't usually have a lot to say here, but on this one, as the coach of a top ranked air rifle team I can tell you that speed is not the answer. A screaming rifle firing .177 at 1600 fps with a pellet that has for all intense and purposes has a negative bc isn't going to stay SS for very far. I have seen groupings with Crosman challenger rifles at 550 fps hold 20 meter groups of .025. You can't scare a critter to death with an air rifle, but have taken thousands of AZ ground squirrels with a simple .177 rifle at 750 fps out to 75 yds. As a side note, target pellets (wad cutter) suck past 20 meters
 
Re: Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle 22cal or 25cal

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: persistant7500</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As a side note, target pellets (wad cutter) suck past 20 meters
</div></div>

That is because their main purpuse is punching paper at 10 meter competitions. They make clean nice holes that are easy to measure. For hunting applications, use domed pellets.