The Benjamin Marauder .25 Caliber

You paid how much for that?

That's the question I'm often asked when I show my friends some of my pre-charged pneumatic air rifles. When people hear the word pellet gun I guess they automatically think inexpensive.

But this Benjamin Marauder is a bargain in the PCP world and is a serious hunting gun.

Why? Let's take a center-fire rifle for instance. You save up a good chunk of change and buy the gun. Then you spend some more money on a scope. You take it to the range and shoot it and more money comes flying out of your wallet. Price of ammunition isn't cheap. So then you take the gun home and put it in your safe because it's too expensive to shoot and the only time you take the gun out is when you're hunting.

Why not have a gun that is a bunch of fun to shoot? A gun where you can shoot in more places than a powder-burning firearm. And the only cost is air and pellets. Not to mention putting meat on the table without waking up the woods. That's why I have no problem spending the money on these air rifles. I use them more than my other firearms.

What is a PCP air rifle? The gun operates on a high-pressure volume of air. This particular gun has a maximum 3,000 PSI fill pressure. My particular .25 Marauder is giving me sixteen good shots before I need to recharge it.

The way you recharge these guns is with either a high-pressure hand pump or a high-pressure air tank. When using the hand pump, I shoot the gun from 3,000 PSI down to 2,200 for 16 shots. It takes about 75 pumps to bring the pressure back up to 3,000 PSI. My gun is shooting the 27.8 grain Benjamin dome pellets at an average of 845 FPS. Strong medicine for groundhogs and bigger pests.

Just how accurate is this thing? I'm shooting five-shot groups at 50 yards that you can cover with a quarter. This is a result of Crosman using Green Mountain barrels in their .25 caliber Marauder. GM barrels are known for their accuracy. Pair that up with the consistency of the Marauder platform and it spells doom for backyard vermin.

This thing is so quiet that it's hard to believe it's shooting with the power it's putting out. When this thing connects on animals, it sounds like a fastball hitting a catcher's mitt.

So what does all this mean? I'm a better shot with my other guns because of these air rifles. The amount of cheap, cost-effective shooting that I've done with air guns has made me a much better shot with all of my other shoulder-fired guns. Judging distance and wind drift is something that every shooter needs to become familiar with. These air rifles provide the practice at shorter ranges that will help you master your other guns.

You might get a little sticker shock when you look at some of the PCP air rifles that are out there today. The Marauder lineup is a fantastic setup that is at a price point that many people can afford. Especially for how they perform.

The last few people who've shot my Marauder ended up buying one because they had so much fun. Those same people wondered why I spent the money on one in the first place. Not now.

If you're thinking about getting into the PCP game: Benjamin/Crosman has something to suit your needs. Next, I will be reviewing the Marauder pistol carbine.