I recently picked up a new Armada .22 just looking for some advice or recommendations on mods, anything I should look out for or be aware of ect..
Benjamin Armada, looking for tips on best mods..
- Thread starter Jake4578
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Rabbit hole can go as deep as you want on the Mrod/Armada platform. Or you can just find a tune you like and shoot it. They are great guns out of the box.
A short stiff hammer spring available through several vendors can get you a better shot count for not much $. A PEEK striker will keep the valve stem from mushrooming and quiet down the action. Both very affordable, easy to install mods that make it a better gun imo.
Google "Marauder High Capacity Magazine". You might like what you find.
I would for sure recommend a nicer bipod. Caldwell makes a decent one for under $50. (unless it's just for a display stand).
A short stiff hammer spring available through several vendors can get you a better shot count for not much $. A PEEK striker will keep the valve stem from mushrooming and quiet down the action. Both very affordable, easy to install mods that make it a better gun imo.
Google "Marauder High Capacity Magazine". You might like what you find.
I would for sure recommend a nicer bipod. Caldwell makes a decent one for under $50. (unless it's just for a display stand).
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If I were to build an Mrod/Armada now, this is what I would do -
1. Polish barrel/open up ports on air stripper (the stock air stripper from Benjamin has very small holes to vent air into the shroud. Opening up these ports will make the gun substantially quieter. If you have the prowess I would DEFINITELY clean up the leade on that OEM Crosman barrel. That will probably give you your BIGGEST return on investment from an accuracy perspective.
2. Lawyer spring removal (extremely easy to do and will give you an incredible trigger).
3. Add a Huma Reg with the XL Plenum - the reg + a Hill/JSAR lightweight hammer (or drill out the one you have to lighten it), PEEK striker, and lighter valve spring will give you substantially more usable air and just a more pleasant shooting experience. The XL Plenum will give you ample plenum size for a slug tune and have incredible efficiency for a pellet tune if done right. SSG/SSS/TSS optional. I have had plenty of luck running the stock spring or a Hill 262 spring in my .177 build.
4. (maybe) an upgraded valve from Hill or JSAR/enlarged TP's from Hill
It's way too easy to go all in on these budget guns. I remember when I got my first Mrod, I was debating between getting an Mrod, or just going with an AA S510 or FX Dreamline. I went with the Mrod with the LW barrel from the custom shop for the cost savings. When all was said and done (regulator, lightweight hammer, valve/hammer springs, new shroud to replace the cockeye OEM one), I had spend MORE than it would've cost to get an AA S510 and put in about 3 months worth of labor (research, tuning, etc.). Modding for the sake of it is cool and most of my foundational airgun knowledge came from that experience, but I think there comes a point where it becomes impractical.
That being said, I don't regret building my .177 "Match" Marauder. I'd do it again without question
1. Polish barrel/open up ports on air stripper (the stock air stripper from Benjamin has very small holes to vent air into the shroud. Opening up these ports will make the gun substantially quieter. If you have the prowess I would DEFINITELY clean up the leade on that OEM Crosman barrel. That will probably give you your BIGGEST return on investment from an accuracy perspective.
2. Lawyer spring removal (extremely easy to do and will give you an incredible trigger).
3. Add a Huma Reg with the XL Plenum - the reg + a Hill/JSAR lightweight hammer (or drill out the one you have to lighten it), PEEK striker, and lighter valve spring will give you substantially more usable air and just a more pleasant shooting experience. The XL Plenum will give you ample plenum size for a slug tune and have incredible efficiency for a pellet tune if done right. SSG/SSS/TSS optional. I have had plenty of luck running the stock spring or a Hill 262 spring in my .177 build.
4. (maybe) an upgraded valve from Hill or JSAR/enlarged TP's from Hill
It's way too easy to go all in on these budget guns. I remember when I got my first Mrod, I was debating between getting an Mrod, or just going with an AA S510 or FX Dreamline. I went with the Mrod with the LW barrel from the custom shop for the cost savings. When all was said and done (regulator, lightweight hammer, valve/hammer springs, new shroud to replace the cockeye OEM one), I had spend MORE than it would've cost to get an AA S510 and put in about 3 months worth of labor (research, tuning, etc.). Modding for the sake of it is cool and most of my foundational airgun knowledge came from that experience, but I think there comes a point where it becomes impractical.
That being said, I don't regret building my .177 "Match" Marauder. I'd do it again without question
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This sounds exactly like me with a Harley or a Hot Rod!If I were to build an Mrod/Armada now, this is what I would do -
1. Polish barrel/open up ports on air stripper (the stock air stripper from Benjamin has very small holes to vent air into the shroud. Opening up these ports will make the gun substantially quieter. If you have the prowess I would DEFINITELY clean up the leade on that OEM Crosman barrel. That will probably give you your BIGGEST return on investment from an accuracy perspective.
2. Lawyer spring removal (extremely easy to do and will give you an incredible trigger).
3. Add a Huma Reg with the XL Plenum - the reg + a Hill/JSAR lightweight hammer (or drill out the one you have to lighten it), PEEK striker, and lighter valve spring will give you substantially more usable air and just a more pleasant shooting experience. The XL Plenum will give you ample plenum size for a slug tune and have incredible efficiency for a pellet tune if done right. SSG/SSS/TSS optional. I have had plenty of luck running the stock spring or a Hill 262 spring in my .177 build.
4. (maybe) an upgraded valve from Hill or JSAR/enlarged TP's from Hill
It's way too easy to go all in on these budget guns. I remember when I got my first Mrod, I was debating between getting an Mrod, or just going with an AA S510 or FX Dreamline. I went with the Mrod with the LW barrel from the custom shop for the cost savings. When all was said and done (regulator, lightweight hammer, valve/hammer springs, new shroud to replace the cockeye OEM one), I had spend MORE than it would've cost to get an AA S510 and put in about 3 months worth of labor (research, tuning, etc.). Modding for the sake of it is cool and most of my foundational airgun knowledge came from that experience, but I think there comes a point where it becomes impractical.
That being said, I don't regret building my .177 "Match" Marauder. I'd do it again without question
as far as quieting this down more, there is a spring 7 individual stacked baffles in this like a suppressor, so what exactly do you mean? my air Venturi aven had an air stripper I believe, so are you referring to each baffle as such or?Upvote 0
I agree with the extra spring removal as well and forgot about this cheap and easy mod. It basically turns the trigger into a match trigger for free. When suggesting this mod you should also mention that he will need to add back a spacer to recapture the sear and keep it from walking around and ruining the consistency.If I were to build an Mrod/Armada now, this is what I would do -
1. Polish barrel/open up ports on air stripper (the stock air stripper from Benjamin has very small holes to vent air into the shroud. Opening up these ports will make the gun substantially quieter. If you have the prowess I would DEFINITELY clean up the leade on that OEM Crosman barrel. That will probably give you your BIGGEST return on investment from an accuracy perspective.
2. Lawyer spring removal (extremely easy to do and will give you an incredible trigger).
3. Add a Huma Reg with the XL Plenum - the reg + a Hill/JSAR lightweight hammer (or drill out the one you have to lighten it), PEEK striker, and lighter valve spring will give you substantially more usable air and just a more pleasant shooting experience. The XL Plenum will give you ample plenum size for a slug tune and have incredible efficiency for a pellet tune if done right. SSG/SSS/TSS optional. I have had plenty of luck running the stock spring or a Hill 262 spring in my .177 build.
4. (maybe) an upgraded valve from Hill or JSAR/enlarged TP's from Hill
It's way too easy to go all in on these budget guns. I remember when I got my first Mrod, I was debating between getting an Mrod, or just going with an AA S510 or FX Dreamline. I went with the Mrod with the LW barrel from the custom shop for the cost savings. When all was said and done (regulator, lightweight hammer, valve/hammer springs, new shroud to replace the cockeye OEM one), I had spend MORE than it would've cost to get an AA S510 and put in about 3 months worth of labor (research, tuning, etc.). Modding for the sake of it is cool and most of my foundational airgun knowledge came from that experience, but I think there comes a point where it becomes impractical.
That being said, I don't regret building my .177 "Match" Marauder. I'd do it again without question
The stripper mod is questionable on a Gen 2 platform. It doesn't make much of any difference.
The rest of the post contradicts itself by suggesting he take the whole rifle apart and install things that cost a significant amount of $ followed by saying that you would have just bought another gun instead of spending all the money and effort.
This is of course my opinion again but DONT REGULATE IT. This platform can EASILY be tuned to shoot 40+ rounds within 20fps of each other. A regulator costs significant $, adds weight, parts and seals, WILL CREEP AND EVENTUALLY FAIL AND NEED REBUILT, and kneecaps the power unless you do a bunch of other stuff. On top of that it barely provides any improvement other than shot count and many people will be chasing leaks for the rest of their experience.
Suggesting a bunch of mods that require complete disassembly without even asking about their skill level or desire to take apart their brand new rifle is a great way to end up forcing someone right out of the hobby when they cant get it to seal up or perform hardly any better than factory.
Do the cheap or free and easy mods first, learn the gun and evaluate what you like it to do that it doesn't do already. In my opinion.
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Nope - the baffles are different than the air stripper.This sounds exactly like me with a Harley or a Hot Rod!
The air stripper is the piece that is press fit onto the barrel and centers the barrel within the shroud. There is an o ring around the edge of it. I would not modify the baffles within the shroud.
This old thread from GTA details the whole thing very nicely:
Marauder Air Stripper modified* - Airguns & Guns Forum
Marauder Air Stripper modified*, Air guns, Airgun Forum
www.gatewaytoairguns.org
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The guy asked for mods, so I gave him mods.
I don't gatekeep. If he isn't advanced enough to try them, that's his decision to make. It's an airgun, not a space shuttle. Half an hour on YouTube will give him all the tools and knowledge he needs to safely disassemble and reassemble the gun.
You can add a regulator, hammer, and new valve spring for less than $200. I really could not disagree more with your assessment about adding a regulator. A Huma adds ONE extra seal. Reg creep is really a non-issue for the VAST majority of airgunners (it only takes 1-2 purge shots to clear it). The Huma XL Reg with a 30cc plenum with do nothing to knee cap his power unless he is going for a cannon build which I don't get the impression that he is. Adding a reg can get you to 70-80 shots of even better consistency depending on caliber and platform. There is a reason why most modern airguns are adding a regulator - I say this as someone who regularly competes and makes the podium with unregulated Air Arms S400's. Regulated guns are just BETTER at many things.
Doing all the easy + free mods first is good advice. As is the advice of just enjoy your new gun without screwing with it, but that didn't seem like the point of the OP's post...
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He asked for advice and recommendations. Are you advising and recommending or are you just listing?
$200 is a lot to add to a gun that costs 700 and a regulator is a bad idea on this platform. It has as many drawbacks as it does benefits. I would never suggest regulating this gun. Many, many people are finding out that regulating any gun can be a total waste of time and money and cause problems. I'm not attacking you so don't take it that way I just get frustrated watching people spend others $ frivolously.
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Of course man - this forum is a wealth of knowledge.
Hopefully Motorhead with chime in. He is THE Marauder man IMO and I followed his advice to the letter when I built my regulated .177 Marauder a few years ago.
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You followed his advice to the letter and ended up wishing you had just bought a different rifle?
Interesting take but ok.
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I know that people on this forum tend to think that only people on this forum know anything about anything but that's so far from the truth it's not even funny. I constantly see people claiming they did things first, are the king of this or that, but the fact is that this is a very small percentage of people that are into the hobby and industry of airgun building. This is just the most vocal segment.
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Notice the air stripper thread is 11 years old and it applies to a Gen 1 Marauder. The Gen 2 stripper already has bigger holes.
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I never said I wished I bought a different rifle - I said that I had spent as much as it would have cost to buy a different rifle. Not the same.
If someone wants to buy a gun to get the best performance per dollar spent, then I think it makes more sense to buy one of the airguns I listed rather than mod a less expensive airgun. That was my point.
If someone ALREADY HAS the airgun they're talking about modding, that's a different issue altogether. Building a project gun up for the fun of it, the learning experience, and to see what level you can take a lesser platform to is absolutely worth the experience.
Not sure why you insist on turning this into a pissing contest but I'm all out for this thread. I'm sure the OP doesn't appreciate us diluting his post.
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Ok. Good point! So you think he shouldn't waste the $ either. Glad we can agree on that.
Not a pissing contest by any means. Trying to save this man from wasting his time & money on frivolous mods.
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Many of the rifles often suggested instead of a Marauder are China made of dubious quality. Parts will be difficult, support non-existent and the quality is poor. The Marauder is well built, USA made, plenty of support and the factory answers the phone and will sell you parts for very little. I am looking to purchase a FX M3 (or?) and probably will get one or similar before all is done. They are a superb rifle that clearly has it's own issues and folks commonly nearly double their outlay trying to get it to stop leaking and hit where they aim and outfit them as they like, how is doing the same with a Marauder different, except the Marauder is simple and does not leak. I have built now four Marauders in .25, basically from parts, I only purchased one. They are powerful, accurate, reliable and each has a different valve and purpose, two are regulated and all of them are unique. Two have aluminum tubes, one has an aluminum/steel hybrid tube, two are side lever (JSAR and Custom Air). They all shoot MOA.
If you want to mod then I will give two paths:
Regulated
JSAR valve
Houma reg with XXL plenum (set at 1800 psi, I run 2,000 in my .25s)
JSAR MDS Hammer
JSAR aluminum tube
JSAR TSS and SSG
Drill ports and barrel to .196 (.25) or .161 (.22)
Possibly make your own TP or use a poly tube TP
Tim Hill gage block
Unregulated
Tim Hill performance set (valve, hammer, HS, TP)
Possibly take the barrel port to .161
Tim Hill gage block
Consider AGR FFH/SSG (or build own)
The Marauder is prone to hammer bounce. Instead of a sharp pop or snap muzzle report, you get the brrrp sound (or worse, the bbbbbrrrrppppp sound). Whether using the TH valve, the JSAR valve or the Crosman valve, I find a free flight hammer mod useful. There is also the famous BStaley Mod which is a good way to cap your power (fpe) and get a long, flat shot string with the original valve and innards.
The hey days of Marauder mods is probably past. Parts from JSAR come and go in stock as the gentleman is busy building Raptors which is his primary buisness. Tim Hill is good to go with parts usually in stock as is Air Gun Revisions. And saying all that, you can tune your rifle without spending much on it, the BStaley mod cost a few cents and I still recommend some sort of FFH or SSG.
Number 4, JSAR aluminum tube, short shroud, homemade SSG/FFH, valve will be home brew incorporating "special" tech. This rifle will be regulated and ported to .196. It is another .25., the rest I am still figuring out as I go:
I do not want a stinking Avenger or AirCudie or CCC whatever. I will sell a kidney and get a FX M3 or a Huben or a Snowpeak or something along those lines if fortunate.
If you want to mod then I will give two paths:
Regulated
JSAR valve
Houma reg with XXL plenum (set at 1800 psi, I run 2,000 in my .25s)
JSAR MDS Hammer
JSAR aluminum tube
JSAR TSS and SSG
Drill ports and barrel to .196 (.25) or .161 (.22)
Possibly make your own TP or use a poly tube TP
Tim Hill gage block
Unregulated
Tim Hill performance set (valve, hammer, HS, TP)
Possibly take the barrel port to .161
Tim Hill gage block
Consider AGR FFH/SSG (or build own)
The Marauder is prone to hammer bounce. Instead of a sharp pop or snap muzzle report, you get the brrrp sound (or worse, the bbbbbrrrrppppp sound). Whether using the TH valve, the JSAR valve or the Crosman valve, I find a free flight hammer mod useful. There is also the famous BStaley Mod which is a good way to cap your power (fpe) and get a long, flat shot string with the original valve and innards.
The hey days of Marauder mods is probably past. Parts from JSAR come and go in stock as the gentleman is busy building Raptors which is his primary buisness. Tim Hill is good to go with parts usually in stock as is Air Gun Revisions. And saying all that, you can tune your rifle without spending much on it, the BStaley mod cost a few cents and I still recommend some sort of FFH or SSG.
Number 4, JSAR aluminum tube, short shroud, homemade SSG/FFH, valve will be home brew incorporating "special" tech. This rifle will be regulated and ported to .196. It is another .25., the rest I am still figuring out as I go:
I do not want a stinking Avenger or AirCudie or CCC whatever. I will sell a kidney and get a FX M3 or a Huben or a Snowpeak or something along those lines if fortunate
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I would be one of the first to state or agree with the simple reality that the Chinese invasion of less costly air rifles with many PCP's coming regulated from the factory .. That, doing extensive mods on marauders is less practical than it once was. Tho understand that years past the SOLIDNESS of the M-rod platform made it an ideal PCP to fiddle with and modify. As most hobbies become, you wish for something different ? you buy the parts and pieces to make it more suited to what you want or desire.
Look at FX for a moment ... if there PCP's are so great why is it there is a lot of After market parts & pieces, Regulators, Factory supplied upgrades or fixes etc .
IT IS NO DIFFERENT !!!! Than improving a much less costly Marauder, that will given equal attention to parts & tuning hang accuracy wise right along side many models at comparable power & caliber.
This is a HOBBY ... and bean counting $$ what others invest is just wasted breath talking about it.
Look at FX for a moment ... if there PCP's are so great why is it there is a lot of After market parts & pieces, Regulators, Factory supplied upgrades or fixes etc .
IT IS NO DIFFERENT !!!! Than improving a much less costly Marauder, that will given equal attention to parts & tuning hang accuracy wise right along side many models at comparable power & caliber.
This is a HOBBY ... and bean counting $$ what others invest is just wasted breath talking about it.
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Any tips on ranking the difficulty of some of the mrod mods? As a newbie upgrading the valve sounds a little daunting. But replacing a hammer/ hammer spring seems relatively easy
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