First PCP, Benjamin Akela (and then there were two)

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After much coin flipping, and under the influence of my first pellet gun, a "Benjamin Feanklin" 342 from the 70s still in my rack, I decided to buy the Benjamin Akela. When it arrived, the first thing I noticed was a very rough, sticky safety switch, but everything else seemed good, the barrel shroud was straight, ran parallel to the cyclinder with a slight even gap. Filled it up, ran a clip through it just to see what kind of speeds I got compared to my break barrel, and that's when I noticed the shroud has slipped away from the receiver almost 3/4", I could have pulled it off easily. Figured it was the set screws hoping they just weren't tightened, got it back into place, used loctite of the grub screws and let it sit over night. Go out the next day, and the barrel is now drooping slightly, resting on one of the cyinder straps, OK let's fire it, there's the sticky safety issue but it feels like it's engaged, oops, not, just not quite engaged apparently.

Finally call Amazon, I'm not impressed for a $600 rifle with these kind of issues out of the box, they'll be glad to exchange it right? Wrong, tried to say it couldn't be returned under some hazardous product policy that isn't referenced anywhere on their page, and it wasn't hazardous when they sold it and shipped it to me and threatened to call my bank the next day. 5 minutes later I get an email from someone whose name I won;t even try to pronounce with an order number for a new Akela arriving tomorrow and a note that the old one doesn't need to be returned.

While I find that amazing, I'm still sitting here with a rifle I'm not really confident in at the moment, I thought by spending twice as much as on say a hatsan Flash I'd be getting a higher end rifle with better QC, not even sure if I want to keep them now,

Anyone else had these issues and were able to actually fix them without a lot of bs games?
 
After much coin flipping, and under the influence of my first pellet gun, a "Benjamin Feanklin" 342 from the 70s still in my rack, I decided to buy the Benjamin Akela. When it arrived, the first thing I noticed was a very rough, sticky safety switch, but everything else seemed good, the barrel shroud was straight, ran parallel to the cyclinder with a slight even gap. Filled it up, ran a clip through it just to see what kind of speeds I got compared to my break barrel, and that's when I noticed the shroud has slipped away from the receiver almost 3/4", I could have pulled it off easily. Figured it was the set screws hoping they just weren't tightened, got it back into place, used loctite of the grub screws and let it sit over night. Go out the next day, and the barrel is now drooping slightly, resting on one of the cyinder straps, OK let's fire it, there's the sticky safety issue but it feels like it's engaged, oops, not, just not quite engaged apparently.

Finally call Amazon, I'm not impressed for a $600 rifle with these kind of issues out of the box, they'll be glad to exchange it right? Wrong, tried to say it couldn't be returned under some hazardous product policy that isn't referenced anywhere on their page, and it wasn't hazardous when they sold it and shipped it to me and threatened to call my bank the next day. 5 minutes later I get an email from someone whose name I won;t even try to pronounce with an order number for a new Akela arriving tomorrow and a note that the old one doesn't need to be returned.

While I find that amazing, I'm still sitting here with a rifle I'm not really confident in at the moment, I thought by spending twice as much as on say a hatsan Flash I'd be getting a higher end rifle with better QC, not even sure if I want to keep them now,

Anyone else had these issues and were able to actually fix them without a lot of bs games?
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I will be happy to take whichever one of them you want to give away. I'll even pay shipping. ;) Pretty damn good deal if you asked me.
 
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The tight safety switch is common with those rifles. It’ll eventually break in. And as far as the barrel droop, mine has the same issue but it doesn’t affect the accuracy at all. I know it should be free-floating but the main thing is that it is accurate. I put a thin piece of rubber where it was contacting the band just so it isn’t clanging against it. I didn’t actually notice it until weeks later. You’re the second person that had the same thing happen with Amazon and got a free gun out of the deal. There was a member on here just a couple months ago that had the same thing happened to him. I wish I would’ve bought mine on Amazon now. And as far as you buying a Hatsan Instead is debatable whether it is a better gun. They actually have lousy QC IMO.
 
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no issues here other than it shipping empty and being kindof a pita to get air started .. sounds like you got a lemon .. i liked it so much i got the whole set lol ...



CIMG1842.1617656357.JPG



 
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The tight safety switch is common with those rifles. It’ll eventually break in. And as far as the barrel droop, mine has the same issue but it doesn’t affect the accuracy at all. I know it should be free-floating but the main thing is that it is accurate. I put a thin piece of rubber where it was contacting the band just so it isn’t clanging against it. I didn’t actually notice it until weeks later. You’re the second person that had the same thing happen with Amazon and got a free gun out of the deal. There was a member on here just a couple months ago that had the same thing happened to him. I wish I would’ve bought mine on Amazon now. And as far as you buying a Hatsan Instead is debatable whether it is a better gun. They actually have lousy QC IMO.
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Kind of tells you what they're cost on them is that they'll do that


 
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no issues here other than it shipping empty and being kindof a pita to get air started .. sounds like you got a lemon .. i liked it so much i got the whole set lol ...



CIMG1842.1617656357.JPG


Click to expand...

Very nice collection, the trouble with the craftsman series is that it led me to the Kral website, they have design details I like better, the Puncher Knight would have been my first choice, love the stock on that beast.
 
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Well let's see, they stated they would replace the first Akela with a new one that had been tested, but the email confirmation and tracking never came, and the second one they couldn't replace because they have no more in inventory, so they agreed to replace it with an Armada. I got an email with a return label for that Akela, but no order or shipping confirmation.

To date, I have been on the phone with this company a total of 3 hours, more time than I was able to actually shoot the guns, I still don;t have a working an air rifle, just words.
 
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Does the Benjamin warranty cover leaks from bad seals for 5 years?? Just curious as I am super hesitant about these pcp guns. I used to be pretty heavy into tourney paintball and that was a constant thing of tracking down leaks and replacing o rings. These guns seem way more of a PIA to take apart and work on. They look like tons of fun to shoot but just don’t want an experience like the OP or something I have to trouble shoot a lot. My powder burners I have to clean after each range trip but they always work. Seems like in the overall big picture an airgun would be much more maintenance??
 
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