I'm totally new here, but I think I'm in the right section. I am 13, and have little experience with shooting rifles. I am very interested in airguns, and I plan on getting a Benjamin Trail NP 22 for Christmas. I'm not sure which caliber, but I know I'm not getting the XL. I'm wondering if this is a reliable first rifle, what tips you may have, what ammo I should use, etc. Thanks! I hope to become an active member in the community, and I appreciate any feedback. Oh, also if you need any specs for if this is a good rifle, I'm 13, about 6 feet tall, and I have a fairly steady hand.
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Hi! Looking for advice for a rifle.
- Thread starter Waste
- Start date
I own the Benjamin Trail NP in .22 cal. It's a great shooting rifle. I have some chronograph data for you to review to compare the Trail NP to a couple of other air guns. My Trail NP is in the shop for a new piston right now, but Crosman is outstanding about service on their air guns.
![Genesis%20vs%20Trail%20NP%20vs%20Hatsan%2095.jpg](http://[url="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v664/flyfishohio/Gun%20stuff/Pellet%20Rifles/Genesis%20vs%20Trail%20NP%20vs%20Hatsan%2095.jpg"][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v664/flyfishohio/Gun%20stuff/Pellet%20Rifles/Genesis%20vs%20Trail%20NP%20vs%20Hatsan%2095.jpg)
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Hi, Waste,
Welcome to airgunning! A lot of folks here like the Benjamin Nitro piston guns. My only Nitro experience was with a Benjamin Titan. It shot well (though the trigger was awful) and was pretty accurate. Within a few months though, it was spraying shots all over. Turns out the washers on the barrel pivot are plastic and wear out, causing the barrel to flop around. I got some brass washers to replace the plastic but it was never the same. That was my experience and I'm surprised no one here has mentioned that issue, so maybe I just got a bad one. For not much more money ($299) you can get an HW95 from Airguns of Arizona which is a very high quality German built rifle with a fantastic trigger, nice wood stock and good open sights. My experience with that gun: Mount scope, sight in, shoot small groups, clear the ranch of ground squirrels! Did have to rebuild it after 5 years and 6000 or so shots.
Enjoy whatever you get!
John
Welcome to airgunning! A lot of folks here like the Benjamin Nitro piston guns. My only Nitro experience was with a Benjamin Titan. It shot well (though the trigger was awful) and was pretty accurate. Within a few months though, it was spraying shots all over. Turns out the washers on the barrel pivot are plastic and wear out, causing the barrel to flop around. I got some brass washers to replace the plastic but it was never the same. That was my experience and I'm surprised no one here has mentioned that issue, so maybe I just got a bad one. For not much more money ($299) you can get an HW95 from Airguns of Arizona which is a very high quality German built rifle with a fantastic trigger, nice wood stock and good open sights. My experience with that gun: Mount scope, sight in, shoot small groups, clear the ranch of ground squirrels! Did have to rebuild it after 5 years and 6000 or so shots.
Enjoy whatever you get!
John
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I would recommend a gun that is either an underlever or a sidelever. I would think you would have better accuracy and less problems if the scope and barrel were fixed. The only experience I have with a spring gun was a hatsan 1000x break barrel. I never had any problems with this gun and it shot great but if I were to get another spring gun, I would get a fixed barrel
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Well, I am very thankful for all of your input, and I will consider it when getting my rifle. Still, feel free to give advice if you have any. Thanks again!
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Also, I've done multiple hours of research daily on air guns, especially benjamin trails. I heard the trigger is bad, and I plan on fixing it. Also, I heard that crosman premier domes are the best for it, is that true?
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Hi Waste, CP domes are usually a "good" pellet in a Crosman rifle, but they are not always the "best." It'll take some experimentation (sometimes a lot) with different pellets, but you could do a lot worse than a few tins of CP domes to start. They're inexpensive and usually group pretty well out of these guns, and so make a pretty decent "break-in" pellet. Most Crosman guns need a few hundred to 1000 plus shots through them before they settle down and get accurate, so buying expensive pellets just to break in doesn't make all that much sense. Are you looking at first gen NP or the newer NP2? In my opinion, the first gen NP makes a far better shooting/more accurate .177 than a .22, but this may only be my bad luck (I have had one terrible barrel, and have one questionable/likely bad barrel for this gun in .22 so far). Once it's all broken-in, H&N Field Target Trophys are usually a safe bet to group well, as are most JSB pellets, and occaisionally even RWS Superdomes (most "big box" stores sell Crosman, RWS, and Gamo pellets...I've never had much luck with Gamos). Best of luck!
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Hi, I was wondering what the 2 meant. I'll definitely do more research tonight, but I do know I want it in .22, and if the NP2 is any better, I want that one.
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The NP2 is the next generation of gas piston tech from crosman so in theory it should be better than the original. I own an original trail NP it was never that accurate but was a fun plinker. If you are wanting it too hunt around 30 yards or less than an NP2 would be good I bet. As said before if you want a real quality break barrel then the HW 95 with the deal from Airguns Of Arizona is a great buy.
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You sure you want a Nitro Piston? A steel spring will often be easier to cock, and is even sometimes more powerful. There are plenty of spring piston guns out there that are of a much better quality than the Crosman stuff.
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Diana_RWS_34P_air_rifle/1041/1932
An RWS 34P in .22, plastic stock, GREAT TRIGGER (I have a T06 in my 460 Magnum...I'm sold!), and enough power for hunting etc. comes with iron sights and no scope. The bundled scopes that come with the Crosman guns (with few exceptions) usually break soon after mounting them, so you'd likely buy an upgrade scope anyway. I'm usually the guy who says: "yeah, buy a Crosman!" But I have to say my recent purchase of an RWS 460 Magnum (my first "higher-end" airgun) really puts all the Crosman guns I have to shame. Higher quality, gobs of power, and so accurate I can't believe it. Look up these guns, you might be surprised at how affordable they can be, especially when you land a refurbished gun from Airgun Depot (like my 460...I'd never guess it was refurbished).
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Diana_RWS_34P_air_rifle/1041/1932
An RWS 34P in .22, plastic stock, GREAT TRIGGER (I have a T06 in my 460 Magnum...I'm sold!), and enough power for hunting etc. comes with iron sights and no scope. The bundled scopes that come with the Crosman guns (with few exceptions) usually break soon after mounting them, so you'd likely buy an upgrade scope anyway. I'm usually the guy who says: "yeah, buy a Crosman!" But I have to say my recent purchase of an RWS 460 Magnum (my first "higher-end" airgun) really puts all the Crosman guns I have to shame. Higher quality, gobs of power, and so accurate I can't believe it. Look up these guns, you might be surprised at how affordable they can be, especially when you land a refurbished gun from Airgun Depot (like my 460...I'd never guess it was refurbished).
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Yeah, that looks like a very great gun, but the cost is too high for me. The Benjamin Trail seems like the best one I can get for cost, power, durability and skill level. I appreciate your help though! I think I've come to the conclusion that I'm getting the Benjamin Trail NP2 .22 with a synthetic stock, and I am going to clean it, fix the trigger, and hopefully save enough for a better scope. Thank you for your tips and advice, I'll be active on the forums now.
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This is exactly right!!! I just got a HW 95 today and I have the Chinese clone of the same gun and it is close, but no cigar. Go for quality. Nobody is ever disappointed with quality. $299 for what it is and what it showed me just this afternoon, I can't think of a better rifle to recommend to you. You will out shoot all of your friends and girls will think you are even cuter. And do it in .22. Try JSB pellets I was stunned with how well mine was shooting the JSB Jumbo 15.89 gr. Another thing kiddo. The trigger is of major importance. The single most important thing you can do to improve accuracy is give yourself a great trigger and the HW95 has a great trigger. Gamo triggers and most airgun triggers in general are sucky. This one is as good as you will ever find on a hunting or sporting rifle and it is as good as the trigger on my Russian CM-2 and I have won a decent share of medals with that gun against pretty much everything. HW 95!!
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Sorry... Again, we don't have the money for one of those. We may not even have enough for the benjamin trail. If I do get it, I will definitely replace the trigger. Thanks though, I appreciate your suggestion.
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http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Crosman_Nitro_Venom_Dusk_Air_Rifle/2468/4949
Ok, bear with me: I just looked at the Benji Trail on Pyramyd's website...it's back up to 229 bucks?!? The gun I listed the link to above is essentialy the same gun without the shrouded barrel, 3-9 AO scope (the Trail does come with a good scope), and riding in a different (actually more comfortable) stock...all for around 180 bucks. Also I f you check the Crosman site, they often have clearances on the older models. Then there are refurbished guns from Airgun Depot. If you create an account with Airgun Depot, they'll send you their specials. These often include refurbished guns at a (very) discounted price. I bought my RWS 460 Magnum from them refurbished, and after using a coupon code, was able to get it for around 200 dollars under retail for a new one (350 beans instead of 550!). Consider these avenues if you haven't yet.
Ok, bear with me: I just looked at the Benji Trail on Pyramyd's website...it's back up to 229 bucks?!? The gun I listed the link to above is essentialy the same gun without the shrouded barrel, 3-9 AO scope (the Trail does come with a good scope), and riding in a different (actually more comfortable) stock...all for around 180 bucks. Also I f you check the Crosman site, they often have clearances on the older models. Then there are refurbished guns from Airgun Depot. If you create an account with Airgun Depot, they'll send you their specials. These often include refurbished guns at a (very) discounted price. I bought my RWS 460 Magnum from them refurbished, and after using a coupon code, was able to get it for around 200 dollars under retail for a new one (350 beans instead of 550!). Consider these avenues if you haven't yet.
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Hey there!
so I am/was in the same boat, however I'm 30 rather than 13. I'm also in the market for a bargain gun, was considering a break barrel springer. But considering my options.
First at question I have; when comparing the Benjamin trail NP2 to te Benjamin trail xl1100 (both in .22) what is the difference in the guns? One seems to be more expensive and I'm not sure what the actual differences in the respective models are.
Just for reference I am pretty deadly with my rws 34 in .177 which I've had since before I could drive, open sights, seems like a million pellets have gone through it.
Im looking for a bigger pellet, obviously the .22 seems like a good starting spot, and I'm also looking for some form of noise suppression as well as reasonable accuracy and consistency at 50 yards when I mount a scope to this new gun.
Suggestions?
so I am/was in the same boat, however I'm 30 rather than 13. I'm also in the market for a bargain gun, was considering a break barrel springer. But considering my options.
First at question I have; when comparing the Benjamin trail NP2 to te Benjamin trail xl1100 (both in .22) what is the difference in the guns? One seems to be more expensive and I'm not sure what the actual differences in the respective models are.
Just for reference I am pretty deadly with my rws 34 in .177 which I've had since before I could drive, open sights, seems like a million pellets have gone through it.
Im looking for a bigger pellet, obviously the .22 seems like a good starting spot, and I'm also looking for some form of noise suppression as well as reasonable accuracy and consistency at 50 yards when I mount a scope to this new gun.
Suggestions?
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I have read that the NP2 is based on the XL platform (some differences I'm sure, and I think the NP2 is a shorter stroke piston). NP2 is supposed to have a better trigger, is smaller that the XL, has a synthetic stock instead of "mystery wood," and is significantly as powerful. I darned near picked one up from the "bargain cave" at Cabela's a few weeks ago for 135.00 (bent barrel and no scope)! If I see one like that again, I'm definitely picking it up...
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I have a Titan GP in .22 and though I am a rank novice at airgunning, I have done it a little. I don't know about long term reliability or longevity of this gun but it shoots nicely and I can repeatedly blow off keys from a keyboard at 25 yards if I am shooting from a bench rest once the scope got dialed in. I sprang for an aftermarket Walther scope because the factory one was terrible but that shouldn't be a problem with its more upmarket siblings.
Enjoy, and don't forget the most important accessory for shooting: safety goggles. They are cheap, buy 2-3 pairs so even if you lose one or you have other people with whom you want to shoot they can wear them; your eyes are priceless!
Enjoy, and don't forget the most important accessory for shooting: safety goggles. They are cheap, buy 2-3 pairs so even if you lose one or you have other people with whom you want to shoot they can wear them; your eyes are priceless!
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I just got a Hatsan 95 Vortex .22 today from Airgun Pro Shop where they sell Hatsan factory refurbs for cheap. This gun sells new for $199 and you can find them for around $165 not on sale, plus $12 shipping, etc. APS charges a flat rate of like $5 for shipping. The gun was $120. I'm fairly well convinced you'd be hard pressed to find a better gun for $125. I did pay the extra $110 for a tune on it but I've seen lots of folks say they shoot pretty good out of the box.
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