Looking for recommendations:

[edwardmatt83]

Hey - first time poster - been lurking for a while. I'm looking to upgrade from a Discovery and my budget is maximum $500 for the gun. I need the following:

1. Preferably .22 caliber - mostly because I have a ton of 22 pellets and nothing else
2. Must be backyard friendly - I live in suburbia on a quarter acre lot. I have about 25 yards for my maximum distance. 
3. Hand pump friendly - I don't plan on getting a tank any time soon...maybe somewhere down the road. I have a Benjamin pump and a cheapo Ebay stainless pump from China.
4. Accurate - if I go to a range, I'd probably shoot at up to 50 yards
5. I don't plan on using this for hunting very much. It will be used for the occasional pest in the yard - mostly invasive birds. I do clear out the prairie dogs on some family land a couple of times a year, but 22lr works pretty well for that. 
6. Primary use is target shooting/plinking/etc
7. A good number of shots per fill
8. I have a chrony, but not a whole lot of experience with tuning. 

I have come up with the following:
1) Gamo Urban - seems pretty good. I see a lot of reports of broken gauges and spare magazines are spendy. Gamo customer service doesn't have the best reputation.
2) Marauder pistol - this seems like a pretty good option though I kind of prefer a rifle. It will also need a LDC to make it more backyard friendly
3) Marauder rifle - checks all the boxes except for being hand pump friendly. I like parts support and very tunable. 
4) Gauntlet - lots of shots per fill - how long will it take to hand pump? Kinda ugly
5) Wait for the Fortitude
6) Brocock S6 Standard - kinda worried about support - haven't heard much about this gun
7) Diana Outlaw

What do you guys think? Any suggestions?

 

[Hynzie]

cant go wrong with the marauder and use the 25 %off coupon in banner above and ship free friday ,u can get 177 22 25 ,theese are the best sellers and ass kickers u can mod the crap out of them pat

 

[John "spysir" Blount]

The Urban does use a 3,300psi fill pressure and the shot count stock isnt too high, not the #1 easiest hand pump rig?
Marauder pistol is nice, most people use the crosman shoulder stock with them so it's really a carbine, with a TKO it would be quite and easily filled with a hand pump.
Marauder rifle IF set to the same power level as either the Gamo or Marauder pistol will be the quietest and use the least air , even better for a hand pumper.
Guantlet is a screaming value & naturally you will, enjoy the regulator. No need to pump the Guantlet to full psi for full performance just need it above reg pressure, figure 2 pump strokes per shot.


John

 

[Hookster]

Marauder no question, quite, cheap, proven, accurate and pump friendly. Own two and never had any issues.

 

[ohio_hunter]

the Mrod would be a wise choice for what you are looking for...

 

[guod123]

Another Marauder vote, look at various vids highly tunable, great trigger, more possible mods than can count. Guys like Hajimoto have demonstrated laser accuracy and consistent power. Pump costs along with other fill methods have dropped in prices, a pair of pumps who needs a gym.

 

[Deepbass9]

Yup...Marauder. Totally pump friendly. Won't bother repeating comments..just my recommendation. Or wait for the F&T model and spend the extra coin if you want a regulator. You'll get a higher shot count, if you don't mind giving up some power.

 

[Saltlake58]

Marauder - I have the .22. quiet, accurate to 75 yards with no problems. The new barrels Crosman is making are better than ever.

​Other option, believe it or not would be the Maximus. 2000 psi fill, Euro gives 60 or shots per fill, low power so not too loud and inexpensive enough to have money to buy a moderator and the Euro is threaded. Buy directly from Crosman on Friday for free shipping, $165 using discount code AGNATION.

​Marauder directly from Crosman using AGNATION code is a bit over $400 from Crosman. Same Friday deal (as far as I know). Already quiet, good trigger too. Seems to be one of the best under $1,000 triggers out there and I have no complaints.

​Big thing with the Marauder is adjustability. Takes a bit of tinkering, but you can tune it for just about any pellet.

Good luck, way too many choices these days

 

[edwardmatt83]

It looks like a stock 22 marauder will get about 30 shots per fill. With tuning how much can I increase that? I don't need a ton of power - just enough for birds and the occasional squirrel. 15 to 20 foot pounds should be plenty for me. 

What mods would add the mot shots and are easiest to install?

Thanks for your help!

 

[John "spysir" Blount]

First enjoy shooting it. You have a chrony right? At your stated power level a simple drop in of a $65.00 regulator would make you very happy ( and adjust the trigger ) . Literally only need to pull the stock then front end cap, pressure gauge , drop in reg reassemble & turn adjusting screws ( chrony ) should get you 50+ shots per fill.
John

 

[Saltlake58]

When adjusting the Marauder, you can adjust the max pressure at which the valve works best. Max fill is 3000 psi. Mine is adjusted to work best at no more than 2800 PSI and to throw a 14.3 grain Crosman Premier Dome at approximately 830 fps generating about 20 FPE. that's with no regulator. I get about 30 shots per fill and it reduces the tank pressure to around 1800 PSI, or reduces by 1000 PSI (2800 to 1800) and maintains accuracy through that range. Any lower than 1800 PSI and pellet speed and point of impact both drop. ​Pumping for this tune is about 3 strokes per shot, so 90 strokes fills the gun.

​If you want to make pumping easier, you can adjust the hammer to work best at say 2500 PSI and run down to perhaps 1500 PSI.

​The transfer port adjustment is sort of like hand loading with a slow burning or fast burning powder. It controls the speed at which the air is moved from the valve to behind the pellet. Open it up more and it allows the air from the valve to move to the pellet faster. Close it down and it slows the burn if you will.

Shooting the gun will provide a basis for deciding what the tune should be. It comes from the factory tuned for the Premier Domes 14.3 grain at about 830 fps. If you want more shots per fill, you'll need to adopt lighter pellets and tune the energy in the gun down using the hammer and transfer port adjustments. the gun is designed around specific goals and tuned that way from the factory.

​Gotta say, for a first gun, I wouldn't buy it unless it ticked the boxes. Buying a project and trying to redesign a first gun is a recipe for disappointment. I like my Marauder, but if you want more shots per fill, I'd go with something else that already did what you want. The Gauntlet is regulated, gets more shots per fill because it's got a bigger bottle, and is reasonably accurate. Can't recommend the Fortitude yet cause I haven't seen anything about it. If it's just an up-gunned Maximus with a regulator, it's probably a winner all the way through.

​In the end, if you want more shots per fill, you've got to dial down the energy used by each shot. that means a lighter pellet, and tuning down. side effects may be lower range and it's unknown how it accuracy will hold up if you move outside design parameters.

Good luck on your tune,