Benjamin New guy here! Just ordered my first "grown-up" air rifle

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Racer88

Racer88

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May 29, 2025
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www.patriotgunbuilders.com
As a kid, I had a Crosman 761XL, and it was "da bomb." Stolen from our house in a burglary. I wish I could replace it for nostalgic purposes. I've looked, but the vast majority of vintage 761XL (with gold receiver) are in very poor condition.

Since then, I've been a big "gun" guy with a pretty decent collection of firearms. I like me some guns!

I've been wanting to add a "real grown up" air rifle to the collection for a while. And I finally placed the order yesterday (Pyramyd Air)!

I ordered a Benjamin Marauder Regulated (aka "Field & Target") in .22. Wood stock. Lothar Walther barrel.

1748545221225.png


Also ordered:

Hawke 4-16x44 Airmax 30 SF Compact Rifle scope, Ill. AMX IR, 1/10 MRAD, 30mm​

Air Venturi Mini Wingman, 100 cu in PCP tank

Also an assortment of pellets to try and four extra magazines.

That ***t adds up to some serious $$$! But I can't wait to play with it!

A year ago, a dude at the range had an FX Impact M3 that attracted my attention. He let me shoot it. At 25 yards, I put 5 pellets in one hole. Not a "cloverleaf." ONE hole! Oh, baby... I gotta have one of those! Well... that rifle (alone) is $2100. Sooooooooooooo.... I'm starting with the Maruader!
 
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Racer88 said:
As a kid, I had a Crosman 761XL, and it was "da bomb." Stolen from our house in a burglary. I wish I could replace it for nostalgic purposes. I've looked, but the vast majority of vintage 761XL (with gold receiver) are in very poor condition.

Since then, I've been a big "gun" guy with a pretty decent collection of firearms. I like me some guns!

I've been wanting to add a "real grown up" air rifle to the collection for a while. And I finally placed the order yesterday (Pyramyd Air)!

I ordered a Benjamin Marauder Regulated (aka "Field & Target") in .22. Wood stock.

View attachment 566030

Also ordered:

Hawke 4-16x44 Airmax 30 SF Compact Rifle scope, Ill. AMX IR, 1/10 MRAD, 30mm​

Air Venturi Mini Wingman, 100 cu in PCP tank

Also an assortment of pellets to try and four extra magazines.

That ***t adds up to some serious $$$! But I can't wait to play with it!

A year ago, a dude at the range had an FX Impact M3 that attracted my attention. He let me shoot it. At 25 yards, I put 5 pellets in one hole. Not a "cloverleaf." ONE hole! Oh, baby... I gotta have one of those! Well... that rifle (alone) is $2100. Sooooooooooooo.... I'm starting with the Maruader!
Click to expand...
Welcome to the best AGN you will find very knowledgeable people here willing to help with most anything .
please read our rules so you don;t break any .
 
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Welcome, and nice place to start with that Marauder.

You have already found that it may be a lot easier to shoot very accurately with an air rifle as compared to a firearm. Amazing the capabilities of today's air rifles.

Just one thing to think about - So many of us still had our pellet or BB guns from when we were kids, and (at least a lot of the city folks like me) still had 1/3 of the original box of ammo left.

You may well find yourself shooting a LOT more with your new Marauder - so stock up when you find the pellets it likes best.

This is just one box of empty pellet tins in my garage:
IMG_4267.JPG


I have a full one just like it out in the shed. Can't say that they are all mine (we have a weekly shoot in my back yard with up to 8 other air gunners), but by far the most in these boxes were emptied by me.

So another question always remains in my mind- If you can figure out a use for these nice metal tins after we empty them. I can't get myself to throw them away!

Welcome and hope you enjoy your newest shooting hobby. Lots of great info and folks here.
 
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TMH said:
Welcome, and nice place to start with that Marauder.

You have already found that it may be a lot easier to shoot very accurately with an air rifle as compared to a firearm. Amazing the capabilities of today's air rifles.

Just one thing to think about - So many of us still had our pellet or BB guns from when we were kids, and (at least a lot of the city folks like me) still had 1/3 of the original box of ammo left.

You may well find yourself shooting a LOT more with your new Marauder - so stock up when you find the pellets it likes best.

This is just one box of empty pellet tins in my garage:
View attachment 566037

I have a full one just like it out in the shed. Can't say that they are all mine (we have a weekly shoot in my back yard with up to 8 other air gunners), but by far the most in these boxes were emptied by me.

So another question always remains in my mind- If you can figure out a use for these nice metal tins after we empty them. I can't get myself to throw them away!

Welcome and hope you enjoy your newest shooting hobby. Lots of great info and folks here.
Click to expand...
Targets ! shoot a hole to install and hang by a string .
 
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Racer88 said:
As a kid, I had a Crosman 761XL, and it was "da bomb." Stolen from our house in a burglary. I wish I could replace it for nostalgic purposes. I've looked, but the vast majority of vintage 761XL (with gold receiver) are in very poor condition.

Since then, I've been a big "gun" guy with a pretty decent collection of firearms. I like me some guns!

I've been wanting to add a "real grown up" air rifle to the collection for a while. And I finally placed the order yesterday (Pyramyd Air)!

I ordered a Benjamin Marauder Regulated (aka "Field & Target") in .22. Wood stock.

View attachment 566030

Also ordered:

Hawke 4-16x44 Airmax 30 SF Compact Rifle scope, Ill. AMX IR, 1/10 MRAD, 30mm​

Air Venturi Mini Wingman, 100 cu in PCP tank

Also an assortment of pellets to try and four extra magazines.

That ***t adds up to some serious $$$! But I can't wait to play with it!

A year ago, a dude at the range had an FX Impact M3 that attracted my attention. He let me shoot it. At 25 yards, I put 5 pellets in one hole. Not a "cloverleaf." ONE hole! Oh, baby... I gotta have one of those! Well... that rifle (alone) is $2100. Sooooooooooooo.... I'm starting with the Maruader!
Click to expand...
 
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honeysuckle said:
Have the same gun! Love it.
It will surprise you with it's accuracy too.
Click to expand...

BBGunn said:
That rifle will shoot JTS & AEA 16s the best (good friend has that rifle).
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention (edited the OP) that I got it with the Lothar Walther barrel. How much of a difference does that make?
 
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The pellets I ordered... so far!

​
​
​
​
H&N Hornet Pellets, .22 Cal, 16.2 Grains, Pointed, 200ct
Quantity: 1
Price per unit: $28.59​
​
​
​
​

​
Crosman Premier .22 Cal, 14.3 Grains, Domed, 500ct
Quantity: 1
Price per unit: $0.00​
 
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Bngen3 said:
Anything you want Benjamin related you should go to airgunrevisions, and probably save a few $. Did you get a compressor / hand pump ?
Click to expand...

I got a "Mini Wingman" 100 cu in fill tank. For now I'll take it to a local shop for refills. Eventually, I may get a home compressor. We'll see how far down the rabbit hole sucks me in!
 
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Racer88 said:
I got a "Mini Wingman" 100 cu in fill tank. For now I'll take it to a local shop for refills. Eventually, I may get a home compressor. We'll see how far down the rabbit hole sucks me in!
Click to expand...
Oh we all already know…..you’ll be getting a 6.8 l tank and a compressor soon, prob another gun in between like something smaller n cheaper like a Notos, Then you’ll wanna dip your toe in something a bit higher end like a Vet in .25 , n then………. :ROFLMAO:
 
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Racer88 said:
I got a "Mini Wingman" 100 cu in fill tank. For now I'll take it to a local shop for refills. Eventually, I may get a home compressor. We'll see how far down the rabbit hole sucks me in!
Click to expand...
@Racer88 Welcome to AGN. I have one of the mini wingman’s. It won’t take many rifle fills to send you back to the dive shop or paintball shop. I suspect that you’ll be upgrading your SCBA tank in no time.
 
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Ezana4CE said:
@Racer88 Welcome to AGN. I have one of the mini wingman’s. It won’t take many rifle fills to send you back to the dive shop or paintball shop. I suspect that you’ll be upgrading your SCBA tank in no time.
Click to expand...

I thought about the pros-cons of a mini vs a regular size tank. I wanted something that I could easily bring to the range... to the firing line, rather than bringing the rifle back to the car (where the big tank would more likely be) every time I needed to refill the rifle.

According to the specs of the Mini Wingman, it should refill the Maurader up to 9 times, which is enough for a range trip and then some, eh? But, I may tire of going to the airgun shop for refills eventually. I'll see how much I do the air rifle thing vs my firearms, which is a pretty big hobby for me. But if I do it enough, I may end up getting a home compressor to refill the Mini.
 
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Bngen3 said:
Oh we all already know…..you’ll be getting a 6.8 l tank and a compressor soon, prob another gun in between like something smaller n cheaper like a Notos, Then you’ll wanna dip your toe in something a bit higher end like a Vet in .25 , n then………. :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...

I do tend to go deep down rabbit holes with my hobbies. My firearms collection is "ridiculous" by some standards. :) More recently, I went down the gun building rabbit hole (Glock clones).

As I mentioned in the OP, the first "real grown-up" air rifle I shot, a year ago, was an FX Impact M3. Well... that's kind of like losing your virginity to a super model, eh? I wanted one until I saw the price. Ah, but I STILL want one! But I figure I'll start off with the Marauder and see how I like it. I've still got my eye on that FX Impact! Stay tuned!
 
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Racer88 said:
I thought about the pros-cons of a mini vs a regular size tank. I wanted something that I could easily bring to the range... to the firing line, rather than bringing the rifle back to the car (where the big tank would more likely be) every time I needed to refill the rifle.

According to the specs of the Mini Wingman, it should refill the Maurader up go 9 times, which is enough for a range trip and then some, eh? But, I may tire of going to the airgun shop for refills eventually. I'll see how much I do the air rifle thing vs my firearms, which is a pretty big hobby for me. But if I do it enough, I may end up getting a home compressor to refill the Mini.
Click to expand...
@Racer88 For me it’s a considerable drive to the dive shop. I started with a 74 cuft Wingman and fills were like $15-$20 per top off. I think the initial fill was $25. Anyhow it only lasted a year. I don’t know what they would charge to fill that little Wingman. In my situation it isn’t worth the time and gas. I got mine after I bought a heavy duty compressor. Your situation may be different. If you have to go to the range to shoot then it sounds like it is. Either way, I suspect you’ll want more air, so a compressor or a larger tank is probably in your near future. I really hope you enjoy getting to know and shooting your Marauder. With a decent tank bag, larger tanks aren’t tough to transport
 
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Ezana4CE said:
@Racer88 For me it’s a considerable drive to the dive shop. I started with a 74 cuft Wingman and fills were like $15-$20 per top off. I think the initial fill was $25. Anyhow it only lasted a year. I don’t know what they would charge to fill that little Wingman. In my situation it isn’t worth the time and gas. I got mine after I bought a heavy duty compressor. Your situation may be different. If you have to go to the range to shoot then it sounds like it is. Either way, I suspect you’ll want more air, so a compressor or a larger tank is probably in your near future. I really hope you enjoy getting to know and shooting your Marauder. With a decent tank bag, larger tanks aren’t tough to transport
Click to expand...

I'm in Florida, so dive shops are everywhere. But there's an air rifle shop a few miles from home that fills tanks, too. So, there's no problem with availability or driving distances here.

The Mini Wingman will at least get me started. poop... I spent $2100 all said, on the rifle, scope, tank, and other accoutrements. So, I've gotta pace myself! ;) If it turns out that I really dig this air rifle stuff (bear in mind that I'm pretty big into firearms), then I'll possibly get a bigger tank or my own home compressor. :cool:
 
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