Something for the Benjamin Shooters

[echochap]

In a post a couple weeks back, I uploaded a picture of my Benjamin Discovery wearing it's custom walnut C1 style stock, along with the C1 that had been the subject of conversations I had with Beeman about his thoughts on the C1 design.

As a follow up, this Discovery was one of the first produced before the Disco went into full production. The top rifle was one of the first production Marauders, that was used in the initial evaluation of the production guns. The action was one of the guns I took to Africa as my small game gun (I had both a .22 and the .25 pre-production action with me) and it took a lot of small game on that trip. The Stock was a custom laminate built for me by Michael Chavka. The gun in the middle was a pre-production Marauder, the logo and name were hand etched on the rifle, and the Magazine was loaded from the left rather than the right that was opted for on production guns.

 

[Fuciliere]

Nice classic looking rifle there, always love nice wood, will you be able to post some more pictures individually, thanks

 

[echochap]

I will post individual photos. I'm going to work my way through my collection, or at least parts of it.

 

[Aimright]

Thanks for sharing, like the wood on that middle Marauder, looks much nicer than the current models, is that walnut? Did you evaluate these rifles for Crosman back in the day?

 

[echochap]

It looks like it but I’m not really sure, the checkering was hand cut. I was close to the old regime at Crosman and did a lot of work with them during the early pcp phase.These two guns were important in developing the US market, I enjoyed shooting them

 

[Arkmaker]

I love that style Disco stock! They obviously fattened it up for production rifles. Remember the Katana stock? That's another stock I wish I could get. Yours reminded me of it. Anyway, real nice rifles you have there

 

[echochap]

Here are some close ups as requested.

These photos are the prototype Marauder.

And these are my other early M-Rod with the Chavka laminated stock.

 

[echochap]

I love that style Disco stock! They obviously fattened it up for production rifles. Remember the Katana stock? That's another stock I wish I could get. Yours reminded me of it. Anyway, real nice rifles you have there

I sent the stock maker several photos of my Beeman C1 and told him I wanted a stock for the Disco as close to its specs as possible, and in a nice piece of walnut. He did exactly what I'd asked for.

 

[Dingfelder]

Beautiful stocks. I especially like that Chavka laminate one.

 

[Guest]

That DISCO is really elegant. Very nice classic rifle. I might have to look for one of those.

 

[echochap]

Beautiful stocks. I especially like that Chavka laminate one.

I lost touch with him over the years and don't know if he still makes stocks, but he did outstanding work!

 

[echochap]

That DISCO is really elegant. Very nice classic rifle. I might have to look for one of those.

It's the stock that does it for me, as I recall it cost about twice as much as the Discovery and was a real problem to get back from the stock-maker....... never figured out if he was dishonest or he just over committed himself.....but once I finally got it back was very happy with the craftsmanship. It's one of those guns that will stay in my collection.

 

[echochap]

Last one, I promise! This is my .25 caliber that was shipped to me a few days before I left on another trip to South Africa. It was the first .25 caliber M-Rod shipped, and I took ducks, geese, hares, springhares, dassies, the huge African porcupine, and literally hundreds of doves. I took many vervet monkeys with it doing pest control on the farm, but that is footage that would get me banned from YouTube for life......I have enough people that would like to hang me for the iguana shoots....

I did the stock using a DIY paint kit from Cabelas, and supplemented the pattern using plastic plants from the hobby store. I left the metal work alone instead wrapping it with camo tape so it could be removed and go back into a standard stock when I wanted to change it back.

 

[Dingfelder]

That's pretty cool looking too! I got some camo tape and you've inspired me to go do some wrapping.