Benjamin Trail NP XL 1100

A review about the first airgun I bought, the only one I bought as a new gun :).

Calibre: .22
Power : some 35J (=26 foot pounds)
Mounting: Weaver
Lengte: 122,5 cm
Gewicht: 4,4 kg
Retail price: €400 (in Belgium, cheaper in the States, and in e.g. Eastern Europe). Including the scope.
Personal score: 7 out of 10
Price/quality ratio: 6 out of 10 .
Product page: http://www.crosman.com/trail-np-xl-1100-22


A couple of years ago a friend showed me his Hatsan heavy gasram gun, and I was amazed by the evolution airguns had gone through. Couldn't resist going to a local gun shop and buy myself a decent airgun... this is what they offered me, and I didn't hesitate for too long. Typically for a noob, I guess, I wanted the most powerful thing I could get, yet no pcp gun because of the additional cost etc.

Well, power is what this airgun offers, and not just a bit. And that's fun! Love it for it, and have done 1000s of shots with it. Yet this focus on power also means there was less focus on other things, or so it seems. Things like the finish, which I must say is 'typically Chinese', and in my case (I didn't even check properly in the shop), quite miserable; a lot of esthetic flaws, and quickly fixed blemishes.

The power this gasram produces makes accurate shooting difficult, yet also more fun, it depends on how you look at it I guess :) .

The most criticized feature of this gun, however, is the trigger. Way too heavy pull, long travel, and unacceptable creep. If you pull the trigger backwards without actually shooting, and then release it, you 'll notice how it just stays stuck in the position it was in...
This can be fixed, however, with an aftermarket trigger (Charlie Da Tuna), or a diy fix with e.g. a bearing from an rc car, which is what I did and helps a lot (info can be found on youtube).

The gun comes with a 3-9x40 Centerpoint mildot scope, a budget scope which I would say has a good price/quality ratio. Not the best one out there, acceptable though.

I've had lots of fun with this break barrel airgun already, especially when you shoot through e.g. an aluminum frying pan on 25 meters or more. If your targets aren't too small, you have quite a chance of hitting them, also when standing and unsupported (which is what I like to do sometimes).

Would I buy it again? Probably not, in case I would want another break barrel gun I'd go for one with less power and higher accuracy (less kick). Yet would I let go of it? Well, no, I like it too much for that :D





 
When I saw Bert's airgun, i immediately decided that my old diana 35 needed a new friend. And after trying out his trail xl i bought the same one. LOL!
Mine has a bit of a better finish then his, but apart from his trigger mod they shoot pretty much the same. (capable of hitting a steel target 15cm (6inch) in diameter, 4 out of 5 times from benchrest @ 90m.)
So i pretty much agree with his review.
Benjamin trail NP XL = Fun Gun!
(and also my backup in case the pcp should brake down at the range.)
Never stop plinking =)
 
Definitely agree, NPXL was my first but not last of my nicer pellet rifles. A few minor tweaks, Charlie da Tuna Trigger, Polish and lube the internals, and a bit nicer scope ( old one worked, is now on a 1022 take down). Shoots poly mags very well and is accurate out to about 90 yards. Great hunting rifle, had it for four years now and I still find myself taking it out even though I have some nicer rifles but it just works so well. Old faithful 
 
I have the trail in the .25. Nice so far. Had the .177 and I was key holing all the time. Anyone make a suppressor for these?? Mine is still loud and I get dirty looks from the neighbors when I pop off a few shots. I polished and put the Charlie da tuna trigger on her. I had one off my Gamo Socom Extreme I decided to swap over since I use the .25 more then the .177 gamo. 

I did not like the coloration of the stock that came with it. Too light in color for my liking. Especially for a hunting rifle. The blood I encounter would darken it up in a hurry so I looked for the older stock in the darker walnut stain. No go on that. So I sanded it a little and restained it. I like a darker finish on my wooden stock rifles
 
Hm, interesting idea...

Mine is getting a bit darker 'by itself' though, when it was getting a bit dirty in some places I cleaned it with this wood oil @D-T-R provided me with, think that changed the color a bit. I like it.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know exactly what kind of wood the stock is made of? Specs only mention 'hardwood', I once read somewhere on the net how some people jokingly call it 'Chinese mystery wood', but that's all I found.
 
About suppressing it: I don't actually think it's muzzle report you hear. Rather, the internals of the gun, which cannot be silenced.

No idea how effective the shroud actually is, never took it off to compare. Usually, pellets hitting the target make more noise than the actual rifle anyway, so it's not really a concern to me... (I don't hunt). Then again, I'm usually not bothered by a louder gun, I just try to be compliant with the law here in Belgium, which says nothing about an airgun's loudness . On the contrary, suppressors are illegal, because of (assumed) poaching/tactical applications...
 
The noise is definitely the crack of the pellet. I have smoke billowing out of the barrel after each shot. so there is definitely some dieseling going on. First shot was a 'plunk', after the first 2 shots, everything is a loud crack. 

Years ago, I saw there were people making modified suppressor shrouds for the Gamo Extremes and quieting them down significantly. Someone was making a full Carbon Fiber shroud with baffles to dampen it. 

The shrouds unscrew from the barrel quiet easily. 
 
I know they come off easy, just had no reason to do it yet :)

If the pellet 'cracks', are you sure you 're not shooting too light ones, so they go supersonic? I usually shoot JSB jumbo heavy with them, some 18 grains in .22. Works pretty well.

Dieseling is something you do not want, did you lubricate the gun excessively, so oil gets into the barrel? Cleaning it out might be a good idea.