Author Topic: My first 48 hours with a Benjamin Akela .22 (Read 2337 times - 1 votes)
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avator · « **Reply #20 on:** June 14, 2023, 10:07:34 AM »

Jeff..
Congrats on a good one.

longislandhunter · « **Reply #21 on:** June 14, 2023, 11:25:35 AM »

Yeah, the .177 I returned drove me absolutely insane with the POI changing everytime I aired it back up. This one has no such problem and seems to be a real shooter

I have to take a closer look at that little screw on the cocking arm loosening up..... maybe a drop of loc-tite ?? Will have to see....

I'm really glad I got it in .22 caliber.... much easier for my clumsy fingers to load the mags and the .22 pellets will work out much better for me in my hunting. I also have a greater assortment of quality hunting pellets in .22 along with a small assortment of slugs.

Looking forward to doing some chrony testing and trying out those H & N Hornet pellets to see what all the "Hub BUb" is about

Jeff

splitbeing · « **Reply #22 on:** June 15, 2023, 10:27:37 PM »

Quote from: longislandhunter on June 14, 2023, 09:35:24 AM

Yesterday I finally had the time to spend a few hours in the backyard range with the .22 Akela I purchased from Amazon the same time you did.

Installed a 4 x 12 x 40 Bushnell scope on it using high mounts and a picatinny riser, same setup I had on the .177 that I returned to PA.

Rifle functioned perfectly and performed well. The only issue I encountered is that for some reason the tiny little screw that attaches the cocking arm to the cocking mechanism tends to unseat itself as I use the cocking arm. When the screw backs out to a certain point the cocking arm lever will not fully engage..... as soon as I tighten the screw down into it's proper position the cocking arm lever functions normally again. Not a huge issue and I'll address it.

I left the rifle on Full Power for all the testing as I wanted to see how many magazines I'd get out of that setting. The first 3 magazines were all the same POI and the 4th magazine POI dropped about and inch.

I didn't set up my chrony as all morning it appeared as though it would rain any minute so I wanted to be able to retreat quickly into the basement if the rain showed up, but the next session I'll set up the chrony and get some numbers.

Long story short..... the rifle liked several pellets........ JSB Jumbo Monster 25.38 gr, H & N Rabbit Magnum, H & N Sniper Magnum 18 gr, Kodiaks, JSB Exact , JSB 18.1 grain, CPHP, CPL, Benjamin discovery Hollow Point. It shot all these pellets into nice tight groups.

I wanted to try the Predator pellets but I could not get them to function in the magazine so I gave up on them.

I have more pellets to test but that must wait for another day.

I broke down and ordered 1 tin of the H & N Hornets to give them a try. I've read they work well in the magazine and have some outstanding reviews for accuracy and hunting so even though they are a bit pricey for me I broke down and ordered a tin to give em a try. They are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

I wound up doing the final sight in with the 25.38 JSB Jumbo Monsters at 30 yard. I use that pellet in my Air Force Condor for hunting and they work very well on game for me so I went with those. Interestingly though is that even though the CPHP's and CPL's are much lighter they have the same POI so it's sighted in for them as well.

I have a barrel band, scope rail support and muzzle device for the gun from BuckRail that I had ordered for the .177 but I haven't installed any of them yet and may not considering how well the rifle is performing.

All in all I'm very happy with the rifle and may just leave it the way it's setup now as I'll only be using it for hunting. Once I fix that issue with the cocking handle screw getting loose it'll be all set to hunt once the seasons open here.

If I do anymore testing I'll post the results. Looking forward to seeing how the Hornets perform.

Jeff

Glad you got a solid shooter this time, Jeff!

Captain Paul · « **Reply #23 on:** June 16, 2023, 06:27:10 PM »

I received the replacement o-rings from Crosman in today's mail. I had already polished the bore and deburred the transfer port and set screw holes. The tiny o-ring for the power adjuster is no fun to install but I got it done. Reassembled, filled it up and mounted a red-dot. Took 3 shots to sight it in (30 yds) and then the next 9 shots all touched. Filled another magazine and hit a 4" gong at 50 yds 12 out of 12 shots. This puppy is done!

(Oh, and all shooting was done resting on a fence post, not from a bipod. The bipod was just to take the photo.)

Hoosier Daddy · « **Reply #24 on:** June 16, 2023, 06:45:48 PM »

You are not helping my bank account...

Captain Paul · « **Reply #25 on:** June 16, 2023, 07:31:07 PM »

Any suggestions on how to strip the original finish off the Turkish walnut stock?

longislandhunter · « **Reply #26 on:** June 16, 2023, 07:39:55 PM »

Rifle looks great and certainly sounds deadly. Nice that you got it shooting that well. Good Job

Jeff

Hoosier Daddy · « **Reply #27 on:** June 17, 2023, 07:49:24 AM »

Paint stripper and steel wool.

I use a tooth brush in the checkering

Captain Paul · « **Reply #28 on:** June 17, 2023, 04:33:46 PM »

I stripped the stock with two applications of a citrus based paint remover, wiped it with a damp rag, and then after it dried I applied 3 coats of "Feed n Wax". Tomorrow, after it's dried, I'll give it a final buff.

longislandhunter · « **Reply #29 on:** June 18, 2023, 09:26:47 AM »

Looking forward to seeing the end result.

The stock on mine was so dry when I unwrapped it it was amazing, but really nice pattern on it

I've been giving it a good rub down every once in a while with Ballistol and it just keeps getting nicer and nice. Soaks it up and dries to a beautiful shine and the stock gets a little deeper each time and the pattern emerges even nicer with each application.

Looking forward to seeing how yours comes out

BTW..... received the tin of H & N Hornets that I ordered to try in the akela....... hopefully will get out in the backyard range in a day or so and see if they're really worth the price.....

Jeff

Captain Paul · « **Reply #30 on:** June 19, 2023, 02:40:02 PM »

After modifying the grip, refinishing the stock, deburring the receiver and replacing the barrel o-rings, and a quick design / 3D printed barrel band, this is what she looks like. I am very pleased with how accurate and powerful she is with JSB 18.1 grain pellets.

longislandhunter · « **Reply #31 on:** June 19, 2023, 09:23:09 PM »

Very very nice. Looks beautiful.

Jeff

Captain Paul · « **Reply #32 on:** June 19, 2023, 10:03:15 PM »

Quote from: longislandhunter on June 19, 2023, 09:23:09 PM

Very very nice. Looks beautiful.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff. The color didn't come out as light as I had hoped, but the grip is a much better fit now. The barrel band was just something I whipped up quickly. I'll design and print something nicer when I have time. I can't complain about the power or accuracy. Although I'm just using a 2 MOA Red Dot, I'm getting quarter sized groups at 30 yds and can hit the 4 inch gong at 50 yds easily. I'm sure the rifle can do better with the right optics, but this is good enough for what I will use it for.

longislandhunter · « **Reply #33 on:** June 20, 2023, 10:36:48 AM »

I have a "Buck Rail" barrel band that I may put on, but for right now I'm just leaving it as the accuracy is consistent. I also have the Buck Rail scope rail support but again for right now I'm not using it.

Yesterday I finally got to test out the H & N Hornet pellets I ordered. Beautiful tight groups at 30 yards and I was really impressed with how hard they hit !!

Behind each of my targets I have a steel plate so the pellets that make it through the wooden board that the targets are pinned to don't damage the main target frame or ricochet off and hit my vinyl fence. These pellets were punching into that steel harder than any of my other pellets from any of my other guns, even my Air Force Condor which is dialed way up in power. After a bit of shooting they finally punched though the steel. I was very impressed to say the least.

The other nice thing is that their POI is exactly the same as the current pellet that the rifle is dialed in for so they're already sighted in for hunting

They are definitely worth the price as far as I'm concerned. I am really looking forward to using these for hunting, especially for larger critters like raccoons and especially groundhogs. I will be ordering a few more tins so I'll be stocked up for when small game season arrives. Since I won't use them for target shooting and will only use them for hunting they should last a long time. I'm very glad I decided to give these Hornets a try

Jeff

splitbeing · « **Reply #34 on:** June 20, 2023, 02:15:52 PM »

Wow, first positive review of the hornets I've heard that I also believe. Thanks!

longislandhunter · « **Reply #35 on:** June 20, 2023, 04:28:13 PM »

The pellets I've been using for years for my hunting perform well and I won't be using the Hornets to replace the pellets I use for squirrel and rabbit or bird hunting, but I do plan on using the Hornets for the larger, thicker skulled critters like raccoons and groundhogs after seeing the results of my testing. The Akela loves em,, now I have to shoot a few in a couple of my other hunting PCP's and see if they like them as well.

Jeff

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My first 48 hours with a Benjamin Akela .22