Benj Akela.... 177 or 22- Help me decide.

[RocketMan58]

So I've been on hiatus from airgunning for a 6-8 years or so and am now looking to add something to my collection to help inspire me as I return. I already own a regulated Benj Marauder FT  in 22 and a BSA made Gamo (forget model but it's a push button cocker off the forend) in 177 along with a host of well tuned springers.  All shoot well but I'm looking for something "different" this time around. In particular, I'm looking for something compact,  relatively quiet  to shoot (rested) in my backyard wooded range at paper, spinners, cans , knockdowns and reactive targets from 20-60 yds in my back yard. ( No hunting/pest control planned for this rifle.)    I don't need knockdown power and am thinking either 22 or 177 cal is just fine.  The Benjamin Akela has caught my eye as filling that bill and are currently on sale at 15-20% off .  I have noticed that Akela tuning has been a well visited topic here and am not opposed to doing some tinkering to sweeten the rifle up (I'm a retired Engineer and fairly handy) I have also noticed that most Akela owners here seem to chose the 22 flavor  but that could be just a hunting/long range thing. I am wondering if there is any downside to this particular rifle in 177 for my informal purpose . Loudness? Accuracy? efficiency?  Thoughts of those in the know are appreciated.

[ranchibi]

Dave, @ 60yds in any wind, I think .22 would suit you better. Plus, .22 and .177 ammo is the same for the most part. The Akela has plenty of power to sling heavier .22 ammo.

[customcutter]

My vote would be for .22 cal.  Unless you need a higher shot count or plan on hand pumping.  Then I would go for the .177.

[RocketMan58]

Thanks Gents, 22 is kind of what I was thinking (for those same reasons) but am open.  I purchased a cheap Chinese pump so no more pumping ( Doctors orders!)  I was thinking 177 might be quieter/easier on targets  with the lower energy but you have to hit them first :-) For clarification, most of my shooting will be at 1/2 to 1" targets at 20 to 40 yds but I figure I'll hang a few 3" gongs out at 50 and 60  for giggles.   

[BC81]

I have an akela that came as 177, but only bought it because it was on sale. The 22 will be a better option if you're planning on going to 60 yards. Also, the 22 seems less pellet picky. I converted mine to 25 for the power and it is very accurate too.

[RocketMan58]

Yea, the 177 is about $80 cheaper but that's not a real driver here. The Akela is cheap enough on sale, I just want a good match.  I think I'll order the .22 version this weekend.

[TroyHammer]

Yea, the 177 is about $80 cheaper but that's not a real driver here. The Akela is cheap enough on sale, I just want a good match.  I think I'll order the .22 version this weekend.

Kral puncher breaker isn't as attractive looking but uses the same trigger and valving plus easier to tune. You can swap the factory lever for a biathlon lever and the feel is much nicer.

[MileHighAirgunner]

Yea, the 177 is about $80 cheaper but that's not a real driver here. The Akela is cheap enough on sale, I just want a good match.  I think I'll order the .22 version this weekend.

Kral puncher breaker isn't as attractive looking but uses the same trigger and valving plus easier to tune. You can swap the factory lever for a biathlon lever and the feel is much nicer.

I’d like to hear more details about what makes the Puncher Breaker easier to tune? How similar is the Puncher Breaker to other Kral rifles such as the Empire or Monarch?

[superchikn]

My 2 cents- I have an Akela 22.  I absolutely love it. It was my first bullpup of three now.  It shoots hard, is very accurate and consistent.  Although i also shoot if from the bench on bags or a bipod I do not think it is your best bet for a bench gun.  I hunt and pest with mine a lot, usually semi rested with my off hand against a tree or something else, and it is deadly.  It even makes me look good.  I regularly take Hosps, starlings and pigeons (actually it seems we have killed all the pigeons for now) from the tops of silos at 54 yds.  I also have several headshot kills up to to 85 plus yds on groundhogs.


I love mine but in general a long gun will be a better bench shooter.

[BC81]

My 2 cents- I have an Akela 22.  I absolutely love it. It was my first bullpup of three now.  It shoots hard, is very accurate and consistent.  Although i also shoot if from the bench on bags or a bipod I do not think it is your best bet for a bench gun.  I hunt and pest with mine a lot, usually semi rested with my off hand against a tree or something else, and it is deadly.  It even makes me look good.  I regularly take Hosps, starlings and pigeons (actually it seems we have killed all the pigeons for now) from the tops of silos at 54 yds.  I also have several headshot kills up to to 85 plus yds on groundhogs.


I love mine but in general a long gun will be a better bench shooter.

That's funny because I'm the exact opposite. I think bullpups are easier to shoot on a bench with a proper rest and prefer long guns for off hand shooting! Guess it's the old everyone is different thing.

[BC81]

Yea, the 177 is about $80 cheaper but that's not a real driver here. The Akela is cheap enough on sale, I just want a good match.  I think I'll order the .22 version this weekend.

Kral puncher breaker isn't as attractive looking but uses the same trigger and valving plus easier to tune. You can swap the factory lever for a biathlon lever and the feel is much nicer.

I’d like to hear more details about what makes the Puncher Breaker easier to tune? How similar is the Puncher Breaker to other Kral rifles such as the Empire or Monarch?

I've had both these rifles and own a few krals and just recently sold my kratos. The trigger setups are different and the valves are similar, but the ports are lined up differently. On the kral guns, the ports are closer to the front o-ring groove on the valve and barrel, which gives you more room to open them up towards the leade and not into the rifling.
The Benji guns it's the opposite. The port is really close to the rear groove and that leaves you little room for porting as you'd be getting into the rifling if you've too much forward.

Hammer and spring setups are different on between the guns as well.

I dont know if Troy was referring to the older breakers, but the newer Kral guns have a different setup than what was in my kratos or akela.

[superchikn]

My 2 cents- I have an Akela 22.  I absolutely love it. It was my first bullpup of three now.  It shoots hard, is very accurate and consistent.  Although i also shoot if from the bench on bags or a bipod I do not think it is your best bet for a bench gun.  I hunt and pest with mine a lot, usually semi rested with my off hand against a tree or something else, and it is deadly.  It even makes me look good.  I regularly take Hosps, starlings and pigeons (actually it seems we have killed all the pigeons for now) from the tops of silos at 54 yds.  I also have several headshot kills up to to 85 plus yds on groundhogs.


I love mine but in general a long gun will be a better bench shooter.

That's funny because I'm the exact opposite. I think bullpups are easier to shoot on a bench with a proper rest and prefer long guns for off hand shooting! Guess it's the old everyone is different thing.

I definitely should have put a YMMV disclaimer on that!
These are my experiences and stating that in general long guns should be better on th bench is my understanding of conventional wisdom.  I certainly couls be set straight on that.


I still really like my Akela though.

[BC81]

My 2 cents- I have an Akela 22.  I absolutely love it. It was my first bullpup of three now.  It shoots hard, is very accurate and consistent.  Although i also shoot if from the bench on bags or a bipod I do not think it is your best bet for a bench gun.  I hunt and pest with mine a lot, usually semi rested with my off hand against a tree or something else, and it is deadly.  It even makes me look good.  I regularly take Hosps, starlings and pigeons (actually it seems we have killed all the pigeons for now) from the tops of silos at 54 yds.  I also have several headshot kills up to to 85 plus yds on groundhogs.


I love mine but in general a long gun will be a better bench shooter.

That's funny because I'm the exact opposite. I think bullpups are easier to shoot on a bench with a proper rest and prefer long guns for off hand shooting! Guess it's the old everyone is different thing.

I definitely should have put a YMMV disclaimer on that!
These are my experiences and stating that in general long guns should be better on th bench is my understanding of conventional wisdom.  I certainly couls be set straight on that.


I still really like my Akela though.

Well, you are correct with most people prefer long guns for bench rest, im just an odd duck!

When standing and shooting a bullpup, it puts my neck at an odd angle or something, no matter how high are far forward I put my scope. When I bench rest them I can have them rested differently I guess.

I still have 2 of my pups and I just don't shoot them as much. My recent fascination with my Akela is because I converted it to 25 caliber so it convinced me to shoot it more.

[Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)]

I have the Akela in .177 and the Cayden in .22.  My recommendation would be to go with the .22 in the Akela.  My .177 Akela was shooting way too hot right out of the box, and it took trimming the hammer spring and adding a regulator to get it where it's shooting consistantly and accurately.  The Cayden, on the other hand, has been a supreme shooter right out of the box, no tuning required.  It's unregulated shot string was flatter than many of my regulated air rifles!  Since the .177 Akela came well after the release of the .22 Akela and Cayden, I think Crosman/Benjamin/whoever in Turkey who manufactures them use the exact same internal parts for the .22 and .177 and that's what the .177 Akela is not optimally tuned right out of the box.  I use my Cayden exclusively for longer range pesting, i.e. 50 yards or more, and it's extremely accurate at those distances using 15.89 grain and 18.13 grain JSB pellets.  I still have to use 10.3 grain or heavier pellets in my Akela to maintain any kind of accuracy, so it could probably benefit from some more tinkering.

[MileHighAirgunner]

Yea, the 177 is about $80 cheaper but that's not a real driver here. The Akela is cheap enough on sale, I just want a good match.  I think I'll order the .22 version this weekend.

Kral puncher breaker isn't as attractive looking but uses the same trigger and valving plus easier to tune. You can swap the factory lever for a biathlon lever and the feel is much nicer.

I’d like to hear more details about what makes the Puncher Breaker easier to tune? How similar is the Puncher Breaker to other Kral rifles such as the Empire or Monarch?

I've had both these rifles and own a few krals and just recently sold my kratos. The trigger setups are different and the valves are similar, but the ports are lined up differently. On the kral guns, the ports are closer to the front o-ring groove on the valve and barrel, which gives you more room to open them up towards the leade and not into the rifling.
The Benji guns it's the opposite. The port is really close to the rear groove and that leaves you little room for porting as you'd be getting into the rifling if you've too much forward.

Hammer and spring setups are different on between the guns as well.

I dont know if Troy was referring to the older breakers, but the newer Kral guns have a different setup than what was in my kratos or akela.

Interesting. I wouldn’t have guessed they would have been all that different. I own Akela’s and like them also but don’t own anything else made by Kral.

[BC81]

If we're talking about how the trigger linkage is the same from akela vs breaker, that part is very similar.it is pretty much the same design on most bullpups, just a rod running back from the trigger to the cantilever that activates the sear.

[BC81]

Here is a comparison of the kral vs benjamin trigger setups.

Kral on top, Benji on bottom.

[Mr Fluffy Tail]

akela is pretty nice, its not small though and i wouldnt go so far as to call it compact .. as far as caliber if i had a range set up to for 50y and under id get a 177, itl shoot flatter, if you dont slow it down that is ... 177 loses its composer past 55 60 though,  talking pellets .. cheap pellets lol ..

[bear air]

Paul have you tried any of the jsb 16.2 gr in your 177 ?

[TroyHammer]

Here is a comparison of the kral vs benjamin trigger setups.

Kral on top, Benji on bottom.

That's the old kral trigger. All new Kral guns use the same trigger as the Benji guns. Kral guns switched triggers about the same time the Benji guns were developed.