Tested My New Trail NP Today

[snicklesnoots]

As you know I am new to this forum and have been away from air guns for 35 years. I just bought a Benjamin Trail NP in 22 cal. I shot her through the chronograph today and here are the details. The outside temperature where I was testing was 15 degrees with a steady cold wind. I was using 14.3 grain crossman premier hollow point pellets. I shot 10 shots over the graph with a high of 739 and low of 730 with an average of 735. The gun has now been shot a total of 20 pellets through her. Ok here is the questions for the experts. How did she perform? Is this speed normal for the conditions and pellet or low? I thought the speed was at least very consistent over the 10 shots fired. One more request. Please give me in your opinion the 4 best pellets I should buy to add with my crossman premiers that I already have to do my accuracy testing with. Remember i want to use this gun for hunting and pest control. Thanks in advance for all your help. Mark

[ezman604]

Power seems a tad low, would expect to see 19-20fpe intead of your recorded 17fpe. But MAYBE, it will pick up as you put more rounds thtrough it and the internals settle in. I've had good luck with CPHP for hunting and plinking. You might also try some Predator Polymag 16gr. Had pretty good luck with those too. But it's whatever round that gives the best accuracy and power that should be used.
Happy Shooting!!!!
Dave
 

[snicklesnoots]

Would the cold temps effect the speed? Would a different pellet increase the speed? Do guns normally speed up the more you shoot them? Is my current speed sufficient to kill squirrel and similar sized game? Thanks Mark

[ezman604]

Temperature can effect power. The more the gun warms up the better the power will be.
Different pellets weights will affect the speed (fps) output but you need to look for an ammo that stays below the speed of sound (1080fps) and give the best energy output (fpe).
And as you recorded (17.16fpe) you have PLENTY of power to nail a nutter.
Only takes 6fpe or more with a well placed shot to down a tree rat. Shot placement is more important than massive power. Having both is a bonus and help stack the odds in your favor.

[airiscool]

What Dave pointed out was discussed only about two weeks ago in a post on loss of gas ram power in cold weather.  Several gas ram gun owners reported a drop in speeds as the gun got colder.

The pressurized nitrogen in the ram is affected by cold, just like many other gases. The ram pressure will decrease as the nitrogen shrinks with temperature drop.

Also, speeds can be high while a new gun is burning off oil, may drop off a bit after most of the excess oil is gone, then should pick back up as the seal wears in.

And one thing that too often gets left out when guys start comparing gun speeds is differences in altitude make a difference in speeds.

Paul.

[airiscool]

Many AG's do well with the JSB jumbos in various weights.

A number of other Trail NP owners have been getting good results from H&N pellets. Especially the Field Target Trophy's. Which must be popular because everytime I try to get some to see how they'll do in my guns they're always out of stock !

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/h-n-field-target-trophy-22-cal-14-66-grains-round-nose-500ct?p=31

Lighten up on the buying guys - I just wanna buy one tin of 'em to try ! 

A few of the Trail XL's do well with Predators (mine included), and they are devistating on game.  But, I can't remember if anyone with a Trail NP has gotten good results with the Predators.

Paul

[shadow]

The tuned TrailNP that I just sold is pushing the FTS's around 730fps and that's about in the ballpark of fps for them. Some may be higher and some down on power. The ram powered shooter's are still learning to walk in the airgun world I feel but like all else improvement's will come . You don't need a ton of power just some fusebox cracking accuracy and the NP that I sold has nutters Bandit's and County Rat's under it's belt. Ed

[Joshua A.]

my trail np likes rws super-H-points. those are overall great pellets as well as fantastic hunting pellets. otherwise, I like Crosman pellets, and of course predators. crosman advertised these np guns as being un-affected by the cold weather, but that is False. I noticed a pretty drastic drop in power, and I don't even have to chrony it to verify this. The shots were noticeably sluggish. so I guess I won't be using it till temps rise. your numbers look really good for cold weather though, i'm impressed. you should be in the mid 700's with warmer weather,and that is good. Good Luck with your new shooter.

Joshua A.

[snicklesnoots]

Thanks for all the help, you guys are awesome!!! I really want to get the most I can out of this new Trail NP. My goal is to hunt squirrels with it next fall as well as all around pest control and plinking. Everytime I set in my treestand bow hunting for deer I see no less than a dozen squirrels. The trail will definitely have its work cut out for it. Not to mention those hopping critters and wood chucks that have assaulted my garden the last 2 years  . Did I mention the sound that starlings make in the mornings really annoy me too. I have hunted all over the United States and Canada for big game with good results but the older I get the more it is about the thrill and challenge of the hunt and not the size of the animal. This is why I am excited about air guns. The challenge and thrill will definitely be there for the taking.

[Rico14]

Try the Predators, if your NP likes them, the nutters don't have a chance

[yote300wsm]

My Trail NP LOVES JSB 18.1 jumbo heavies. After break-in, I'm getting a solid 715 fps.