Benjamin trail np xl 1100 upgrades

[Reddsunmourn]

I just bought my second airgun, the Benjamin np xl in .22, and overall it's a nice gun.

BUT... I want to make it better, I have already ordered a new piston seal and the GRT-III trigger for it, however I want to know what other mods are out there! I heard you can swap out the barrels rather easily, but haven't found anyone selling them online, am I missing something or just looking in the wrong place? Is there anyway to dampen the recoil? In my gamo I shoved rags in the synthetic stock to dampen the sound and recoil felt, but the np xl is all wood it seems. Any advice would be great!

O yeah, I have a nice hawke high recoil scope coming, so I'm not worried about the glass. (I knew beforehand the scope that came with it wouldn't last long).

[JTB530]

I recommend Gene's bushing and washers for it. As far as barrel swaps the easiest method is to order parts from crosman so you can have it in different calibers. The only other thing I've seen for the barrel is a replacement shroud in carbon fiber. This is a magnum rifle so the recoil is what it is in my opinion. I've had mine for over a year now. As soon as I got it I tore it down and dressed and deburred the moving parts and recrowned the barrel. I put in a JM seal and used his lubes as well. I installed a trigger, ram bushing and barrel washers. I'm very happy with it after the upgrades and don't plan on changing anything else other than the scope whenever the oem one finally craps out.

[Reddsunmourn]

I was told to pick up the walther talon hunter magnum seal to fit the np xl, would you suggest something different?

[JR]

Recoil........Not much you can do there, it's a magnum springer air gun they all have a good amount of recoil, the price for speed and power. Shooting heavier pellets can help, just don't shoot worthless alloy pellets or real light weight pellets or it can/will damage the gun.

Seals................As was said as far as a better piston seal ARH (JM) seals will be better than OEM. I have a OEM on mine but I ordered 6 and picked the largest softest one to use. I will get a JM in the near future when I have more time.

OEM type Parts......Crosman is the only place for replacement barrels, small parts, etc. that I know of. I ordered everything for a complete 25 cal. barrel swap including the cocking linkage and pins. To swap calibers between 22 and 25 I just need to remove the stock and the barrel pivot screw. It takes 10 minutes from start to finish and scope adjustment. In my opinion a 177 in this size gun is no good to me, it has speed and nothing else, I have other 177 choices I know shoot better.

Aftermarket parts........As was said ARH (Air Rifle Headquarters) for better quality seals and lubes. A Charlie D-Tuna trigger is a good upgrade as is Gene's Brass pivot and ram bushings. There is a guy making carbon fiber barrel shrouds for the Trails and other guns. They look nice but I doubt they offer any improvement other than looks.

Installing the piston......When installing the piston in the tube use a pop can or thin plastic as a protective sleeve to install piston past the threads on the tube end. These threads will tear up any seal along with the sharp edges on any cut outs in the tube.

Basic lube tuning.....De-burr everything, clean all parts of old lube, I use a flapper wheel or the like to remove any rust etc. from chamber. Install the piston with a new seal with the correct lube in the chamber using a protective sleeve as mentioned above. Lube all moving parts with the correct amount of recommended lube, don't over or under lube. Reassemble  the gun, ensure the breach seal is good, check the muzzle crown, fix if required and shoot. Options would be upgrading the pivot washers and trigger at the same time. A new JM seal should also be a improvement over the OEM seal. Even a basic clean up and lube will smooth out the cocking and shooting some, more or less speed up the break in process.

I plan on installing a new JM seal in mine and I'm good with it. It does ok for what it is, mine shoots ok out to 50-80 yds. if I do my part. A Trail XL will never be a bench rest gun, that's not what it was made for, it's a hunting gun.  For the most part you aren't going to gain any speed with tuning, might even loose a tad, but it will shoot smoother and more consistent.

[JR]

Yes that is the seal from ARH that is recommended, might need a little fitting (few thousands to large) as long is it doesn't fit to tight your fine. Lightly sand down the OD if needed, just remember you can't put back what you remove. It's needs to be good and snug but not get stuck either.

[JTB530]

I agree 100% with everything JR has said. The tip on installing the piston is a good one. I cut down a pop can and used it when I installed the new seal.

[Reddsunmourn]

Awesome! Thanks for all the info. Incredibly informative, I'm excited to tinker with the np xl.

[Roadworthy]

I'm not getting into mods.  The others covered them pretty well.  Let's talk about recoil.  Why is it so high?  In a powder burner recoil is the backward force from an explosion used to propel a projectile forward.

In an airgun the spring (or gas spring) is propelling a much larger projectile - the piston.  Although the piston moves slower than a bullet, the mass is much greater.  The heavier the piston, the greater the recoil.  A heavier spring driving the piston will further increase the recoil.

I suppose you could build a lighter piston and thereby reduce the recoil.  I'm sure there would be side effects and other things to consider, but you would reduce the recoil.

[Galba]

JR cover up everything...
you probably will mounting another scope as well.
This is a video I made with mine. So far, I just got another scope and the GTR trigger.

 

[JR]

I saw that, that's some good shooting!........So far my scope is holding up, I popped a starling the other day off a power pole at 114 yds. Checked it after the shot with range finder, even had 6 guys watching. One guy was a equipment salesman at the Dairy, he got the info for the XL 1100 and was going shopping. He shot the XL a few times and my normal Trail, and couldn't get over the power, size and kick of the XL. I should get a cut from Crosman I have sold a lot of guns for them in the last year.

[ScarletFire186304]

JR cover up everything...
you probably will mounting another scope as well.
This is a video I made with mine. So far, I just got another scope and the GTR trigger.

 

what scope are you using?

[JR]

He has a Hawk Airmax EV 4-12 on his I have a CP 4-16x44

[Galba]

LOL..  you definitely should have your cut. I think AG manufactures get more sales from people like you then their own advertises.
114..?? that's amazing..!!

[Shepherd672]

Do I understand correctly above,  to use a ARH Walther piston seal on the NP XL1100 ?
Also where can I get the Gene's Bushing's also stated ? Is there a better breech seal ?  Looking for all possible upgrades for this rifle.  I'm having a very hard time deciding between purchasing the NP XL, or a Hatsan 125 Sniper Vortex. 

[rranger175]

Does anyone know where to get genes washers and bushings? i could use three sets of each, or the specs to make them, anyone got some extra sets

[OleTomCat]

Does anyone know where to get genes washers and bushings? i could use three sets of each, or the specs to make them, anyone got some extra sets

He doesn't sell them any more, may have to buy some brass washers and work them down to fit or try to order some of the correct size from a company like McMaster Carr...

[Jdeanie]

My xl 1100 is choked first three to four inches of breech, it's just too tight from being pressed into the breech block I guess.
Talked with Cameron today at Crossman and he is confirming that crossman is not going to produce spare barrels for  xl for sale, he thought maybe a couple hundred lot would show up in New York but it's not looking very likely at all. Looks like the nitro piston 2 is going to shoot the lights out on previous models. I wouldn't be surprised is it's a lights out upgrade in all areas where the xl lacks.

[Oldnoob]

My xl 1100 is choked first three to four inches of breech, it's just too tight from being pressed into the breech block I guess.
Talked with Cameron today at Crossman and he is confirming that crossman is not going to produce spare barrels for  xl for sale, he thought maybe a couple hundred lot would show up in New York but it's not looking very likely at all. Looks like the nitro piston 2 is going to shoot the lights out on previous models. I wouldn't be surprised is it's a lights out upgrade in all areas where the xl lacks.

And im guessing they redesigned the NP2 pivot points and dimensions so that you cant put a NP2 barrel on your old NP.  And most likely they designed the  NP2 piston so that you cant replace the piston in the NP with it.