If you're going to be shooting squirrels, rabbits and other "pest" critters with some plinking/target shooting mixed in, which caliber (.177, .22 or .25) would be preferred in a Benjamin Marauder? Please give the reasoning behind this and consider the rifle would be filled using the pump sold with the rifle and would be scoped.
I'd go with a .177 or a .22. If the biggest thing you'll shoot is a squirrel or rabbit, either will work. If you're taking out crows or larger I'd go with the .22. The .25 gets fewer shots per fill (stock, that is) and the pellets are way more expensive. But the trade off is tons of power. .22 pellets are more than .177 pellets, so you may want to keep that in mind, too.
Once upon a time the .22 barrels were hit and miss (more miss?) that "seems" to be better now, all the .177's I've seen shot well and do what you want. Having dealt with more junk rifles than I want in powder guns, I'm a little leary of buying a new manufactured gun that's had a lot of warranty issues. But that's just me after fixing so many junkers I bought for cheap. "I" would be really tempted to go for .22 and already have a stock of pellets to try and if the barrel is not good warranty it, or .177. .177 and a reg & light hammer set up would be your dream rig esp. pumping and for target work. For some reason I'm leaning away from the .177 and it may be because I had a Daisy pump years ago that was .177 and I had trouble loading those small pellets then with my fairly big hands. My hands are older and much stiffer now, so it would be worst today. Also the .177 and .22 are easy barrel/bolt/clip swaps -was about $58.00 last time I did one- the .25 is a different dia. breech/barrel and wont swap. That's pretty inexpensive for a caliber change. Thank you for the information.
And boost your pump from a compressor so it only takes 30 (instead of 80) pumps to recharge your gun.
The .25 Marauder is one of the first PCP's I ever owned, and it's still my "Go To Gun" - it'll slide a full clip into a quarter at 50yds every time (providing of course I do MY part), mine gets 3 clips per fill easily with no shift or drop ... Keep in mind that the FPE of a .25 pellet at 50yds is roughly the same as a .22 at the muzzle, so You don't have to be afraid to "reach out and touch" a pest, LOL.I consider this important, as squirrels are very active creatures and move around a lot. You never know what range you're going to get a "still" shot. More than likely, the pest will be moving when you squeeze the trigger hard enough to release it. So if you don't get a perfectly placed shot, how much knock down power you have jumps to the fore front. A lot gets said regarding caliber, FPE, etc required for hunting "X" pest - but where the actual reality lies is in a real-world hunting scenario. Very true, real-world critters are never as still as you'd like them to be and they are never where you want them to be or give you as much time to aim as you'd like.YES, "blah-blah .177 airgun killed a coyote at 85yds", etc but let's be realistic, the perfect headshot rarely presents itself in the field, No, it doesn't and only if you're lucky. I'm lucky in that I'm a really good shot, but not and never have been lucky in getting live targets to behave like I would like them to. and this is where caliber and FPE come into play. The larger the caliber the farther downrange a larger amount of energy and mass are going to be transferred to your target, period. The "Perfect" shot at that range of course will kill with any of the 3 available MROD calibers, but the odds of a less-than-perfect shot working out increase exponentially with a larger caliber / heavier pellet. I personally had lots of imperfect shots when I was a 12-13 year old kid with my Daisy pump (the predecessor to the 880) and know exactly what you are talking about. I remember with sadness now the number of times the BB's or pellets I used failed to take down a squirrel I'd hit squarely in the head, saw the squirrel's head yanked around and tossed the squirrel to the ground, only to see the squirrel get up and run. No time for a killing follow up shot and all I could do was pump the rifle as fast as I could while chasing after the squirrel. Opportunities for a second shot were rare and I lost way too many.That said, the tradeoff is really a matter of deciding what's more important to You, hunting ability with the increased potential for a humane kill with the larger caliber (as well as longer range) *OR* the increased efficiency of a smaller caliber for eliminating paper, lower ammo cost, etc. After all those years hunting growing up and all those hours spent in the woods/fields hunting with air rifles, then .22's/shotguns, then rifles, I've got very highly developed woods awareness even now at my age, but a humane kill is at the top of my list. I prefer a one shot, one kill scenario to any other and would rather pass on a shot than wound an animal these days and have.To ME personally, the added effort and slightly higher cost of the larger caliber is a no-brainer if hunting is at all on the table, but then again that's why I have target guns with higher efficiency for when I'm just bored and playing around, and I have big-bore for most of my hunting and pest elimination. Excellent points and I agree totally. Hunting is definitely on the table, as if I don't, I'm going to be having dead squirrels in the attic soon. The neighborhood around my house is actually over-populated and I wish there was a good predator cat hanging around, but there is not.However You decide, the MROD is an excellent gun at the price point, and definitely is a purchase that You will be happy with That's kind of what I thought when I read about it for the first time. I had already ordered a QB78 .22 from Roy Weid at Mountain Guns and if I hadn't already done that, I'd be buying a MROD this week. As it is, I should be ready to buy when the new wood stocked version with adjustable cheek rest comes out.
For your needs, I'd recommend the 177 if getting a rifle. And with that responses, you've evened out the votes for each of the three calibers to four apiece.However, have you considered a P-rod set-up as a carbine? I haven't been around air guns long enough to know what a P-rod is, much less set-up as a carbine. Can you elaborate or provide a link to a thread or one for sale at a vendor?The P-rod is light and maneuverable. I currently have tuned mine for 32 shots per fill at 16 FPE, but you can tune for 40 shots at 12 FPE if you like. I tune for 3% extreme spread which is often around 25 FPS to keep my point of impact tight at 50 yards or less. For what purpose are you using this rifle and what caliber?In general, I recommend the 25 as it is more accurate out of the box than any of the others and the 25 is amazing for eliminating squirrels and can do a respectable job on coyotes. But pumping to 3000 psi is no fun and only getting 16 shots per fill will get old quickly if you are using a hand pump. I'm thinking this is true, but perhaps there are ways to make the hand pump more efficient with some mods per another poster. For my use, 16 shots will likely be fine, as I simply don't have and won't have the time to shoot much more than that at a single sitting anyways. To be honest, I don't see myself shooting up a single magazine of 8 at a sitting once I get the rifle and scope sighted in. Just too many irons in my fire these days. I use SCBA tanks which work great with any Marauder - especially the 25 caliber. If only there was a dive shop in this country town. To get to one, I have to drive 30-45 minutes.
Now how exactly does one "boost their pump from a compressor?" I'm guessing some kind of adapter hose with a standard air compressor quick release on one side and a quick release that connects to the fitting that's been added to the pump somehow or another. Anybody have a link to a thread where it's been done?
Quote from: Sandspike on February 24, 2014, 08:27:43 AMAnd boost your pump from a compressor so it only takes 30 (instead of 80) pumps to recharge your gun.Now how exactly does one "boost their pump from a compressor?" I'm guessing some kind of adapter hose with a standard air compressor quick release on one side and a quick release that connects to the fitting that's been added to the pump somehow or another. Anybody have a link to a thread where it's been done?
Quote from: DaveInGA on February 24, 2014, 08:23:53 PMQuote from: Sandspike on February 24, 2014, 08:27:43 AMAnd boost your pump from a compressor so it only takes 30 (instead of 80) pumps to recharge your gun.Now how exactly does one "boost their pump from a compressor?" I'm guessing some kind of adapter hose with a standard air compressor quick release on one side and a quick release that connects to the fitting that's been added to the pump somehow or another. Anybody have a link to a thread where it's been done?Someone posted this the other day. This is what you need. Not a hand pump and air compressor.https://www.precisionairgunsandsupplies.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=Raptor-Pneumatics-EZ-Fill-4500
Quote from: Philidor on February 24, 2014, 08:50:45 PMQuote from: DaveInGA on February 24, 2014, 08:23:53 PMQuote from: Sandspike on February 24, 2014, 08:27:43 AMAnd boost your pump from a compressor so it only takes 30 (instead of 80) pumps to recharge your gun.Now how exactly does one "boost their pump from a compressor?" I'm guessing some kind of adapter hose with a standard air compressor quick release on one side and a quick release that connects to the fitting that's been added to the pump somehow or another. Anybody have a link to a thread where it's been done?Someone posted this the other day. This is what you need. Not a hand pump and air compressor.https://www.precisionairgunsandsupplies.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=Raptor-Pneumatics-EZ-Fill-4500Phil....I want one of those....will you buy it for me please??
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