Posts Tagged ‘Benjamin Marauder’
Evanix AR6 – Airgun Review
Evanix AR6 Shrouded .22 Caliber
W/ Leapers 4-16×50 AO, MD, IR Scope
Written By,
Rick Eutsler
Editor / Owner www.AirGunWeb.com
editor@airgunweb.com
Review Product & Supplies
Provided by: www.pyramydair.com
Without a doubt the Evanix AR6 is a stunning airgun and the exceptional design and craftsmanship is immediately noticeable. The Evanix AR6 comes in an ambidextrous stock that sports nice checkering on the grip and forearm and a raised cheek piece on both sides. The wood grain and finish is right up there with the best airguns I’ve reviewed to date. This version of the Evanix AR6 also comes with a shrouded barrel that helps reduce shot noise.
The rifle uses a 6 shot rotary cylinder. The pellets load skirt first from the front of the cylinder. Unlike the Magazine for the Marauder, the AR6’s cylinder allows for longer pellets like the Polymags or the Eun Jins making the AR6 a very flexible rifle.
The Evanix AR6 is both double and single action. The pull weight on the double action is so heavy that it is virtually unusable, so treating it as a single action rifle is going to be your best bet. The trigger pull is very heavy because of the powerful hammer spring which is necessary to achieve the high volume of air needed to reach for that 60 FT-LB target. The trigger is still very stiff, even in single action and is not adjustable. There is NO 2nd stage to this trigger, just a stiff short pull.
I Mounted a Leapers 4-16×50 AO, MD, IR scope to this rifle. I really like Leapers products. I’ve found them to bring some of the best value to the table as far as features vs. price goes. I mounted the scope with a set of 2 piece Accushot high rings which provided more than enough clearance for the 6 shot cylinder.
The AR6 is a standard PCP rifle that operates at a max of 3000 psi. The manual and integrated meter were a little confusing because the meter goes from green to red at 150 bar, approximately 2175 psi, but the manual says that you can go to 3000 psi, or closer to 206 bar. I’m cautious about taking things “into the red” so I called the techs at PyramydAir and got the OK to go all the way to 3000 psi. They confirmed that the manual and the gauge were a little confusing and gave me the “go ahead” to fill it all the way to 3000 psi.
The rifle fills by using a high pressure source, like a scuba tank, or hand pump. I use a scuba tank and fill kit that I got from PyramydAir some time ago. The AR6 uses a simple probe which I’ve adapted to work with my foster quick connect fitting. This makes it quick and easy to switch between adaptors to fill any of my PCP rifles from the same tank and fill kit.
Performance & Accuracy:
There is always a balance between velocity, accuracy, and energy put on the target. The Evanix AR6 offers all 3 but not with just one pellet. The rifle can shoot the very heavy 32.4 grn Eun Jin pellets at almost 900 FPS. The down side is that their accuracy started to fall apart past 25 yards.
The BEST pellet in the AR6 was the 21.14 grn Beeman Kodiaks. These delivered less energy, but remained accurate out past 100 yards. So, at 25 yards and in, the Eun Jin pellets deliver moderate accuracy but incredible power, perfect for larger pests. For every other application, the Kodiaks are the pellet to use. Here are the numbers:
Starting with the Eun Jin Pointed 32.4 GRN pellets
- High: 899
- Low: 857
- Average: 878
- Extreme Spread: 42
- Standard Deviation: 14.94
- Average Energy: - 55.47 FT-LB
- Max Energy in tests: – 58.16 FT-LB
We did not get the full 60 FT-LB stated in the specifications, but we only needed another 15 fps to get there. I don’t tweak the rifles before I test them. These are “out of the box” results. I wonder if there is a way to get that extra 15 fps?
Now on to our most accurate pellet the Beeman Kodiaks at 21.14 grns.
- High: 988
- Low: 934
- Average: 962
- Extreme Spread: 54
- Standard Deviation: 20
- Average Energy: - 43.41 FPE
- Max Energy in tests: – 45.83 FT-LB
Review Summary:
You may never hear me say this again so please take note. There are times when accuracy is relative. When you consider most airguns need pinpoint accuracy to get clean kills, the Evanix AR6 is more like hunting with a bazooka. If you hit game with close to 60 FT-LB it is going down. Yes the Beeman Kodiaks gave us the best groups, but there is something to be said about putting over 58 FT-LB on a target inside 25 yards. The accuracy difference at that range was certainly close enough, especially if you are trying to take down bigger game that has a larger kill zone.
Now, when you need to reach out past 25 yards, then the Kodiaks are going to be your best friend. Just as a side note, if you are just shooting for fun and max power is NOT the issue. Consider filling the rifle to just 150 bar and shooting the Kodiaks. You’ll get a good 12 shots per fill and you’ll get more fills from your scuba tank because you are not trying to get 3000 psi into your gun. You always have the option of taking it to 3000 psi when you need it.
Here is an average group from 25 yards using the Beeman Kodiaks:
Evanix AR6 .22 from 25 yards using Beeman Kodiak Pellets
Now to the scorecard, Pros and Cons:
The Cons:
The Evanix AR6 is not as accurate as I would have liked and is definitely louder than I would have liked. Even with the barrel shroud, it is well over 110 db. The difference between the Benjamin Marauder .22 and the Evanix AR6 .22 is very noticeable. This may not be a big deal to some, but if you are getting this to shoot in your backyard and you have picky neighbors, consider something else.
The Pros:
The Evanix AR6 has tremendous power, easy loading of pellets, easy cycling of the cylinder, it is lighter than I expected, and quieter than the non-shrouded .22 cal AirForce Condor in and RWS Dominator, two rifles that are in the same power class.
Final Word:
Written By, Rick Eutsler
Editor / Owner www.AirGunWeb.com
editor@airgunweb.com
Copyright 2011, Dog River Design, LLC – All Rights Reserved.
Marauder Meaderings: First Look
Written By,
Eric Eikenberry
Writer / Contributor www.AirGunWeb.com
First of all, I’ve got to give a big shout out to Rick at www.airgunweb.com and Eric Munson at www.compasseco.com. Without the two of them, I wouldn’t be holding this Benjamin Marauder in my hands at this moment. Rick wasn’t sure he wanted to review the big M yet, but I felt it was a significant watershed moment. I’m happy to report that I was right.
The Marauder by the specs has everything a hunter/sport shooter could possibly want in a repeating PCP air rifle. There’s quality metal construction, a decent-looking piece of wood with a tough finish, a pressure gauge, an ambidextrous stock with laser-cut checkering, and a match-grade choked, shrouded, and silenced barrel. The trigger is a semi-weirdly shaped flattish blade, with no checkering or ribbing on its face. When combined with the long stretch from the wide grip, it can easily cause hand fatigue. What typically worked best for me was draping my thumb over the top of the stock and allowing just the fingertips of your second, third, and fourth fingers to lightly touch the face of the grip (rather than trying to wrap them around the grip). This allows a sufficient first finger reach to get to that trigger. Someone will surely make a curved “hunting trigger” which will retrofit the Marauder trigger assembly before long though. I’ll take one in brass please. Likewise, someone will probably make a lighter, pistol-grip stock of AAA-grade Walnut or Beech. Trust us; this is going to be a very popular rifle for the modders.
We have no qualms with the FEEL of the unit. Crosman calls it “match-grade two-stage trigger” and it surely is. As it comes right out of the box, it’s wonderful. Just a light pull with a crisp break releases the hammer at the exact same point every time. It’s so good you might come to hate the triggers in your other air rifles. Yup, that’s no exaggeration. It’s fully adjustable too, though we can’t really see a need to fuss with it at this point. Other fine details include the nice shoulder pad on the end of the stock, the thread-on aluminum cap over the Schrader fill valve, and smooth-cocking bolt action. Loading the magazine is quite easy, though the tension of the wind-up spring in mine tends to squash the soft JSB pellet skirts a little bit. I have to admit that I’m eager to try a manual loading adapter, if Crosman ever makes one available, just to see if there’s any difference in the groups.
If you’re reading this review and you’re like me, you’ve already read every other review you could find on the internet, so let me attempt to describe just how quiet it really is. The “ping” of the hammer and spring releasing the valve is LOUDER than the discharge. Or to put it another way, you’ll be able to HEAR the vibration in the hammer spring as it makes a cute “ting” sound. I accidentally blank-fired a BSA Sportsman HV .22 in a sporting goods store in Phoenix, AZ the other day and the report’s echo slapping off a nearby wall made my ears ring. The BSA wasn’t fully charged. Popping off the Marauder the same way, at 2500 PSI, in the much closer confines of my garage won’t make enough noise to frighten my 4 year old daughter! The blast of air will effectively eliminate a black widow spider! Yes, you WILL wonder if the rifle isn’t working right… until you shoot through your pellet trap, as I did! Mind you, I’m using this just as it came from the box, with the recommended valve, spring tension, and hammer-length adjustments. I’m not firing it remotely close to its maximum velocity! My pellet trap is (was) rated for .22 rimfire rifles. I’m going to need a sheet of battleship armor plating very soon. That’s no exaggeration. If you’ve got a pigeon or squirrel problem, you’ll be dropping them so fast, and so quietly, the live ones will be walking around wondering what happened to their buddies.
Partly why the Marauder seems so strong is because it repeatedly hammers the same spot. The best accuracy was observed with JSB 10.2 gr Exact Diabolo pellets. I’ve twice fired all 10 pellets from a magazine into one tiny hole. How tiny? Try .25” at 20 yards! That’s right, I put ten .177 pellets into a hole measuring .25” edge to edge from a sitting position at my bench. Twice! This rifle is better than I am, by far. It does not always do this though. My Marauder still suffers from the occasional “flyer” and I’m currently working with Crosman to narrow down the reason why. Perhaps it’s just me? Rick’s going to loan me a Leapers 6x24x50 AO scope to try on a pair of 1” UK Sportmatch mounts because I want to get out and try some really long range shooting soon. I truthfully think the only way to determine this rifle’s accuracy will be to mount it on some sand bags and try to remove the “human factor” as completely as possible. Suffice it to say that hunters will love it. Sighted in with one particular pellet, where you put the crosshairs is where you can expect all 10 pellets to group. My personal obsession is trying to get all of the pellets into one crisp hole without any flyers. Beeman Kodiak Heavies (at 10.6 gr) also showed some promise, though they’re not as perfectly formed as the JSBs. They produced a similar-sized “average” group as the JSB Exact Diabolos did.
The “power curve” of a PCP gun does take a bit of acclimation. There is a slight rise in velocity, followed by a relatively stable area, and then as the pressure falls below 2000 PSI in the reservoir, the pellets dramatically slow down. From a 2500 PSI fill, easily accomplished with the Benjamin pump, there are 50 accurate shots available. I’ve gone as far as to shoot 70-80 shots though, with the final pressure ending around 1700-1800 PSI. If you’re out hunting, that’s probably an entire day’s worth right there. With the heavy pellets (JSBs or Kodiaks) the .177 rifle’s producing around 25 foot/lbs of force at the muzzle at close, or just over 900 FPS. Tom Gaylord’s wonderful blog reports the capability of producing over 1100 FPS with the adjustments set to their maximum. For all of you speed freaks, that’s smoking fast, though not in the range of the super-magnum springers currently on the market. Nothing shooting that fast will produce a .25” group at 20 yards. As the pellets slowed down, below 1800 PSI, where I could watch them in flight (probably 800 FPS and below) even my notoriously-inconsistent box of Crosman Premier 10.5 gr domed field target pellets started producing one-hole groups with greater consistency. At that point though, velocity continues to trend downward as there’s not enough pressure left in the reservoir to produce a full air charge.
And there’s the rub with this PCP rifle; it’s so good it practically begs for a regulated valve for the utmost in consistency. Ninety-five percent of most Marauder owners won’t care. As I stated before, its consistency is better than yours, right out of the box. Period. Quit whining about it, stock up on JSB Exacts or Beeman Kodiaks, and get to practicing your technique! If you’ve cut your PCP teeth with a Benjamin Discovery, stop waffling and go buy the Marauder. You can thank me later by sending me your unused and unloved Benjis. I’ll gladly accept donations. The arrival of the Marauder will ultimately crush the resale value of the single-shot, loud-as-a-.22 Discovery rifles already floating around the market.
On a side note, Rick probably won’t be able to stop talking about the .22 Marauder. I like making very tiny holes. Rick likes hunting. If the Marauder in .22 is as good, and as quiet, as the .177 version then 50-plus yard kills will become commonplace in your huntin’ yarns. I’ll leave that side of the story to Rick.
Written By,
Eric Eikenberry
Writer/Photographer
Titles: HPI, Fast Fours, Hot 4s, Street Machine, Banzai, Track and Race Car, Performance BMW, BMW Car, Bimmer Roundel, Excellence, Modified, Modified Luxury & Exotics, Modified Mustangs, Mustang Enthusiast, Pontiac Enthusiast, Corvette Enthusiast, Mopar Enthusiast, Nissan Sport, Mazda Sport, Rotary Speed, Subiesport, S3, Grassroots Motorsport, Japanese Nostalgic Car, AutoGuide.com.
Copyright 2008 www.airgunweb.com & Dog River Design, LLC.