Marauder My Benjamin Marauder G3 Project

[Billm]

At the Pyramyd Air Cup 2026, I was one of the lucky winners of a PCP rifle. In my case I won the Benjamin Marauder G3 .22. I am really excited and grateful to have won it. I bought a bunch of raffle tickets. You placed your tickets in fish bowels next to the prizes that you wanted to win. I stuffed most of mine in the G3, FX and XTI-50 bowls and then scattered a few around. I watched them empty the XTI package bowls three times in five minutes and so I didn’t hold much hope for that.
First I’m going to take boreshots of the barrel. I’m going to clean , but not polish the barrel. For a scope I’m thinking of a Discovery 5-30x. I will shoot it box stock to get a feel for it. Then I will start a project for it. I don’t want to permanently modify the gun in any way yet. So, im thinking i will either design a 25/50yd benchrest stock or attempt a CNC machined wood or laminate stock. If I had a 3d model for the bottom of the block for the inletting, I’d def try a nice laminate stock. I’d hate to mess up an expensive slab of laminate or exotic wood because i mis-measured. When I’ve done 3d printed stocks, the inletting usually takes a try or two to get right.

 

[Billm]

This rifle is a lot of fun to shoot. I ended up bore scoping the barrel. I got lazy and did not clean it. I wanted to see how it did from the box. It had some lead, about as much as I would expect from ten test shots. The trigger out of the box is heavier than I like. That is not a criticism, that is just an observation. The trigger is fully adjustable and unlike a $2500 rifle that I recently shot, Benjamin actually details how to adjust it in the instructions. It is set at 1lb 14oz, perfectly fine for a sporter. I ended up putting the Athlon Ares 15-60x on it, because the rings were spaced ok for it.

I’ve created a monster, Elaine informed me that she wanted to shoot and that everything needed to be setup like it would be at PAC or EBR. I politely informed her that I had just pushed a 100+ lb target stand from 101yds to 50yds in 106f heat index and that would have to suffice LMBO.
I sighted it in and the let Elaine have at it.

I increased the regulator to 1700 and filled it up. I used AEA 18.3gr pellets. I set the hammer for approximately 930fps. I just chose random numbers that I thought might work. I believe it was about a 97% tune. Not much to report. No real tuning, no search for the pellets that it liked. The wind was a little brutal. The rifle is rock solid off a front rest and rear bag. It just laid down group after group. It is accurate already and I’m sure it will get even better with some tuning and pellet selection.
If only we had a 25 or 50yd bench rest league, this would be a great rifle for that.
I’ll play with it some more as is at 50yds and then stretch it out to 75yds and then 100yds. At some point I will try some slugs.

 

[Pumacarl]

That's some fine shooting! And she didn't post anything about all the problems she was having with the gun either, lol! Sorry Bill, I just couldn't resist.

 

[Billm]

That's some fine shooting! And she didn't post anything about all the problems she was having with the gun either, lol! Sorry Bill, I just couldn't resist.

lol, that’s because she’s got her own airsmith. . I kind of screwed her over. She told me that she was having trouble with the focus and eye box. I told her that I would reduce the magnification from 40x and that would probably help. After she stopped shooting , I looked through the scope and realized I had cranked it up to 60x. I decided to keep that to myself. Even at 100yds the scope is practically unuseable at 50x and above. The center of the scope blurs and if your eye is not perfectly aligned, the scope gets black spots. I did not know that was a thing with high power scopes.

 

[Pumacarl]

lol, that’s because she’s got her own airsmith. . I kind of screwed her over. She told me that she was having trouble with the focus and eye box. I told her that I would reduce the magnification from 40x and that would probably help. After she stopped shooting , I looked through the scope and realized I had cranked it up to 60x. I decided to keep that to myself. Even at 100yds the scope is practically unuseable at 50x and above. The center of the scope blurs and if your eye is not perfectly aligned, the scope gets black spots. I did not know that was a thing with high power scopes.

Some airsmith you are, you'd better hope she doesn't read this stuff or you'll get fired! lol

 

[wolfmangreg]

Does me heart good to see all the positive feedback on the Gen 3.

 

[BBGunn]

Billm, congrats on winning the new G3!

 

[BenjeneerJohn]

Bill I am glad that you and your wife are having fun with your new Gen 3 Marauder.

Your groups are outstanding! I don't think I tried those pellets. Rick Rehm posted a video of his Gen 3 shooting 20.8g JSB Knockout slugs.

John

 

[Billm]

Billm, congrats on winning the new G3!

Thanks a bunch.

 

[Billm]

Bill I am glad that you and your wife are having fun with your new Gen 3 Marauder.

Your groups are outstanding! I don't think I tried those pellets. Rick Rehm posted a video of his Gen 3 shooting 20.8g JSB Knockout slugs.

John

Thanks. I’m not sure I will actually do much to this rifle. You’ve done a great job. I went back out as it was getting dark. I shot a couple of groups at 50yds. No change, smack on target. I have a small .22 spinner rack at 101yds. I don’t use a ballistic ap (yet). I have no idea what the drop should at 101yds. I guessed at 12”. I had a slight r-l crosswind. I held 1” to the right at 12” over. I hit it. It didn’t spin hard and stuck upside down. I assumed I had just clipped it. I shot it three more times, with no misses. I went down and looked at it. There was a small group in the center of the spinner and one on the top where I flipped it. Hitting them wasn’t the point. It’s not real hard to shoot a rifle from a rest and the holdover was a pure lucky guess. The exciting part is that the pellets grouped tightly without a lot of effort. I really was expecting to see the groups really open up over 75yds. I’m impressed. I’m spoiled by all the shooting I do with .30. The Sonoran at 85 fpe hits the spinners with authority. The Panthera with 120 fpe is bending and ruining my spinners. Once I put that into perspective I realized why 18gr with 34fpe at the muzzle wasn’t as dramatic when hitting the spinners. But, it is soooo much fun shooting lots of pellets without the expense or need to fill every five minutes.
I do wish the gauges were on the left, where I keep looking for them lol. I’m having what I think are large velocity swings, but they’re not impacting the groups much. Maybe, it’s just breaking in.

 

[BBGunn]

Thanks. I’m not sure I will actually do much to this rifle. You’ve done a great job. I went back out as it was getting dark. I shot a couple of groups at 50yds. No change, smack on target. I have a small .22 spinner rack at 101yds. I don’t use a ballistic ap (yet). I have no idea what the drop should at 101yds. I guessed at 12”. I had a slight r-l crosswind. I held 1” to the right at 12” over. I hit it. It didn’t spin hard and stuck upside down. I assumed I had just clipped it. I shot it three more times, with no misses. I went down and looked at it. There was a small group in the center of the spinner and one on the top where I flipped it. Hitting them wasn’t the point. It’s not real hard to shoot a rifle from a rest and the holdover was a pure lucky guess. The exciting part is that the pellets grouped tightly without a lot of effort. I really was expecting to see the groups really open up over 75yds. I’m impressed. I’m spoiled by all the shooting I do with .30. The Sonoran at 85 fpe hits the spinners with authority. The Panthera with 120 fpe is bending and ruining my spinners. Once I put that into perspective I realized why 18gr with 34fpe at the muzzle wasn’t as dramatic when hitting the spinners. But, it is soooo much fun shooting lots of pellets without the expense or need to fill every five minutes.
I do wish the gauges were on the left, where I keep looking for them lol. I’m having what I think are large velocity swings, but they’re not impacting the groups much. Maybe, it’s just breaking in. View attachment 22576

Obviously, there is no way you should be experiencing that large of ES from a regulated rifle! Something isn't right with that??? Heck, my non-regulated Daystar gets 30-shots (same pellet and energy you are using) with an ES about 8-9fps.

I'm sure John will have some advice about this issue. I'll be curious to learn what this issue is all about???

 

[BenjeneerJohn]

I would suggest lowering the regulated pressure and adjusting the hammer spring.

Degas the rifle down to around 500psi. Use a 3/16" allen key to screw the regulator adjuster in. You will feel the adjuster touch. Stop there and do not force it. Gas the rifle back up and adjust the regulator to around 1400psi and work your way up in pressure. Adjust the hammer spring and see what the velocity does.

When I tuned the rifles for American Airgunner for 18g JSBs shooting at 930, the reg was closer to 1500psi.

Let me know how it goes.

John

 

[Billm]

I would suggest lowering the regulated pressure and adjusting the hammer spring.

Degas the rifle down to around 500psi. Use a 3/16" allen key to screw the regulator adjuster in. You will feel the adjuster touch. Stop there and do not force it. Gas the rifle back up and adjust the regulator to around 1400psi and work your way up in pressure. Adjust the hammer spring and see what the velocity does.

When I tuned the rifles for American Airgunner for 18g JSBs shooting at 930, the reg was closer to 1500psi.

Let me know how it goes.

John

Ok I’ll do that. Thanks.

 

[Billm]

I only have two minor dislikes, and I’m really nitpicking, but I’m trying to keep it honest. I wish the gauges were on the left side of the rifle. It’s a pain sitting at the left side of the bench and not being able to see the gauges without either getting up or flipping the rifle upside down. The offset angled gauges on the Panthera have spoiled me.

I understand why an American airgun, might want to use SAE Allen wrenches. But, when you own a lot of airguns and they’re all metric, having one that uses SAE is a minor inconvenience. The real reason it bothers me: I have drawers of Allen wrenches, but not the size required to adjust the trigger weight in an “L”. I have good quality machined Allen drivers in the right size, but the adjustment slot in the trigger guard does not allow access to the trigger weight adjustment screw. It’s really just a personal preference.
There are too many things to like about the G3 to allow these little things to bother me.

 

[Auto1191]

At the Pyramyd Air Cup 2026, I was one of the lucky winners of a PCP rifle. In my case I won the Benjamin Marauder G3 .22. I am really excited and grateful to have won it. I bought a bunch of raffle tickets. You placed your tickets in fish bowels next to the prizes that you wanted to win. I stuffed most of mine in the G3, FX and XTI-50 bowls and then scattered a few around. I watched them empty the XTI package bowls three times in five minutes and so I didn’t hold much hope for that.
First I’m going to take boreshots of the barrel. I’m going to clean , but not polish the barrel. For a scope I’m thinking of a Discovery 5-30x. I will shoot it box stock to get a feel for it. Then I will start a project for it. I don’t want to permanently modify the gun in any way yet. So, im thinking i will either design a 25/50yd benchrest stock or attempt a CNC machined wood or laminate stock. If I had a 3d model for the bottom of the block for the inletting, I’d def try a nice laminate stock. I’d hate to mess up an expensive slab of laminate or exotic wood because i mis-measured. When I’ve done 3d printed stocks, the inletting usually takes a try or two to get right.

You are going to LOVE shooting ,22 cal. Easy peezy

 

[Auto1191]

Thanks. I’m not sure I will actually do much to this rifle. You’ve done a great job. I went back out as it was getting dark. I shot a couple of groups at 50yds. No change, smack on target. I have a small .22 spinner rack at 101yds. I don’t use a ballistic ap (yet). I have no idea what the drop should at 101yds. I guessed at 12”. I had a slight r-l crosswind. I held 1” to the right at 12” over. I hit it. It didn’t spin hard and stuck upside down. I assumed I had just clipped it. I shot it three more times, with no misses. I went down and looked at it. There was a small group in the center of the spinner and one on the top where I flipped it. Hitting them wasn’t the point. It’s not real hard to shoot a rifle from a rest and the holdover was a pure lucky guess. The exciting part is that the pellets grouped tightly without a lot of effort. I really was expecting to see the groups really open up over 75yds. I’m impressed. I’m spoiled by all the shooting I do with .30. The Sonoran at 85 fpe hits the spinners with authority. The Panthera with 120 fpe is bending and ruining my spinners. Once I put that into perspective I realized why 18gr with 34fpe at the muzzle wasn’t as dramatic when hitting the spinners. But, it is soooo much fun shooting lots of pellets without the expense or need to fill every five minutes.
I do wish the gauges were on the left, where I keep looking for them lol. I’m having what I think are large velocity swings, but they’re not impacting the groups much. Maybe, it’s just breaking in. View attachment 22576

Try shooting 18 grain @ 910 to 935

 

[Billm]

Went back out today and shot some more. I followed @BenjeneerJohn advice and degassed and started over at 1500psi. I couldn’t get 935fps without having the hammer near its max. I increased the reg slightly to around 1520psi and it settled down. I also shot some Hades and some H&N 27gr slugs. I didn’t change the tune. It doesn’t like the Hades as much as the AEA, grouped good, but not as tight. The H&N slugs were slow at about 700fps, as expected. But, they had 0 drift in 15mph winds and stacked on top of each other, just a few inches lower. It looks promising for slugs too. If course everyone already knows that. With all the various rounds, the SD has settled in below 4.

 

[Billm]

Try shooting 18 grain @ 910 to 935

Yeah , I have several .22s and they all seem to like the AEA 18.3s or the Norma Heavies. I’m having good results with AEA in both .22 and .30 at 935fps. My .25 rifles seem to prefer JSB.

 

[Billm]

I moved the target plate out to 78yds. It’s shooting 14 shot groups slightly larger than an inch in the wind. The SD has settled at 2.4fps. The graph is almost straight line. I deleted three shots in the middle because they were 27gr slugs, just for the heck of it. I’ll have to try some Normas and other weights. I want to polish the barrel, but it’s hard to mess with it.

 

[rayroz]

I have a 22 also i have it running at 1350 on the reg shooting 18 jsb ‘s . Its pushing them at 890 fps and im getting 140 shots a fill. SD4 with ES 10 ,1/2 in at 50 yrds . All for 830$
enjoy Ray