Benjamin 392, why did no one tell me how much fun it is?

[MacTech]

A couple weeks ago, I traded one of my lesser used rifles towards a CZ-452 Scout, mainly because I like the CZ rimfires, and it'd be a great pack/camp/trunk/justplainfun gun, and I could use it to train my 9 year old nephew on a kid's size rifle (both parents are okay with me teaching him)

I planned to start him off with Augila Super Colibris as they'd be quiet and relatively low powered, but the local shops have been out of SC for a while now, I decided to try some of my CCI CB Longs and Remington CBees in it at the range first to see how quiet they are, the SC rounds are practically silent in the Scout and are no noisier than a pellet rifle, CB Longs are borderline "need hearing protection", and CBees, although quieter than a full power .22LR subsonic, are still squarely in the "need hearing protection" camp

I fully intend to get Logan some kid-sized hearing and eye protection before he shoulders the Scout, as it was louder than i expected with CB Longs, I was expecting the CBees to be borderline hearing protection needed anyway

So, tonight, I decided to pick up another alternative plinker so I can go shootin' around the property with Logan, he has his Daisy Red Ryder, so I figured I should get myself an air rifle as well, I've always wanted a Benjamin multi-pump, even as a child, but I never got one, well, I got one now

It's got some rather nice wood on it, and appears to be mostly metal-and-wood (perhaps beechwood? it's got a nice grain structure that birch seems to lack) construction, a nice heft and balance, plus, the pump arm gives me a nice little workout in the process

right now, it's snowing (big storm blowing in, looks like Nor'Easter #3 or is that #4....), but I wanted to see how the 392 would perform for plinking, so I went down cellar to our woodpile, grabbed a scrap piece of board (3/4" thick) and set it up against a big old log that had a soft backdrop (old blankets) behind it, stepped back to 20 feet or so, pumped it up twice and dropped in a pellet

with a soft "thwup", the Gamo pointed pellet zipped out and hit the board, a bit low from where I was aiming,however the gun consistently grouped the two-pump shots about 1/4" apart , and I wasn't exactly trying for accuracy, just a function test, the pellets were still lodged in the board, but flush with the surface

I then upped to three pumps, no real difference, gun still quiet, a quiet "thwup", pellets sunk in a tad more, but still in the board

At four pumps, the pellets started to bulge the back of the board, almost cracking open an exit wound

At five pumps, I started seeing the occasional shoot-through into the log backstop, but shoot throughs were inconsistent, it would knock a chip of wood out of the back of the board and I could see the head of the pellet

At six pumps, the groups tightened up noticeably, almost touching, and every shot was a full penetration, pellets were recovered from behind the board, but did not enter the log, gun was still quiet, a noticeable "pop" of the air being released was heard this time in addition to the "thwack" of the pellet hitting the board, the previous shots noise level was the "sproing" of the spring releasing and the "thwup" of the pellet hitting the board

at this point, I decided to call it, as it was getting late anyway, but I had a *lot* of fun, just plinking in the basement, something that I could never safely do with a firearm, heck, I could, if I really want, turn one of the upstairs hallways into an impromptu shooting range, limit myself to no more than three pumps per shot....

The other reason I picked up a multipump is because of it's versatility, 2-3 pumps and it's got the similar power level as Logan's Red Ryder, yet I have the ability to go up to eight pumps if I need more power, but for the most part, 3-4 pumps would suffice for plinking with Logan, don't want to overpower his targets (clay pigeons), Logan can make a clay last for a while chipping away at it with his DRR, however, one shot from a SC or CB Long from my .22 shatters the clay completely

plus, ammo is dirt cheap, even more affordable than .22LR

I never realized how much fun the humble little Benjamin 392 is, I can see myself putting a lot of trigger time on this one, time to put on a rear peep and stock up on pellets

 

[Geckgo]

I'm with ya. I recently acuired a Beeman break action and it is second only to my semi-auto .22, with the added bonus that I can play in the house XD

 

[BrocLuno]

Life would be hard w/o a multi-pump. .22 Silver Streak at 8 pumps will whack any bad critters in the veggie garden and it get's WAY more action than any of my center fires. Have a few thousand pellets and will buy more. Go through about 500 a year

 

[WNTFW]

I have a Silver Streak from the 70's. Back then Sheridan was a competitor of Bejamin. Mine is the 5mm. I have put over a thousand rounds through it this year. I will probably put more rounds through it this year than in the past 30.

 

[chicharrones]

Good pellet rifles are fantastic. Pellet rifles in .22 are even more fantastic, IMO. I like how the .22 pellet tends to smash its target compared to a .177 pellet.

My Crosman 2260 is my favorite pellet gun, mostly because it shoots .22s.

 

[WNTFW]

I am wanting a .177 now.
The biggest down side to the 5mm is pellet selection. They make some premium stuff but not like in the other calibers as far as choices. Now some wild calbers are appearing like .357 !!!

 

[MacTech]

Tonight, had some quick plinkin' fun in the attic, set up an empty 20oz plastic soda bottle against a decent backstop (scrap lumber) and set about destroying the bottle

set up 15 feet away, shooting freehand...

Here's what I discovered...

at the two pump level, an empty soda bottle with the cap screwed on tight has sufficient internal pressure to cause the first shot to ricochet around the attic, I knocked the bottle over, but the pellet did not penetrate (Gamo Magnum .22 pointed pellets), so I loosened the cap for the next shots to allow air to escape when the pellet hit

additional two pump shots would penetrate the front of the bottle but not exit the bottle, at two pumps, all my shots were being captured by the bottle!

at three pumps, the THWACK! of the bottle getting struck by the pellet began to get noticeably louder, and the pellet penetrated both sides of the bottle

at the three pump level, I began to challenge myself, aiming for the "Lymon" graphic on the bottle (Sprite Zero), hitting dead center, then aiming for the "o" of Zero. striking a little low and left, finally finishing off with the coup de' grace, decapping the bottle, first shot cracked the neck *right below* the bottle, second shot removed the cap completely

I then found one of those big aluminum cans of Arizona Iced Tea (empty) and set it up on the target stand, at two pumps, the pellets would easily penetrate the front of the can, ripping a nice big hole in the process, and at least half of the time, the pellet would not exit the back side (can was resting against a piece of scrap lumber), but be either rattling around in the can, or stuck in the exit hole, one particularly nice shot actually anchored the can to the backstop, allowing me to do an accuracy test with the Gamo Magnums, at the 15 foot distance, I was basically cutting a single ragged hole if I shot from a supported position, freehanding it opened the groups up a tad, but they were still mostly touching holes, just not going through the same hole

It seems that this particular 392 is rather accurate, it definitely deserves a peep sight now

All in all, this little pellet rifle is great fun, although I may want to rethink shooting some old empty steel "tin cans" I found in the attic, too much risk of a ricochet at 4 pumps and under, they'd probably be best outside and at seven to eight pumps

 

[Smith357]

Welcome to the pnumatic rifle club

Yes those quality pumpers are big big fun on a small budget. I bought a Sheridan Silver Streak 20+ yeas ago and my friends thought I was nuts for spending almost $100 on an air rifle. Since then my friends saw the fun in adult air rifles and we have gone through few high velocity break barrel pellet rifles. Eventually they ended up getting CB9s and 397s.

While other air rifles have come and gone my Silver Streak remains and she is my number one "go to" plinker and dispatcher of yard varmints. I really like the idea of a quick 2-3 pumps for plinking tin cans or punching paper, it's much easier on the arm than cocking a magnum springer after 50 or more rounds. I also like that with a full 8 pumps I can send a 5mm 14+ grain pellet clean through a tree rat. Though the accuracy is not quite as good as the magnum springers, its good enough for my needs and it equals the power in a smaller lighter package. It's a good quality American made Rifle you will never need to make excuses for.

 

[Geckgo]

Went to the range today with my Beeman and my buddy brought his Gamo. Mine is a .22 and his is .177 We set the trap out at around 27-30 yards and plinked away a good bit of ammo. We had other guns as well, but I had a great time popping pellets through my little cardboard and plywood construction. As the day went on I even put a .45 FMJ in the trap to test it. It stopped in the plywood, hehehehe. Don't know what kind of accuracy the rest of you are seeing, but my groups at that range range from 1.5 - 3 inches depending on the ammo. The beeman just likes crossman ammo I guess. Spring is not fully "broke in" yet according to the manual so hopefully the groups will tighten up in time.

 

[jlbpa]

For more fun than the law allows send it off to Tim at Mac1 out there on the left coast. He puts the benjamin sheridans on steroids...more pumps more power. Mines a 5mm silver streak on steroids. I have a williams peep sight on it. For precision sniping (starlings) I have to use my beeman r1 with a scope because I don't see well anymore. But for any other pests I grab my silver streak.

 

[WNTFW]

Definitely get or build a pellet trap. Mine is 24x24. I wanted it big so a kid/new shooter could use it. I can fit 2 letter size pages of targets and still have some room left.
There are a few ways to accomplish a safe system with the air guns.

 

[chicharrones]

Don't know what kind of accuracy the rest of you are seeing, but my groups at that range range from 1.5 - 3 inches depending on the ammo. The beeman just likes crossman ammo I guess.

For .22 pellet ammo, my CO2 powered Crosman shoots RWS Superdomes a tad tighter than Crosman Premiers. The Premiers chamber easier as the Superdomes need a little finger touch on them to get the pellet to align.

It seems that the Superdomes get into the rifling more than the Premiers. The Superdomes even sound a tad louder coming out of the barrel.

As far as accuracy, I'd like to claim dime sized groups at 15 yards with either ammo, but out of 5 shots I'll always pull one shot out of a ragged hole group. Maybe if I did a little trigger work and mounted a scope I'd improve, but I like the cheap factory aperture sight on the Crosman 2260.

 

[MacTech]

Been spending some more time with the 392, getting to learn it's behaviors and pellet likes and dislikes, as well as testing short-range accuracy (15 yards max so far), and I'm quite pleased

It is remarkably unfussy, shooting everything from Gamo Magnum pointed pellets to RWS Meisterkuglens into very tight groups if I do my part, I have yet to find a pellet it dislikes

Another couple of side benefits I've noticed, first off, I'm not in the best of shape, but I'm working to get back into shape, when I first started with the 392, any pumps beyond four required a bit more exertion to close the pump arm at the end of the stroke, now, I'm only noticing said resistance at pumps seven and eight, considering the pumping effort is generally around 35 LB at the end of the stroke, it's giving me a nice little upper-body workout, can really feel it in my arms and shoulders [Hanz and Franz] We are here to Pump (clap) your gun up![/H&F]

secondly, I've noticed that KTP has been having a shortage of Augila Super Colibri and the CCI CB series of .22LR ammo, and that's what I use almost exclusively for plinking on our property, if it wasn't for my small stash of CB Longs, I wouldn't be able to plink with my .22LR's on my land, with the 392, I can plink to my heart's content, and even at eight pumps, the neighbors up the road can't hear a thing, neither does it bother my sister's horses (she has a house and barn on the family property, that's the real reason I use CB's and SC's, don't wanna' disturb) her horses

I've also discovered a few interesting things about my preferred plinking ammo (Gamo Magnums and RWS Superdomes)...

The Gamo Magnums are accurate on paper, but they have trouble with empty steel soup cans and plastic VitaminWater bottles, they have no problems with standard soda bottles, but the VitaminWater bottles appear to be made of thicker plastic
here's the ballistic performance of the Gamo pellets on the two plinking targets;

Gamo Magnum 15.89 Gr pointed pellets vs. steel soup can;
1 pump; slight dent in can and complete ricochet, retaining a good amount of speed, unsafe combination
2 pumps; definite dent, lesser ricochet, lost a good amount of speed
3 pumps; deep dent, pellet most often found near the can, badly deformed
4 pumps; penetration of the first can wall, dent on the opposite wall, most of the time the pellet is inside the can
5 pumps; shoot through, both sides penetrated, pellet sometimes stuck in opposite wall, or laying just behind can, exit hole more of a exit slit
6 pumps; shoot through, pellet not recovered, buried too deep in backstop, exit hole opened up a bit more but still has a slit shape
7 pumps; shoot through, entry and exit holes are holes, roughly the same size
8 pumps; shoot through, exit hole larger than entry hole, very ragged

and the VitaminWater bottle;
Pumps 1-4; complete ricochet, near full power, clearly bouncing off the plastic
5 pumps; penetration of the outer wall of the bottle, pellet trapped inside bottle, bottle spins/jumps a short distance
6 pumps; see 4 pumps, but with larger jump into the air
7 pumps; complete shoot through, bottle does not flip, just rocks a little
8 pumps; see 7 pumps

RWS Superdome Vs. steel soup can
1 pump; dent and small ricochet
2 pumps; deep dent, pellet often near the base of the can
3 pumps; penetration of first can wall, dent on opposite wall, pellet often inside can
4 pumps; see three pumps, larger dent on opposite wall
5 pumps; shoot through, exit hole a slit, pellet often stuck in slit or found just behind can
6 pumps; shoot through, exit hole slightly larger slit
7 pumps; shoot through, entry and exit holes are holes, exit hole slightly larger than entry hole
8 pumps; shoot through, exit hole dramatically bigger than entry hole

Superdome Vs. VitaminWater bottle; similar performance as the Gamos, but takes one less pump to achieve similar results, outer wall penetration occurred at three pumps, shoot through at six

It's clear that the Superdomes deliver more energy to the target than the Gamos, the Gamos either flatten out and ricochet, or just punch through, depending on number of pumps behind them

Looks like I should stock up on the Superdome pellets

 

[Geckgo]

Nice writeup. Thanks for the penetration test!

Could 6 pumps on the vitamin bottle been a mi****??? Seems a little strange. Or did you mean see 5 pumps?

Edit mi**** = Mis-Hit, hehehehehe

 

[chicharrones]

Looks like I should stock up on the Superdome pellets

I keep coming back to the Superdomes after trying other pellets. They seem to be a great all-around pellet.

I recommend to NEVER buy the Daisy Precision Max pellets. They are mostly misshapen and will open up your groups and fly to a drastically different point of aim of good pellets. :banghead:

 

[Geckgo]

yep, daisies are crap. Crossmans have worked the best for me so far, but the fit is different for each pellet. I'll have to try those superdomes, but I havent seen any on the shelves. Anyone try the Corbin swaged pellets? I think I want to try swaging pellets when I finally break down and buy my reloading press.

 

[bracer]

A few week ago I got a used portable bench and set it up in my den which is next to a storage room. Set up a pellet trap in the storage room about 33 feet from the rest. Im giving a new Sherridan 5MM rifle w/3-7X AO scope a work out trying out different pellets. I have an Bejiman Mdl 312 pump up 22 that was made some times in the 1940s . I put a tune up kit into it 2009. The 312 has open sites so I need some one who has better eyes then me to shoot it. It has ben darn cold outside so Im enjoying shooting in a warm dry place.

 

[APIT50]

Try the Beeman Crow Magnums. I shoot these out of my 397 with great results. Around an inch or less for 5 shots at 30yds. Beware that these are fairly heavyweight pellets and will have a different POI. BIIIGGGG hollowpoint cavity.

 

[MacTech]

Finally got to test something I've wondered about recently....

"how pellet-proof are the polymer body panels on Saturn vehicles..."

Long story short, last night my '07 Saturn Ion was involved in a collision, low-speed t-bone (I got t-boned) due to a car pulling out from behind a 5-6 foot snowbank

Don't worry, nobody was hurt, but my car sustained medium damage, shattered passenger side door skins and rear bumper torn off, rear right rim bent beyond repair, huge hole in the sidewall of my tire....

so, now I had a small fragment of Saturn polymer body panel material, and a pellet gun, hmm, I wonder.....

Set up the panel fragment, grab a tin of Gamo pointed pellets and pump 'er up

It took a minimum of four pumps to fracture off a piece of the polymer shell, six pumps achieved a total shoot-through, one to three pumps yielded no damage at all, not even scratches to the paint

So, if you own a polymer bodied Saturn vehicle, and have the strange compulsion to shoot at it, make sure you use three pumps or less