Benjamin Marauder .22 Review: The PCP Benchmark That Refuses to Age

The Marauder is a bolt-action, pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air rifle: an onboard reservoir is filled to 3,000 PSIand meters air to each shot, so there is no spring slam and no pumping between shots — just a light bolt cycle that indexes the next pellet from a 10-round rotary magazine. In .22 it is rated up to 1,000 FPS, wears a full-length shrouded barrel, and comes in synthetic-stock (from $549.90 list) and hardwood versions, plus the factory-regulated model we cover below. Current-generation guns include the refinements owners used to pay tuners for: a reversible bolt handle for lefties, an adjustable raised-comb cheek-piece, and a two-stage trigger that is adjustable for pull weight and travel.

That trigger deserves its own sentence: independent testing measured roughly a 3-pound break from the factory, which is match-adjacent territory in a category where budget guns ship with vague 5-pound lawyer triggers. A good trigger is half of practical accuracy, and it is the single most underrated reason Marauders shoot as well as they do.

The Marauder's signature feature is its full-length barrel shroud — the barrel lives inside a larger tube that gives muzzle air room to expand and slow before it exits, working like an integrated moderator. The practical result, echoed across independent tests and thousands of owner reports, is a rifle quiet enough that the loudest sound at the bench is often the pellet striking the target. Hard Air Magazine's review called it exceptionally quiet and made backyard-friendliness a headline finding.

Why that matters more than it sounds: a quiet rifle gets shot more, in more places, without drama — and for pest control it means the second pigeon does not leave when you take the first. If suburban discretion is a top requirement, the shroud alone justifies the Marauder over louder, cheaper break-barrels. (Check your local discharge ordinances either way — quiet is not the same as permitted.)

Benjamin's "up to 1,000 FPS" rating is an alloy-pellet best case. The numbers that matter are what real lead hunting pellets do, and here the instrumented testing is refreshingly concrete:

Call it 28-33 FPE with hunting-weight lead— roughly two and a half times the common 12 FPE field standard for squirrels and rabbits, and enough for raccoon- class pests at sensible ranges with good shot placement. Accuracy-wise, the platform's reputation is dime-sized groups at 25-30 yards from a rested gun with pellets it likes; the shrouded barrel, recoilless firing cycle, and that trigger all pull in the same direction. As with every airgun, pellet selection is the final variable — buy a few weights of quality lead and let the barrel vote.

Here is the one genuinely confusing choice in the lineup. A standard (unregulated) Marauder meters air straight off the reservoir, so velocity rides a curve as pressure falls: independent testing found only about 30 shotsinside a tight velocity band before the drop-off becomes meaningful. You can shoot more; they just land progressively lower. Owners historically answered with tuning — the Marauder's adjustable hammer spring and transfer port are famously tinker-friendly — or aftermarket regulators.

Benjamin now sells the fix from the factory: the Marauder Regulated (.22, walnut stock, $695.90 list) adds an integrated regulator that holds each shot to the same working pressure, stretching the consistent string to up to 80 shots per fill— with the same shroud, 10-round magazine, adjustable comb, and reversible bolt. It is frequently backordered, which tells you how the market voted.

The Marauder's real cost of ownership includes air. The 3,000 PSI fill is actually a point in its favor — it is reachable with a manual high-pressure hand pump (a genuine workout, but cheap and dependable), where many newer 4,500 PSI guns all but require a compressor or tank. Budget either a PCP hand pump or a compressor setup when you price the rifle.

The other honest tax is heft: 7.1 pounds before glassand 42.8 inches long. Scoped, you are carrying a centerfire-weight rifle to shoot squirrels. On a bench or a fence line that is stability; on a long walk it is a con, and lighter modern rivals undercut it here. Nothing about the Marauder is compact — it is a full-size rifle that shoots like one.

Buy the Marauder ifyou want one quiet, accurate, hunt-capable .22 PCP with a great trigger and a 15-year deep well of parts, tunes, and community knowledge behind it — the rifle you keep after the hobby gets serious. It is the best-overall pick in our best air rifles guide for exactly that reason.

Skip it ifthe all-in PCP cost (rifle plus fill gear) breaks the budget — a multi-pump like the Crosman 362 delivers real .22 utility for a fifth of the money — or if you want maximum adjustability per dollar, where the regulated Air Venturi Avenger undercuts even the standard Marauder while matching its headline features (with cruder fit and finish). Weight-sensitive hikers should also look at lighter modern PCPs before committing.

Benchmarks usually get dethroned; the Marauder just got refined. The shrouded quiet, the honest 28-33 FPE with lead, the adjustable 3-pound trigger, and the 10-shot magazine are still a combination nothing at the price fully beats — and the factory-regulated version quietly fixed the platform's one structural weakness. It is heavy, and PCP ownership has a buy-in cost the box does not mention. But if you want the serious air rifle you will not outgrow, the M-Rod remains the safe money in 2026 — which, after fifteen years, is its own kind of remarkable.