This review of the Crosman Benjamin Trail NP XL 1100 .22 Caliber Nitro Piston Air Rifle with Hardwood Stock and 3-9 X 40mm scope ($266 from Amazon) follows comparing it in stores (without shooting) to numerous air rifles in the $100 to $350 range, having purchased and returned the
Benjamin Titan GP Nitro Piston Air Rifle air rifle
($150 from Walmart), and having shot around 100 shots in both models. Both Benjamin models use the "nitro piston" power system and are very powerful.
The XL 1100 is a lot more money but well worth it for the following reasons:
- Much more detailed stock with etchings.
- Scope on the XL 1100 is wonderful whereas the Titan GP scope was horrible (no zoom and distorted view). Also the scope mount on the XL 1100 is far more stable and does not come loose (so far) like the Titan GP.
- Sling included with XL 1100 is highly needed for carrying and to increase stability/decrease movement for accurate shooting (by wrapping it around your forward arm), as both rifles are fairly heavy.
- "Bull" barrel on the XL 1100 is more attractive.
- Although I have not performed any scientific testing, the XL 1100 feels 25% more powerful (but sounds 10% louder - neither breaking the sound barrier). I have been shooting both in the backyard of my tightly-packed tract home in SoCal without complaints. Some people characterize the shots from these models as similar to a .22LR round (especially the first few shots), which is FAR from accurate. I have shot thousands of rounds from a .22LR as well as from low end pellet and BB guns, and my perception is that these air rifles are about twice as loud as my son's lowest model Daisy BB gun (model 10...he's 5 so his arms are not long enough for any others). I have not shot supersonic pellets from any air rifles so I cannot say how much noise that would add to the equation. Also, I barely perceived a noise level change from any of the first 100 shots on both rifles.
Other considerations:
- The trigger on both models is poor. I recommend purchasing an aftermarket trigger from "charliedatuna" for $32 ([...]
- Accuracy on both rifles has been similar shooting at 10 meters.
- XL 1100 is heavier and not for small/weak people (feels like a deer rifle holding it and cocking force was too much for my wife).
I hope to follow up with a further review of various pellets to determine ballistics characteristics.
Update 1/19/2012:
I have used the following pellets in my .22 cal
Benjamin Trail NP XL Air Rifle air rifle
at 10 meters after the gun was broken in with a couple hundred shots. I compared accuracy (and to a lesser degree penetration) of the following pellets:
Skenco Heavy Long-Range .22 Cal, 16.7 Grains, Pointed, Lead-Free, 90ct
JSB Match Diabolo Exact Jumbo Heavy .22 Cal, 18.13 Grains, Domed, 250ct
RWS Meisterkugeln Standard .22 Cal, 14.0 Grains, Wadcutter, 250ct
Crosman .22-Cal Hollow Point Hunting Pellets
.
The RWS Wadcutters were the most accurate pellet in the group. Their flat-heads had a great ability to cut perfect circles in paper targets as they were intended. Some people have stated these would not be good hunting pellets although I certainly would not want to be a rabbit on the other end of the barrel. At 10m I was able to hit a quarter (or sometimes a ChuckeCheese token) in 8/10 shots. Interestingly, these and all the pellets would make indentations in the coins and basically melt/deform into the coin.
The JSB Match Diablo Exact Jumbo Heavy domed pellets were very accurate. At 10m I was able to hit a quarter in 6/10 shots. These pellets penetrated slightly deeper into wood than the RWS Wadcutters and Crosman HP's.
The Crosman HP's were nearly as accurate as the JSB's, having hit 5/10 shots. These are good pellets for the money if you are concerned about cost.
The Skenco's were by far the least accurate (least consistent). In 10 shots I could not hit a quarter and they mapped an approximately 6 inch center-to-center. These did exhibit the deepest penetration. For instance, they penetrated approximately 100% deeper in the 2x6 douglas fir boards used as backing for my targets. Based on their characteristics, I suggest these pellets only be used as a novelty item. Perhaps the only good use of these pellets would be to kill a larger animal from point-blank range where accuracy is not necessary. Another oddity of these pellets is that they do not fit snugly into the bore. The front of the pellet is an extremely hard alloy and the back 2/3 is red plastic. At the skirt-end of the pellet the plastic is flat and slightly larger than the rest of the bullet (similar to the rim of a .22Cal.LR rim fire cartridge but even thinner). I have described this oddity because typical loading techniques with a break barrel pellet rifle can result in the pellet falling out when you raise the barrel back into position following placement of the pellet into the bore. I unfortunately dry-fired the gun 3 times before realizing what was occurring. Fortunately I have not seen or felt any differences in the gun following this mishap.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 52.5 x 10.9 x 3.3 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 5.65 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 52.25 x 9.25 x 3.25 inches |
| Item Weight | 8.5 Pounds |
| Brand Name | Benjamin |
| Warranty Description | Limited 1 Year Warranty |
| Model Name | Benjamin Trail XL Magnum .25-Caliber NP Break Barrel Hunting Air Rifle And Scope, Wood |
| Color | Wood |
| Material | Blend |
| Suggested Users | unisex-adult |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Crosman Corporation |
| Part Number | BT725WNP |
| Style | Break Barrel Air Rifle |
| Included Components | Benjamin Trail XL Magnum .25-Caliber NP Break Barrel Hunting Air Rifle And Scope, WoodN/A |
| Size | .25CAL |
| Sport Type | Airsoft |
