Thursday, June 02, 2011

Thwip!


Wm Adams sent me a link I thought was interesting. Crossman has a new prototype PCP airgun (pre-charged pneumatic) in .357. The rifle has enough punch to knock steel silhouettes over at 75 yards–the Benjamin Rogue is a big brother to the Marauder series. Comes with a built-in computer so you can adjust the power up or down. Uses a funny-looking magazine for multiple shots, bolt action.


Crossman has had .177, .22, and .25 prechargeds around for a while and this looks like a big brother to those. The biggest advantage I can see is how quiet they are, since the new one will be subsonic. And you can load them up on air to fire a couple of magazines, likely all you'd need if you were on a day trip hunting. You can knock a steel silhouette over at 75 yards,  so it has some punch. You can see a video here.


There are bigger airguns around. The Sam Yang Big Bore 909 in .45, 190 gr., will punch a hole through a concrete block, and runs about six hundred bucks. It's a single-shot, and you can get eight or so at full power, then velocity drops off. 


Of course, power drops off in all PCP weapons as the reservoirs empty, so point-of-impact must be adjusted with the sights or scope.


Since the .357 still seems to be a prototype, there's a lot unspecified, but it seems that it will shoot most commercial bullets in the caliber, and hollow-base lightweights will zip out faster. 


As far as I can tell, these rifles (and a pistol) all produce subsonic velocities. This isn't a major handicap for a quiet weapon, and a lot of things have been knocked over and killed with low-velocity rounds. Your basic .45 ACP hardball runs 800-900 ft/sec. But you probably won't be hunting bears with these. Well, at least not after you find the first one ...

On the other hand, you need a scuba tank or a special compressor to fill them, though in theory you could use a hand pump if you are on steroids and have all day. 



My experience with airguns is that the seals eventually go out. 2000-3000 psi is a lot of pressure, especially if are in the field and if you drop the sucker. A hundred-year-old rifle kept oiled in a closet will still shoot just fine. I suspect the life of an airgun is considerably shorter.

The cost puts them in the high range for comparable gunpowder weapons -- $500 for the little ones, and $1500 projected for the .357, so it's not a casual buy.

It would make a good urban hunting rifle for small game, and certainly an 800 ft/sec round would give a burglar pause. As I understand it though, you aren't supposed to leave them charged for long periods, and asking a housebreaker to hold on while you pump up your air rifle might be something of a drawback ...

4 comments:

William Adams said...

The most innovative thing about this rifle is that it includes a computer system which is supposed to monitor the pressure and its release so that point of impact doesn't shift so much:

http://airgun-academy.pyramydair.com/blog/2011/05/benjamins-rogue-epcp-a-new-way-of-making-airguns-part-3/

Brad said...

My brother is a big fan of these guns. Owns several and used to compete. He just recently bought a compressor to charge them up and bought a brand new one. Don't ask me what, don't remember (we were drinking). But, it was interesting enough to get my interest in them up.

Steve Perry said...

The other thing is, if you get them dialed in, rifled airguns can be extremely accurate. I have an old Diana Model 10 pistol that will put match-grade pellets through the same hole at ten meters from a rest, trigger can be adjusted to a few ounces, and the grip carved to fit your hand almost like a glove. Gun is thirty five years old, I did have to have the seals replaced, and those cost me half what the retail price was of it originally. (It was a gift, so that's been my cost thus far, plus pellets and lube.)

And there are a lot better ones out there now. With the new onboard computer, I'm guessing that carefully loading single rounds that have been weighed and measured for consistency could give you some really tight groups from the new .357. Match-grade wadcutter, hollow-base? Should be tack drivers at fifty meters.

Pusat Senapan Angin said...

tank you...My brother is a big fan of these guns.
Pusat Senapan Angin Gejluk dan PCP Terbaik