The legendary Benjamin Airguns brand, one of the world's oldest and most notorious in the air rifles market, is today owned and operated by the likewise glorious Crosman Corporation.
During the course of 2015, the Crosman Corp. launched some of the most interesting airguns of recent times under the Benjamin brand, thus adding a plethora of new choices for plinking and target shooting, competition, small game and varmint hunting, and pest control.
The Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston II air rifle is definitely one of those. The baseline Benjamin Trail model was launched back in 2014, while the new breed sets itself apart by the use of Crosman's own, patented Nitro Piston II inert gas system, offering a wide array of advantages if compared to a standard spring-based system: less attrition, higher power delivery, easier and smoother manual cocking and reloading.
The Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston II is a single-shot, break-barrel cocking air rifle, available in 4,5mm (.177) and 5,5mm (.22) caliber variants.
Of those two variants, only the 4,5mm/.177 model is available in an under-powered version − offering a muzzle energy level inferior to the 7,5 Joules threshold − that would make it legal to purchase and own without a license in many European Countries.
The 5,5mm/.22 model offers instead a muzzle velocity level of 335,2 metres per second (110 feet-per-second) and a muzzle energy level of 35,25 Joules (26 foot-pound).
Another key feature of the Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston II is the integrated sound suppression system that makes the gun quieter than ever − a particularly desirable option when hunting varmint, small game, or pest.
The Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston II air rifle comes with a CBE ("Clean Break Trigger") two-stages trigger and a top MIL-STD-1913 "Picatinny" rail for optics − and includes indeed a CenterPoint 3-9x32mm scope.
Both the frame and the barrel of the Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston II air rifle are manufactured out of steel, while the stock is available in hardwood, black synthetic and Realtree camo variants. In all cases, it sports a thumbhole buttstock with a cheek rest and a rubber recoil pad.
The Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston II is available on the U.S. market at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $289.99, in all variants; no word yet on export availability.
For further information:
Crosman Corp. − Benjamin Airguns
