Hey you guys, give me your opinion.

[Rickster]

And old friend of mine came over today to shoot my Marauder.
He brought his Beeman R-1 Lazer with a Laminated stock along.
I let him shoot the M-rod and he was really impressed. He said the cheap stock didn't bother him.
After that we shot the springers and realized his Beeman didn't have much power.
The pellets were making dents but not sticking in the pressure treated 2x4 @20 yards.
I set up some golf balls on T's at 20 yards. I hit one every time with the Crosman Npss Nitro. He never did hit one shooting the Nitro.
He wants a M-rod real bad, and doesn't want to bother with having his gun rebuilt and selling it.
So on his way out the door he offered it to me for $300 without the scope.
He says it is 15 years old, and  the serial number starts out 95.
The stock has some cracks in in the finish, that at first look like scratches.
He claims the gun was rated at 1100fps

I really wasn't looking for one of these, but this might be a great deal.
I am going to have to pay some one to replace the seal.
What do you think?

[adrian]

i only know a little about this gun but it is a very nice gun and cost new upwards of 800 to 1000 dollars.if you could get it tuned for a good price and maybe your friend give a little better deal i would get it.id like to pay maybe500 for the gun and a fresh tune,i think it would be worth it

[arathol]

for 300 bucks, take it and don't look back. JM has a new R1 power kit  for $110 that will bring it back to life. The R1 Laser is one of the best. Looking at the pictures, its MK 1 Laser, 1994 or 95 model, probably worth $6-800, maybe more considering that particular model was only made for  less than 2 years.  With a bit more than 400 into it you will still be way ahead of the game if you decide to sell it.

[LongIslandArcher]

You better be careful shooting at golf balls.  Some guy on another forum just relayed a story about how he shot a pellet at 50 yards with his Marauder and the pellet came zipping back at him and stung him in the thigh.  A golf ball shell is hard enough to withstand the impact of a driver traveling at 120 mph, so it's definitely not going to get affected by a silly little pellet.

[Gene_SC]

Ya Rick the guys are on the money on this one. I hardly think that 15 years ago it could shoot 1100 fps.. Beeman is normally pretty true to their numbers. If it being a .177 you are in need of a spring and seal, plus some good workmanship. Do not try and tune it yourself but send it to a good tuner who knows the Beeman line of shooters. It should be good for around 950 fps or possible a bit more with a new spring and seal. And no 1100 fps.. Now that is with a Gamo Hunter or JSB pellet.. A PBA would put you way up there for sure...  Do not ask me to tune it becaise I am booked up and will not be back from holiday until July 15... Good luck.  That gun could be a collectors if Beeman shuts there doors...

[Rickster]

Thank you for the warning.
After my friend with the R1 left, I took the M-rod over to a co-workers house and set this ball holder up at 35 yards.
I hit 15 balls in a row, and Richie thought he heard a pellet come back and hit the house.
2 of my direct hits actually stuck in the golf ball's. (see picture)
So I would say that they can be penetrated, but most of the pellets did richochet.

[CaptZippy]

Hey Rick;  just a suggestion, replace those golf balls with paint balls...they're a little smaller, no ricochet, and the explode real nice when you hit them.

SF
Tom

[Gene_SC]

Yep for sure those gof balls can be really unsafe to shoot at.. I had the same thing happen to me at 35 yards out and a pelllet came back over my right shoulder and stuck in the side of the panel on the house.. Not a good idea to shoot golf balls..

[Rickster]

Oh yeah, and I had a chance to make some sound measurements today.
These were taken outside, from the same position.
Marauder 67db
NPSS Nitro 73db
Beeman R-1 Laser 78db

I also noticed that the meter was going above 67db when Victor and I were Talking.
And noises from around my house were making it go above 67db.
I have not depinged it yet, but will, when i get my  air tube extender.

Rick

[arathol]

It is already a collectors item. The stock is a Gary Goudy designed laminate made  by Fajen,  used on guns made before 1996. The internals have a different spring, seal and guide. The trigger guard is machined and blued. Standard on the Laser, it was also an option sold by Beeman for nearly $90. In .22 with 14.3 gr pellets, it will do a bit over 800, in .177 with 7.9 gr pellets it should shoot pretty close to 1000 fps. I have seen tuned .177  Lasers that would shoot 11.6 gr pellets in the mid 900s.
 Replacement parts  are no longer available from Beeman, best bet is the JM kit. Repairing the stock might be a bit tricky as its a laminate. Many traditional finishes are oil based, and sometimes those oils attack the glue holding the laminates together. If you are considering restoring the stock it might be a good idea to consult with someone who knows about working with laminates.

[djmyers]

It's pretty bit only rated at 1000 brand new. So what it cost to rebuild and what it's worth is up to you.

[tjk]

$300 ?!?! Kind of a no brainner on that. You'd be passing up a sweet deal if you don't take the offer.  I'd send it to David Slade or any other tuner that knows the Beeman rifles  and let them tune it. Depending on how bad the cracks are  in the stock, it might not need much if any work done to it. Would that effect its resale value as a collecters item?! Still a nice looking rifle!! tjk

[larspawn]

Buy it for $300 and I'll take it off your hands for $350!  There must be a few of these holed up on collections because you never see one for sale.  

Regarding the golf balls...ditto on the "don't do that."  Think about what that are engineered to do.  Golf balls are made with incredibly durable covers and made to absorb and transfer back energy.  If they can withstand a skulling from a 4 iron and fly out 240 yards, it only seems logical that a 7.9 gr pellet is going to do the same thing.  That 18 FPE is going to be coming back at you with a good 10 FPE!

Keep it safe and get some painballs or load up with cheap stuff at the dollar store.  A tube of sidewalk chalk is cheaper than even your deductible at the doctor's office.

Andy

[Rickster]

Great info, THANKS

Rick

[Rickster]

Thank you to everyone for the information.

Rick