Marksman Model 2004 Review

Overall Rating

Good price, Good value. Excellent platform for intro to target shooting.

Needs minor tinkering at first.

I bought the Marksman 2004 on a whim after looking at the Beeman p3, and the price.
I figured it had to be of at least similar design.
Got it out of the pack, ran about 100 pellets through it to "wring it out".
The hammer locking pin started backing out after about 50 shots. MOD#1 (pushed it back in, and added a allen set screw on each side, THE HOLES ARE ALREADY THERE just waiting for set screws.)
Yes the rear sight is mobile if you hit it with your hand. MOD#2 a little epoxy glue on the nut cured that.
At 500 pellets, I tightened the barrel retaining strap, groups tightened up nicely and added a pistol scope, the groups tightened up more. MOD#3 (I used epoxy glue to secure the barrel to the plastic upper 'after roughing up the underside of the plastic upper' and reinstalled the barrel retaining strap.) Now it is a 1 hole gun with the right pellets.
At about 1000 pellets I noticed some sound differences between shots. I removed the piston and replaced the "O" ring on the piston MOD#4 (bought several from ace hardware for less than $2.00) and used this time to clean the pump chamber and piston, and relube the "O" ring.
I shoot it daily, and love it, I am past 5000 pellets and still going strong.
It will shoot better than most people can hold, it just needs a little tinkering.

Members' Comments onn5lyc's Review

• michaelingeorgia on 8th Sep 2005

  Please, please, what scope did you put on this gun and where did you get it?

• michaelingeorgia on 8th Sep 2005

  I looked at the scopes on the page you gave on *my* review for this gun, but they don't seem to have long eye relief. does yours? I got a BSA 3-9x20 at walmart and it fit well and made the gun super accurate at a much greater distance (for those of us with poor eyesight), but I had to hold it up to my eye, not out as it should be held. Can you see on this site what ones have long eye relief? Great prices, BTW!
  
  Michael

• n5lyc on 20th Nov 2005

  Well, I am past 9,000 rounds through the marksman, I replaced the scope with a BSA 30mm red dot sight. works great, it is still a fun gun to shoot, I will grab it before I grab my izh 46m for backyard fun, it shoots as well as my Gamo Compact, but cost 1/5 as much.. My daughter likes the Gamo (the grips are sized for her) & I like to show her what a $40 gun can do with the right mods and in the right hands. The marksman is like the bunny.. STILL GOING...... .. Ian Mckee

• michaelingeorgia on 21st Nov 2005

  Hm. I got the cheapo Daisy red dot and found that it slowed me down in aquiring the target and the dot was too large for very long distance shooting with accuracy. I took it off and now shoot just as well without it. I have looked at the BSA red dot and considered them. How far can you shoot with accuracy?

• n5lyc on 23rd Nov 2005

  Yes I agree on the daisy, (tried it) ..
  I can hit a 3 inch ram at 25meters with the bsa. If you consider the bsa, first get the one with the .22 mount, not the weaver mount. (found one on ebay, all the local stores had the weaver base)..
  Also, the dot is adjustable in intensity, so the dimmer it gets the smaller it appears, but it will still cover 1 inch at 10 meters, not a match sight, but works for my purposes.
  
  I have started shooting air pistol SILHOUETTE. The standard course of 10 chickens at 30 feet, 10 pigs at 37.5 feet, 10 turkeys at 45 feet, and 10 rams at 54 feet for a total of 40 shots.. Chickens are 1 1/2 inches high; pigs are 1 5/8 inches high; turkeys are 2 5/8 inches high; and rams are 3 inches high.
  
  What kind of shooting are you doing?
  Ian

• michaelingeorgia on 23rd Nov 2005

  At the moment (since it has gotten colder) I am just target shooting. They get very nervous when I go into the back yard and I really need to be able to hit a 1" target reliably at around 20-30 yards. When I had the rifle scope, I was able with this gun to hit a 1/4" mark at 30 yards. Pretty impressive gun, I'd say. But that required me putting the scope very close to my eye and not out as it should be. This also gives practice for hunting larger game, if and when I do purchase a powder gun. Now, I could get a rifle, but I'd like to hone my handgun skills.
  Any of the handgun scopes I've found have been something like 3x the price of the gun itself. That might well be worth it, considering the accuracy at distance I obtained. But I'd like something with a bit more power and the P1 has that. However, Beeman only has a 2x20 scope with it. Hmm. Need more thinking.

• yarzak on 4th Dec 2005

  I am trying to find small set screws for those holes that are (yes) already there. Do you remember the size or where you got them?

• n5lyc on 6th Dec 2005

  Hello, the set screws I used were from the control linkage from an old radio control Nitro powered car.
  The size I used was 3x3mm. At the local hobby shop you can buy du-bro locking collars and they have the set screws in them, or just buy the screws. No locking compound is needed as they aren't under much vibration, and the pin needs just a "little" tension to be held in place.
  Past 10,000 rounds so far... Still loving it..
  "Hint"; once you find a pellet your gun likes, buy them by the roll. It is cheaper if you shoot like me.
  
  I bought an old "like new" in box Daisy 717 the other day for $40, and I am going to spend a little quality time with it for a few weeks. I had one a long time ago in the 'late 70's/early 80's', and I remember it to be accurate. We will see. It shows no sign of wear, and it still had the original tags, book, decals and test target in the box.
  
  To michaelingeorgia: If I can't find a set for sale 'I have seen them on the 747/777 pistol'. I am going to mill a set of scope mounts for the Daisy. They clamp the barrel like the izh-46m mounts, and mount the rifle scope on it. The rifle scope stance is a little odd, but try this... If right handed, put your left hand under your right arm pit, rest the pistol on your left bicep or your shoulder, depending on how high the mounts are. It doesn't get any steadier if you are shooting standing up. Breath control is the key from there.
  
  Take care..
  
  Jeeps aren't just for winter anymore.
  Ian

• squareshooter on 2nd Jan 2006

  do you have a p/n for those piston o-rings?

• michaelingeorgia on 20th Jan 2006

  Ian,
  You mentioned the folding arms thing for using a rifle scope on the Marksman. I tried it and couldn't get it to work for me. The gun seemed to be bouncing all over the map, either from heartbeat (yeah) or some other reasons. I'm thinking of going ahead and getting the 2x20 scope. It should be better than nothing. Oh, the reference above was in reference to chipmunks. That is about the largest thing you would want to shoot with this gun, and even then, you should only do head shots-which is why I really want to fit it with a scope, and a good one! The irritating thing about them is that they recognize me in the yard and stay just out of range! Eventually I may well go up to a P1 just for the added power, but that would also require a scope. The Marksman is capable of great accuracy, but at that distance, not a lot of power. I have also added the S&W 686 stainless .177 airgun to my shooting harness. Oh, it was a gift. So far, with open sights, it seems to shoot as good as the marksman, but that is only at 10 and 20 meters. I want to reach out and touch someone at 30 meters, namely some chipmunks that try to dig up the foundation of my house. Oh, more later I suppose.
  
  Michael