Marksman Model 2004 Review

Overall Rating

Very nice trigger I was extremely impressed with the unit as the gun was only $40. I just like the way it feel as well. It balances very nicely for practically any user. Plastic seem durable and has metal in all the right places. Has proven to be very accurate for me. Knock down power is sufficent on pest with proper shot placement and knowing what your limits are. I'm very impressed with the pistol.

I've not had any mechanical errors but one. It seem the gun wouldn't discharge properly. I'd gone off to get some tools to see what was wrong with it, but tried firing it again before opening it up and it worked just fine. The problem has never occured again.

I'd actaully first bought the handgun for my brother for his birthday. As he loves handguns but couldn't dive into getting a firearm at the time. Not being able to afford the Beeman P3, which the Marksman 2004 is the clone of, for a gift I compromised for the 2004. Of course before I gave it to him I had to do some testing!

My first impressions of the gun was I was pretty surprised by the fit and balance of such a low priced gun. The pistol just felt like it belonged in my hands. Taking aim through it I found the pistol to come up quickly and balance perfectly in my hands, proving that this pistol would be very shootable from the offhand position. The safety flick on an off is easy and is located perfectly for right hand shooters. If you are left handed I'm afraid you're outta luck.

Shooting the handgun I was a bit surprised at the cocking effort. It was a bit tough for me which I've never had trouble with the cocking effort of any airgun. But after a dozen shots or so it became easier as I found the best places to apply the effort to. I must say that the first time my finger touched upon the trigger I was in love with it. This is absolutely my favorite aspect of this airgun. The trigger is butter smooth and breaks cleanly, making it even easier to shoot offhand. In this it's important to acknowledge the fact that alot of pistol shooting is in the trigger. A pistol is smaller than a rifle narrowing your margin of error on your trigger squeeze.

When the gun discharged I was in for another surprise. The Marksman despite its looks is quite powerful, in my opinon. The pellet hit the target with authority. The pistol isn't loud, but it's a distinct report. Each time I fired the pistol the pellets always hit hard.

That brings up velocity if you were wanting to know. I believe the pistol is advertised to shoot 410 feet per second. On my chronograph with Gamo Match pellets the pistol achieved velocities up to 403fps but the average was about 390fps. I was pleased with this velocity as many manufacture's tend to inflate their velocities to increase sales by using very controlled conditions and extremely light pellets.

The accuracy on this gun was oustanding. At 10 yards I was able keep my groups within a 1/4" sqaure, of course from a rested position. The sights are adjustable and I was delighted to find these easy and trouble free to adjust. It took no more than 10 minutues to zero the pistol for 10 yards Off handed I shot groups up to 1", however this is very nice from a pistol! A pistol that costs $40 mind you. The trigger certainly helps and I cannot say enough good things about the trigger unit. On top of that the pistols accuracy is remarkbly consistent. At an airgun show in Dallas I was able to hold my own on the informal spinner range against a fella that was shooting a target-grade pistol. Not too bad for a fun plinker under $50. After which he asked if I was using the Beeman P3. I told no it was the Marksman 2004. After telling him it only cost around $40 and letting him shoot it a few times he seemed very impressed, and said more than likely he'd pick one up on the way home! And I'd have to say he made a good choice. Its a touch pistol to beat for the price.

As for hunting or pest control as some folks are interested in, I've found it to be sufficent out to around 10 yards. After this distance I wouldn't press it too much as you risk wounding the animal. However within 10yds you can have an absoulte hay-day with this gun. We have a goodly amount of English sparrows that hang around the house and most of the time my air rifles are simply over kill on these little pests. While hunting these little rascals, I got the opportunity to practice my trigger pull and some offhand shooting. Chest shots dispatch them humanely. I've killed about 7-10 house sparrows with this pistol and have found the accuracy to be perfect and the power within reason. However 1 sparrow I shot at about 15 yds was hit in the chest, but I never found the entrance wound. The shock of pellet striking the animal killed it, but you can't count on that every time. This is why I stress the keep your shooting to around 10 yards or less. I have in fact dispatched a starling with the Marksman and the shot hit it right behind the eye exactly where I was aiming.

Overall I would definitely recommend getting this airgun. If you don't get it for yourself then get it as a gift for a fellow airgunner. I have no doubt that you will love this pistol once you start shooting it. At times its hard for me to say "Ok this is the last shot". At $40 you really can't beat it. Honestly, I would have easily paid upwards of $70 for this gun. You will not regret your purchase, I surely haven't.

Members' Comments onHumble's Review

• pelletgunhunter on 12th Jul 2007

  If i was your brother I'd think your cheep

• Humble on 14th Jul 2007

  You buy what you can...At the time I was working part time while in school. Some of us are not so fortunate to throw a lot money around for gifts.