Benjamin EB22 Review

Overall Rating

* Inexpensive
* Powerful
* Fun to shoot (versus multi-stroke pneumatics)

* Typical Crosman/Benjamin-Sheridan quality

Let me first just say that I am remaining objective in this review -- this is not a rant. That said, I just can't see how some of these Crosman and Benjamin/Sheridan guns get such high reviews. My guess is that either some of these "rave reviews" are coming from Crosman themselves (marketing type folks) or people who have nothing else to compare their purchase to.

When looking for a .22, I opted for the B/S 392, per the great reviews. It ended up being (for all intent purposes), junk. Too much effort to pump, not enough kick, proprietary mounts (poor mounts, to boot). I purchased the Crosman 1377 pistol, also based on its great reviews. Another piece of junk. Terrible trigger, cheap plastic. Why I thought the EB22 would be different is beyond me. Maybe it was the great reviews!

Yes, I understand that you get what you pay for... but a lot of the reviews here make it seem like these clearly sub-par Crosman and B/S guns are great, simply because they're cheap. Cheap junk doesn't make it any less junk.

ANYWAY -- I purchased the EB22 because I was in the market for a powerful air pistol. At only about 100 shots in to my day, I pulled the action bolt back while turning the bolt counter-clockwise, loaded a pellet, and closed the bolt. When I rotated the bolt clockwise to "lock" the action, it seemed as if the bolt turned clockwise far more than it had with prior shots - though no extra force was used in turning the bolt.

Not paying this much concern, I took my shot, and the bolt was expelled forcefully out of the back of the pistol, along with the small "crosslock"-looking component that fits into the action bolt perpendicularly (to "lock" it).

While I was not hit by the bolt (as I was shooting one-handed with my right hand), had I been, I can only imagine the type of injury I'd have sustained.

Now, being objective... It WAS a fun gun to shoot until it fell apart. I liked the feeling of not having to break down a barrel or pump (argh). The trigger was very stiff, and without taking the right grip off, it's not adjustable. It's a very stiff one-stage trigger that (as with other Crosman guns), turns a gun that is inherently very accurate into a chore. You CAN shoot accurately with the EB22, it just takes a lot of trigger control.

Let me also comment on Crosman's (Benjamin's) proprietary mounts. For the two days that I owned the EB22, I had a Leapers UTG dot on the pistol. These Crosman proprietary mounts are crude pieces of junk that attempt to break the laws of physics. Let me explain:

The Crosman B272 four-piece intermount is what can be used on all "current production" Benjamin/Sheridan guns (rifle and pistol). These little intermounts clamp directly onto the barrel, and -- when used as a pair -- provide a 3/8" dovetail for standard scope/dot mounting. Sounds great? Well, no...

Each "mount" is actually two pieces. You place one piece on either side of a fixed spot on the barrel, and screw them together. The screw is located towards the bottom of the mount piece, therefore, once you screw the pieces together tightly enough, the mount stays put on the barrel (and mind you, you have to screw them very tightly to get them to stay put).

Now, here's the problem... Once you have your mounts nice and secure on the barrel, you need to obviously put your scope rings or dot or whatnot onto the 3/8" dovetail that the intermount pieces provide. Simple enough... until you start to actually tighten the rings onto the dovetails. As you tighten the screws of your rings onto the dovetail (thereby applying an inward-pulling pressure onto the opposing sides of the dovetail), the BOTTOM of the mount start to loosen up. The bottom of the mount, of course, is what was so painstakingly screwed on earlier to keep the mounts tight on the barrel. Not so easy now, is it?

After enough putzing around, you can find a happy medium of clamping pressure on both the barrel and the rings to keep things in place. Whether it stays in place I can't say -- because again, my EB22 broke on day two.

All in all, the EB22 has typical Crosman quality. If you think that's a good thing, you may enjoy this pistol. Remember, however, that you get what you pay for.

Members' Comments onkicknotes's Review

• notary on 26th Jun 2008

  I found this review helpful because...I was thinking of buying an EB22 but now will not. Thanks, the review confirmed my suspicions that the American "air" gun industry has not really yet understood what UK shooters want in a gun. The prospect of the bolt flying out and hitting you in the eye or elsewhere is enough to put me off anyway even without further comment.