Practical breakdown of Benjamin Bulldog M357, Marauder Pistol, and Marauder Gen3 — tech, specs, and field‑ready notes for hunters and varmint shooters.
by Jace Bauserman
I vividly remember the first time I cocked my lever-action Daisy Red Ryder BB gun and popped a tin Pepsi can. I was so proud. That can sat in my room until I was in Junior High.
My dad wasn’t a hunter but is a Second Amendment supporter and had no problem with me using firearms, as long as I was safe. By the time I was in eighth grade, after finishing my Hunter Safety Course, I traded my Red Ryder for a Remington 870. Still, it was the Red Ryder—those countless hours of punching paper and plinking cans that instilled a love of shooting in me.
In April of 2024, Daisy purchased the Crosman Corporation, including the iconic Benjamin brand, from Velocity Outdoor, and it has been full steam ahead ever since. While I’ve tinkered and tested various Daisy and Crosman BB and pellet guns, I’d yet to wrap my finger around the trigger of a Benjamin.
Last week, Benjamin’s Bulldog M357 PCP Air Rifle showed up at my door. I test loads of outdoor gear, from bolt-actions to compound bows. It takes a lot to make my jaw drop. The Bulldog M357 PCP looks like something the good guys will use to beat the bad guys in an interstellar war. Benjamin’s first Big Bore air rifle, the M357 PCP, sports a Pic-rail that runs basically from just in front of the stock to the muzzle. Setting exact eye-relief won’t be an issue, and with the Pic-rail, the Bulldog M357 PCP will accept standard and red-dot scopes.
Benjamin Bulldog M357: First Impressions
The pistol-style grip is long and thin for ultimate handling, the trigger box is wide, and the butt-stock is long and gridded to ensure proper mounting and handling. A serious upgrade over the original .357, the M357 increases energy and power to 300 fpe, features an expanded 440cc reservoir for longer shooting sessions between refills, and, if you purchase the kit, Benjamin provides a 4-16×50 scope, sling, and 100 ct of 147-grain .357 slugs. Yes, you read that correctly. This powerhouse sends .357 projectiles, and its compact 36-inch bullpup configuration means amazing field portability.
According to Benjamin, the M357 sends pellets at 1,135 fps. The five-shot magainze is fast and easy to load, and you can count on five shots between air fills. After loading the five-shot magazine and learning the ins and outs of the air gun’s saftey, which is mounted in front of the trigger, I was ready to fill and shoot. I like the front-mounted safety. Push the vertical black safety forward, and you’re ready to shoot. A side-mounted gauge reads air pressure. Benjamin’s Bulldog M357 PCP must be filled with HPA (High-Pressure Air) and has a max fill pressure of 3,000 PSI. Use a standard Foster male quick-disconnect fitting to connect to the air nipple on the bottom of the stock located behind the pistol grip.
The Issue
My problem: Crosman sent an HPA compressor, which was great. However, the compressor was damaged in shipping. You cannot fill your M357 with standard shop or garage air compressors. Standard air compressors reach between 150 and 350 PSI. The M357 requires 3,000 PSI (200) BAR to operate properly. Using a standard compressor can damage your airgun.
What’s the plan?
This test is going to happen. Crosman is sending another compressor, and as soon as it arrives, I’m going to use this reasonably balanced air rifle with an attached above-bore bipod to wear out coyotes and prairie dogs. For now, though, this should be enough to pique your interest. This air gun will take down deer-sized game, and I can’t wait to get it out on the range.
Other Awesome Benjamin Air Guns
Benjamin has my attention, and it should have yours. Airguns are fun, inexpensive to shoot, and modern-day builds promise remarkable accuracy. Here are two other Benjamin Airhuns to keep on your radar.
Marauder Pistol
Here’s a straightforward, nuts‑and‑bolts look at what the Marauder Pistol is and what it does. The Marauder Pistol packs raw power, pinpoint precision, and rock-solid reliability into a palm‑friendly package that won’t weigh you down im a blind, treestand or on a hike. Built as a bolt‑action PCP, it’s plenty capable on squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, and other varmints, and it makes an ideal deer‑stand companion for keeping the pests down while you wait for the big buck. The pistol is hyper-quiet, and though I wouldn’t risk popping a raccoon while hunting deer, it is a great in-the-stand/ground-blind pistol to have if a coyote wanders by. Never pass on a coyote.
Don’t let the pistol profile fool you: this is a serious shooter. It uses an 8‑shot rotary magazine (designated for .22-caliber pellets), a crisp two‑stage trigger, and a shrouded barrel that can push pellets to 800 fps with the consistency PCPs are known for. Swap the pistol grip for the included synthetic shoulder stock and your sight picture won’t need re‑zeroing. I love that you can instantly transform this pistol into a shoulder-mounted shooter. According to Benjamin, it shoulders up clean and predictable. You can expect up to roughly 30 shots per fill on a good fill cycle, and the Foster quick‑disconnect fill system keeps refills straightforward.
Rugged, versatile, and eminently accessorizable, the Marauder Pistol is as at home teaching new shooters in the backyard as it is earning its keep in the field. It’s classic Benjamin—compact, capable, and built to be carried.
Marauder Gen3
New from Benjamin in .22 and .25 caliber is the Marauder Gen3. It’s a regulated, bolt‑action PCP built around a 500cc air reservoir rated to 3,625 PSI (250 BAR). That big bottle plus an adjustable regulator is the core tech. The design smooths pressure delivery so you get repeatable velocities across a useful shot string instead of the big drop‑off older, unregulated PCPs can suffer. Consistency leads to excellent accuracy.
The .22 is tuned for speed and efficiency (listed velocities up to 1,200 fps, roughly 50 FPE depending on pellet weight), while .25 trades velocity for energy (about 1,150 fps and up to 80 FPE on heavier slugs). Pellet feeding is multi‑shot via a rotary magazine with 14 rounds in .22, 12 in .25. This means you’ve got quick follow‑ups without single‑loading every shot.
A shrouded/barrel‑suppressed design reduces report and helps keep the profile compact. Cocking effort is 15 lbs, making bolt cycling easier than prior generations. The trigger is a two‑stage adjustable for pull weight and creep reduction. Ready to handle any weather and all terrains, the all-weather synthetic stock features an adjustable cheekpiece and a full Pic rail for optics; sling studs and a typical Foster quick‑disconnect fill fitting complete the layout.
The regulated performance + 500cc reservoir means longer, more consistent shot strings before refill; required fill pressure and fitting are standard PCP spec, but confirm hose/fitting compatibility. This is a tech‑first Marauder that prioritizes consistent, tunable performance and field durability rather than gimmicks.
