Benjamin Armada, the erector set

The Benjamin Armada is the erector set of air rifles. One can add an accessory here and take away another one there until you get the Armada of your choice. I think you could line up 100 personally owned Armadas and not more than 10 would be the same. Unless the new owner hasn’t had time to shop for accessories. I have moved the bipod 4 times, the front sling swivel 2 and added a front pictinall rail. For High Power Sporting Rifle matches I install a set of backup sights and moved the rear sight 3 times. Then there is the but stock. It has been taken off, put back on and adjusted to all its different lengths. To my surprise I found the adjustable buttstock the most useful. Since you can’t move the scope or rear sight backforward for the right eye relief, Changing the length of pull can serve the same function.

Some things run counter to habits from a lifetime of shooting firearms. I have always set up scope mount with the screw heads on the right side so if Some just have to be that way like Unertl external mounts, but with Weaver mounts or tipoff mounts that use thumb screws or allen wrenches, I put them on the right. On the mounts that come with the Armada package there is a nut that tightens the the scope rings onto the base.

Air guns have a way of being game changers. The Armada/Marauder rifles have a magazine that that fits flush on the left, but sticks out on the right. I thought that went away with the .30-40 Krag. Crosman magazines display a shot counter on the portion that protrudes from the right side of the breach.

I shoot three of the four stages of HPSR in sitting and if I want to check the shot count, I move my head to the right and look down the right side of the rife. I tried this in a sitting rapid fire stage, and all I saw was the nut!

Scope mount nut blocking shot counter.

Mount turned around, and nut no longer blocks counter.

All these moves seem pretty obvious once they are done. They are not obvious until you shoot the gun for a while and see what needs to be changed to fit your shooting style.