Benjamin Akela PCP Air Rifle

This rifle does seem to have decent accuracy, certainly enough for pest control but maybe not for target shooting. It has a nice, light trigger pull (when the trigger works works).

The pressure gauge is incorrect. It reads 3000 psi (full) when my known good pump gauge reads about 2500 psi. The trigger would cease to function after several shots. It had a "nylock" nut on the trigger transfer bar, but it was working loose. I had to use threadlocker to get it to stay in place. The picatinny rail slots are too narrow (I had to file my scope riser, which fits on my other rifles with a picatinny rail, to get it to secure to the rail on the Akela) The wood is really ugly on the replacement. It has little or no wood stain. The color is more like beech wood rather than Turkish walnut. Because of the light coloration, there are burn marks from the router bit that are visible. It requires a very tall scope mount. I had to use a fairly tall riser block to mount the UTG Bugbuster scope. Tall rings alone would not have positioned it high enough for comfortable shooting.

The first rifle was beautiful, but it was a "lemon". The pressure gauge would jump (up or down) with each shot. The trigger stopped working. It was hard to chamber pellets. It leaked air from the chamber with each shot. Both magazines were cracked and had dimpled exit holes. The only good thing was the nicely finished walnut stock. I returned it to Pyramyd and Pyramyd quickly replaced it.

However, the replacement is only a little better than the original. The pressure gauge does not jump, but it shows incorrect pressure. Both magazines were cracked (again). The trigger would stop working after about 50 shots. The stock, though solid and functional, seems to be unstained. It is very lightly colored with a couple of large, router burn marks clearly visible on the wood. Of the many wood-stocked rifles that I own, this is the ugliest.

Overall, I am very disappointed with this purchase.

This rifle is simply amazing, weight, accuracy and is backyard friendly.

Would be perfect if it had a better magazine and was regulated.

Buck-rail makes a lot of upgrades for this rifle.

Great looking and easy to operate. Many shots per tank.

Mention in manual which scope and rings give enough height to see through scope comfortably as there are no iron sights.

Good looking rifle

Under stock picatinny rail should be made of aluminum and have two points screws for installation. One rail which came with this rifle is a very poor quality and can’t be secured properly on the stock. For the amount you are charging for this rifle it’s should be equipped properly. Also, the studs for rifle sling are not installed properly. All loose and need to get installed with epoxy or other adhesive.

Nice rifle but need to be improved

Excellent rifle, my brother and I have unanimously voted this gun #2 behind the .30 cal Evanix (super awesome). Excellent Accuracy!!! My brother is a better shot than me with a rifle. 5 shots through 1 hole at 25 yards. Many others have same results at 50 yards and further. Very happy with the quality and lever action is smooth. Charging is straightforward and guards work well. Trigger is a bit hair trigger, but I like it. Very Accurate. Excellent power.

Lets face it, the adjustable cheek plate sucks. I have removed it and replaced it with a double back tape and nice fabric. It works for me. It does well with a 3x9 or 4x16, I usually don't use much magnification.

If you plan to use a scope and keep everything stock, consider tall scope mounts. I love this rifle.

I got the .177. Has a really nice wood stock, especially for the money.

Magazine issues. If not every magazine, then every other magazine, sometimes several times per mag, a pellet gets stuck in the transfer port. When I cycle the rifle, the pellet probe, pulls the pellet out the rear of the mag, causing it jam the rifle. There is no power curve. It starts hi, and every shot after will be slower. Point of impact keeps changing. You could get 8 great shots, 2 bad, 4 more good shots, followed by 3 or 4 inaccurate shots. Doesn't matter where in the power linear decent you are. To much choke on the barrel. Impossible to get most cleaning tips, past the choke. Tried 19 different pellets.

Going to install a regulator, polish the barrel and single load it. Something to tinker with. If you are wanting a out the box shooter, I would look elsewhere. I own several marauders and they all shoot great.
The power adjustment, if you set the rifle at say 14 foot pound, by the fifth or six shot, you will be down to 13 foot pound, another five or six shots and you will be down to 12.

Wood stock exceptional ,accuracy spot on

Nothing

Pick up extra ammunition and magazines, its fun to shoot

I left a 5 star review in December 2021, Almost a year later and my opinion hasn't changed. This is definitely one of my favorites. I discovered it loves h&n hornets and consistently shoots 3/4" groups at 35 yards

It would be fantastic if they started offering 25 and possibly 30 caliber

It's worth every penny.

Compact, very accurate, weight is towards the back.

Iron sights would be nice and a barrel band.

Amazing rifle. You might want to consider a suppressor.

Accuracy. Shots per fill. Its a beautiful gun.

Its heavy. Wish they had a lightweight option. I would be willing to pay for a carbon fiber tank and barrel shroud. And maybe remove some of the wood from the stocks interior.

It is a very good looking rifle. Very accurate. I drew half a dozen chipmunk sized heads on a box, placed that in front of a 3/4 inch thick piece of plywood, and had a 1/2 inch thick chipboard behind it. After zeroing the scope, I made 30 consecutive head shots at 20 yards. But be careful. On full power, I got through 3 magazines with no change in accuracy. But some of the pellets were penetrating through all of my layers when laying shots on top of each other. Overall, this is a fantastic rifle at any price point. I highly recommend it.