Benjamin 397 air rifle

by Benjamin

Product Features

• caliber: 0.177
• velocity: 800.00 ft/sec
• Warranty: One year limited warranty
• .177 Pump Classic

Product Description

To maintain the seals for a long time, remember to put one pump of air into the gun when putting it away after shooting. Whether you plan to shoot again the next day or not again for another 2 years, always put one pump into the gun when you're done shooting! An American classic! The Benjamin 397 .177 cal. rifle is a multi-pump pneumatic. The hardwood Monte Carlo stock is sleek and lightweight. The rifled brass barrel is finished in black and sends pellets screaming at 800 fps! You can vary the velocity by the number of pumps (up to 8). The 397 is ideal for plinking, target shooting, slapping spinners and popping paper targets. In fact, we predict this gun will become one of your favorites. Although this gun has been made for decades, the manufacturer continues to put extra fine details in the rifle, such as a swelling in the forearm to make it easier to pump and a fully adjustable rear sight. You can put a scope on the 397, but you'll want to use the B272 intermount to do that.... Don't forget to click on the AMMO link for a list of recommended pellets. The ACCESSORIES link has a list of scopes, fun targets and safety gear you'll need. To scope this gun, you'll need an intermount. The Crosman intermount has an 11mm dovetail. The others are Weaver rails. Match up the right rings with the intermount you select!... Classic multi-pump that's bound to become your go-to gun! Perfect for spinners, paper targets and plinking....

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 39.2 x 7.2 x 6.5 inches ; 6.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001B1LKKQ
• Item model number: 397
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,350 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 397C pump air rifle, January 17, 2007

By 

John L. Johnson (South Georgia, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Bought this at a local hardware store. It seems to be a good value for the dollars with a firm but clean trigger, nice wooden stock and metal open sights. It is more accurate "out of the box" than other rifles I used lately. Good finish for the metal parts and wooden stock which is dark stained with an open grain style finish. Pumps from 1 to 8 and has very little recoil at 8. The bolt and breech is open and easy loading. The trigger had 6 pounds of clean pull on my Winchester spring pull. Plastic butt plate, needs rubber which should give better grip. Cleaned the barrel and fired about 20 rounds to get into the black. Pump effort goes up after three pumps and continues to increase to 8. Overall length is shorter than normal but stock to trigger distance is about the same. Good value, easy to learn and seems to be very reliable. No parts diagram or parts information provided. Has a "child safety lock" made of plastic that was difficult to remove and went from rifle to trash. Scope is more complex because of no "dovetail" and requires specific scope adapter from rifle manufacturer.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good value - quiet and effective, December 11, 2010

By 

Roy Massie (Birmingham, AL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Benjamin 397 air rifle (Misc.)

I have owned my Benjamin 397 for about 8 years which has proved to be about the right amount of time for me to really assess this gun. Overall, I love it. I use it to kill squirrels which have damaged my house in the past when they are not controlled.

Summary:

Durability - Okay - this is the biggest weak spot I have experienced. I recently sent the gun away to have it repaired after 8 years of semi-regular use. I estimate I have shot it about 600 times over the years (watching the pellets run down). The failure was the pump valve rails had come loose and you could no longer pump the lever. The repair was done through the mail and the total cost was about half of what replacement would have cost. It came back good as new. I'm a little disappointed with a gun that didn't shoot more rounds and is not the cheapest of air rifles (certainly not the most expensive either). Nevertheless, the overall gun is not built like a toy. It feels like a real rifle. The repairman told me the rail failure was a little unusual, so I hope for better now that it is professionally repaired. I also needed to call Crossman to get the recommended repairmen and they were extremely helpful, nice and fast on customer service.

Sound - The quietness is actually the main reason I stick with this gun. Since I am in wooded suburbia, I need a quiet gun that has some kill at ranges inside of 20 yards. This fits the bill. I know it is quiet. You can get more powerful air rifles, but at speeds approaching 1000fps you risk the projectile causing a sound barrier crack like a small rifle.

Kill power - yes it will kill the tough little brown squirrels that jump through the trees (and attics) of the Southeast. But you need to hit the animal in front of its thick hind legs which are pure muscle. Otherwise they will quickly limp away (bleeding). Mid-body/thorax or head hits will kill or paralyze immediately. I use Beeman Crow Magnum pellets for this and am thinking of switching to some of the fancier Gamo hunter pellets which I expect to be more effective. As part of the recent repair I mentioned before, the tech chronographed my gun at 797fps which is spec'd at 800 fps - pretty darn good. He said some of these guns can eke out a little more power if you pump them 10 times instead of the normal 8, but mine does not (varies by valve seal, etc.). Eight pumps will easily kill a mid-sized brown squirrel with a decent shot placement. I have not tried it on some of the larger grey squirrels that live further out in the woods, I expect it could kill them as well. I do not think it would be good for killing larger game like coons or oppossum; maybe rabbits. Could certainly use it to permanently drive off tough (feral) tom cats that could hurt your little family dogs; not that I would do that of course, but you could.

Accuracy - Not bad for what I do. I use a 4x BSA scope. I am not the best shot but can still get the overall job done. I recently set in my scope again and was shooting groups within a 2 inch diameter at about 20 yards. I think the gun is capable of somewhat better, but I am not.

When my gun breaks again (probably will after several years use), I may replace it with another Benjamin 397 simply because it is great on quietness and decent on other categories that matter to me.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gun taught me to be a marksman, February 17, 2008

By 

L. Green - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I owned this pellet gun as a child. I learned to make my first shot count, since it was a single shot. As a boy of tweleve, this was my most prised possession. I am purchasing another, since I lost this one as a child.

I was an "Expert Marksman" in the Army Marksmanship course, and I owe this all to this gun.