By: Tom Claycomb

Every now and then, a new gun comes along that catches your eye. The Benjamin Woods Walker (BWW) by Crosman did that to me. I don’t know if it’s because it resembles the camouflage version of something Luke Skywalker would carry or what, but I had to get one and test it out when I first came across this .22 caliber air rifle.

Stellar Red Dot Sight
Let’s start by talking about the cool CenterPoint Multi-Tax Quick Aim Sight the gun comes equipped with. Once you shoot the Walker, you’ll understood why I’m so eager to discuss this feature. You can choose between a green or red laser and five sight intensities. On top of that, you also have four different reticles you can select from.

It’s a much better sight than I would have imagined would have come with the gun, and it’s great for close shots.

Tricky Clip, Sweet Trigger
The Walker uses a clip similar to the Benjamin Marauder, but clips don’t interchange. The BWW clip only holds eight pellets, compared to the Marauder’s 10. If you’ve never used a Benjamin clip, they’re tricky at first. Rotate the cap in a clockwise motion and load the first pellet, holding your left pointer finger under the hole on the bottom (only necessary at the first slot) to prevent the pellet from falling out. Then load each hole individually counter-clockwise. To insert the clip, pull back the bolt, insert the clip, and push the bolt forward, thereby loading the gun.

My Walker came from the factory with a 24-ounce trigger pull. I’ve never received such a light trigger on any factory gun. It’s a sweet trigger – certainly not the norm for air guns.

Detachable Stock
To add to the cool factor, the Woods Walker comes with a detachable stock, enabling you to use it as a pistol or as a carbine. To attach the stock, just unscrew the two screws in the pistol grip, remove the two grips, and replace them with the stock. Voilà! You now have a carbine. And I just found out that R. Arms Innovations makes an aftermarket AR stock, which I will be sure to check out.

Charging a PCP
I’ll briefly cover what it takes to charge a PCP (Pre-Charged Pneumatic) Rifle, in case you’re not familiar with them. The pistol has a tank that holds air. Benjamin makes auxiliary air tanks that you charge at a local scuba diving shop and use to fill you pistol. Alternatively, Air Venturi makes a compressor for charging your tanks. Benjamin also makes a hand pump, so there are a few options for filling your tank.

You’ll download air out of the auxiliary tank into the tank on the gun with a hose that hooks into the auxiliary tank. There is a gauge on the bottom, in front of the trigger guard, that you want to watch while filling. Stop charging when it hits 3,000 psi. I make it a habit to recharge my gun when the pressure gets down to about 1,500 psi; otherwise, it will lose a lot of its killing power.

Author suggestion: The charging hoses have quick disconnect couplers, so they’re easy to use. I’d recommend getting a small, canvas, range-type bag to carry all of your air gun accessories in, or they’ll get misplaced (speaking from experience). I have an Otis canvas bag that works great. I can fit two air tanks in the main compartment, clips in the pockets on the ends, and on one side, my hoses and couplers, and on the other side, I keep my tools.

Great Hunting Applications
In this day and age, cool new air guns are popping up all the time, and if you haven’t shot a BWW yet, you may wonder why I’m so excited about this new gun in particular. For me, the Walker has three great hunting applications:

  1. Ground squirrels: I use my Woods Walker a lot for close shots while ground squirrel hunting. I seldom miss inside of 15 yards.
  2. Grouse while fishing: The BWW would make a great gun to throw in your pack to shoot grouse with in the fall when you hike up to fly-fish in the high mountain lakes.
  3. Grouse while elk hunting: Along the same lines as number two, the Woods Walker would be nice for shooting grouse when you’re elk hunting. It doesn’t make much noise, so it wouldn’t spook your elk.

Give this little gun a try, and you might just have to have one of your own.

Tom Claycomb III is a product tester for outdoor manufacturers, hunter, and outdoor writer, writing from Idaho.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Gunpowder Magazine.

Photo Credit: Crosman