The Benjamin M600 Airbow is an outstanding development in the world of archery. It is powerful, accurate, and easy to use. Using pre-charged pneumatic power, it delivers arrows downrange at up to 600 feet per second with 300 foot pounds of energy.
With a weight of 6.8 pounds and a length of 33 inches, the M600 delivers these features in a reasonably light and compact package.
The M600 is made in the USA with globally sourced components. At the time of this writing, it cost $829.90 at benjaminairguns.com.
The only drawback to airbows at this time is that most state legislatures have not yet come to terms with the concept. So far, only about 14 states allow airbows to be used for hunting game animals. As time goes on, it is likely that other state legislatures will recognize the utility of these powerful tools, and legalize their use as an alternative to firearms for hunting.
Background
I was looking through the Benjamin catalog contemplating various airguns as tools for pest control. Suddenly my eye fell on the M600 Airbow. Previously unimagined vistas suddenly unfolded before the eyes of my mind.
I have dabbled in archery from time to time with moderate success at best. I find the sport much more difficult to master than firearms marksmanship. There is something about shouldering a buttstock that greatly increases my accuracy. I have been toying with the idea of trying a crossbow, but the cost has deterred me from going in that direction. But a pre-charged pneumatic airgun that shoots arrows? That is even better yet. Someone is a genius!
I asked Benjamin if they could loan me a sample of the M600 for testing and evaluation. They were kind enough to agree. Not long afterward, a box was delivered to our porch via FedEx from Daisy Outdoor Products, 1700 North 2nd Street, Rogers, AR 72756.
First Impressions
The shipping box contained a 38.25 x 10.88 x 4.25 inch package box. That box contained the M600, three arrows, a quiver, a secondary rail adapter, a pre-pressure-fill checklist, and a manual.
The M600 looks something like a prop gun from a Sci Fi movie. It has a sleek shape that I would associate with a laser blaster more than an arrow.
Most of the weight of the M600 is concentrated on the butt end, making it feel somewhat unbalanced when first handled. In actual use, I found that the weight near the back of the M600 made it easier to steady the sights on the target prior to firing.
Reading the Manual
The manual is 12 pages long including the front and back covers.
The manual begins with the basic rules of firearms safety, and then goes on to safety guidelines specific to the M600.
It warns that the M600 may be dangerous up to 800 yards.
There is an extensive section on how to inspect arrows, the importance of not using damaged arrows, and the importance of not ingesting meat containing carbon fragments.
The arrows have an outer dimension of 0.357 inches and are 26.25 inches long.
There is a transferrable five-year warranty for defects in material and workmanship.
Accessories
At the time of this writing, six arrows for the M600 cost $119.90 at benjaminairguns.com . An electrically powered compressor cost $1,685.90 . A travel compressor cost $749.90 . A hand pump cost $223.90 .
Charging the M600
By “charging”, I am not referring to purchasing the M600 using a credit card. I am talking about filling its cylinder with compressed air. The process involves the following steps:
1. Cocking the airbow to remove the force of the hammer from the firing valve.
2. Removing the fill nipple cover.
3. Laying the gun on its left side so that the air pressure gauge is facing upward.
4. Attaching a pump to the airbow (I used a hand pump).
5. Filling the airbow slowly (this helped to keep both the airbow and me from overheating).
The first 100 strokes on the pump brought the pressure inside the airbow cylinder to 800 pounds per square inch (psi). After 200 strokes the pressure was up to 1,300 psi. After 300 it was 1,800 psi; 2,400 psi after 400 strokes; 3,000 psi after 500 strokes; and 3,300 psi after 550 strokes. I stopped after 550 strokes because I did not want to exceed the maximum cylinder pressure of 3,600 psi. I also did not want to have a stroke myself. Charging the M600 with a manual pump was definitely a good aerobic workout.
Mounting a Sight
I first installed a UUQ HD 1080 red dot sight on the optics rail. The sight sat too low on the rail to be usable. I next tried a UTG SCP-RD40RGW-A instead. It was usable, but sat a little lower on the rail than I could have wished. Then I remembered that I had seen a rail riser in the M600 box. I removed the UTG optic, installed the rail riser, and reinstalled the UTG optic. The height was then perfect, providing an excellent cheek weld on the top of the cocking lever.
At the Range
It was a sunny but cool afternoon in late summer. The temperature was 60 degrees Fahrenheit. There was a gentle breeze out of the east.
I placed a target in front of the backstop on the improvised range behind my pole barn, and set up a table 25 yards away. I then loaded an arrow, cocked the M600, and fired. The arrow struck about four inches high and about six inches to the left of the point of aim.
The manual recommends using a target that is designed for arrows moving 600 feet per second. My target was evidently not so designed. The arrow passed all the way through the target and into the backstop. This was a little hard on the fletches, but they stood up well to the abuse.
Over the course of the next four shots I adjusted the sight until the arrow was hitting inside the 10 ring. I then fired two more arrows. Those last two arrows also hit inside the 10 ring. They were also touching each other in the backstop. Their fresh fletches seemed to give them an extra degree of precision.
Next, I moved the table back so that it was 50 yards from the target. I fired all three arrows from 50 yards. The resulting group was seven inches in size, and struck about 10 inches below the point of aim. In practical use for hunting, it would probably be good to sight the M600 about three inches high at 25 yards, to aim a little high at 50 yards, and to not take shots at ranges of more than 50 yards.
I would have loved to test the airbow with pop-up iron sights, but I did not have any on hand. If any SurvivalBlog readers have used pop-up iron sights on an airbow, I would love to hear about your experiences. Please submit a report to the weekly Snippets column, or send me a message at ThomasKChristianson at gmail dot com.
At the end of my range session, the M600 was still charged to 2,000 psi. I did not need hearing protection while using the M600, but did find the noise of its discharge to be a little louder than I had expected.
Pre-Charged Pneumatic
Pre-charged pneumatic air guns have their internal air cylinder charged from an external air source such as a pump.
You may have read that Lewis and Clark took a pre-charged pneumatic airgun on their voyage of discovery. It was a .46 caliber Girardoni air rifle that held 22 rounds in its tubular magazine. Lewis demonstrated the rifle on at least 16 different occasions to various Native American tribes.
I was happy to have the opportunity to experience this technology through the use of the M600. I look forward to exploring it further in other applications.
Benjamin Air Rifle History
The very first Benjamin Air Rifle was intended for hunting. Produced in 1882, it was a .22 caliber, pump-style air rifle that could propel a pellet at up to 400 feet per second. After 20 years of having his rifles manufactured by other companies, Benjamin founded the Benjamin Air Rifle Company in St. Louis in 1902.
The Benjamin company purchased Sheridan Products in 1977, and was then itself acquired by Crossman in 1992. All of those companies as well as Daisy are now owned by Velocity Outdoors.
Conclusions
I found the performance of the M600 to be more than satisfactory. I was impressed that I could have such good success with an unfamiliar tool straight out of the box. In terms of both accuracy and power, it exceeded my expectations and took my experience of archery to a whole new level.
I commend the inventor of the airbow and hope that more state legislatures will soon permit its use for hunting game animals.
Disclaimer
Benjamin loaned me a sample of their M600 Airbow for testing and evaluation. I tried not to allow their kindness to interfere with my objectivity in this review, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.
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