Benjamin designed, patented, and produced a pneumatic, .22 caliber, pump-style rifle. In America at that time, one could find air guns intended for use as a toy, but this was something different. A serious hunter could use one of these “Benjamin Pumps” to fire a shot at up to 400 feet-per-second. Over the next couple of decades, Walter Benjamin dialed in his designs, producing air rifles through W
issler Instrument Company and the St. Louis Air Rifle Company before forming the Benjamin Air Rifle Company in St. Benjamin’s line of products expanded. That included the introduction of the Super CO2 pistol, powered by disposable cylinders manufactured in our own factory instead of generic or refillable ones. Nearly a century later, in 1977, Benjamin purchased Sheridan Products to add their airgun designs to the arsenal. Both companies were acquired by Crosman in 1992 and then became part of the Velocity Outdoor family. Over the 150 years that Benjamin airguns have been part of the hunting world, they’ve fueled a loyal family of hands-on hunters and ingenious improvers.
