Made a semi-impulse buy this summer and picked up the 25 cal Marauder. There's no way of getting around the fact that its a lot of money, but what an amazing piece of gear, and a definite bargain compared to similar foreign-made products. My only prior air rifle experience was the .22 Benjamin pump I had as a kid. The M-rod is light years removed from that trusty classic. For around the price of 1k rounds of .308, I don't have a shred of regret. For me it's well worth foregoing another powder burner in order to pick up something like this.
For those who don't know, the Marauder has an 8-rd repeating bolt action and is pre-charged to 3000 psi with either a hand pump or scuba tank. It spits out pellets from 24 to 43 gr at up to 900 fps thru a shrouded barrel, which makes it quiet to the point that the loudest sound is the pellet hitting the target. Shooting in the backyard is easy, even in suburban SoCal none of my neighbors have a clue. The accuracy is amazing with the right pellet, JSB Exact, Kodiak/Barracuda, and Eun Jin are shooting quarter size groups at 30 yds.
I'm a crappy shot, but this thing sure makes it a lot easier, especially since I can shoot it more often in the backyard. It is definitely more accurate that my 10/22, as well as being incredibly quiet and clean. It is a little heavy and requires a scope, but its well worth it. The pump requires some effort, so I might get a scuba tank at some point, but its nice to not be dependent on CO2. A full charge is good for about 24 full-power shots between refills. Sure beats having to pump 10 times between shots, like I did as a kid.
