I have a Benjamin model 397, purchased new in the early '90s; I like the gun. Many people have complained about the difficulty of pumping them up. My problem, however, is the extremely strong spring on the bolt. A few pellets loaded, and my fingers get very sore. Is there any way to reduce the strength of that spring. Why is it so strong? Does the firing pin impact have to propel the pellet past where the compressed air gets behind it?
I have recently acquired a squirrel problem; they raid my bird feeder. I don't really want to kill them, just to give them a good hard sting. So I only give the Benjamin 3 pumps. If I wanted to kill them, I would use a Marlin .22, firing quiet CB caps. Thanks for any helpful suggestions.
