Benjamin Armada, looking for tips on best mods..

I have a 22 field and target for backyard plinking and backyard squirrels. My priority is quietness as I have close neighbors.
What I would do with that description of use is get a Hill aluminum hammer with a PEEK striker and a 1/2x20 adapter then an extra moderator that fits your budget. If you like nice stuff DonnyFL can't be beat. If youre on a tight budget the Buck Rail 1/2x20 will be your best bet. Get one in .25 to avoid any pellet clipping issues.
 
Thanks for the help! For a lighter hammer would you recommend a stronger spring?
Not necessarily. When you order the Hill Hammer you can peruse his options and explanations. The most important part of the spring improvement is that it will be shorter, allowing free flight and reducing hammer bounce. You can order a few different springs and see what works best for your needs.
 
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Or if power is not a big concern then do the BStaley mod. I do not particularly like the mod but it does work. And it is simple and cheap, two or three O-rings. My issues with it is that it caps power which it does in concert with flattening the shot curve and extending the curve. At least with a .25, the fpe tops about 36 fpe. My other issue is that the O-rings can fall back or turn sideways which interferes with the hammer for the first few shots until the O-rings re-stack themselves.

Use the stock hammer
Install a Peek striker (Tim Hill or make your own)
Use stock spring or a shorter Hill 262 spring to possibly get a skosh of free flight
Insert the 3 O-rings for a snug fit in the ID of the tube right behind the valve

The .22 Marauder is already quiet. Most of the remaining noise is from the metallic clack of the steel striker on the valve stem and the brrrrrp muzzle report caused by hammer bounce exhausting air needlessly long after the pellet is gone away. The Peek striker will eliminate the metallic clack and the BStaley mod will help reduce hammer bounce along with a shorter hammer spring possibly giving some free flight or less preload.

The DFL 1/2X20 muzzle adapter will allow installing a sound device but at the cost of additional length. Not sure it should really be needed.

I rebuilt and installed a new turntable in my inherited Zenith mid-century console. I was getting feedback into the turntable from the cabinet speakers. I cut a heavy piece of mirror glass to set the TT on and then used (5) Sorbothane washers about 3/4 inches (maybe 7/8ths) by 1/4 inch and 70 durometer to set the glass on isolating the TT from the cabinet. I had some left over and took the BStaley O-rings out and stuck the Sorbothane washer on the valve. No bounce, that stuff absorbs all of the energy. But, I have since found other ways of reducing hammer bounce that I like better, namely SSGs and free flight hammer systems.
 
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Peek striker for the Marauders factory hammer .... 2 ways to accomplish ;)

Spot face ( counterbore ) an @ 5/32" hole using an end mill in a lathe being @ .100" deep into a stock striker and place a PEEK insert into it ... OR
Make a 100% PEEK replica of the OEM striker. Use a hacksaw to make a screw driver slot on 1/4-28 threaded end for adjusting it.
 
This whole time I thought peek referred to it being the end of the hammer but it’s actually just the type of plastic. Just out of curiosity are there other striker replacement materials?
Sadly other materials have TOO LOW of an impact resistance and will shatter or mushroom with impact against the steel poppet stem.
I have tried Acetals/Delrin of misc composition w/o success, Nylon can work but honestly a tad to resilient absorbing energy and being bouncy.
Tried PET-P, Torlon as well Copper or Brass .... If looking for less NOISE / TINK of the strike impact ... Peek just works great ;)
 
I agree with the extra spring removal as well and forgot about this cheap and easy mod. It basically turns the trigger into a match trigger for free. When suggesting this mod you should also mention that he will need to add back a spacer to recapture the sear and keep it from walking around and ruining the consistency.

The stripper mod is questionable on a Gen 2 platform. It doesn't make much of any difference.

The rest of the post contradicts itself by suggesting he take the whole rifle apart and install things that cost a significant amount of $ followed by saying that you would have just bought another gun instead of spending all the money and effort.

This is of course my opinion again but DONT REGULATE IT. This platform can EASILY be tuned to shoot 40+ rounds within 20fps of each other. A regulator costs significant $, adds weight, parts and seals, WILL CREEP AND EVENTUALLY FAIL AND NEED REBUILT, and kneecaps the power unless you do a bunch of other stuff. On top of that it barely provides any improvement other than shot count and many people will be chasing leaks for the rest of their experience.

Suggesting a bunch of mods that require complete disassembly without even asking about their skill level or desire to take apart their brand new rifle is a great way to end up forcing someone right out of the hobby when they cant get it to seal up or perform hardly any better than factory.

Do the cheap or free and easy mods first, learn the gun and evaluate what you like it to do that it doesn't do already. In my opinion.
 
I just saw this post How did you make out with the Armada.
It has been absolutely awesome, absolute tack driver with 18.21 gr Hp Slugs, cpl little furniture upgrades and now I have ZERO complaints, 45yds is all I have to stretch on my property, but seeing as it pretty much stacks them in the same hole, 10rds I’m quite sure it would stretch out well!

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Is there any sense in cutting down the barrel and retreading end to add a quality moderator to regain some of the pressure lost by the cutdow. I have an over the shroud lead in can th fits both my origin and mrod in .25. It works with the OEM baffles and gets my report into the 70’s on the db meter. You just remove the end cap and slide the can over the shroud. Pretty cool idea and only adds a few inches. As far as skill leve, what mods are suggested for a complete novice. The only mod I have done to date is cutting off the shroud of my vectis to put my own moderator on it. Don’t laug, I was nervous doing that. I wish there more local clubs for us to get together and learn hands on from you airgu ninjas. But I have to google most of the things y’all referenced just to get a better understanding of what you are talking about. No complaints though. I like googling anyway.