The gang was regularly robbing people and holding up the mail coaches, south of Goulburn on the main Sydney to Melbourne Road. On 15 November 1864, the gang tried to rob the Gundagai-Yass mail coach near Jugiong. While waiting for the coach, the gang captured and robbed over 60 people, who were traveling along the road. One of those captured was a policeman, James McLaughlin. He fired six shots at the gang, but did not have any more ammunition and gave himself up. The policeman on the coach, William Roche, was ordered by Police Magistrate Alfred Rose, who was riding inside, not to shoot and draw fire. The driver, Bill Geoghegan, ordered him to get off the coach or he would kick him off. Hall and Dunn began firing at two other policemen who were riding behind the coach. Sub-Inspector William O'Neill was quickly captured. John Gilbert and Sergeant Edmund Parry were shooting at each other from a close distance. Gilbert shot dead Sergeant Parry. Constable Roche escaped into the bush. The gang quickly took all the money and valuable items and rode away. Parry is buried at Gundagai. On his headstone it says ""Edmund Parry, Sergeant of the N.S.W. Police, who lost his life in the execution (doing) of his duty whilst courageously (bravely) endeavouring (trying) to capture the bushranger Gilbert by whom he was shot dead near Jugiong."" Two days later the gang robbed the mail coach between Yass and Lambing Flat. On 5 December, they robbed the mail coach between Binalong and Burrowa.
On Boxing Day, 1864, Hall, John Gilbert, and John Dunn, rode into the town of Binda with three local girls. The girls were Christina McKinnon aged 25, believed to be Hall's lover, Ellen Monks aged 17, and her sister Margaret Monks, aged 19. Together with the girls the gang robbed a shop owned by Edward Morriss. They locked all the local people into the Flag Hotel. They made everyone dance to celebrate Boxing Day. Morriss got out of the hotel through a back window at 2.00 a.m. and set off to tell the police. Gilbert fired several shots at him. Hall got angry and so he set fire to Morriss's shop and burned it down. The gang and the girls left the town. Christina McKinnon, along with Margaret and Ellen Monks were arrested by Detective James Pye for helping the bushrangers and were sent to Sydney for trial. Morriss joined the police force. Margaret was released before being sent to trial.
The police were under a lot of pressure to catch the Ben Hall gang. The gang had been able to travel around the country and go anywhere they liked. They made the police look like fools. Sir Frederick Pottinger came up with an unusual plan. He knew the gang liked race horses and horse racing; they had been seen at many country race meetings. Pottinger planned to ride in the races at Wowingragong, near Forbes, on 5 January 1865. He thought this would bring the gang out into the open where his men would be able to capture them. The Ben Hall gang did not appear, and Pottinger lost his job. The Inspector-General of Police thought that Pottinger had disgraced the police force by riding in races while he was supposed to be working. Pottinger decided to go to Sydney to make the police force change its mind, but on the way he accidentally shot himself and died.
On 26 January 1865, the gang held up ten people on the road near Goulburn. They were chased into the bush by a group of policemen. A couple of hours later the gang rode into the town of Collector. Hall and Gilbert robbed the Commercial Hotel. John Dunn stayed outside. When the local policeman, Constable Nelson, arrived, Dunn shot him dead at close range. Two of Nelson's nine children saw the shooting, as one was a hostage at the hotel and the other was following his father. Gilbert robbed Nelson's body of money and other valuables and took his gun. They left the town quickly and went into hiding.
The police put more effort into the hunt for the bushrangers. In February they went to a house near Queanbeyan and found the gang had only just left. The police thought that the gang might be with a friend, Thomas Byrne. They went to the Breadalbane Hotel and arrested four men that were known to be friends of the gang. This would stop them giving the bushrangers any warnings. The police surrounded Byrne's farm. As they moved passed the open door of the barn, the bushrangers began shooting. One policeman, Wiles, was shot in the hand and the leg. The bushrangers escaped into the bush, but Ben Hall was shot as he ran away.
On 4 March 1865, the gang robbed the mail coach at between Goulburn and Gundaroo. A couple of days later they stole horses from two farms. On 13 March, the gang tried to hold up the Araluen gold coach. Gold had been found at Araluen in the 1860s. The gold coach had a policeman with a gun sitting next to the driver. There were two more policemen on the back of the carriage. Four more policemen rode on horses in front and behind the coach. The gold was kept in a safe which was bolted to floor of the coach. (The coach has survived and is being restored). The bushrangers began shooting at the coach. Constable Kelly was shot in the chest. He was badly hurt, but he crawled to side of the road and began shooting at the bushrangers. The police were able to keep the bushrangers away from the coach. Another policeman, Trooper Byrne, was shot in the foot. The bushrangers quickly left when miners with guns arrived from the town.
In two years Ben Hall's gang, as well as killing two policemen, had reportedly robbed ten mail coaches, held up 21 properties, stole 23 racing horses, and taken over the village of Canowindra three times.
In early 1865, the government made a new law to help capture Ben Hall, John Gilbert and John Dunn. The "Felons Apprehension Act" was rushed quickly through the New South Wales Parliament. This would make Hall and his friends "outlaws" if they did not surrender within thirty days. This meant that they could be killed by anyone at any time without warning. They also put a reward of £1000 for the capture of Ben Hall.
The bushrangers still kept busy robbing people. They robbed a farm, Wallendbeen Station, and wanted to know where the police were. A group of Chinese gold miners were robbed and one was shot in the leg by Gilbert. The next day, 18 March, the police found the gang trying to take horses from Wallendbeen. In the shooting, Gilbert shot Senior Constable Keane in the shoulder. Sergeant Murphy shot Gilbert in the arm. The gang escaped into the bush. They made their way to a shepherd's hut and forced the shepherd to put a bandage on Gilbert's arm. Hall and Dunn walked to a nearby farm, Beggan Beggan station. They held up the 16 farm workers and took horses, saddles and bridles. They went back to get Gilbert and then robbed the farm again, taking guns, ammunition, and food.
Hall, Gilbert and Dunn robbed the bank in Forbes and took £81 on 25 March. More police were sent to the area, and they were given better guns. A month later the gang were seen near Marengo. Two days later they took horses and food from another farm, Yamma station. This was the gang's last robbery.
By May 1865, Ben Hall decided to leave New South Wales. But a man, Mick 'Goobang' Coneley, who had once given the gang help, told the police where Hall was hiding. During the night a group of eight policemen found Hall sleeping under a tree at Billabong Creek, near Forbes. The police were armed with double-barrelled shotguns and .56 calibre Colt rifles. Led by Sub-Inspector Davidson, the police placed themselves in a large circle around Ben Hall's camp. When he woke up at dawn on 5 May 1865, Hall was shot in the back 30 times as he tried to run away. A newspaper report said his body was "riddled" with bullets. He did not shoot his pistol once. The first rifle shots of the police cut his belt in two, and his guns fell to the ground. Goobang Mick was given a £500 reward. The police were given another £500 reward.