Tophat O-ring opinions needed and yes I’ve read a ton!
I’m trying to set my rifle up for varmitt control around the yard and I have some stuffy neighbors if ya catch my drift, so shooting as quietly as possible is priority one. The hammer slap and tank ping is ridiculously loud still, so I’m doing what I can on a budget to address these things.
I read a lot of posts written here and went and picked the following sizes up. What do you think would be a better O-ring to start with for the tophat on my .22 Condor (12″ & 24″ barrel used, mostly 12″)?
Here is what I have and if I need to buy another size, let me know.
Danco – #5 O-ring – 3/8′ O.D. x 1/4″ I.D. x 1/16″ (not sure if neoprene)
Danco – #8 O-ring – 9/16″ O.D. x 3/8″ I.D. x 3/32″ (not sure if neoprene)
Hillman – 1/2″ O.D. x 1/4″ I.D. x 1/16″ (flat rubber washer, not sure if neoprene) On this one I’ve read most weren’t too happy with the results, but I picked it up just in case I missed something.
I’ve got to get this puppy quiet and I’ve already dealt with the muzzle report. I can’t wait to actually get to use this thing and feel comfortable about it. All help is greatly appreciated!
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If the o-ring is slightly loose, it will always have the same affect. I have my tophat maxed out at about .088 measured from the o-ring.
I am wondering what you have your Powerwheel set to ?
If you get a valve that flows very well and reduce your power wheel to the minimum, then you reduce striking noise, but still put out plenty of volume.
I use a Tony 95 gram hammer, with R&L Extreme valve and TagDagger valve spring. That is to get 60 FPE with 35.2 gr at 0/0 and 120 FPE with 67.2 gr at 13/0 out of a Condor.
Pest control at 0/0 is what you want.
in my educated opinion, a stationary o ring should deliver better consistency.(one that fits snugly around the stem.)
I like clear answers like this and find your evaluation intriguing. Thanks. I’ll give it a try. 😉
my personal preference has been to carefully pull the stem from seal and stretch a fairly snug ring up to the tophat.
in my educated opinion, a stationary o ring should deliver better consistency.(one that fits snugly around the stem.)
I read that it is better for the O-ring to be a bit loose on the shaft of the tophat. In other words the I.D. of the O-ring being larger than the O.D. of the tophat shaft. Is this current info?
As far as the hammer slap volume is concerned, I haven’t had a chance to let somebody shoot it while I listen, so I can’t say for sure how bad it really is. From a shooters point of view, the hammer slap on my Condor SS is way louder than the tank ping!
the hammer slap as well as the tank ping is only ridiculously loud because your ear is right there to hear it, if you’re running a good shroud then all your stuffy neighbors will hear is the pellet impact… they will never hear the slap or ping unless they are with you
i tried the tophat o-ring thing and it does make the shot cycle quiter. it also substantially lowers the fps. you can offset this somewhat by turning your tophat out as far as you can, that will offset the amount of travel you will lose with the o-ring. try and find a smaller o-ring, the smallest, softest one you can stretch over the tophat. hopes this helps.
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That was an extremely useful post in more than one way AirGunner1. It makes complete sense to me and I will put this idea in the works on my rifle and see how she does. I appreciate the detail and all the ideas guys. 😉