Opinion on Condor requested
So, I am seeking honest, unvarnished opinions on the performance I have experienced so far with my new .25 Condor.
For a variety of reasons I haven’t had much time to shoot it, but I have gotten out on four occasions since I got it on July 5. In each case I’ve shot between five and twenty pellets. Here is how it has gone so far. All shooting so far has been at 25 yards into a .22 LR bullet trap.
My first session I pumped it up to about 2,600 psi, and set the power wheel on the lowest setting (or at least I THINK it’s the lowest setting). Then I spent four shots getting it basically sighted in enough to at least feel like I could get close to the bullseye. After those four shots I took eight shots. Seven of those were well within a quarter size, but one was 1/4″ out of the edge, but I did twitch on that shot. So I felt pretty good that the accuracy was pretty good for a first shooting session.
My second session I did nothing to the gun but just shoot seven more pellets. Again they were within a quarter size. After those shots, having shot about 20 shots, I refilled the gun. Based on the best guesstimate I could do using the hand pump gauge, it appeared that those 20 shots took my tank down from 2,600 to about 2,000 psi. I then pumped it up to 3,000 psi and put it away for a few days.
The next time I took it out, shooting at 3,000 psi, the first few shots were about 1/4″ higher than I expected. Unfortunately I started fiddling with the scope to compensate, but after a few shots, it dropped back down again, and I ended up resetting the scope the same way it was before.
Then I took several shots at individual spots on the target (shooting the #2 for example, or shooting the intersections of lines). I did that because I wanted to see exactly where each shot was landing instead of having multiple pellets hitting in the same ragged hole. I shot about 25 shots in all, and all shots were within 1/2″ of what I was shooting at, a bit low and right. I still didn’t mess with the scope settings, I wanted to focus on the gun’s accuracy. But the down side is that I had no “groups” to compare to.
Finally, this morning, I just did a five shot group with no adjustments to the scope. The result of that was a group that fit inside a dime, but was maybe half an inch low and to the right. My next step is going to be to try to really zero in the scope.
So during all of this I noticed some things.
First, I was expecting to get quite a few shots from this large tank, but I am seeing about 20, maybe 30 shots before I start seeing some POI shifting. That seems less efficient than I expected on the lowest setting.
Also, just to be fair, I believe that the lack of accuracy I am seeing so far is due to my lack of a good bench rest and my 52 year old nerves not quite being what they used to be 20 years ago. I know that the scope view is still not as steady as I would like. Part of that is that I haven’t yet found a way that it automatically comes comfortably to my cheek with a good scope view. I sort of have to cock my neck and wiggle my head around before I get a good view through the scope.
I know people post here their dime-sized groups at 100 yards. I’m pretty sure I’m not there yet and may never get there, but right now I don’t think that’s the gun’s fault. My biggest concern right now is probably the number of shots I’m getting out of the gun and how quickly it drops below 2,000 psi or so.
What are other people’s experiences with the .25 caliber Condor? How many shots are you getting in the optimal range? (I don’t have a Chrony so I am having to go by actual POI results.)
My take on the gun right now is that it seems to shoot better than I can shoot it, but I don’t get as many shots as I was hoping and it’s a bit uncomfortable to get a decent scope view.
Oh, one more thing, I filled it up at a paintball shop and they filled it up with pure nitrogen. My science background tells me this is fine, maybe even preferable since pure nitrogen isn’t going to have moisture issues and nitrogen is a non-reactive gas, but I thought I’d ask to make sure that pure nitrogen is fine for the Airforce tanks.
Thanks for any responses.
All Replies
Viewing 13 replies - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
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You need a Wokbutt brother. That is exactly what it was designed for. Many users of set the Wokbutt and adjust for cant. The Wokbutt allows you to get the head in line with the scope and minimize head tilt.
I am pleased. I just did a test in my backyard with three targets, each with four bullseyes on them and took 5 shots at each bullseye, for a total of 60 shots with my .25 Condor set on the lowest power setting.
The POI did not shift at all that I could see. Every group I shot except 1 was inside a quarter and three were inside a dime. Including the next to last group (shots 51 – 55). I probably should keep shooting it until it does shift, but I figure 60 shots is more than I’ll need for hunting or even plinking.
I am getting better at holding the gun consistently. I’m still not comfortable with the high position of the air tank and how I have to cock my head over to see through the scope, but it’s not quite as clumsy as it was before. I figure I probably just need to put a thousand shots or so through it, right?
I had honestly expected to see the POI shift before I hit shot 40. That it was still consistent at shot 60 really sort of made my day.
That Bounty Hunter Flash Hider is some sort of a joke with a potential big benefit. Gee what other use could a threaded barrel have ❓
Oh hey, if you are concerned about the minute amount of lead dust that might come out of the barrel, you could get a screw on LEAD DUST COLLECTOR (sometimes called a LDC).
I think a shrouded frame extension would be less worrisome to a neighbor that may think you are a bad person and not just trying to avoid annoying him with a noisy air gun.
Anytime BH, you’ll probably find that many TAG members have lots (sometimes too much) info to share and happily give it whether it’s wanted or not 😀
I like the look of your Condor Wolfeman. I am thinking about making my own pellet holders, I have some closed cell foam I can cut to any size and I think I can use a hole punch to make the holes for the pellet holder. Right now I am just shooting from the tin. I’m using JSB Exact Kings at around 24 grain and it will shoot through 3/4″ plywood on the lowest setting.
Heh… good advice on not getting impatient. Very wise words. Not that I will be likely to TAKE the advice, wisdom was my dump stat I think. But it’s great advice anyway.
I feel like if I could get a decent refill tank that would be all I need right now. There’s a paintball shop on my way home from work that will fill up tanks for dirt cheap, so getting a tank would set me up pretty nice.
I’m wishing there was a “soft chrony” application for my smartphone. I may even consider trying to write one.
I like the 24″ barrel on my Condor. And on the lowest setting anyway it doesn’t sound too loud. The sound of the pellet hitting my bullet trap is louder than the gun going off by a good bit. But even so, I am probably going to eventually get a shroud of some sort.
The bounty hunter model comes with a “flash suppressor” which is sorta funny, but I am wondering how hard it would be to convert that flash suppressor into an air stripper. It doesn’t seem it would be too hard, really. I dunno if that would do anything for the accuracy, but if it could be easily done, that would be a nice mod to make for cheap.
Had to pump the tank back up today. Another hundred pumps. That was for about 30 shots. But it was still hitting true after 30 shots, I just was ready to pack it in for the night. I can’t say for sure how many shots I get before it loses accuracy, I haven’t done a good enough job of keeping track. I will probably do a special run tomorrow just to see how long before I HAVE to pump it back up.
I do appreciate all the responses. Nothing is perfect, and I am having to learn how to shoot this thing, but so far I am still very, very pleased with it.
I’ve seen the angled adapter, but like everything else for the Condor, it costs way too much right now for me to consider purchasing. Maybe around Christmas.
I’ve been scouring the area around here for scuba or scba tanks that I could use. Plus I’ve checked out online classifieds and ebay. There are quite a few very tempting offers out there, but none that I am quite ready to pull the trigger on.
Here is my SHORT list of things I “need” to really get the most out of my Condor:
Shroud/LCD (I STILL don’t know what “LCD” means)/air stripper, etc.
Chrony pellet speed detector
Spin-Lock tank or some other means to monitor pressure and fill without removing from the gun
SCUBA or scba tank for more convenient refills
So that’s, what, $600 more worth of stuff to spend?
And that’s all still not doing even the least bit of customizing or tuning the gun.
I am beginning to suspect that I am in the wrong tax bracket for owning this particular gun.
Still, I am loving it so far. One thing at a time I suppose. Of the items on the list above, the SCUBA tank is probably the one that provides the most convenience and allows me to shoot the gun more.
Just for fun I calculated the cost of each pellet being fired, both the pellet cost and the cost of the air compression, and it ended up being quite close to the cost of a cheap .22 LR bullet at about four cents each.
For plinking I am still using my Crosman 1377. That’s a whole lot cheaper and still a lot of fun.
BountyHunter,
There are great answers to your concerns. I started with a Co2 Condor in .177 because I thought that’s what I wanted, that was a year ago. Now my Condor wears an 18″ .22 barrel, a 8″ TT shroud, a WOK AR15 grip adapter, a bipod and most importantly….. a Talon regular flow tank with the stock Condor hammer weight. This combination has been referenced by many as one of the best all around combinations, and I agree. I get a good 45-50 shots in the low 900 fps range before POI starts to drop.
Spend the money sooner rather than later on a shoebox or bulk fill tank, shooting is waaaaay more fun when you’re not constantly thinking about how much work it’s gonna be to pump your tank back up. I’ve got 2 44cf carbon tanks, which each give me about 25 fills before it’s off to the fire house for a top off.
My Condor is more accurate than I, but I’ve put probably 3000 rounds through it and I’m still improving. As with any precision shooting, technique is critical to letting the gun perform the way it’s capable of. On good days I can hit shotgun shells at 100 yards (thnx Ted), and plastic army men at 50 yards with ease. This took lots of fun practice, and I look forward to shooting everyday.
Don’t get impatient, enjoy the journey and the experience of learning your gun. For some great entertainment and education go to YouTube and watch the videos on Ted in Madison’s EdgunUsa channel.
Here’s a pic of my Condor in her current outfit (changing soon with addition of an Atlas BT10 bipod). Above all, have fun. 😀
A WokButt and angled tank adapter make the gun better to shoot in my opinion. Not sure if they would work with bounty hunter set up.
Hey BH,
First, lose the hand pump. The more effort it takes to shoot, the less shooting you will do. We’d all like a shoebox, and a bunch of great white and guppy CF tanks. But for us poor folk a scuba tank works OK, if you have somewhere to fill it up. The higher the fill pressure, the better.
Next, you gotta shoot a lot more. I read here on TAG where some members have thousands of pellets thru their gun in a few months. Seems these gun take a lot of getting used to.
Think you need to determine what you really want to do. Like Riff said, the .25 Condor is a hunting rifle. Sounds like shot count is your biggest angst so far. If you want to plink/target shoot, a .177 or .22 would get you more shots on a fill.
Don’t worry about the groups. Useless you’re shooting wasps, you’re gonna kill whatever pests are eating your yard.
Cheers.
I have the “bounty hunter” model which includes the “thumbhole stock” or whatever they call it, so it has an additional metal brace from the pistol grip to the back of the tank. I think that helps with the frame flex. I have been holding it lightly so I don’t think frame flex is an issue.
I’ve really got to get a more comfortable hold for the gun. I have been shooting my whole life and I am usually pretty good at holding steady, but I can see the target jiggling around as I’m trying to squeeze off a shot, so until I get that figured out, I suspect my groups won’t get any better.
Just for comparison I took my .22 out to the shooting range today and there is no doubt that I hold it steadier than the Condor. So I think getting used the Condor is probably the most important thing. I just need to shoot a lot more, and that means pumping a lot more air.
The few times I felt like I managed to settle the scope down, the pellets went in virtually the same hole, so I do think the gun is more accurate than I am right now. Of course I’m only shooting at 25 yards though. Once I get it zeroed in, I’ll start moving the target back. I can only go so far in my yard though, I don’t have any place I can take a 100 yard shot without going to the national forest or shooting range.
I am still loving the gun, but I do wish I had one of the spin-lock tanks. Having to undo the stock and tank every time I refill it is getting old already.
First, Nitrogen is perfectly ok to use.
Your shot count is pretty normal for an unregulated Condor.
Do not forget this is a hunting rifle not a target rifle or even a plinker.
Hunting is what it does, and does very very well.
If you must have more shots, it can be done but the valve system on these rifles isn’t really an air-saver it is intended to give usable power.
Ergonomics can be troublesome for people not used to the rifle. Learning how to hold and be consistent with that hold will payoff huge with the Condor/Talons. There are a lot of third-party items available that help with this issue, but everybody is different so you will have to decide what will work by yourself.
A few examples:
Wokbutt
Etac or EtacReg
Talon Tunes Angle Adapter
There are so many things you can do to customize these rifles that this will be my only bit of advice.
Adjust/modify only one thing at a time. These guns take patience but once it all gels youll find it hard to put down. I shoot mine all the time, and find it the go-to rifle for almost any situation, but thats because I have gained confidence in the gun and that takes time.
Nitrogen is fine, and the condor is rated for it by Airforce.
I don’t own a .25 and have owned a .22 condor, but not now.
Every thing sounds normal to me, IMHO.
My take is that the condor is hold sensitive and your hold is effecting your groups. The condor suffers from frame flex, as in gripping or holding the rifle tightly will change you groups. Lightly hold the pistol grip, forearm, and don’t pull the butt into your shoulder. Let the rifle rest in your hands and against your shoulder, trying for a consistent hold and check weld every shot.
Your groups should tighten up and not wander around the bullseye. Enjoy.
Sam 😆
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But I’m also considering the TalonTunes tank adapter with gauge and fill valve too… And a hundred other things like the scuba tank…
Right now if I were to purchase anything as an accessory for the gun it would be a scuba or scba tank so I can shoot more.
Then I might consider other things. Still have a ton of husband points I used up on this purchase that I need to refill…. 🙂