My 257 Condor Build
I am going to start a thread here on my .257 condor build. I bought a older model from AF with a spin lock tank and the older style trigger and safety. It is a new gun just an older model. I wanted black but all they had was blue or red so I chose Blue. It is a .25 Cal. I will probably sell the barrel for some money on this project.
Here is a picture of it with a Hawk scope mounted on it. The TJ barrel is by it and I have the breech end turned down and the muzzle is crowned. I have to get the dimples yet and cut the leade. Also I started a one piece bushing for the barrel. I thought a one piece would help the stiffness of the frame and tie everything together better.
Here is the Crown I did this morning.
The Breech end of the barrel is .374 dia as per Dougs advice. I am buying a valve from him and that size will match his top hat.
That is it so far. I am going to order some delrin so I can get the breech made and some stuff to make a heavier hammer. I will post updates as I get stuff made to this thread. I am excited to do this project.
A big THANK YOU to tofazfou and Doug and all of the people on the forums that post their projects so people like me can learn and do the same thing. To be continued……..
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Your spring rate will be much less when it is cold.
Wow all i can say is DAM!!!! Very nice.
feel your pain. Being a Texican, anything below 72 f really pisses me off!!! 👿
Knife. Warm and lov’n it! 😀 “Oh shit, but it’s cold out side!!! 😥
Thanks for the responses guys. It usually isn’t this cold here for this long at a time. It has only been above freezing maybe 10 times the whole winter. Most of the time it has been 15 degrees or lower. It is 3 this morning. Hell even I don’t move like I should when it is this cold out. Living in Iowa all my life we get alot of cold but not this long of stretches.
Ok done complaining about the weather. I will just has to have patiance and wait till it warms up some. It is hard to wait when you got something you want to shoot and try. If I lived in the country I would just open up a window and shoot from there but I don’t. It is bad enough with what shots I have taken in the house. I have a good pellet trap of rubber mulch but the noise level is really loud and afraid the neighbors would wonder what is going on. Gary’s gone crazy again call the national guard.
If you would have preloaded the hammer more you would have had better number but the cold does effect them.
Even here in CA I loose 30 fps in the winter. At first I though something was wrong with the gun. But a hair dryer to warm up the gun got me back to where I was. Now I just wait till its 80° to see what numbers I get or just work with what it does when it’s cooler.
Theres a big difference in a 50 degree temp drop,
With HPA you are going to lose some fps in really cold weather. You might try compensating with a little more air in the tank, also the breech Orings might be getting a little graby in that kind of cold. Some Divers Silicone on the breech end of the barrel if you dont already.
I haven’t posted in awhile. Nothing new to add really. The weather still been cold and snowy. I don’t care when I’m hunting if the weather is like that but to sit down and sight in and tune a gun not for me in that type of weather. I will wait for a better time so I can get it right. I did take it apart yesterday and blued the barrel with oxpho blue. It turned out better then I thought it would. My first time blueing anything. Not perfect but not bad either.
I will probably order me some 20 to 1 lead and maybe some 30 to 1 to see how that does. 30 to 1 is cheaper and if it works that would be great. Still can’t find any scap soft lead around here. I got about 10 lbs that I had for a long time. I got that all cast up but it won’t last long once I can go shoot. I want to get it sighted in and shooting good and maybe try to get a yote with it.
I think the gun don’t like the cold weather either. I did take it out on a cold day because I was wanting to get some chrony numbers and it was 20 degrees out. (it has been below zero) I shot it 5 times from a 3200 fill PW 1 and the string was slower then my strings from before.
890
899
902
885
883
Before if you remember I was in the 1000s plus range. I went home and did nothing more to the gun but warm it up and it shot 1007 the first shot in the house. I didn’t add any air to it either. It was from the same fill when I shot it outside. I don’t have any lube on the hammer or anything like that to drag it down. That is a pretty big difference in fps. I wonder if the seal in the valve is to stiff when it is this cold and drags the top hat some? You warm weather boys probably never shot your gun when it is this cold and never had this kind of problem. Something I didn’t think about either until now. So if hunting yotes in the winter it might effect my point of aim and power when it is cold out, which it usually is in the winter here.
Anyway just thought I would post the latest. What is your thoughts on the cold and slower fps?
+ 2 on that. So much better in the Wind! If I were still shooting pellets lately, I wouldn’t be shooting at all. Man, I’m Lov’n these bullets!
Knife
Whats up bro?
Im shooting PURE lead in my TD257 but I can tell you for a fact that the barrel also LOVE 20-1. Did not have enough 20-1 to test against pure lead but I wouldn’t even test them together. They both shoot the same as far as I can tell.
And man, do I feel your pain……….HIGH WINDS SUCK which is really half the reason why I shoot more CAST BULLETS now than pellets. Just less guessing holdover and windage when it comes to bullets vs pellets
Numbers are good. But I would not use 4 as the PW setting. Keep the 3200 psi fill and start around 2-0. But you have a heavier hammer than mine so I would keep the PW setting on 0 and fill to 3200 to see what you get.
3200 is probably good enough cause you are getting some great speed. if your getting 988 on PW0 at 3000 psi, this tells me that at 3200 psi, you PW setting for the best overall shot count and speed should not be to far up the PW setting than like 1-0 or so.
But you have done some excellent work sir. REALLY GOOD!
:8: :4:
Thanks for the advice. I just put it on PW 4 just to see what it would do. Not planning on running it there. It was so windy that day that I didn’t have time to get serious about setting it up. I just couldn’t wait to see what it would do. Winter here sucks this year so right now I’m limited on my shooting time. 50 mph gust today and 30 degrees. 😕 I will post up some more numbers and hopfully some groups in a week or so. Depending on weather. I think it is going to be a great shooter. I plan on a 75 yard zero. I got my scope turrets zeroed and waiting on an adjustable rail so I can get it close at 75 yards and keep my scope close to center as I can at that distance. It is a Hawke 6.5 x 20 sidewinder.
What lead mix do you run? 20 to 1 or pure lead? Right now I got some cast from plumming pipe. They weigh out to 72.2 gr. Thinking about getting some 20 to 1 to try. Of course I got to get the dam thing sighted in and tuned some first 😆
About time…..lol!
Numbers are good. But I would not use 4 as the PW setting. Keep the 3200 psi fill and start around 2-0. But you have a heavier hammer than mine so I would keep the PW setting on 0 and fill to 3200 to see what you get.
3200 is probably good enough cause you are getting some great speed. if your getting 988 on PW0 at 3000 psi, this tells me that at 3200 psi, you PW setting for the best overall shot count and speed should not be to far up the PW setting than like 1-0 or so.
But you have done some excellent work sir. REALLY GOOD!
:8: :4:
Looks like a winner to me! WOK., You checking this out? 😀
Knife
Thank for the info. I know I need to do more testing and adjusting. It was to windy to concentrate on much. I just wanted to get some numbers to see if all this work I did actually worked. I think I’m in the ball park thanks to Doug’s valve. I do want to try the thinner top hat washer he sent with the valve to see what that does. I know my shot count will probably be lower with more top hat space. I would like around 5 good shots at 1025 in the end.
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That’s one kickass gun and you gave some awesome info for someone like myself looking to build a .257 once I can find someone that can machine all the parts I’ll need! Keep it up!