Another Noob With Talon vs Condor Questions
Hi all,
First post on the forums and first time shooting an air rifle was last weekend – although I’m VERY familiar with rimfire and center fire weapons. I’ve read as much as I can on the Talon SS vs Condor SS and other threads, but wanted to see if some of my confusion can be clarified.
Things that are important to me:
1. Quiteness. I live in a subdivision, but bordered by green belt in my backyard, so good backstop, but I still have neighbors that I have to be cognizant of.
2. Accuracy. 99.9% of my shooting will be targets. That said, I have rabbits that are raising h*** with my wife’s flowers, so there may be a small varmint death in the near future.
3. Stopping power – distant third. I feel comfortable that in .22 either gun can deliver enough FPE to do the job with rabbits.
4. Distance – I have a good size backyard, but wouldn’t shoot more than 30 yards tops.
Why I’m confused/What I need help with:
1. Thinking of getting an 18″ barrel gun – so either a Talon with that length and TT shroud or Condor SS stock. I understand the valves in the Condor are higher pressure. Is there likely to be an appreciable difference in decibels? Again, my #1 priority is QUIET. This is probably the most confusing part for me because there’s a lot of overlap between the two. Is it always the case that all other factors being equal – same ammo, same length barrel, etc that the Talon will be quieter? If so, that’s probably the answer to the question. Maybe you guys will say that a 12″ standard Talon SS is best? I look forward to your feedback.
2. Should I be looking at compressed air scuba tank or CO 2 like a paintball gun? Still haven’t figured out which is better?
3. Finally, I read about lots of mods but I don’t understand the lingo well enough yet to really “get it.” As noted above, I’m looking for the quietest possible .22. What mods should I use on which gun to achieve the best results.
I know there’s a lot of crossover here and I really did use the search function and read a lot. Sorry in advance for the noob-ness!!!
FWIW, I bought a Gamo Silent Cat at Wal Mart to get started and within an hour wanted an Air Force…
All Replies
Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
burntorangefan , first let me tell you what I have . At first I started out with a Talon SS in .22 cal. with a 12″ barrel and I added Tonys hammer mod and 9″ LDC .
Also I added a Maddog Utima stock . I shot this set up for one year shooting EJ 28.5gr. , JSB 15.89 gr. & H&N 18.21 gr. Crow Magnum pellets which it liked the
best and I killed a coyote at 9 yds. in my backyard with them . My shooting range is no further than 40 yds. in my backyard . I up-graded to a .25 Tonys’ cal.
barrel and have never looked back since . In the .25 cal. it loves the H&N Baracuda Hunter Extreme 28.40 gr. pellet which is deadly at 38 yds. I set my power
wheel from # 10 to # 4 at this distance , at #4 setting my rifle can be backyard friendly without the LDC , with it birds do not fly away and I can shoot them
as I please . So contact Tony , tell him what your primary shooting goal is let him help you build the right gun to shoot with a perfect fitting LDC . Have fun
getting rid of the rabbits and any other pest that may come your way . Hope this info to be of some help .
FROM : THE BIRDMAN
Alot of killin Showtime… Good Shootin!!
MrShowTime pretty much answered all.
you can turn down a condor easier than hotrodding a talon
get the condor ss if you can swing the money.
Can you get a standard condor with an 18″ barrel? normally its 24″
Thanks so much for the reply. I think I’m leaning Condor SS. That said, I do wonder if the shroud from TT might be quieter than factory. So should I go factory standard Condor in 18 with TT shroud or just standard Condor SS?
Welcome to the forum, I have been a owner and member of this forum for about 3 months. I share the same ambition as you on what I want from a pcp gun. I bought the condor SS and a chronograph and started from there ( the condor is a 22) it took a lot of shooting and ansewers from the very knowledgeable people of this forum I arrived at the point I wanted to be with this rifle. I am shooting an 18.1 grain jsb king pellet with a talon tunes 3 piece top hat. I am using the smallest insert with the power wheel set on 2. I also added the talon tunes anti slap hammer. This gun is so quiet all you hear is the hammer striking the top hat. I start with a 2500 psi fill and shoot down to 1500 . Usually about 100-150 shots before accuracy drops off. Chrono runs from 800 down to about 725 the gun shoots very flat from 12 yards out to 50 yards. I shoot starlings all day long like this. The gun is very accurate at these setting. I can hardly wait for squirrel season to start in August . Your gun may shoot differently than mine at these settings but at least you have a starting point. The condor SS has the built in suppressor so you don’t have to worry about a shroud. Believe me your neibors will never know your shooting this gun unless they see you.
Hey thats great! A Condor certainly could be… just depends how far you wanna go into this Airforce game! A TalonSS might get you there faster though. Lots to consider! I know I am happy with the route I went. I don’t think you can go wrong either way!! Keep us posted and ask lots of questions. I know I asked a lot of stupid ones but everyone on here is AWESOME and helped me a lot!… ESPECIALLY Wildfire!
Good luck burntorangefan!
I just read the whole thread…great write up. Thinking now that a Condor may be the play if I dial it down, get a shroud and some other mods to keep it QUIET!!!
No video, just a little write up on a pigeon and starling hunt I had with my Condor. Nothin fancy but it should help give you a better idea :winkn:
Thanks a ton MrShowTime…can’t wait to watch the video after work…I definitely get the Model 700 or 10-22 references and own both guns. I’m still torn, but hopefully over time it’ll become clear to me and I can pull the trigger on one of these!
Also check this out.. One of my reviews on the Condor performance around horses and livestock that are gun shy. Not one of them ever noticed me shooting right next to them. I can’t imagine your neighbors would notice more than they.
http://talonairgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=32432
Hey man, I was in your position not long ago. I suffer from paralysis from analysis at times so making a decision was very difficult given the options available.
Heres what I did…
I went with a regular Condor. I decided it was the best *frame* to work off of. Same frame as a TalonSS but with a beefed up scope rail. I knew it would be loud but given the vast aftermarket options that did not concern me. When I received it, it was definitely .22 LR loud and giving only 20-30 good shots. I adjusted the top hat in 5 seconds with an allen key and whalla…. It is now so quiet no one can hear it, and I’m getting 150+ good shots with enough power to cleanly kill groundhogs, raccoons, pigeons, squirrels etc. Shot placement is the key! Not power.
It is my understanding that it is much easier to turn a Condor down than turn a Talon up!
You WILL end up customizing it I promise that. So don’t get what meets the immediate needs!! I did not and I am glad I didn’t. My immediate needs called for a Talon SS but I knew a Condor could be tuned down to Talon levels, with the option to go UP UP AND AWAY with power. I have no regrets. I say get a Condor! Later on you can throw an 18″ barrel on there or a 12″ barrel and do the same sound loc kit the Talon uses.
I personally will be getting an 18″ barrel and a shroud for the perfect combination of compactness + stealth. I avoided the Condor SS because it is so long to start with. I prefer to keep my guns a little more compact. I feel like I would have regretted getting a Talon SS.
But thats just my 2 cents so take it for what its worth! You say your’e familiar with rimfire and centerfires so maybe you’ll get this… I viewed the Condor frame as the Remington 700 receiver to start a build off of, or the Ruger 10/22 receiver! Excellent starting point, a ton of options afterwards. If you just want to buy one and be done with it then I’d say get the Talon SS!
Hopefully that helped! Just trying to give my experiences as others helped me out when considering my first purchase and I am very thankful for them! :biggrinn:
Thanks Wildfire! I’d planned on giving Tony a call at some point. I’m not sure whether it makes sense to buy everything at once or just add as I go so the upfront cost is a little lower. At the range I’m talking about, ear hole shots are so easy that a .177 at 1,000 FPS would be an instant kill. I just get confused, particularly in the decibel arena, between the two guns since either can be 18 or 24″ and can both have shrouds…
Welcome to the forum!
There are so many different ways you could go with this project. Air Force guns are the “tinkerers” dream because they are so easily modified.
I may be reading something into your post that is not correct but it sounds a little like you’re looking for a purpose built gun. Quiet, very accurate and not necessarily a real powerhouse.
You should contact Tony at Talon Tunes ( click link at top of this forums home page)! He can put together a rifle that will do exactly what you want. He is a great guy to work with and his prices are very reasonable!
Oh Yeah! Don’t worry too much about FPE for rabbits! You can practally scare a rabbit to death! 😀
Wildfire :5:
Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
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@birdman
Thanks for all the helpful advice! Lots to consider. I did email Tony yesterday but he didn’t respond. I assume he’s just very busy.