Brand new Condor Bounty Hunter coming soon
I have recently ordered an Air Force Condor “Bounty Hunter” .25 model (thus the user name, lol). I will be getting a scope and an Air Force hand pump (yes, I know there are better pumps… but geez Louise this stuff ain’t cheap!)
I’ve been lurking on these boards and some other pellet gun forums for a week or so since deciding to purchase the Condor and have seen a whole friggin lot of posts from lots of people about things that seem to deserve some attention.
For example, I see that some owners have reported issues with the safety. Others have reported issues with burrs in the innards which scratch up the hammer or do other things. I see some that indicate I should take apart and polish things, silicon grease things, etc…
For the money I’m paying I have to say I’m a little surprised to see how much there is that people end up doing themselves or paying someone else to do.
Also, I see lots of comments about how loud the gun is.
So, with all of that, I am seeking advice from the experts on this forum on what I should do with the gun when it arrives.
I am reasonably competent with my hands, but I’m no machinist and I only have basic tools to work with. I don’t have a lathe, drill press, micro-guages, etc.
I would like to get the gun “set up” as well as I can, plus I’ll probably end up wanting some noise reduction technique.
For the most part I will be using this gun for target practice and pest control. I live in a rural mountain town so I can shoot it freely in my backyard, but I don’t want to annoy the neighbors. Because it’s the “Bounty Hunter” model, the barrel is threaded for the “flash suppressor” (? whats up with that?), so I’m hoping a noise suppressor exists that fits those threads.
Bottom line here, what should I do when I get the gun to ensure the most positive shooting experience possible?
Oh, also, I would like to use CO2 for light plinking, but I don’t even know if the .25 model will run on CO2. Will I need to buy a new barrel for that? And if so, does that mean I also need to change out the valves? I know the .22 and .25 models have different valves than the .177 and .20 models…
Any help is appreciated. Sorry for the long post.
All Replies
Thanks for all the replies. Some thoughts/responses:
I figured the CO2 would work best with a .177 barrel, but I don’t know if you can put a .177 barrel on the .25 version without having to change other things too. I’d rather not plink with .25 caliber pellets anyway since I have to order them online and they ain’t cheap.
I am still confused by the terminology, particularly the difference between “shroud”, “frame extender”, “moderator” and other terms that seem to be used similarly.
I can’t help but think a regulator would be a logical thing to add to the gun to get more consistent shots and not waste air (and pellets). I was figuring a 3,000 psi tank regulated to 2,200 or so would be more efficient than just shooting until it starts losing accuracy. But I don’t know what the best approach to adding a regulator is. But maybe you can get 4,500 psi tanks regulated to 2,800 psi, if so that might give even better efficiency (although my hand pump only pumps to 3,500 psi… so I’d need another way to refill a 4,500 psi tank….)
As far as a chrony is concerned…. well, let’s just say that I need to earn a lot more husband points before I can spend another dime on this new hobby… So no chrony for now. However, I am looking at using a laptop software chronograph I found online, that might work. Ideally I’d love a smartphone chronograph…
I have a history of leaping into new hobbies with both feet and landing with a thud. I tend to try to learn everything I can as fast as I can and that means I probably will be asking questions here as I encounter situations that interest or confuse me.
Right now I’m hoping my four tin order of JSB Exact Kings (dome head) will work since I already have them (purchased for a different brand of gun I returned because it just never worked properly).
The shroud thing is probably my current concern. As I said, I’m not in a position to spend more right now, so I may even end up looking at what I can do myself.
I will keep you all posted. Hopefully the package will arrive on schedule this Thursday. I’m looking forward to it.
Welcome to TAG. If you don’t get a rash of crap here, nobody likes you.
First things first
Read – Memorize everything in this link below. A lot of hard work went into it and best of all IT’S FREE!!
http://talonairgun.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=14
Print and put in a note book (I did!) everything you even THINK you might want to know about later. It’s easier than going back and trying to find it on the website.
You will learn from a lot from the guys that hang out here. There is a wealth of knowledge found here. (And a tanker ship full of BS too.)
Safey – Take it out. Never had a problem with any of mine but didn’t want to. Easy to do you can find the info in the link above.
Set up – Here’s mine. Nothing special. Everybody on here has something different and it all works, you just have to find the set up that works for YOU!
My rifle is stock except for the shroud and the Etac.
The shroud keeps it neighbor friendly.
The Etac is for people like me who are too lazy to take the bottle off to fill.
I shoot Benjamin domes. They are the most accurate in my gun. I suggest you try several pellets. The domes, JSB’s, Kodiaks and maybe Eun Jin pellets are some you will find being used by some members as well as Jerry’s slugs.
I gas my gun up to 2100psi with my top hat set at .120”.
My power wheel (or hammer pre-load as it is sometimes here) is set at 2.
I put an O ring under the top hat as I have found it helps flatten and adds about 5 – 6 shots to my shot string by acting as a “debouncer” when the breech slams into the valve.
Download the Chairgun program. It’s also available in an app.
Like hot rod said, invest in a chrony. It’s one of the best tools you will own.
I can’t imagine shooting a Condor .25 on Co2. I don’t know if the pellet would come out of the barrel.
Light plinking for my .25 is shooting starlings (they’re light, right?) off the fence line this morning at 90 yards.
Best of luck and keep us posted on how things go.
:tag: You are going to love your condor.
The most important thing you can do with your new condor is to shoot it.
Get familiar with the rifle before you take it apart or modify it.
Shoot the rifle and find the most accurate pellet and then find the best speed for that pellet.
A chrony is the most important tool you can have.
Shooting over a chrony- and at paper target down range will get you familiar with the shot curve.
Fill pressure (tank pressure) is very important with these rifles. In fact knowing what fill pressure to start with and how many shots you get until POI changes is probably the most important.
Using the chrony and checking the tank pressure, and of course recording the info helped me alot.
For example with my condor .22 as the tank pressure drops – the pellet speed increases – the POI starts to move to the left. When I refill the tank again the POI is back on center. It took me awhile to figure this out because I kept adjusting the scope.
Just MY 2 cents 🙂
Wow, I’ve read through some posts on the “moderator / shroud” forum and I now realize that “silencer” is a forbidden subject due to concern about violating federal laws… I suppose my request about “noise suppression” could be construed that way.
Just …. wow. I had no idea.
It appears there is a good bit of material here on the forum about different shrouds. I’ll look through those to see what I can determine about what I might want to do.
Hmm… I guess I’m such a newbie that I don’t know the difference between a “shroud” and a “silencer.” Also I wasn’t aware that silencing a pellet gun would require any paperwork, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.
For almost $1,000 in total investment “rough diamond” is not something I am really thrilled about hearing. I have already gone through some unpleasant reality checks with a break-barrel pellet gun, so moving to PCP was in part to avoid that sort of problem in the first place.
I suppose I’ll just have to get the gun in my hands and start working on it.
Still not sure about the CO2 options for the .25 caliber Condor. I am thinking that for CO2 use a .177 barrel would be better (just because the pellets are so cheap) but I don’t know if I need any other mods for the gun to put a .177 barrel on it.
thread on silencers require a ton of paperwork, best bet is to shroud that thing.
see-talontunes, get the blue jay, or subssonic among others.
these guns usually come to you as a rough diamond. most of the mods can be done by a careful hand, or by the multitude of ass-savers who frequent here.
:tag:
Hey BountyHunter,
Welcome to TAG. Yeah, there’s a lot of things you can do to these guns. But doing everything that can be done to the gun isn’t necessary, especially right away. I’m no expert, but here’s a few suggestions.
BountyHunter wrote:
So, with all of that, I am seeking advice from the experts on this forum on what I should do with the gun when it arrives.
Other than checking/filing burrs around the breech/bolt, shoot it. If it does what you want it to do, you’re done. Many of the mods are done to achieve maximum efficiency and wring the last fps/fpe out of the gun, make the gun more ergononically friendly, or to pimp it out.
Folks suggest there are few must-haves. A cronograph will allow you to achieve efficiency and save air. You’re gonna get tired pumping if you shoot a lot, so some other method to fill the gun is right up there. A good ao scope will help your accuracy. A moderator to silence the beast will keep the neighbors happy. Several great machinists on TAG that can fix you up with whatever you need.
Many have had problems with their safties, and take them out. Seems to be the luck of the draw. Mine has never failed, but could at any time. Making sure the gun is pointed in a safe direction when taking it off safe is critical. Decocking is the safest.
AF guns are probably not the best choice if you want a gun that will perform it’s best right out of the box, but it’s fun to fiddle with them.
Those critters in your back yard are fucked! 😀 😀
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Bountyhunter, I recently bought a condor in .25 . Like you I was interested in all sorts of mods / improvements before receiving the rifle. However, once the rifle arrived I found that the only mod that I really needed was to quiet her down. I was floored by how loud this rifle is with just a 24″ barrel and no moderation. I ordered one of Tony’s shrouds and what a difference! Oh, I should mention that at first i wasn’t impressed with the shroud but I finally realized that dialing the power wheel down a bit took my velocity down to sub-sonic which made all the difference. She’s now very quiet and packs more punch than I expected. I’m still learning my rifle’s capabilities but I don’t think that I’ll be making any modifications anytime soon as this gun rocks right out of the box. At least mine does.
You’re gonna love the new gun!