Condor 308
I’ve been testing my R&L Condor in 308 caliber that I got a couple of weeks ago. I’m using a EtacHPA and a 68/4800 Carbon fiber tank, so it’s a completely different setup than their normal 308.
I first started out testing a 52 grain bullet and saw over 37 to 40 shots on low power wheel setting and starting at 2700psi with speeds from 840fps-860fps-840fps.
I adjusted the PW to a higher setting after the first 20 shots for 8 shots back in the 860fps and turned it back down for 12 more shots between 840 and 860 before dropping to 820fps at 1800psi. I was wasting air when I turned the PW up, so I should try it again without touching it.
I finally was able to get a shooting area set up in my shop over the weekend and after 80 shots at 2500psi to 2000psi to had an idea of how the power wheel and top hat effected the speeds.
3000psi looks good and I may get a nice shot curve at 3200psi.
——————–
3000psi
PW setting of 8-0
52 grn
989.5 (113.08 fpe)
1021
1021
1019
1024
1014
1020
1025
1001
1029 (122.29 fpe)
1006
1002
994.9
1001
995.6
989.6
1014
992.6
997.6
988.0
988.5
981.7
983.7 (111.76 fpe)
978.9 (2000psi)
——————–
3000 psi
PW setting of 8-0
124gr
806.6 (179.18 fpe)
800.3
x
806.7
x
x
x
816.7
808.7
815.2 (183.02 fpe)
789.2
x
x
x
788.1
820.6 (185.46 fpe)
x
775.7
760.5 (2000psi)
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Available amount of air for the Standard Condor tank is 490 CC
29.90ci x 3000/14.7 = 6102.04 ci /1728 = 3.53 CF = 99,958.468 cc
For my Carbon Fiber tank..
68×3000/14.7 = 13877 ci / 1728 = 8.03 CF = 227,384.278 cc
68×4500/14.7 – 20816 ci / 1728 = 12.05 CF = 341,218.001 cc
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One thing that makes my setup different besides the amount of air is that I am using the EtacHPA and the direct amount of the air flow is different.
This should give you an idea of the available space in front of the valve and spring seat. Measurements may not be exact, but as close as I could get them.
One change I did between my two test was to polish the spring seat and add a bevel to the spring seat opening as well.
This image is after removing some material and beveling the edge.
This is after I polished the spring seat.
My next test will be to make a new spring seat that takes up less room in the Etac’s air chamber.
This should either give me the amount of air I need to break 200fpe or slow me down because of the added amount of air needed to fill the chamber up before entering the valve.
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Yesterday I went to the shop and shot a few times until I was coughing so bad that I had to come in. Looks like I am ready for my accuracy test now.
I was testing the gun without a valve spring and at 3000psi the 52 grain was doing 1042fps. That’s the highest numbers so far at 3000psi which made 125fpe.
At 3300psi I was able to get 1054fps with 52 grain for 128fpe and the 124 grain produced 852.8fps for 200fpe.
This was with no valve spring, 8-0 power wheel and .090 tophat settting.
3000psi
8-0, 090, 52 grain
1042 = 125fpe
1041
1035
944.9
1023
1017
1007
1006
914.7
902.3
950.6
901
894 – 2400psi left
3300psi
8-0, 090, 52 grain
958.8
1054 = 128fpe
1050
1048
1051
1034
I was able to get the numbers up, but without the spring it looks like I lost a little consistency between shots. I may be doing the air archer mod and drilling the spring seat out and using a longer spring to allow more air to get around the spring when it compresses. There’s only so much air that can move through the Condor valve whether modded or not, the less restriction to the air flow the better.
Using any other power wheel setting produced lower numbers.
These max numbers were the third or fourth shots.
3300psi, 10-0, top hat out full, 52 grain = 980 max
3000psi, 10-0, 090, 52 grain = 993.4
3000psi, 9-0, 090, 52 grain = 961.4
3000psi, 7-0, 090, 52 grain = 1002
3000psi, 6-0, 090, 52 grain = 978.6
3000psi, 0-0, 090, 52 grain = 384.3
I made a level for my Condor out of a cross check level and a scope mount.
Nothing to report other than new furniture. I haven’t touched the 308 in three weeks.
My 5 year old had a visit to the ER in the AM hours for pneumonia and then my 22 month old was stick and then it hit me last week and I spent the weekend in bed.
In the meantime, I was talking to Doug Russel(Maddog) about a stock that would work with my tank.
Well, it showed up yesterday and feels and looks great. It’s a half version of his Ultimate stock that has the butt pad. He has another pistol grip stock, but this one is beefier and should do away with the flex I was seeing with the AF stock furniture.
Numero uno off the line.
Here’s my tank cover I made.
The hole in my etac is .410″. When I talk about Blod valve it is my .25 cal one. I have standard one and big bore. I made a breech that would let me use the bigbore but that was when I was having trigger problems and miss fires. So I haven’t taken it a part and put in the breech since I got the trigger all sorted out.
I’m cutting the head off the spring seat and cutting screw driver notches in it. That should smooth out the air flow real nice.
With such a larger stem it sounds to me like you need more pressure to hit higher in the shot curve and fill that stem with air. You may need a stronger hammer spring to really open that larger valve up. No one with a blod valve has been able to help you?
I wish I could test my CF tank with your blod valve and see how high it could go.
Here is a pic of a big bore compared to condor. Almost can put condor tophat inside of Blod valve. You can cut half the nut part off and then shape it like a bell. Thats what I do to give more room in the etac-regs. Can you take a pic of your valve? Just trying to figure out what they did to condor valve that makes it shoot harder than my .25 cal Blod valve that has .020″ bigger hole in the stem. Can’t wait to use my Blod big bore valve on the .308 barrel I have. Going to keep it the full 28″.
I started making my tank cover last night. I found some neoprene at the fabric store that was 50% off so 12″ cost $3. It’s more than enough to double up and cover with some Cordura fabric I have left over from two other projects. Cordura is 10x more scratch resistance than canvas and half as light.
Here’s my water proof jacket I made for stalking hogs.
and here’s my gun chaps for my Bushmaster 223.
It’s larger than the extreme valve in these pictures.
http://www.talonairgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19651
The top hat is even with the brass insert.
Do you have a pic of the tophat side of the valve? I’m just saying it is still a condor valve. I have a Blod big bore valve and it is massive compared to a condor valve.
Thanks guys! I’m happy with it. I bought the whole shebang so I’m not one to answer some of the configuration available. This is also my first AF air rifle to play with so I’m learning the tuning of this gun as I go.
Hammer weight? I don’t have the exact weight, but I understand it is heavier.
I’m sure the valve has a different ID from the stock AF valve, but how much different from the extreme I do not know.
That is a nice setup. Is R&L shipping more .308s or still tweaking on them? Someone mentioned on my predator forum that they tried to buy one for coyote hunting and Randy said they weren’t shipping at the moment.
So the $490 kit doesn’t include the hammer and spring you need???
a 308 condor Tworr! What a nice unit.
So it’s a modified condor valve with a larger tophat? I’m suprized it pushes those slugs that fast.
ok ill look into thanks, yah the recluse gets like 6 shots and each one decreases in power i mite cosider buying a qb though..
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Tworr, Is R&L going to sell more of those stocks? Any idea on price? Thanks.