Condor acting up (not)
I filled the condor to 2800 psi and I was getting 850 psi or so for the first 20 shots and then the gun leveled off and starts shooting a pretty consistent 1120 psi or so. What is the cause of this? Could this be a problem with the tophat or is it time to send the gun in.
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Just a thought about low vel first few shots. IMO it seems as if the valve is not opening consistantly at higher fill pressures. Couls this be a result of different pre-loads/spring strengths on the valve return spring? Is there any way to measure this spring pressure on a couple of valves, try to equalize them and see what effect this would have on shot consistancy vs. fill pressure?
I have had NO trouble with my SS either before or after a valve mod filling to 3000 psi to start. Shots start out at velocity and drop slowly for 25-30 good shots.
Abe
I can, with the use of a heavier hammer.
So then, If I want to find out where the guns is shooting good, I wait until it smooths out, take off the tank and hook it up to my pump and take reading… So I just keep testing what fill pressure until I find a sweet spot, whether it be 2300 psi or 2700 psi. I think I have that.. It is just to bad you can’t fill the dang tank to 3000 psi and get a good shot count. 😕
Right fill pressure and count your shots = reliable shooting 😀
pablouk hit it on the head.
I don’t know if you are filling by pump or from air tank but reading the remaining pressure in the gun tank is the same either way. When you first begin filling the gauge needle will rise rapidly then stabilize for a moment before continuing to fill more slowly. This “pause” between rapid movement and slow movement of the gauge is basically the remaining pressure in the tank. With a hand pump that is normally about 10 pumps, with a tank just a few seconds.
When i first started, i filled to 3000psi and went on the range.First ten shots were all over rthe place,then she settled down and i got 40 odd consistant shots. So i filled to 3000psi again and fired off till my groups suddenly got good. Then i took a tank reading and this gave me my optimum fill pressure.Count your shots till poi goes shit again.
Right fill pressure and count your shots = reliable shooting 😀
I understand but what I don’t understand is where are you getting these precise fill pressures. What kind of fancy guage do you have or what others use for such good readings. Heck I have no way of telling what the pressure is in my tank when the gun seems to lever off.
What good is a 3000 psi tank if I can’t use the full amount of air. There is something wrong here in my mind.
Does the tophat have anything to do with this at all? It was not adjusted correctly when I got the gun new and I just adjusted it in a ½ turn or so I think. I have no idea whether or not to just leave it alone or come up with a proper measurement. I am use to regulated gun and I have been spoiled and this is a real learning experience for me.
The window of consistent shots tends to be about the same once you settle on a fill pressure. I have one tank that I fill to 2400psi and get 25-30 good consistent shots (.25 cal) ending about 1600psi. A second tank starts at 2800 and gets 30-35 shots before poi starts to change unacceptably, this one ends at 1900-2000psi. Either tank utilizes about 800-1000psi of air before changing poi forces a refill, and both get about the same number of shots per fill, just with different pressures.
I am in a bad mood right now so I shouldn’t even comment on this but I didn’t really want to be purchasing a project gun when I purchased this .20 Condor. I can see that I am going to be doing more testing and making adjustments than I am going to be shooting. If things don’t start falling into place with my understanding of this gun to where I set it up and then leave it alone and just shoot, I will be getting rid of it.
I bought some some vales from airforce and installed them on 13cu in tanks. Each valve liked a different flll pressure, tophat setting, and PW setting.
A friend of mine has a Condor and has 2 tanks. Both of his tanks take different fill pressures. I don’t understand any of this. I am beginning to get a little discouraged with these guns. I appreciate you doing all of the testing and I will surely give it a try on my Condor
Does the tophat have anything to do with this at all? It was not adjusted correctly when I got the gun new and I just adjusted it in a ½ turn or so I think. I have no idea whether or not to just leave it alone or come up with a proper measurement. I am use to regulated gun and I have been spoiled and this is a real learning experience for me.
I’m waiting for a CF tank from AirHog and when I get it I will be doing some more testing. All this pumping gets old really fast so a tank will be a very welcome sight.
Didn’t want to mess with what Tony had setup and I’m just going to spend a day with the chrony and a whole mess of pellets to chart everything out. I’ll post my findings along with my top hat setting and fill pressures so hopefully you won’t have to go through the same thing.
Glenn
When you fill the Condor to say 2500 psi, doesn’t that also decrease your shot count. The answer sounds obvious but I need to ask it my friends. If I have to fill to the lower pressure then that is what I have to do.
Does the tophat have anything to do with this at all? It was not adjusted correctly when I got the gun new and I just adjusted it in a ½ turn or so I think. I have no idea whether or not to just leave it alone or come up with a proper measurement. I am use to regulated gun and I have been spoiled and this is a real learning experience for me.
I’m having a similar situation with mine. I have one of Tony’s Condor .22 that is set up hot. Using EJ’s I can fill up to 2700 and get a fairly nice bell curve but above 2700 it starts off low then climbs fast. Using Kodiak’s I have to keep the fill level below 2500 or I go supersonic. Using JSB Jumbo Exacts I have to keep the fill below 2000.
Hope this helps as it’s a learning experience trying to figure out what these guns like and what fill pressure works for you. Really would like to get some heavier pellets than the EJ’s so when someone finds a good one please let me know. Waiting for some more results on the Eley’s.
nothing wrong, some Condors just prefer lower fill pressure. reduce fill to 2700 and try again, if still in the 800s reduce a little more the next time until it starts off performing properly. The lower fill is kind of a bonus, scuba tanks last longer or hand pumping is easier, depending on fill method.
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Dadwilson: I had the same issue. Bought a used Condor .22 that’s supposed to have a hammer & spring mod and a hi-flow valve (how can you tell you have a hi-flow valve vs. a standard valve? markings on the bottle?).
When I first filled to 3K psi, the first 10 shots or so were low velocity and eventually it picked up but didn’t settle for like another 10 shots after that (20 shots!), it was low, then high, low/high, etc. So after a couple more fills at different pressure levels I finally figured out it likes 2500psi. The thing is to also find a power level (on the power wheel) that is acceptable to you and leave it there. I want mine mostly on “low” power because I do mainly back yard shooting to 50yds, so I leave it on 2 which is pretty dang powerful (46 & 57fpe with 21gr Kodiaks & 31gr Eleys respectively – they go through a 2×4!) It’s “quiet” on that setting so that ‘s the power level I wanted that offered a good balance between power and a low report with the Airhog shroud. Then play with different pressure fills to see which one gives you the best consistency. Try not to mess with the power wheel after you set it. That will screw up your consistency (and POI), and it may like a different pressure level (fill).
Tony should have told you what pressure to fill your tank with and what power setting the gun likes and is consistent with. If not, give him a call. That’s one of the things he ‘s supposed to test and let you know.
Just curious, why did you get .20cal? The lighter .20cal pellets tend to go supersonic easily which affects accuracy.