Maintenance questions
Do I need to oil the valve? I have the hi-flow Condor valve. What oil should I use and what do you guys like using? I don’t imagine the Condor is much different than my CO2 guns where I use Pelgun oil, but I figure I ask first just in case.
I haven’t done any maintenance to my Condor in the last few months since I got it, except clean the barrel. I ‘m guessing the breach area should be oiled too. I just want to make sure I use the right oil, so I don’t clog up the valve stem or something with some Springer oil 🙂
I may be too late for that because I used a little bit of Ballistol oil in the bore.. but it’s very light if any is actually still in there. What oil should I use in the bore while am at it? It’s important to use the right oil in case some of it creeps up to the valve..
I like to keep all my guns, firearms included, well oiled inside & out, because I don’t shoot them all the time and I do have some moisture/humidity in the house..
thanks in advance!
Harry
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Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
Rob & Jerry: Thanks for sharing how you clean your airguns. Good info, much appreciated!
Where do you guys get Krytec from? I think I also need to find the AF videos on Youtube or online somewhere.
Make sure you don’t use FP-10 with the colored Raptors. It is the only lube I’ve seen that attacks the color coating. That indicates a very strong solvent in there and would cause me to not use it on any airgun…
Thanks Jerry… I dont lube lead going through the big bores. The soft lead is self lubricating running through the bore and none of my big bores throw them out fast enough to create leading.. but thanks on the heads up!
I will lube my pellets with Krytec every now and then, and since I change barrels often, the breach o rings are always getting lubed because I always wipe the breach end barrel off of any old silicone, which usually also has some blackish lead dust mixed in, and apply a very light amount back on the new barrel I’m installing. That’s it for me. After that, I’ve found the best lube is simple cleanliness for other parts.
I read somewhere that putting divers silicone on the hammer was a good thing to do, well, I’ll never do that again. My accuracy wasn’t consistant after that, so I took it out, along with everything else, and cleaned up everything spotless. I took a soft rag, and pushing it thru the ID of the frame a few times, gave it a mirror finish inside. It seems to me a dry, clean hammer is much better than one that is lubed up with whatever, and almost seems frictionless in a polished frame. With the barrel out, I know everything is clean when I just barely tilt the gun down, just a few degrees, and the hammer, PW assembly and striker weight will just slide right out of the frame as if the parts were riding on slick, smooth ice.
Mac 1 Tim recommended Krytec to me for lubing pellets. He feels the only real advantage to this is that by the pellets leaving a minute coat of the lube in the barrel, it makes for easier cleaning, with way less patches needed to get it cleaned out. Shake that bottle of Krytek good before using, as the different elements in the liquid seperate when sitting around for a while.
Rob,
Make sure you don’t use FP-10 with the colored Raptors. It is the only lube I’ve seen that attacks the color coating. That indicates a very strong solvent in there and would cause me to not use it on any airgun…
You’ll have to understand that airgun maintenance is a subject that 100 folks will have 100 suggestions for. I’m trying to very general in my comments on the subject.
General maintenance on springers. I tune all of my springers myself and so after a tune, there is NO NEED to do another thing to them. I end up cleaning the bores maybe… maybe… once a year. A properly lubed springer will last pretty much a lifetime or until the spring fails.
CO2 and pumpers… a light coat of oil on the pivot points on pumpers (I use Mac1 Secret Sauce) and a touch on the pump cup. For CO2, a drop of Pellgun oil with each cart change should keep everything good.
PCP… a touch of divers silicone on the O-rings now and then…
All guns……… a light coat of Rem oil or Ballistol on the exterior of the gun. Minwax on the stocks if going to be stored.
As far as cleaning the barrel on the Condor every 300 shots… I tend to think that is horse shit. If you are using light weight pellets and spitting them out at insane velocity then yes… you will lead your bore and will need a light lapping compound to clean lead deposits. If you use heavy pellets that are lubed, you should have no problems. As a rule, I typically do not clean barrels until my accuracy is suffering… once a year or so.
With the FP-10 or Krytek, just 3 or 4 drops right in the tin and roll it around a bit. Some folks go through the trouble of washing straining and sorting, but I just dont.
If you also shoot springers, I’d suggest Krytek. You certainly dont want to grab a pellet lubed with FP-10 and put it in a springer…. CRACK!!!!
Hope all this helps. I’m certainly not a guru, but I have several airguns and tend to do well with keeping them in top form.
Thanks for the advice on the Condor.
As far as Springers & CO2’s go, I always oil them very very little. As far as the bore goes, I run a lightly oiled patch through after cleaning any lead deposits or that chemical compound that pellets have to prevent corrosion (forget what it’s called). I then run a couple of clean patches through until they come out pretty white so I don’t hardly leave any oil in there, unless I know I ‘m not going to use the gun for several months. I really don’t clean the bore that much on my other airguns. I basically just follow Tom Gaylord’s instructions that he ‘s written on several articles on this subject.
I also don’t lube my pellets but I ‘ve been thinking about starting to do that, if it’s going to reduce or eliminate the need for bore cleaning.
I ‘ve been reading here that due to the higher velocities of the Condor, the bore needs to be cleaned every 300 pellets or so. I had about 350 pellets through mine, which by the way I got used (no DVD), and noticed the POI started shifting and I wasn’t getting same-hole shot or clovers any longer. I use 95% Kodiaks in my .22 Condor and I sometimes shoot 32gr Eleys. I cleaned the bore and accuracy was restored.
Should I run the pellets through a strainer or put them on a paper towel after lubing them? Will any other dirt or particles from the manufacturing process come off after lubing them? or do you put a few drops of FP-10 in the tin, and leave them as they are in the tin?
Oil in the bore…
Since airguns do not use powder (duh), the barrels typically do not need cleaning. When I get a new gun, I’ll clean the bore a bit but after that… unless you use dirty pellets, you really shouldnt have a problem with dirty bores.
Use FP-10 or Krytech pellet lube…. just a few drops per tin and you’ll be good to go on keeping the bore in good shape. With the Condor, you’ll also need to use heavier pellets to keep from leading the bore.
Dont ‘well oil’ airguns. Use a tiny amount of divers silicone grease inside the breech on the o-rings… dont want to do much else… and even that very, very, very lightly and rarely.
Pellgun oil on PCP… no-no….
Did you get the Condor used or new? If new, you should have gotten the DVD. Did you watch it? I think the vids are linked on this site somewhere.
Many types of seals used in airguns do not play well with firearm oils and solvents. As a rule, if you are not 100% sure on what the proper amount and type of lubrication for any airgun, the best policy is to not lube it at all.
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I get Krytech for my mountain bike at a local shop. Finish Line brand.