New Condor Valve
Started on this today. Had this idea and went with it. Making new condor type valve with larger stem. Will be .312″ with a .250″ or maybe .260″ hole. I’m finding the Blod type valves need a lot of hammer spring and condor valve doesn’t. Changed the spring retainer threads and the front to make room for larger stem and o ring. Have to remake the brass piece. I actually made it before the body just to check on single pointing the threads.
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I’m going to make the sear out of stainless here soon. Also going to make another condor style valve similar to what I have now but air will not go thru the spring. I think what’s limiting the valve is not getting enough air to the seal when it opens.
…and you guys havent had any problems with the sear bar bending or anything?
the way AF cuts corners on these to allow looser tolerances is to cut a slot in the top of the bar down to the hole where it rides the pin.
on mine, bending by hand is all too easy… 😯
Cool deal, those springs are certainly not like the first one I tried that I got with the Blod valve…
I just got through setting my Condor all up with the next spring I wanted to try, this one had no pre-load once it was in the fired position, just enough to keep everything nice and snug is all…
Didn’t change the TopHat setting yet or anything either, have it set at .095″ at present, hate to get this thing where its a pig or Hog on the air really, if I don’t have too LOL…
With the spring setup with no pre-load one needs to be sure and really latch the bolt handle down snug, which I have a nice nylon bushing that snugs into the frame where I chewed the latching lug place.
Right from a 3200 fill the Condor is somewhere between 1100 and 1200 I figure. Its not quite a full sonic crack, but its dang sure close enough that its clapping pretty loud with the Kodiacs now… Basically half the weight of the 6 ring slugs LOL…
Its cold and snowing its butt off here in Texas where I am right now also, not really sure what that does with where the sonic crack would be, as compared to a nice warm day… I have got to get me a chrony for this and soon also… This is a joke without it LOL….
One thing is for sure the new spring I got in there and just dumping th3e spring from a 1.25″ compressed location when cocked has the 110gram hammer really slapping the breech slide…
Still have lots to check out on this and once I get this thing all figured out I will be installing a viton O-Ring under the tophat to see if that will help me better manage the air discharge… 18″ barrel though will probably end up being a hog about the air to shoot the 6 rings very hot…
Dang its cold outside, not good at all to setup and shoot any big amount to check for accuracy with the Kodiacs at these speeds, one thing about Texas though; all we have to do is wait a few minutes and the weather will change LOL…
With Centry Spring being a local for you, that will certainly help with the minimum order they will do to ship to me LOL… This spring I am using right now is really strong, you really wouldn’t want to get it close to the stackout of the spring, besides I don’t think you really get the best performance from any spring like that… Still 1.25″ compression is all my side cocker and my thumb wants and I am a pretty stout fellow…
This spring checked out with my crude way of measuring the compression strength @ 32 pounds on a 1.25″ cocked position from the freelength. Its not the strongest I tested this morning, but its a long way from the smallest also LOL…
Mine is a .975″x4.00″ and wire is .072″ stainless. Says rate is 5.3 lbs. .085″ is 11 lbs in stainless and 12 in steel. Not sure what spring I have in my gun? I bought 2 from leupy’s before I found out about century spring and they are local for me. I have .072″ from century in stainless and steel. I also have .081″ and .085″ in stainless and steel. I’m going to make new barrel bushings because mine are a little loose so I will try to figure out who’s spring I’m running. Going to also put a o ring on the first bushing to keep the air in the shroud from pushing the power wheel towards the breech. Have to setup my indexer on my mill.
D100,
This morning early, I was making me a jig to check the setup punc from the hammer spring. I have quite a few actually really good ones here…
Least some of them should give some differences… I am using digital fishing scales I have for this with the jig to hook up the compression of the springs and make the pull all the same.
Right now as I have my Condor the max travel I can have and get the Condor to cock is 4.25″… So I am looking for some of these springs I have to make good power from them at freelength to the compressed 1.25″ Thats it… I am also getting a good idea of the strength of each spring on how much is left, if pulled more…
I am going to try shimming the insdie of the frame so that the hammer spring is at its freelength and no preload, just enough to keep things snug enough to make no noise if uncocked… No power adjustment wheel…
My bigger hammer tipped the scales this morning at 109-110grams… It never would settle on one or the other for very long, but seem to favor the heavier side…
The monster spring that came with the blod valve I got did a pull of 11.6 pounds. Now while this is nothing like scientific or even close LOL. Just gives me an idea of where each of the 9 springs I selected for this test
Now the really cool thing here is the other 8 springs I have Centry Springs part number and all the real scoop on what they are and do. All I got to do now is find one that does what we need with the 1.25″ cocked load on the spring to when its fired off to its freelength…
The first one being this spring I have been using is a great spring to test against to see if I am softer, stronger or close to the first one… The very first spring was the weakest of the 9 I took for this test bed. The stronger of the lot goes all the way to 42.0 wholloping pounds, the others are pretty much through out the span between the 11.9 and the 42.0 pounds.
Now I wanted to ask you Doug, you using the spring that came with the blod valve, with the .080″ wire size? If so, I just wanted to see if mine was like yours or not. Mine measures .890″ OD; .720″ ID;3.925 freelength
and has basically 13.25 coils of wire… Yours anywhere close to these specs???
I just weighed about 30 of my 9 rings. They were 88.7 to 88.9 and then about half were 89.6 to 89.9. So I have some heavy ones.
Yes, I am very interested in what sorts of groups you get from this as well, with the speeds your getting…
All I think I am interested in is shooting the 6 ring slugs and if they group well at the 1000-1080 fps area, that will do exactly what I have targeted to shoot with this Condor .25
I stuck an even heavier hammer in mine this afternoon and its way on past the JSB’s now LOL… The 31gr. barrcudas are doing really well right now and I have put only 8 rounds of those with a 3K fill so far…
I am going to air the tank on up to 3200 and test again, see how this does now. I really hate to put a stronger hammer spring in the Condor now. That freakin bohemoth .085 wire size spring is about all my thumb and the side cocker is comfy with LOL…
I need to weigh my new hammer to see where it is, I know the one I replaced is 98 grams… I am certain the one I just stuck in there is well over 100grams… Hammer nor my breech slide touches the frame, they ride on the nice polished barrel…
Doug,
I do know what your saying about the Condor OEM stem and how nasty thin it is and all, I have even had more than my share of those break after time…
I also know and can see you have more meat in yours and IJMO, its where it needs to be as well. I really like the extra solid material on the inside, soi that when you do cut the ports; the ports path is actually fluted somewhat on the inside until the hole ends up in the opened middle .26″ hole.
That is exactly what I have been wanting to try for so long now… You have seen my closest attemp at getting a stem ID like this and how large the area of the seat I have to knock open LOL… I have not even attempted to try it either.
Its just screamin’ at me though, set this sucker up with an O-Ring under the top hat you have and pinch the tophat down to where you get your targeted speed with what ever weight of slug and that should be a real winner with a good shot count also…
I have never even remotely thought about shooting the 9 ring slugs LOL…
That is a long slug man and I have no idea what they even weigh in at either. I have the 6 and 7 rings here ready to work with, if I ever get my Condor where I can shoot these at the speeds I want, and then if they group well, I will get Jerry and Timmy to make me a but load of these handy LOL… I love how they fit in my .25 barrel also
Time well tell, maybe this week end I will get time to mess with the Condor enough to know just how close I am now… I just know you are on the edge of a new beginning of what I think will be a wonderful power valve dude!!! I sure hope I can get at least one from you somehow LOL
Edit:
I was wrong when I said I didn’t have any of the 9 rings LOL. I ended up have two bags of the 6 and 7 rings and I just found 1 bag tucked away of the 9 ringers… 87.6 grain slammer. What a freakin’ air rifle projectile in the .25 caliber… I am drooling all over the key board now that I just had my hands on these bags of slugs again :wave:
I also have a unchoked barrel that I have to machine. My collet chuck showed up yesterday so I can machine my barrels now. Going to put it in another frame and have a dedicated gun for slugs and one for regs. I’m hitting my reg valves with a heavy spring and 108 gr hammer and can’t be good for it.
😯 😀
Hopefully you will get a few lulls in the gusts to see what they can do. I know wind is “real world” but many of us have been waiting to see these heavy slugs moving faster in our 24″ LW barrels…I look forward to your post! 😉
That’s my biggest problem. I have to drive 40 miniutes to shoot at a friends house. Most of the time it is windy there. I plan on going there maybe Monday to shoot. Going to bring the helium and see how they do at 1080 fps also. I have a feeling I can get helium numbers in the 260 to 270 fpe area with this valve and maybe 3200 psi fill.
I’m very interested in seeing what kind of accuracy can be had from those 9 rings (or 7 rings for that matter) travelling at those higher (ideal) speeds? Any group testing forthcoming (50 to 100 yards)? Thanks!
Thanks. The ports are big but I think I left enough because it is thicker inside there. Look at a condor stem. They are only .020″ thick. My stem is also stainless. Time will tell. I will shoot it some more today with warmer air and hopefully get 13 fps more so I hit 160 fpe. Been cold in CA lately.
I want one also… I want the bigbore valve…
Now let me ask you sir, the three holes you have in this new stem in the last PIC’s, you sure you have enough material to support the snapping of the seat, with that big a port job???
I love the whole thing you got going on here… Your a guy after my own heart. I just never have had the lathe to even attempt something as noble as this new valve of yours… What I have messed around with has only been with me buying up some of the junk valve bodies and chewing out stuff to try LOL…
I honestly think a stem hole of .25-.26″ would do any thing I would want to get to… I have been messing around with a stem and old valve body and have not even gotten close yet to a point I can do a test…
With what I see you got here, I don’t need to any longer either… Just put me down for one of your valves if you will sell me one once you can or will, please…
I would actually want a stem without the ports cut also. So one valve complete and one extra stem for a project I would be wanting to try…
Awesome work man, just awesome!!!
Very nice looking work.
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Money,
I don’t have the OEM trigger parts man, I made all of mine almost 10 years ago now and they are much stronger and a better shape to hold back whatever spring I want to try LOL…
You change the slope engagement of the sear where the hammer contacts it when cocked really makes a world of difference also, then beef up the necked down area before you get to the pin hole. You will also need to keep the slot there for the recocking. It sucks, but its what you will need to re-cock the rifle.
Heck I had all of my OEM trigger components fail or had small hair line cracks in them so bad I just pulled them and made its replacement. I used stainless on mine as well. Polished them to like glass, then I fired them up and colored them as with case colored receivers and such.
They look bad a$$ and they work as good as this design of a trigger can JIMO… LOL
I have another hammer spring in my Condor this morning and its much more user friendly LOL… The other was all great and fine. BBBUttt, it was just to strong for going out shooting the rifle much at all…
Its really nasty out here, 3″ of snow everywhere, cold and it really affects the air charge in the tanks and the rifles tank as well. Really sucks LOL…
Merry Ho Ho guys, we have had a white Christmas here which doesn’t happen often around these parts. Tis’ the season this year for sure…