1400 PSI regulated air in a Condor, .177

[sailorgriz]

OK, I decided to go HPA, sort of.  At least for hunting, probably not targets in the yard.  I have two HPA tanks coming with 1400 PSI regulators on them.  They should connect right to my CO2 adapter.

With CO2 I've been shooting CPHPs, 7.9 g, and am very happy with them at 25 yards and about 650 fpm.  I'm not so happy at 35 yards as they seem to go a bit squirrly on occation.  But that's a different part of the story.  

I'm getting the HPA bottles hoping to crank the speed up to about 900 - 950 for hunting.  I'm hoping to also be able to use a heavier pellet with the 1400 psi air and still get those speeds.

Question:  what weight pellet do y'all recommend?  And am I in the ballpark for desired speed?  I'm thinking either Crosman Premier Heavys at 10.5 or Eun Gins at 16.1.  Anyone have any experience at 1400 PSI that can give me some suggestions?

Thanks!

[melloroadman]

Do you know what valve the tanks will have in them ? That will make a big difference in the results . If you  do a search on my condor and talon tank strings you will see what I mean . Marvin

[melloroadman]

Disregard my first post the valve is in the adapter . Go to the talon forum there is some one over there posting regulated tank strings . Marvin

[sailorgriz]

Thanks Marvin!  Sounds like I should be in the ballpark.  Local paintball shop refills for $3 per tank.  If I can get 100+ shots per tank (which sounds very possible) I'll be a nice, happy, camper!

Question about adjusting the tophat . . .

It appears to be held on with two very small set screws.  Small enough that I don't have an allen wrench that small (sigh).  Is there anything besides the allen screws holding it in place?  Seems the impact of the hammer would cause it to move without something else holding it.

thanks!

[melloroadman]

The top hat and valve stem are threaded. The top hat screws up and down on the stem and the two Alllen lock it tight in the position you set the top hat at . The Alllen do not need to be very tight just a good snug fit . They are pressing against the hollow stem and if you tighten them to tight and dent the stem the top hat may not be able to be moved again . They are lock tighten from the factory and either clear finger nail polish or lock tight can be used again . I have not applied any more to mine since there was so much on them to begin with . I just check the top hat height ever so often and so far noting has loosen up .Marvin
http://www.stealthresource.org/valve.htm

[sailorgriz]

Thanks!  A site I hadn't seen that is now in my favorites--looks pretty darn useful!  I appreciate all your help, Marvin.  Maybe, someday, I'll be able to help out a newcomer!

[sailorgriz]

Regulated bottles showed up over the weekend.  I stopped and got a couple tins of CP Heavies to try in it.  First and second shots were just to make sure everything was working.  It wasn't.  The valve stuck open and I lost 1000 PSI in two shots.  Sigh.

So, I played with the CO2 adapter and got the valve smoothed out, then went out to try again.  Shooting fine on just under 2000 PSI remaining air.  Went and got the chrony to do some test shots.  Didn't write it down, but I ranged from 869 to 876 over about 40 shots with the regulator set at 1400 and starting with just under 2000 pounds in the bottle.  With a full bottle I should easily get well over 100 shots.  I'm happy.

That was with the power wheel at just off the bottom.  I moved it up to 4 just to see what would happen and it moved the speed all the way up to about 877.  Whee.  I turned it back down.

After somewhere around 40 shots it started to get low on air and things slowed down. I got about another 15 or 20 and it dropped to 835 fps.  But POI was not noticably different at 25 yards.  So I'm not too concerned about running out of air and needing that one last shot 'cause something interesting just jumped in front of the crosshairs.

At 25 yards I was about 1 1/4 inches high with the scope sighted for CO2 and 7.9 CPHPs.  I'm hoping that it'll be dead on at either 35 or 50 yards.  Then I don't have to worry about resighting.  The windage was nailed, only elevation was an issue.

My backyard backstop is a 3/4 inch sheet of ply, 2X4 feet, with a 2X3 foot piece of sheet metal fastened to it.  I have it set at a 45 degree down angle so the pellets just bounce into the ground.  On CO2 I was denting the metal but even with dozens of shots in the same place, it didn't break through.  The heavies on air broke through.  Sigh.  I gotta find a sheet of 1/8 inch thick stuff to make a better backstop.

Next step:  custom one piece stock using the stock pistol grip.  I'll go from the front grip, under the pistol grip, up under the bottle and then make a nice butt pad.  Get working on it tonight.  I'll post pix when It's done.

Anyway.  One 1400 PSI air it's doing just about exactly what I wanted!  I'm a Happy Shooter!

[longislandhunter]

Just curious where you got your regulated tanks from ????


Thanks

JEff

[melloroadman]

Glad it worked the way you wanted it to .Marvin

[sailorgriz]

experthpa.com.  He can set the regulators to whatever you want from about 450 to 1400.  He has an assortment of stock pressures, anything else is an extra $10.  1200 and 1400 are stock.  I think it was either or $60 or 70 for a 48 CI, 3000 PSI thank with the regulator--gage included.  The screw into the CO2 adapter on an AirForce rifle.  While I was at it, I got two of them--good think, too, since the first one fissed mostly out.  Still have the second one ready to go tomorrow after work, weather permitting.

Cut and glued up a prototype stock.  Not sure if I'll like it--that's why it's a prototype!  ;>)

[sailorgriz]

OK.  Last night I cut and glued up a prototype one piece stock.  It was curvey and swirly and probably would have looked OK on the right rifle.  It looked horrible on the angular Condor.  So, I started over.  

These pix are just one piece of 3/4 inch ply.  There are two of them gluing together in the shop now.  I'll round the edges and clean it up, obviously.  I think I'll add a full tube cheek patch so I can shoot with either hand--I'm ambidextrous and I don't want to take a perfectly good switch hitting rifle and screw that up.  The bottles will simply slide in the back of the tube and screw into the adapter.

I'm thinking either flat black to retain as much of the "tactical" look as I can or a black stain so the plywood laminates show then finished in a a satin varnish.  

It'll screw into the barrel where the stock fore grip fastens.  I'll plug the bottom of the pistol grip and put in a threaded insert for the second hold point.  With the right cheek pad it'll take any torque off of the bottles.

An evening of sanding/routing/sanding.  An evening (or two) of finishing.  Mount it up and see how it looks.  Now . . . all I need is two or three more evenings . . . sigh.

[melloroadman]

If it was my project . I would try and come up with something that would slip on the butt of the tank and extend back and down . Since those are the two issue I was trying to improve on . I would think that there would be something out there in paint ball land that would work . That is the main market of the tanks I think . Or some thing in the PVC line . But it is not my project so I will wait and see what takes place . Marvin

[sailorgriz]

I started there, Marvin.  Couldn't find anything I liked.  Most paintball markers have the tank low and forward on the pistol grip so there isn't much call for a stock that goes on the tank.

Besides, it's a LOT more fun to cut up lumber than just place an order on the web!  :>)

[melloroadman]

Bill have all the fun you can with this project . Just keep us up dated . Marvin

[sailorgriz]

Thanks Marvin.  I will/am.  And, anyway, if I don't like the result I'm out all of $20 worth of materials!