Thinking about gettting a Condor...

Hi I'm new to airgunning in general and started out recently with a Crosman Storm XT springer to, as Bob Barker would say: "Help control the pet population."

Course in my case it was more like "Help control the pest population." Namely the tree rats more commonly known as squirrels which like to wreak havoc on our fruit trees.

Well that and cutting paper products with bullseyes stamped on them.

Now the springer is nice but it's .177 which is good for target practice but I'd like to try .22, for one because I never have, and 2. it might be a better varmint hunting caliber.

Also cocking a springer is a PITA, not to mention time consuming.

So which PCP do you all recommend? I was eyeing the Air Force Condor as it looks like a good performer in .22, accurate and powerful. Any way to get it to be quiet too and have the best of both worlds? i know the Talon SS is quieter but it doesn't pack the punch I'd like that the Condor does.

Also thanks for the new forum hope this place takes off.  Looks like it's off to a good start already.

[kirby999]

I would buy a SS and then get a 24" barrel for it and if you want to it quieter , talk to Airhog about a frame extension. From what I've read the Condor bottles have had a problem with their valves. With a Talon SS and the 24" barrel you'll have all the power you'll need . Unless you want to go with a .25 cal. and then I think Airhog is building and selling these ready to go with the frame extension  for $775; it's called the super Condor.  It also comes with a factory warranty.   kirby

[dw33]

Might want to think about a AA 410 ERB for that price.  Supposed to be real quiet and putting out 30 fpe.

Well thanks Kirby999 and dw33, I had no idea that Airhog site even existed, and boy did I learn a lot reading through it! Looks like he's got some great stuff there and a personalized approach to customer service, exactly what a newby like me needs as I get more into this hobby. I still have a lot to look through before I decide especially after seeing more of my options such as the AA410 you showed me. I like the look of the wooden stock on the AA410 but tempted by the performance of the Condor, this is gonna be a hard decision indeed! Not to mention the Falcons i saw on Airhogs site. Luckily budget restraints prevent me from buying one till next month so I don't grab the first one without doing any research, although I sure am tempted by these beautiful beasts!

Thanks again for the suggestions and feel free to post more. Happy shooting!

[hunter220]

kirby999 - 8/2/2007  9:02 PM
 From what I've read the Condor bottles have had a problem with their valves.  kirby

This problem has now been fixed allowing the gun to shoot full power at 3200 psi in most cases.

[jon]

The performance velocity wise often doesnt mean much in the airgunning world,  I had a souped up talon that shot just as hard as a condor.  It was loud as hell, it was even loud with a mod on it. It also was awkward to shoot, and didnt get many shots on a fill, it was OK accurate but I had POI shifts like a spring rifle.  I have owned a AA400 too, it was a sweet heart.  So accurate I forgot about the power.  Trust me 30 FPE will suit you well at distances past 75 yards.

Kirby and I were shooting water bottles at 80 yards off-hand with our AA400's we hit that sucker everytime, it had enough smack to lift a water filled bottle straight off the ground at that distance.  At 55 yard a .22 arigun starting at 30 FPE still has over 12FPE.  Not many small critters can take a headshot with that powerlevel and walk away.

Trust me on this one, I've been exactly were you are now......The AA400 series is ALOT more gun than a talon or condor, just ask Van at Airhog he'll tell you the truth.

Hi
Look in to a AA S410E 30fpe .
If you want more power.
I have a 400E and love it.
Chuck

[Gene_SC]

Hey Ray, a Big Welcome to the GTA.. Take a look in our Mall at top and you will find many vendors including Air Hog who we all deal with.

Good luck

Gene

[hunter220]

jon - 11/30/2007  4:35 PM
The performance velocity wise often doesnt mean much in the airgunning world,  I had a souped up talon that shot just as hard as a condor.  It was loud as hell, it was even loud with a mod on it. It also was awkward to shoot, and didnt get many shots on a fill, it was OK accurate but I had POI shifts like a spring rifle.  I have owned a AA400 too, it was a sweet heart.  So accurate I forgot about the power.  Trust me 30 FPE will suit you well at distances past 75 yards.

The airforce talons tended to have a bit more problems than the condor and needed more work to make them shoot accurately.  With the new valve on my condor, groups are much more consistent now with under .75 inch at 50 yards.  I have personally taken a crow at over 100 yards with this gun.  For the money, it is IMO just about as accurate as many pcp's that cost hundreds more and it also has more versatility and power. I guess it all depends on the style of gun you are looking for and price range.  For me the condor was much more affordable, but for others, the finer quality guns may be your preference.  

I am going to fill a gallon jug with water, freeze it, and then shoot it with my condor at max power and see what happens.  Results coming after Christmas.

[jon]

hunter220 - 12/3/2007  8:11 PM

jon - 11/30/2007  4:35 PM
The performance velocity wise often doesnt mean much in the airgunning world,  I had a souped up talon that shot just as hard as a condor.  It was loud as hell, it was even loud with a mod on it. It also was awkward to shoot, and didnt get many shots on a fill, it was OK accurate but I had POI shifts like a spring rifle.  I have owned a AA400 too, it was a sweet heart.  So accurate I forgot about the power.  Trust me 30 FPE will suit you well at distances past 75 yards.

The airforce talons tended to have a bit more problems than the condor and needed more work to make them shoot accurately.  With the new valve on my condor, groups are much more consistent now with under .75 inch at 50 yards.  I have personally taken a crow at over 100 yards with this gun.  For the money, it is IMO just about as accurate as many pcp's that cost hundreds more and it also has more versatility and power. I guess it all depends on the style of gun you are looking for and price range.  For me the condor was much more affordable, but for others, the finer quality guns may be your preference.  

I am going to fill a gallon jug with water, freeze it, and then shoot it with my condor at max power and see what happens.  Results coming after Christmas.

Hunter,

I agree, if you want a pcp for a decent price a talon or condor is a good bet, they are the most versitile gun around in regards to PCP's.  But......If you dont like to tinker and you want a good shot string with 30+ shots with only a 30 FPS Extreme spread the AA guns cant be beat.

No one is ever gonna convince me that the talon or condor is a good starter gun, it just does not lend itself to comfortable shooting without modification.  As sson as I got mine I had it sent out to fix the crappy trigger and tune the power enough to get a semi decent shot string.

I bought a heavier hammer had the vave ported, put new better sealing o-rings in it.  I had to baffle the frame to make it quiet.  I bought a longer barrel to help make it more efficient.  You name it I did it.  When It came down to it I had an 800 dollar gun, If I'd bought the AA gun in the first place I would have been happier.

I guess I feel like Dano in Tx felt about his Bam B50, nothing anyone can say would make me EVER recomend anything from Airforce. When I was less expirienced I even tried to talk others into the talon, and I regret that.

Now only top quality is what I buy, even if the price hurts at first.  Hobbies like this arent cheap so one should except that before diving in, no amount of customization will make certain decent guns a  great gun, the talon/condor is one of those.  

[hunter220]

jon - 12/4/2007  3:36 PM
Hunter,

I agree, if you want a pcp for a decent price a talon or condor is a good bet, they are the most versitile gun around in regards to PCP's.  But......If you dont like to tinker and you want a good shot string with 30+ shots with only a 30 FPS Extreme spread the AA guns cant be beat.

No one is ever gonna convince me that the talon or condor is a good starter gun, it just does not lend itself to comfortable shooting without modification.  As sson as I got mine I had it sent out to fix the crappy trigger and tune the power enough to get a semi decent shot string.

I bought a heavier hammer had the vave ported, put new better sealing o-rings in it.  I had to baffle the frame to make it quiet.  I bought a longer barrel to help make it more efficient.  You name it I did it.  When It came down to it I had an 800 dollar gun, If I'd bought the AA gun in the first place I would have been happier.

I guess I feel like Dano in Tx felt about his Bam B50, nothing anyone can say would make me EVER recomend anything from Airforce. When I was less expirienced I even tried to talk others into the talon, and I regret that.

Now only top quality is what I buy, even if the price hurts at first.  Hobbies like this arent cheap so one should except that before diving in, no amount of customization will make certain decent guns a  great gun, the talon/condor is one of those.  

The airforce rifles do not have the problems they used to have.  Airforce has come out with a completely new valve that functions much better.  I along with others have gotten 30 shot strings with under a 50fps extreme with the new valve and no other mods.  The condor is loud on high power, especially with kodiaks going supersonic, but under power level 7 it is about as loud as my Gamo Hunter 220.  Maybe I just got lucky, but I actually got a decent trigger on my gun.  I understand where you are coming from with the problems of Airforce in the past, but they have improved their customer service over the past few months.  I am not saying the condor is better than an AA gun or any $800 plus gun out there, I am just saying that the condor has been vastly improved over the past few months.  When did you buy your condor and how long did you have it?

[DanoInTx]

jon -
.......I guess I feel like Dano in Tx felt about his Bam B50, nothing anyone can say would make me EVER recomend anything from Airforce. When I was less expirienced I even tried to talk others into the talon, and I regret that.

You sound like you are on exactly the same track I am on.  That B50, that I have now sold, was just a headache from the time I pressed the order button on it.  I do however think now that the B50 has a good amount of potential if purchased straight from one of the tuners, like Big Ed.  The only problem is like you said about the Airforce guns, by the time you get it tuned, shrouded, rebarreled, etc....it's still a Chinese gun without a ton of resell potential.  For what you end up paying it's as expensive, or more, than an Air Arms S400 carbine which is a much better gun.

Now on the Airforce guns, I owned a really souped up TalonSS and was extremely pleased with its performance.  I do like to tinker a bit and found the Airforce guns to be the "Crosman 2240" of the PCP world.  Again, you have to remember that I made quite a few ergonomic modifications to mine, and got most of my aftermarket pieces in trade for my woodwork.  It honestly didn't cost me anything but time to get mine souped up to a 44fpe .22, I even got the scope I put on it in trade for woodwork.  Now that I have sold it I have started looking for another one because I miss it.  Mine was great out of the box, and only got better with my own work.  I only sold it because I had that "gleam" in my eye that said,"Sell it and buy more airguns", which is how I bought my FX Black Widow, which I have already sold because I didn't care for it.  

Bottom line, if you like to tinker the Airforce guns will fullfill your tinkerer and airgunner sides.  If you just want to shoot, you may be better off getting something else straight away.  I personally would not hesitate in buying another Airforce gun, probably an SS with a long barrel instead of a Condor, and I most likely will buy another.  I have a .177 Career and a .22 Sumatra carbine coming on Monday, wonder how long I'll keep those:)

[hunter220]

DanoInTx - 12/15/2007  5:05 AM

jon -
.......I guess I feel like Dano in Tx felt about his Bam B50, nothing anyone can say would make me EVER recomend anything from Airforce. When I was less expirienced I even tried to talk others into the talon, and I regret that.

You sound like you are on exactly the same track I am on.  That B50, that I have now sold, was just a headache from the time I pressed the order button on it.  I do however think now that the B50 has a good amount of potential if purchased straight from one of the tuners, like Big Ed.  The only problem is like you said about the Airforce guns, by the time you get it tuned, shrouded, rebarreled, etc....it's still a Chinese gun without a ton of resell potential.  For what you end up paying it's as expensive, or more, than an Air Arms S400 carbine which is a much better gun.

Now on the Airforce guns, I owned a really souped up TalonSS and was extremely pleased with its performance.  I do like to tinker a bit and found the Airforce guns to be the "Crosman 2240" of the PCP world.  Again, you have to remember that I made quite a few ergonomic modifications to mine, and got most of my aftermarket pieces in trade for my woodwork.  It honestly didn't cost me anything but time to get mine souped up to a 44fpe .22, I even got the scope I put on it in trade for woodwork.  Now that I have sold it I have started looking for another one because I miss it.  Mine was great out of the box, and only got better with my own work.  I only sold it because I had that "gleam" in my eye that said,"Sell it and buy more airguns", which is how I bought my FX Black Widow, which I have already sold because I didn't care for it.  

Bottom line, if you like to tinker the Airforce guns will fullfill your tinkerer and airgunner sides.  If you just want to shoot, you may be better off getting something else straight away.  I personally would not hesitate in buying another Airforce gun, probably an SS with a long barrel instead of a Condor, and I most likely will buy another.  I have a .177 Career and a .22 Sumatra carbine coming on Monday, wonder how long I'll keep those:)

That line sums it up right there.  Airforce guns are best for people that like to tinker.  However, I ordered my condor from a website that tests all of their guns before they ship it and as a result my condor has not had any major problems, except for the valve that needed to be replaced.

[jon]

Dano,

I know what you mean, the biggest regret I have is selling my AA 400 Classic.  It was perfect for a hunting gun for me, quiet and accurate.  What you saidd about the B50 is absolutely correct BTW, I no longer reccomend it either, simply because it needs work, and you must take it apart to make it work the way it was intended.

I moved on to target PCP's and There is nothing more impressive and I never have to fiddle with them.  

I will be buying another AA400 it's only a matter of time.