air force condor

hello ....does anyone out there have any feedback on the air force condor im pondering buying one .....i have never owned a pcn air gun ... only springers so if anyone out there has any info ...good or bad it would be helpful ...thanks....

[daved]

What exactly do you want it for, Robin?  Of the Air Force rifles, the Condor is the big gun, designed primarily as a hunter.  Until fairly recently, they had major problems with the valve, couldn't get full power out of it without some pretty extensive work.  They've solved that, by all accounts it works very well now.  However, it's still a very powerful PCP, maybe overpowered in the smaller calibers, .177 and .22.  It can launch even heavy .22's supersonic.  Which brings me back to the reason for my initial question.  If you're looking for a high powered hunting rifle, one of the Korean PCP's is at least as powerful, and would cost less.  If you're looking for a more general purpose rifle, back yard plinking through small game hunting, I'd recommend a Talon or Talon SS over the Condor.  The SS is quieter than the other two, and can be made even more neighbor friendly if needed.  With a .177 barrel, power can reach 20 fpe or so, .22 will push that to 30.  The beauty of the Air Force system is that everything is interchangeable.  Buy an SS with a 12" barrel, add a 24" .22 barrel and boost your power into the 50 fpe range.  Accuracy in all these rifles is very good, if Air Force ever comes up with a match grade trigger, they'd be outstanding.  Although you CAN do lots of mods to these guns, they don't NEED modification to work extremely well.  Anyway, I think they are great little guns, I've been really happy with mine.  If it wasn't for the Internet, I wouldn't recommend one as a first PCP, but with all the info a point and click away, I say go for it.  I would suggest you try and find some way to handle one before buying though, the ergonomics are a problem for lots of people.  There's more info is some of my recent posts here, but if you have anymore specific questions, fire away :-)!  Good luck.

Dave

[hunter220]

hunter 1 - 1/4/2008  6:04 AM

hello ....does anyone out there have any feedback on the air force condor im pondering buying one .....i have never owned a pcn air gun ... only springers so if anyone out there has any info ...good or bad it would be helpful ...thanks....

I have one with the new valve and it works great for my needs, mainly hunting.  I have shot nickel size groups from 35 yards with a 10-15 mph wind blowing.  It has plenty of accuracy and power, which is the best part.  It will go through a half inch thick board from 80 yards easily,whereas my springer can't go through the same board from 10 yards.  Do you plan to use the condor for plinking, hunting, or both?

Hello and thanks for the reply ......i intend on using the rifle for hunting [ crows mainly at longer distances] i have never owned one or even fired one for that matter ..besides i dont have one in my gun cabinet .....is there alot of extra cost involved as far as getting the equpment needed to operate this gun?? and how many full power shots can be achieved before it starts to taper off??  are they high maintainence ?? do you find yourself dragging alot of equipment out to the field with you on your hunts ??? i appreciate your input thanks dave ....

[hunter220]

hunter 1 - 1/7/2008  6:42 AM

Hello and thanks for the reply ......i intend on using the rifle for hunting [ crows mainly at longer distances] i have never owned one or even fired one for that matter ..besides i dont have one in my gun cabinet .....is there alot of extra cost involved as far as getting the equpment needed to operate this gun?? and how many full power shots can be achieved before it starts to taper off??  are they high maintainence ?? do you find yourself dragging alot of equipment out to the field with you on your hunts ??? i appreciate your input thanks dave ....

The condor, scope, scope mounts, refill clamp, and scuba tank can all be bought for around $800 total.  I usually get a good 20-25 shots at full power; shooting a 28gr Eun Jin at 1,100 fps.  The condor is very low maintenance, just use some divers silicon on the breech slide and tophat every once in awhile.  Dialed down to power level 7 (out of 13) I can get 30 or so shots before I refill.  Accuracy at 100 yards is generally around 1.5-2 inches, which is plenty for crows.  Generally, at 100 yards the groups are more vertical than they are left to right.  Once you figure out the drop at that range, crows are very easy to pick off.  Some people have killed crows up to 120 yards with their condor before.  I love mine and I am saving up for a shroud to make it extremely quiet.  Hope this answers most of your questions.  Feel free to ask any others.

thank you for your imput ....your making my descision to purchase one of these easier.....i like to hear 100 yd shots can be made ....i have a 60 acre pond on the back side of my property and the crows seem to loom out of reach for any of my springers......for a clean kill any way.....

[hunter220]

hunter 1 - 1/7/2008  3:57 PM

thank you for your imput ....your making my descision to purchase one of these easier.....i like to hear 100 yd shots can be made ....i have a 60 acre pond on the back side of my property and the crows seem to loom out of reach for any of my springers......for a clean kill any way.....

If you decide to get one, you might want to sight it in at the range you will be shooting and shoot some groups to see how it does.  At  100 yards, a typical condor should have between 10-20 fpe left for the crow, depending on the pellet used.  You might want to consider a shroud also.  This would take a powerful, loud gun and make it powerful but deadly quiet.

can the condor tank be filled at my local paintball store???

[hunter220]

hunter 1 - 1/11/2008  2:13 PM

can the condor tank be filled at my local paintball store???

Not sure about this one since I use a scuba tank.  Maybe Dave can chime in here.

[daved]

If they can fill 4500 psi tanks, they shouldn't have any trouble with a Condor/Talon tank.  They're only rated for 3000, and most of these guns do best at something less than that.  You will probably have to invest in the Foster adapter for the Air Force filler, available from PA as well as other places.  Best thing to do is ask.  If you can, check out their filling station.  If it's a cascade using industrial cylinders, no worries.  If they have a compressor, ask about their filter/dryer.  Pumping water vapor into a PCP is best avoided if possible.  

 I fill from a high pressure industrial nitrogen cylinder, so I've never actually had anyone fill any of my guns.  I just got a couple of 44 cu. ft. CF SCBA tanks, but I intend to make a fill adapter for those so I can fill them myself from the same nitrogen cylinder.  Since I live 5 miles past the middle of nowhere, getting things filled is a challenge.  The closest dive shop is 50 miles away, the closest paint ball shop can't be less than 100.  Hope that helps.

Dave

[alienhogg]

I highly recommend the Condor, I have the .22 cal and it is by far the best I own. The accuracy of this gun is unbelievable. Today I was shooting at almost 100 yds in 2" clusters. I use a tech force
scope and have all the add ons. The gun is great to turn the power up when you need to. Of coarse you must do a few adjustment to the scope. This gun is used also by the Navy in Iraq with MuzzleBrakes to pop out street lights and I know why.... I had a few to many beers one night and popped my street light outside my house. Three shots, missed the bulb thank goodness for that but the speed and power didn't shatter the globe. Got up the next morning and had three holes in the glass surrounding the bulb. I have shot empty medicine bottles at 80 ft and they didn't move. Pellets went threw them like paper. Using 28.4 gr pellets that will go threw a 55 gallon steel drum and out the other side. It is loud but no problem for me out in the country. Good luck with your choice.
                                                                                         Alienhogg

[rob3dr]

I've got a .25 Condor that does awesome. Getting around 40+ shots at 950fps with 31gr Kodiaks. This using the new valve and tophat set to factory specs.  Very accurate and hits very hard.  Have done a little aesthetic work to mine....

[Jaymo]

I've been considering one of these for a few months now. I really want one. I'd love to have it in .25, but can't legally hunt with any air gun bigger than .22. Then again, a .22 Eun Jin is pretty impressive when it hits.

[hunter220]

Jaymo - 1/24/2008  6:35 PM

I've been considering one of these for a few months now. I really want one. I'd love to have it in .25, but can't legally hunt with any air gun bigger than .22. Then again, a .22 Eun Jin is pretty impressive when it hits.

Here is a review I did on the AF condor a few days ago.  One of my favorite pellets to use for under 30 yards is a MCM (modified crow magnum).  This pellet is absolutely destructive to squirrels and birds.  I would post pictures, but they are a little too bloody.  Here is what an mcm into a 2-liter bottle filled with water did.

[SAVAGESAM]

daved - 1/11/2008  9:29 PM

If they can fill 4500 psi tanks, they shouldn't have any trouble with a Condor/Talon tank.  They're only rated for 3000, and most of these guns do best at something less than that.  You will probably have to invest in the Foster adapter for the Air Force filler, available from PA as well as other places.  Best thing to do is ask.  If you can, check out their filling station.  If it's a cascade using industrial cylinders, no worries.  If they have a compressor, ask about their filter/dryer.  Pumping water vapor into a PCP is best avoided if possible.  

 I fill from a high pressure industrial nitrogen cylinder, so I've never actually had anyone fill any of my guns.  I just got a couple of 44 cu. ft. CF SCBA tanks, but I intend to make a fill adapter for those so I can fill them myself from the same nitrogen cylinder.  Since I live 5 miles past the middle of nowhere, getting things filled is a challenge.  The closest dive shop is 50 miles away, the closest paint ball shop can't be less than 100.  Hope that helps.

Dave

Dave will you please elaborate on the tank you use to fill from? A friend and I just bought two Condors and I'm in the process of deciding what tank to get to refill from. Weight/size is no concern because it will be mounted in the back of my truck. I'm thinking about talking to a welding supply store about renting a cylinder from them. What i want is maximum number of fills. Any and all advice you or anyone speaking from experience can give us would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.