can someone give me a quick rundown on the airforce rifles?

[Scottycoyote67]

Ive been wanting a hunting 25cal rifle, something with a decent airtank, accurate and quiet.  Can someone just give me a quick rundown on which airforce i should be looking at...you have the condor, the condor ss, the talon, the escape, spinloc, etc.  Out of my criteria can someone narrow it down for me.

[PakProtector]

the question, 'are you going to modify it ever' is the first thing that comes to mind...

the answer to that should give you some useful input from the AF enthusiasts.
cheers,
Douglas

[Scottycoyote67]

nope no mods, i wanna get it out of the box and fill it up and hit the woods.  Only mod would be if i need some kind of ldc or something so i can zero it in the backyard without upsetting the neighbors

[oneied]

My .22 Talon SS is backyard friendly.  The plink on the spinner is louder than the rifle.  Go with the SS model of whichever you chose.  SS is much more quite.  I dont know anything on the .25 though so maybe someone with one will chime in

[LDP]

I had a condor ss in .25. The ss model helps with noise but depending on the size of your backyard and how close the neighbors are it is not back yard friendly depending on what your deffinition of back yard friendly is. If you dont care if they here a little noise while shooting then it is back yard friendly but if you dont want them to hear anything then you will need to add an ldc to get there. The condor ss .25 puts out allot of power so even if you get the report down from the muzzle it will make allot of noise when the pellet hits something. So if pellet impact is a concern you will need to make a silent trap.

[Olschool]

I realy like my TalonP with the RL shorty shroud
http://www.rlairgunsupply.com/custom-shop/airforce-airgun-shroud/

[Ol'DeadEye]

My Talon-SS in 22 cal is a great shooting rifle.

It is a few years old and originally didn't have the baffles, which I added later.

I also added a Talon Tunes Strap-on WOKButt because I shoot CO2 most of the time, which is plenty of juice for starling slaying in the backyard.

If I were buying another now, I would probably stick with the conventional bottle method so I could switch over to CO2 when wanted.
I don't believe the spinlock arrangement can be swapped with CO2.
I do like the spinlock for the gauge and fill port though.
Tough decision, if I needed to make it.

I can't really say that the baffled SS has any report.
The only thing I notice is the hammer hitting the valve.

I did a sound test with a digital recorder at 25 yd and the pellet hitting the target (whizz-smack) seemed to be the only sound recorded.
I tested my Disco w 5" TKO, Trail-NP and Talon-SS and none were really distinguishable as a rifle report.
I forgot to include my MRod in the test.
The Talon was quietest, then the Trail-NP and finally the Disco  - to my ear anyway.
I was shooting from 25 feet inside my house which probably had a lot to do with the low report levels.
None of them ever bothered the wife or pet bird though.

I want to retry the same sound test shooting outside without a target, just empty space.
That will let me hear only the report.
Better test IMO.

By The Way, Talon-SS was never "tuned".  Completely factory stock except as stated above.
Added: Photo shows CO2 adapter covered with pipe insulation and WokButt on CO2 tank.

[Gear_Junkie]

I have a .22 Talon SS that I really like, but it did take some work to eliminate the frame flex and get the gun set up the way I like it.  See here:

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=95458.msg893334#msg893334

If you are set on .25 cal, I would recommend the Marauder.  It has much better ergonomics to start off with, a better trigger, and a sweet Green Mountain Barrel.  This is truly a shoot-out-of-the-box-gun.

Good luck!

[Scottycoyote67]

thanks guys for the replies so far.  To clarify, it doesnt have to be completely silent, i just want something that doesnt sound like im shooting some type of gun.  It woudlnt see much backyard use, just when im tinkering with it or checking scope zero, it would mostly be for the squirrel woods.

someone recommended the marauder, i have nothing against them but they are just too big and heavy for my hunting purposes.  I currently hunt with a prod set up with an ar stock....so i was just looking for something similar but in 25cal with more airtank.  I know i could mod my prod to 25 but by the time i was finished i could have just bought another gun so why not.  I would like some type of bullpup but cant justify the money at this time, but i see used airforce guns as well as specials here and there that seem pretty reasonable for the money and the excellent ratings they get.

[Gear_Junkie]

thanks guys for the replies so far.  To clarify, it doesnt have to be completely silent, i just want something that doesnt sound like im shooting some type of gun.  It woudlnt see much backyard use, just when im tinkering with it or checking scope zero, it would mostly be for the squirrel woods.

someone recommended the marauder, i have nothing against them but they are just too big and heavy for my hunting purposes.  I currently hunt with a prod set up with an ar stock....so i was just looking for something similar but in 25cal with more airtank.  I know i could mod my prod to 25 but by the time i was finished i could have just bought another gun so why not.  I would like some type of bullpup but cant justify the money at this time, but i see used airforce guns as well as specials here and there that seem pretty reasonable for the money and the excellent ratings they get.

Based on what you've written, The .25cal Talon SS should be a good fit.  It's compact, quiet, and has plenty of power and accuracy for squirrel hunting.  The only critical accessories that I would recommend are the AF Tri-Rail ($33) and a rubber washer behind the top hat ($0.25).

[ChuckNorris]

'Picked up a Condor SS a while back...did a few little mods...trigger spring, 1 piece tophat, slap hammer mod.  This thing is great now, it can be turned down to shoot 740fps w/ 31g pellets...or turned up to get 1050fps (about 75ft/#'s) w/ the same pellets.

[LDP]

If I were buying another now, I would probably stick with the conventional bottle method so I could switch over to CO2 when wanted.
I don't believe the spinlock arrangement can be swapped with CO2.
I do like the spinlock for the gauge and fill port though.
Tough decision, if I needed to make it.

The spin loc version can be used with the Co2 adapter in fact the spin loc rifles can use the old style tank also with no issue or mods.

thanks guys for the replies so far.  To clarify, it doesnt have to be completely silent, i just want something that doesnt sound like im shooting some type of gun.  It woudlnt see much backyard use, just when im tinkering with it or checking scope zero, it would mostly be for the squirrel woods.

someone recommended the marauder, i have nothing against them but they are just too big and heavy for my hunting purposes.  I currently hunt with a prod set up with an ar stock....so i was just looking for something similar but in 25cal with more airtank.  I know i could mod my prod to 25 but by the time i was finished i could have just bought another gun so why not.  I would like some type of bullpup but cant justify the money at this time, but i see used airforce guns as well as specials here and there that seem pretty reasonable for the money and the excellent ratings they get.

Any of the ss models will allow you to shoot in the back yard without sounding like it is a rimfire or some type of powder burner. They are fairly quiet just not Mrod quiet

[Whatsquirrel]

I have two air force guns, the condor ss & talon ss converted to a condor. The condor ss has plenty of power & shoot it in my back all the time. I second the tri-rail & one piece top hat. With the top hat I can get mine shooting 37gr rat snipers at 940 wide open & tame it down to 700 with restrictor & pw adjustment. If you really want power get a condor, r&l shroud, power spring & heavier hammer then you can make some real power. With talador set like that I can get 49gr slugs up to 1090fps & still not be that loud. But it may be over kill for squirrel. I use mine for hunting pigs.

Then on the prod, I had Travis at wicked air rifle do the conversion & that thing is awesome. I have tuned right now for 40-45fpe with 32gr wicked monsters. I had it at 35 fpe with jsb 25gr & 70yrd shots was nothing for it. It has turned into my go to gun.  I'm thinking of selling my at44 & syn-rod to fund another mini-rod conversion.

All in all I think for what you are looking for a condor ss would be the gun.

[Scottycoyote67]

what squirrel did you double tube your prod?  What kind of shot count are you getting

[Whatsquirrel]

what squirrel did you double tube your prod?  What kind of shot count are you getting

It's not double tubed yet, I was thinking in that yesterday. I have a 6" air tube ext installed on it. I was get 24 shots from 759-853-781, could have gotten a few more but that was 4 clips. Where I have it tuned now I only get 10 shots, 32gr wicked monsters at 41-46fpe.

[deadguy]

I have a Condor SS in .25, and all I can say is "awesome". Watch the Outlet Store on the Airforce website for sweet deals.

[RayK]

Have you considered the Sumatra Carbine in 25 caliber with a screw on LDC?  It seems like it would suit your needs very well.

I got to shoot a 22 Cricket bullpup a few weeks ago and it was so easy to carry and shoot - just a delight.  They are quite a bit more money though.

I have the WAR 25 P-rod and I like that a lot too.

Ray