The Talon SS with an optional 24" barrel

by Harley Ayre

... and the question is: What is the best PCP value available today?

Why the Talon SS?
Why not? It gets up to 25 foot-pounds in .22 caliber and delivers about 35 shots at that power before needing a fill. It's also quiet - something that can't be said about most other precharged airguns. It's accurate - a one-inch group at 50 yards is the claim from AirForce, but veteran shooters know they can get half-inch groups when they shoot JSB Exact domed pellets on a calm day. Yes, there are other rifles that sometimes do a little better; but when you get to this level of accuracy, the shooter and the pellet matter more than the rifle.

It has adjustable power
You can dial down the power wheel for hundreds of accurate indoor shots or dial it up all the way to hunt raccoons, jackrabbits and woodchucks. To be honest, the Talon SS is not as finely adjustable as you might wish because of that short 12-inch barrel. If you install the optional 24" barrel, you'll have a rifle that adjusts as nicely as anyone could hope. The lows get lower and the highs get higher with that longer barrel.

45 foot-pounds from just a barrel swap!
It's true! Install a 24" .22-caliber barrel, and the top velocity of a Crosman Premier goes from around 830 f.p.s. to over 1,000 f.p.s. That isn't even the best part! With the extra power, the SS is now capable of shooting a heavy 28-grain Korean Eun Jin pellet around 850 f.p.s., where it becomes stable out to 50 yards and beyond. Power like that makes the SS a completely different air rifle, and all it costs is $150 for the optional barrel.

But it's not a repeater!
No, it isn't. Neither was Matthew Quigley's Sharps and neither is any benchrest rifle worthy of the title. Accuracy comes from careful handling of the projectile, and you don't get that with a repeating mechanism. That's why serious sniper rifles are all bolt-actions. If this is still a turnoff, you need to be aware that all AirFoirce air rifles are single-shots. The company has been talking for years about making a repeating mechanism that can be owner-installed, but nothing has been seen and I wouldn't advise buying a rifle with that in mind.

No. 1 accessory
After the scope, the No. 1 accessory for any AirForce air rifle is the bipod. It's lightweight and folds out of the way for carrying; but when you need a steady platform for accurate shooting, it's ready in seconds.


AirForce bipod makes a handy shooting platform wherever you happen to be. It tilts, and the legs adjust independently for length.

Why is AirForce the best value?
There are cheaper PCPs out there. Some are from China, and the jury isn't in on their reliability. If and when they need repairs, what will you do if the dealer you bought from has gone out of business? AirForce Airguns are made in Fort Worth, Texas, and all warranty repairs are done at the factory. The company is behind you all the way. That's why Airhog has made these airguns their entry-level guns. They know what a great value they offer.

The Condor is adjustable, you knowShooting at LESS than full power

by Harley Ayre

Many shooters buy a Condor for the bragging rights, but what they may not know is that they've also purchased one of the nicest precharged rifles there is - as long as the power is turned down! No law says you have to blast away at top power all the time, and turning the power down on a Condor reveals a real sweetheart of an air rifle!

The power wheel
The power adjustment wheel on a Condor is more sensitive than the adjustment wheel on either the Talon or Talon SS. The extra-long 24" barrel makes all the difference when it comes to sensitivity. You can even dial most Condors down to the zero mark, where they will spit out .22-caliber JSB Exacts at way less than 700 f.p.s.! You'll get lots more shots on that setting, and your rifle is still powerful enough to hunt squirrels to about 30 yards.


The power-adjustment wheel on the Condor is a fine tuning instrument, thanks to the 24" barrel.

Clean your barrel!
For best accuracy with a Condor or any AirForce air rifle, try cleaning the barrel with JB Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound. Coat a wire brush thickly, then run it through the barrel 30 times in both directions. After that, your barrel will be smoother and probably more accurate than before. AirForce barrels often have light corrosion in the grooves and this treatment takes care of it. You only need to do it once, and then you can stop cleaning the barrel altogether.


This is the stuff benchrest rifle shooters swear by! One cleaning session with your rifle will have it shooting its best. Buy this at any good gun store or from Midway USA.

4 easy steps to get miracle groups!
Your Condor is fully capable of shooting groups of less than a half-inch, center-to-center at 50 yards. Here's how to get them:

1. Clean the barrel as instructed above.
2. Put the adjustment wheel on the number "4."
3. Shoot JSB Exacts that have been sorted by weight to the tenth of a grain.
4. Shoot at a time when there is no wind.

I can shoot a half-inch group with these rules, and so should you.

How to scope it?
The Condor is a long-range rifle, so it wants a scope to compliment that capability. A 6-24x is not too much for this rifle. Use adjustable mounts to conserve the scope adjustments 'til you really need them. High mounts are more desirable because of the straight line of the stock. Since the scope is separate from the barrel, a scope level is a handy tool for precision shooting.

If you own a Condor, isn't it time to explore everything the rifle has to offer? You're wasting a lot of potential by just running it wide open all the time.