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Accessories AirForce TexanSS big bore air rifle: Part 1

AirForce TexanSS big bore air rifle: Part 1

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

TexanSS
TexanSS big bore air rifle from AirForce.

This report covers:

  • Background
  • Texan
  • TexanSS
  • Adjustability
  • The valve
  • Aftermarket striker springs
  • Infinite adjustments
  • Trigger
  • Reservoir
  • Documentation
  • Summary

Today’s report should get a rise out of you! We are starting our look at the TexanSS from AirForce Airguns. It’s a .45 caliber big bore air rifle with sound suppression (that’s what the SS stands for).

Background

At the SHOT Show I get to listen to hundreds of airgunners and airgun dealers from all around the U.S., and when it comes to big bores here is what they all want — a shorter rifle that’s suppressed, lightweight, runs on 3,000 psi and is extremely powerful. I listen but seldom mention that some of their requests contradict one another.That should come out in this report.

Texan

Never has there been a big bore air rifle as successful as the AirForce Texan. When it came out two years ago I tested it and shooters were stunned by accuracy of 1.5 inches at 100 yards, plus the possibility of 500+ foot pounds — all in a 7.5-pound airgun. It was lighter, more powerful and more accurate than anything on the market. It has the ability to be adjusted to the bullet being fired, and I tested it with everything from round balls that weigh 143 grains to 405-grain lead footballs from a .45/70! I got as many as 6 shots from one 3,000 psi fill.

The two things the Texan wasn’t and still isn’t is short and quiet. It takes a long barrel to get the most velocity from compressed air, and no amount of technology can change that. And, when that much air comes out of a muzzle, it wants to make a lot of noise.

TexanSS

The TexanSS changes that. AirForce lopped 8.25 inches off the regular Lothar Walther Texan barrel (from 33-inches to 24.75-inches) and stuffed it into a fat frame extender that’s filled with technology. Yes, folks, I mean baffles! At 8.45 lbs. the rifle weighs just under one pound more than the Texan, and you can thank the suppressor for that. The caliber is .45 and, according to the specs., it develops up to 400 foot pounds of energy.

Is it silent? Of course not! Not even a silenced firearm is completely silent. I will report in detail how loud it sounds after I start shooting it, but I’m told this is a very quiet big bore.

I’m so familiar with rifles from AirForce that I sometimes forget there are those who have never seen one. Here is a quick set of the differences from conventional air rifles. For starters, AirForce guns are primarily made from aluminum. That keeps the weight down. Everything is black, which is their most popular color, though some of their rifles are anodized in blue and red. And they feature Lothar Walther barrels as standard.

Adjustability

Adjustability is a hallmark of AirForce rifles and the TexanSS is no exception. The owner can quickly adjust the impact of the striker to tune the valve to suit the bullet being fired. When bullet weights can range by a difference of over 300 grains, this is an important feature. It keeps you from wasting air, which in a big bore is very key. The result is more shots per fill. Other big bores get as many shots, but at less than half the power. At the output of the the TexanSS, most other big bores get only 2 or at the most 3 shots. The TexanSS gets up to twice that number.

The TexanSS is filled to just 3,000 psi. Other big bores that reach this level of power need a tank-robbing 4,500 psi fill that drains the biggest carbon fiber tanks quickly. But with the correct valving that much pressure is unnecessary. Let’s talk about that valve.

The valve

The TexanSS valve is a miracle of engineering. Every other big bore is installing heavy strikers and powerful striker springs to knock open their valves long enough to generate the airflow required for power. The Texan/TexanSS valve doesn’t work that way. The striker spring installed in this rifle is designed to be match the shape and size of the valve opening to allow maximum airflow with very little impact. As a result, the TexanSS cocks easier than almost every other PCP in the world. I’m not just talking about big bores, but smallbores, as well.

I had told reader GunFun1 how easy the Texan cocks, so I tried this one and was surprised to feel some resistance when closing the bolt. That’s where you feel all the cocking effort. I opened the bolt again and looked at the power adjuster. It was set for maximum power with the heaviest bullets. My .45 caliber Texan I tested 2 years ago arrived with its adjuster set at medium power so I wondered what had changed.

TexanSS adjustment 1
As it comes from the factory the power adjustment is set on maximum. Rotate the cocking lever forward to expose this adjustment. Push the holes up to decrease power; down to increase.

TexanSS adjustment 2
The power has been decreased to just over half. As you can see there are multiple holes in the adjustment wheel.

I talked with AirForce owner, John McCaslin about it, and he told me customers were chronographing their new guns, looking for the maximum power (heaviest bullet at the fastest velocity) it could develop. McCaslin said he now sends his Texans and TexanSS rifles out with this adjuster set on max power to reassure buyers the rifle will do what the company claims. He also told me something very disturbing.

Aftermarket striker springs

He said people are buying aftermarket striker springs and installing them for even more power. They are also over-pressurizing the air reservoir, in an attempt to do the same thing. These non-standard springs are hammering the strikers too hard, sometimes causing irreversible damage to the guns.

I remember in 2004 when the Condor first hit the market, I was the AirForce repair technician and some people did the same thing. One man, who called himself “Mr. Condor” online, was telling people to install a heavier striker in the gun for more power. I had to rebuild Mr. Condor’s brand-new air rifle (it was only a couple months old) when he brought it to the AirForce plant in a paper bag!!!

The gun’s frame was damaged, but we managed to get it back together and working again with new parts. And I saved the valve he destroyed with his “slide hammer” heavy striker — so I could show folks one day in the future, when people didn’t believe things like that happened.

TexanSS damaged valve
Mr. Condor was advising people to install a much heavier striker in their new rifles. This is his valve that we replaced after a couple hundred shots were fired. His overweight striker destroyed this valve and hammered the gun’s frame loose!

The striker spring found in the TexanSS was designed by AirForce. It can’t be purchased commercially. They designed the gun so that the spring is under almost no preload tension at rest. You really need to experience it to appreciate it.

TexanSS bolt forward
Open the sidelever and the bolt goes forward with zero resistance. As the bolt lever is pulled back, the sear catches the striker, compressing the 25 lb. striker spring while closing the breech.

Infinite adjustments

Now we come to the part that’s difficult to write and even harder to understand. The TexanSS is infinitely adjustable within its performance range. You can shoot a 143-grain lead ball or you can shoot a 350-grain lead slug. There is no end to the number of different bullets that can be fired, and the rifle can be adjusted for each of them. You can adjust the gun to shoot fast or slow for any projectile that you load. And I can hear you now, “Why would I want anything but fast?”

You would want to adjust the velocity to get the best accuracy from each projectile. That won’t always be the maximum velocity. Airguns like the TexanSS are thinking man’s airguns, because they require some thought and reflection to get the best performance. If you take the time to read the report I did on the Texan, linked above, you’ll find that I got the best accuracy with a 215-grain semi-wadcutter with the power adjusted to somewhere in the middle range. At 50 yards I put 5 bullets into a group that measured 0.762-inches between centers. At 100 yards I put 6 of the same bullets into 1.506-inches! I’m hoping to see the same level of accuracy in the TexanSS.

Trigger

The trigger is 2-stage and not adjustable. It breaks at a light weight that I will measure for you in a later report. It’s advertised to break at 2.06 lbs. I read a customer review that mentioned this is not a target trigger. No kidding! And a Corvette is a poor choice for spreading manure! Come on, guys — this is a hunting rifle, pure and simple!

The safety comes on automatically when the rifle is cocked and loaded, and you can push it off with your trigger finger. Just push forward and it goes off quietly and crisply.

Reservoir

The compressed air is contained inside the reservoir that also serves as the butt of the rifle. That gives the rifle a different feel when it is shouldered, and some shooters find it distracting. I will show you how to hold it in a future report.

The reservoir has a pressure gauge, so you know at a glance where you stand, and there is a Foster connector on the other side for rapid refills. Allow about a minute to fill from 2000 to 300 psi to keep heat from building up.

The reservoir is installed and left on the gun. A spanner that’s included lets you attach the reservoir to the action, and after that you fill with the tank/stock on the rifle.

One more feature on the reservoir — the buttplate is on a sliding collar that provides about 1.5 inches of pull adjustment.

TexanSS adjustable butt
Loosen the two Allen screws with the wrench provided and slide the buttplate forward or back to suit your taste.

Documentation

Like all AirForce Airguns, the TexanSS comes with a paper manual and a DVD that addresses their entire range of airguns. The manual is well-written and well-illustrated.

Summary

That’s all I’m going to say today, but there is much more to describe about this very different air rifle. This review may take more than the usual three reports!

89 thoughts on “AirForce TexanSS big bore air rifle: Part 1”

  1. BB-
    I’ve been interested in the Air Force platform for some time but I have only shot one once with Kevin. I was too new to airguns to really understand the engineering behind them at that time but in the last 2 years, after following you and this blog, I have developed a strong interest in the potentials of the platform. Looking forward to this report.

  2. B.B.,

    This big bore certainly is intriguing. I am curious though why AirForce cannot put a fatter pipe (about the diameter of their pressure tank at least) for the suppressor? This could allow a longer barrel and/or further sound reduction. I will admit that it might look more ungainly than it is.

    Siraniko

  3. B.B.,

    Take as many reports as you need. By all means, get into all of the technical aspects, the more detail the better. Like B B B, the Air Force line has been on my radar for awhile. The looks of the non-silenced line is killer. The shrouds are a bit of a looks killer. Still, I can appreciate the difference in sound from removing the baffles from the .25 M-rod..

    Removing 8.25″ of barrel is disturbing and seems to run contrary to PCP performance,… but no doubt they have worked around that in some fashion. It would be interesting to have some further insight on that aspect. I can appreciate length management as well as weight management. Long and heavy may be just fine for benching, but lugging one around for very long will have one thinking differently.

    Looking forwards to the upcoming reports.

    Good day to you and to all,…. Chris

  4. Definitely got to be a balance on that striker spring and weight stuff.

    I tryed a heavier spring and weight in the first Talon SS I had. On that paticular gun it actually hurt accuracy. The gun actually shook when I fired it. I ended up going down to a lighter setting on the power wheel which is what adjusts the spring pressure with the factory spring back in it and no added striker weight. Guess what. Went from a 3000 psi fill down to a 2100 psi fill and shooting down to around 1300 psi. I was actually able to adjust the power wheel up and get the fps faster than with the higher fill pressure and heavier spring and striker.

    That was a gun that made me understand pressures and valves on air guns. Then got my first .177 Marauder after trading in the old Discovery. Then a whole new realm of tunning came into play. I knew what the transfer port size and heavier springs did for the Discovery. But adding in the stroke adjustment as well as now the transfer port adjustment I found that air pressure could be adjusted to get different results out of the gun.

    But sometimes to much isn’t always the best. Heck now with my regulated Maximus I have a very weak striker spring in it. It’s so light to cock now you can practically breathe on it to cock it is that light. But it makes good velocity because the working pressure is so low. But the Maximus is definitely more enjoyable to shoot just for the fact of the lighter cocking. Plus if I close my eyes and fire the gun loaded with a pellet out in the feild. There is no hint of movement or vibration from the striker or spring that can be felt through the gun. That was something that was noticable on my hot shooting .25 Marauder I had modded up.

    I think when it comes to pcp tunning it takes a person a while to feel the differences the pcp guns make when adjusted different. It definitely takes time to get them right. But once they are setup right. They do shoot. Actually with pretty unbelievable results. Yes Acurracy and ease of shooting is what I’m talking about.

  5. BB,

    I have a Talon SS and an Edge. Since I have gotten a taste for big bore, the Texan and the Texan SS have been applying for a room at RidgeRunner’s Home For Wayward Airguns. Since I will not likely have room for the two, it will be nice to have a comparison from someone I trust to give me the straight stuff.

  6. B.B.,

    I’m not a future TexanSS owner, but I enjoy reading about any model of AirForce air gun. I have considered buying a Talon SS ever since AirForce came out with them, and I’ll keep thinking about one until I someday break down and get one.

    They are accurate, lightweight, cool looking, etc., but to me the greatest appeal is AirForce’s wide ranging power adjustment. To me that is huge. Want to increase shots-per-fill for target practice? Dial it down. Want to rid your side yard of that pesky squirrel but you have a .25 Condor? Dial it down to squirrel power.

    But too many of the PCPs hitting the market these days lack an easy to use power adjuster. Why is that? Is it difficult to implement in a design? An expensive-to-provide feature?

    Michael

    • Michael,

      Wow! What a question!

      “But too many of the PCPs hitting the market these days lack an easy to use power adjuster. Why is that? Is it difficult to implement in a design? An expensive-to-provide feature?”

      Can you give me a few examples of the guns that lead you to make that statement? I know about the Maximus and Discovery. What are a few of the others?

      This is almost worth a blog!

      B.B.

      • B.B.,

        The Marauder is a hybrid that is adjustable, but it requires tools and monkeying around. Cometa, Evanix, Kral and roughly one third of Air Arms’ models offer power adjusters. Who does not? Hatsan, Ataman, Diana, Weihrauch, Benjamin, Beeman, Umarex, Crosman, BSA, Gamo, Career/Sumatra/Air Venturi, Walther, and Hammerli.

        Michael

          • B.B.,

            Your last entry on your Marauder was way back in January of this year and you were going to do a 100 yard test. Considering your eyes condition it would have to wait till after February next year. Maybe a revisit on the principles of tuning a PCP would be in order. The Marauder has a combination of ways of tuning that I have not seen in any other PCP.

            Siraniko

              • B.B.,

                What you need is more notes. Of course, this will lead you to finding others notes that clearly state that you need to read your notes. The problem then becomes that you can no longer find the original notes. This leads you to make more notes as a reminder to keep better track of your previous notes. 😉 Are we seeing a pattern here? Been there, done that.

                I do keep notes, but I do not get too worried if something slips through. You do pretty darn well,… and hey,… you don’t need notes,… you have all of us to remind you! 🙂

                Chris

          • B.B.,

            Ever go into a “hipsterish” coffee bar wanting a simple cup of black coffee, only to see a menu board with 23 different coffee varieties with 14 different methods of preparation with four kinds of milk and 31 different flavors of syrup? If you’re like me, you stumble out of the place with no coffee but the beginnings of a tension headache instead. When it comes to power adjusting the Marauder is a hipster coffee bar.

            Does it have marked power settings and a knob or lever to select them? If my memory of the Marauder is correct, adjusting the power requires using an Allen wrench (maybe two Allen wrenches of different sizes) to adjust two different aspects of the hammer, each of which affects the operation of the other. Then the shooter must use a chrony to determine if the power change is what he wishes or not. If not, Allen wrench in hand, he goes back to adjusting the hammer in two different but interrelated ways. Then back to the chronograph.

            I beg you not to be offended, but you have written at great length and in fine, expert detail in past reports on the labyrinthine processes of adjusting the Marauder’s hammer and the effects each quarter turn has on velocity and on the other hammer adjustment’s quarter turns. Marauders are a tinkerer’s dream. But not everyone desires to adjust, chrony, adjust, chrony, adjust, chrony, and so on just to go out and plink for a half hour or go out and eradicate one squirrel.

            Some airgunners just want a cup of black coffee. “Strong, medium, or mild, Sir?” That is manageable.

            With AirForce, Air Arms (the adjustable models), Cometa, and so on, select one of the marked power levels (no tool required) shoot once to complete the two-step process, and Voila!

            Michael

            • Michael,

              I do agree. I hate it when I order a large and get the smallest cup they have — just so some millennials can learn Italian!

              On the other hand, the Marauder is where I come in. My secret identity is Captain Obvious, and it’s my sworn duty to make things clear for you.

              Now, will that be a Grande, a Venti or a Trenta? 😉

              B.B.

              • B.B.,

                Of course you remember VHS movie rental places back in the 1980s. There was one family owned one that had the greatest number of different movies I had ever seen. Not 16 copies of Sleepless in Seattle, but one each of 8000 different titles! That obscure movie with Tyrone Power as a Carnival huckster? They’d have it, sure thing!

                But if I went in there just to browse, with no three specific movies to rent written on a note card, I’d be overwhelmed with the endless choice, the endless options. I’d get vertigo (not the Hitchcock film, unfortunately) and have to leave empty handed.

                I wonder if anyone has come up with a power adjuster knob for the “derriere” of a Marauder. CO2 guns have ’em.

                Michael

            • Michael,

              I haven’t really looked at the adjustable guns that you listed because they are out of my price range and although I love accuracy I need it at a lower price than those guns sell for, so I don’t really know how they get adjusted, but don’t they still require a chronograph if you want to know if the power change you got was what you were trying for, at least in the beginning?

              • Halfstep,

                Good point. Go to the chronograph (and everyone should have one — I love my ProChrono) with your target pellet, plinking pellet, and hunting pellet, and take notes of the velocity of each at each click of the power adjustment knob.

                Once done, well, it’s done. :^)

                Michael

                P.S. Remember when I asked if you played guitar? With that handle, you really should get one and learn a few chords at the very least. Too cool to let get away.

                • Michael,

                  I probably have 9 or 10 guitars. I used to play some and was always discouraged because I can’t sing a lick. Was starting to teach myself some finger picking style instrumentals and got hurt really bad at work and it’s now painful to hold my right arm in the position it needs to be in to play. Since then arthritis and some hand surgery has cost some dexterity in both my hands. I keep the guitars because I keep thinking I may try some laptop slide work some day. The different mechanics of that type play may make it less painful. My brother has started making 3 string cigar box guitars and is always trying to get me to get behind one of them as well. What do you play?

                  • Halfstep,

                    What do I play? Poorly! ;^)

                    I love blues of any kind, but my natural leanings as a player tend to be blues-based rock of the late 1960s – 1970s. Cream, Bad Company, Foghat, Zep, Trower, early Aerosmith, etc.

                    I agree with your brother, FWIW. Start playing a bit of lap steel in some open tunings.

                    Michael

            • Michael,

              Very well said. You have a very valid point. The adjustments should be straight forward, minimal and easy to use. Tool free ideally. Something for manufactures to keep in mind during development.

              • Chris USA,

                UNLESS, and here is where my utter lack of any mechanical engineering knowledge comes into play, having such a doo-dad adds a lot to the production cost. Then again, an awful lot of these air rifles (Daystate, for cryin’ in a bucket) are pretty pricey.

                Michael

                • Michael,

                  Yes, there is a flip side to every coin. Pretty safe to say, a “doo-dad” knob on a Gamo will not be the same as a “doo-dad” knob on a Daystate. Or much else for that matter. Then there is the marketing of gizmos for gizmos sake. Cool, but do not really work that well. If there is gizmos on higher end stuff, they are there for a reason and most likely will perform as intended, flawlessly.

                  And, you are right on the prices. Jaw dropping would be an understatement. I made a comment to Vana2 below on what it takes for me to consider high end. That is pretty much how I look at it.

      • BB,

        I can give some examples that I own that don’t have any power adjustments at all. The Wildfire and stormrider aren’t adjustable and I assume that it’s because it would add a lot of cost to such a low cost gun. Neither the Gamo Coyote or Urban are adjustable either. They are both tuned so well from the factory that their power curve almost looks regulated. I think they or maybe the manufacturer, BSA, even refers to it as a self-regulating valve. A user adjustment might throw that out of wack.

        You said there would be more description to come so I don’t want to jump the gun, so to speak, but is the Texan SS regulated and if it is, is that adjustable?

        • Halfstep,

          No, the TexanSS is not regulated. I can see that I need to do a couple articles — one on regulation that a lot of people have some incorrect impressions of. Not saying that is you, but this comment prompted my thought.

          B.B.

          • Hey B.B.

            You talking about me??? 🙂

            Would love to see a detailed blog on regulated vs. non-regulated rifles.

            A comparison of a standard Maximus before and after an after market regulator installed would be extremely interesting. ( GunFun1 and Chris USA have done this mode )

            Hank

            • Hank,

              Yes I did and I am very happy with the results. Chrony to verify.

              If not mistaken, there is a difference between power adjusters and regulators. The hammer spring tension can be played with, the transfer port can be restricted/opened and a regulator can often be adjusted.

              Yes, I think an article on adjustment features would be a very good thing. Regulator pros and cons as well. I think that I like regulators. They regulate the fps which in turn regulates the point of impact. Anything that can do that is a good thing in my book. I know that you are a fan of them, and I am preaching to the choir, but other than some sort of failure, I fail to see the downside.

              Regulators and adjustment features are showing up more and more. Maybe a tuff topic, but I hope to hear more.

              • Hi Chris,

                When get some spare cash I will see about regulating my Maximus. Since it is used for plinking, I would like to tune it for accuracy/shot count instead of velocity.

                Yup, the power adjusters control the transfer port and the regulator manages the pressure that is seen at the valve; the hammer tension is adjusted for efficient use of air. The whole setup can be fine tuned to a specific pellet.

                Most regulated rifles are setup at the factory to certain specs an are best left that way unless you know what you are doing and have a good reason to be changing things.

                Modern regulators are pretty robust. PCPs already have a bunch of O-rings in them so a couple more inside the regulator is not a big deal. The Belleville washers used to be a concern but modern metallurgy has addressed that issue and I don’t think that they are any more prone to failure than other springs.

                I to would welcome an article on PCP setup and adjustment.

                Chris, have you checked out the FX Crown? Its a tinkers dream come true – all kinds of adjustments can be done via thumb-wheels and you can even change the barrel for different calibers and rifling twist rate. Think you would have no end to the fun with one of those 🙂

                Hank

                • Hank,

                  I have at one time or another. My first inclination is that is if I spent mega bucks on a new gun,.. I would want it to be optimized already. Kind of like you mentioned below.

                  I could get one or several now,.. but also like to have some funds back. The job has stabilized greatly and the companies future is looking bright, but OT is nil.

                  I deliberately try to (not) look too hard at the higher end stuff. Like I said the other day,.. I could get myself into real trouble, real fast. For my time frame, paying the house off in 6 years or so will free up a bunch. That might be when I start a very serious search for something higher end.

                  On selling me the “good stuff”?,… yea,.. all the usual stuff. But, I also have to be sold on the technology and features. Why is yours better than other manufacturers? Sell me on the technology, let me know that you have done your homework, sell me on quality and accuracy and not a bunch of hype and smoke and mirrors. And, everything that you say had better be backed up by some pretty stellar reviews on various media sites. In fact, you had better had done all of that during the development and readily show the results as part of your sales pitch/promo/info..

                  That is how I look at someone/some company, selling me something high end. That is also one thing to be mentioned about hanging around here for very long,…. your days of casual and random air gun shopping will be over. In short order, you will be transformed into a “highly discerning air gun consumer”. 😉

        • Michael,

          FYI…

          The current model of FX Royale 500 only has two power settings – think they are the high (~900 fps) and medium (~ 550 fps) where the low setting was not practical for the .25 caliber.

          Hank

        • Michael,

          Unless mistaken, there are PCP’s built around a single (recommended) pellet. The entire gun is optimized just for it. Assuming that a person can be satisfied with that,… that would actually be the ultimate. Regulation would seem to be a given. I have not checked into the higher end stuff enough to be sure though.

    • Michael
      Think about this also with the power adjustment. Yep it’s easy to dail the power down for the pest bird in the yard and up more for the sqerrial out at 60 yards.

      But here’s what to think about. What happens to POI/point of impact when the power is changed. It goes up or down. So that means now you have a gun that needs to be learned where to be aimed at different power settings.

      I use to do that with my first Talon SS and Marauder. But I found out after time that it’s best to tune the gun for what velocity and fill pressure you want and leave it alone. In other words don’t keep changing the gun settings for a paticular time of shooting.You get a much more consistent gun that way by leaving it set at that paticular setting. And what I mean by that is a accurate gun and a accurate person shooting that gun. When your pesting or hunting you need to know where that pellets going to hit in relation to where you aim. Sometimes it’s hard enough learning the holdover or under at one setting let alone multiple power settings.

          • Chris and GF1,

            Ah, but remember the fellow B.B. pictured who shoots field target with a Sheridan Blue Streak and a note card with pump numbers and optics compensations for different distances?

            Hey, wait a minute. I just got a brilliant idea. What if someone invented a pneumatic airgun with variable power based on the reservoir pressure, and that pressure were determined for each individual shot by the number of times the reservoir was pumped? For more velocity, the shooter would simply pump more compressed air into the reservoir!

            I have to call a patent attorney pronto! ;^)

            Michael

            • Michael
              Well of course I remember him. He’s very good.

              And if you remember I have used many different variations of Crosman pump pistols with long barrels on them for pesting. Nice for different surondings. Like shooting in a barn. And then distance and how much power you want to for retained energy but not passing through the pest.

              That does take time to get all documented. And it don’t hurt to be a good shot too. 😉

            • Oh and I forgot to add my favorite saying.

              “Simple but effective”

              Really a adjustable pcp is definitely nice for tuning. But get it set and forget about it is the best from what I have seen and messed with.

            • Michael,

              😉 I do believe that BB has adjusted the “power knob” up,… as the reservoir pressure drops, in order to level the fps better. The FX Independence can be filled and then pumps added as shots are taken in order to maintain reservoir pressure.

              Can you imagine a rifle that takes all of the into account and adjust everything automatically? Pressure sensing electronics with little servos. The again, a regulated rifle does all of that by simply regulating the air pressure to the valve, regardless of whether the rifle has adjustments or not.

              • Chris
                That’s what the Benjamin Rouge has. Or was suppose to have.

                Lloyde Sikes came up with the system that did that with solenoids. But Crosman incorporated it into the gun a bit different than how Lloyd designed it. Crosman put a computer screen on the side of the gun to where you could adjust velocity and such by just punching it in on the screen.

                The original design by Lloyd was to meter the flow electronically to meter the gun as the resivoir contained less air. In a sense a electronic regulator.

                It’s a shame that Crosman didn’t leave that one alone as designed.

                • GF1,

                  Thanks for that. I thought that I remembered something to that effect, but was not sure. I do remember seeing a digital screen on some high end rifle in the past. I am surprised that Crosman is mentioned. I do not see them going for something that high tech. for budgetary reasons. I guess that I missed the Rouge. Like I said to Michael, gizmos for gizmos sake that do not work that well. It sounds like the original concept might have worked pretty well. Still, a regulator does the same thing so one must ask “why?”.

                  • Chris
                    Lloyd Sikes is the one that makes the double air resivoir’s for the Marauders, Discovery’s and Marauder pistol if I remember right. He likes messing with air guns from what I see. If you search his name you will see his website and he has some pretty interesting video’s about HPA air gun stuff.

                    And I don’t know if I will explain this exact correct. Back in history of early air guns their was one made or several I guess. But they worked on low pressure like around 600 psi if I remember right. But the firing mechanism consisted of cams that precisely distributed the air to the barrel. It helped the gun get consistent shoots and the most possible out of that low amount of starting pressure and air resivoir it had.

                    But anyway I believe and someone correct me if I’m wrong but I believe that’s where Lloyd was going when he invented the electronic valve system.

                    I myself think it’s a very cool design. And would live to have a gun with Lloyd’s original design.

                    • GF1,

                      A cam that rolls around automatically to open the transfer port incrementally as the pressure drops. That makes perfect sense to me. Same effect as manually adjusting a port restrictor screw.

                  • Chris
                    It was two cams with springs if I remember right. One was for for duration of how long the valve stayed open then a lever tripped the other cam for the he striker to move. And this all happened instantly when the trigger was pulled.

                    Same with Lloyd’s system. Only it has a solenoid controlling duration and another controlling the striker if I remember all this right. I think the Rouge even had a electronic trigger.

                    But I think you should search up Lloyd Sikes, then the Rouge then that old air gun to get the correct info. Don’t remember as detailed as I use too. And I think the old air gun was called a time metered valve lock gun or something like that.

                    I would search it for you but got stuff going on right now.

  7. OK, BB, I did a search of blog topics and could not find an article on triggers mentioned today. Target triggers versus hunting triggers. I’m sure there are other types of triggers such as military triggers, self defense triggers, Olympic triggers just to name a few. How about pull weight, one stage, two stage, three(?) stage, some have two triggers, etc. Then we can get into trigger material, feel, length, shape, etc. What is the best part of the finger to interact with the trigger and does it vary with different types of triggers? In the final analysis, the airgun or firearm has many components but the last way we interact with this shooting device is by the use of the trigger. Maybe I’m asking about a blog that you already posted but I was not able to find it.

    Bob
    Greetings from Pearland, TX

  8. I’ll be following this series out of curiosity and mainly to read about the technology.

    Don’t know why I keep on looking at the Airforce platforms as I strongly prefer regulated, conventional style rifles. Still, there is something about them that has me watching the videos and reading the reviews. I would probably pounce on a .22 or .25 caliber Airforce if I came across a good deal though 🙂

    The Talons, Texans look like sniper rifles and in my imagination (never held one) I think they would be great for long range varmint hunting or woodchuck shooting – not something that I do often. Wonder if the full length barrel is available as an option as in a sniper application I would not trade a shorter barrel for the loss of that amount of power.

    My choice of rifles is more suited to squirrel and bunny hunting where faster shooting is the norm.

    Coffee is finished, done rambling – good day to all!

    Hank

    • Hank
      I been thinking about getting another AirForce gun. Been thinking about buying the Co2 adapter they sell for them and getting one of the 1200 psi regulated 3000 psi Air Venturi HPA bottles and putting on it.

      Was thinking about a .25 caliber Condor SS. But also going back and forth about a .25 caliber Talon SS. The Talon SS’s are definitely a easy gun to carry and shoulder. They are light weight and we’ll balanced. The longer barrel of the Condor SS and the extra weight might upset that balance.

      But yep when I do get another AirForce gun it’s going to get set up that way to see what happens. Matter of fact I don’t know why AirForce hasn’t caught on to the regulated bottle craze that’s happening everywhere now. They should be selling finnishing guns that way already in my opinion.

      • GF1,

        Been thinking about a .25 caliber Airforce rifle all day and wondering how well one would stack up against my FX 500 in its long range duties. Expect that the FX – as an accurate, regulated repeater would win that bet but then I could just be biased. 🙂 Wish that Weihrauch offered a .25 – I am real pleased with my two HW100s.

        You have had Airforce and FX rifles, what do you think of the two? I see that they are claiming 100 shots per fill for the .25 Crown @ 250 bar – any interest in that one?

        Don’t know why many of the larger caliber (.25 & .30) and especially the big bore rifles with their huge appetite for air are not regulated. You would figure that the 3 to 6 shots per fill rifles would benefit the most from being regulated as the pressure in the reservoir changes greatly at every shot. Must play hell with the POI.

        Hank

        • Hank
          I had a old non spin lock tank Talon SS years back. Had the factory 12″ barrel in it that is the barrel that comes with it with silencing cause the barrelI is inside the frame. Then also had a 18″.25 caliber barrel in it. Non silenced of course cause the 18″ barrel stops right at the front of the frame end cap. That gun operated on around 2100 psi down to 1300 psi. With good velocity from both barrels. It would get around 35-3-5 shots on the standard flow bottle that comes on the gun.

          The second Talon SS I had was a spin lock bottle frame. And it was the standard 12″ barrel that’s inside the frame. And has the soundl loc baffle kit from the factory. It was also the standard flow bottle that came with it. That gun was shooting jsb 15.89’s at around 840 fps. It liked around a 2400 psi fill down to 1700 paid. It was getting around 35 shots per fill.

          But for many reasons I would choose the AirForce gun over others. First quality then accuracy, next weight and balance, then what’s real nice the interchangeability of barrels and bottles and frames to be able to switch parts in that gun as well as to other guns.

          If you got one I’m pretty sure you would be happy. They are very accurate guns.

        • And this is suppose to say 35-45 shots.

          Not this.
          “With good velocity from both barrels. It would get around (35-3-5) shots on the standard flow bottle that comes on the gun.”

          • Figured that was what you meant.

            For comparison, my Royal carries 500 CC @ 220 bar and I am getting around 75-80 shots per fill at about 890 fps with .25 grain JSBs. Pleased with the performance and power – a pack coyotes moved into the area and had been harassing the deer – dropped one (35 yard lung shot) with the Royal the other evening and haven’t seen the rest of them since 🙂

            Hank

            • Hank
              I’m really interested in doing a regulated Air Venturi HPA bottle on a Talon SS.

              If they have the Co2 adapters available for them. That means they can operate on some where in the 1000 psi range. The Air Venturi bottle is set at around 1100-1200 psi. I think it will work real nice. And with the power wheel adjuster should be able to dail in some nice velocity working off of that lower regulated pressure.

              I’m betting the shot count should double or more and I’ll bet that gun will become even more accurate.

              And as for as coyotes go. I’ll stick to my .17 hmr and actually since my brother has it right now. I was able to get one last week using my Savage 93 with the Aguilla 60 grain 950 fps long rifle sniper rounds. Got him at 65 yards with a dead on heart shot. He still ran about 20 yards but was down for the count after that.

              Think I’ll leave the air guns out of the coyote situation. Just don’t want no chances. I want it done when I hit em.

              • GF1,

                Sound like you have that Talon mod all sorted out – curious to see the results, please keep me posted.

                The FX was handy when I heard the coyotes so I grabbed it and popped in a magazine. He was close and I took him with a quartering away shot as he ran off. Found him about 40 yards down the trail. They never go too far with a solid hit. Nice fly tying material 🙂

                Hank

    • Hank
      Here is all you would need. I done got this stuff bookmarked. And AirForce sells Talon, Talon SS and regular Condor frames on their website.
      So basically you pick a frame and the barrel you want and the bottle also.

      I’m probably going to get the frame from AirForce and get the barrel and this bottle and adapter from Pyramyd AIR. Also the Sound Loc baffle kit that fits the Talon SS with the 12″ barrel. Basically works out to be the same price as the same gun you would buy complete from PA but with the regulated HPA bottle instead.

      But here’s all you would need to make a regulated AirForce small bore.
      /product/air-venturi-tank-with-adapter-13-cu-in-aluminum-3-000-psi?a=7456

      /product/air-venturi-buttstock-fits-13-cubic-inch-cylinders?a=7459

      /product/airforce-co2-adapter-fits-condor-talon-escape-pcps?a=1713

  9. I have been reading this blog for some time now and I have learned a lot of things about air rifles. This edition is really the one i have been waiting for though. Can’t wait for all the information on the TexanSS to be revealed. Thank you.

    Bruce

  10. Hi guys, long time reader/first time blogger. This is completely off topic but was prompted by last weeks blog on the barn gun and removal of pests. Let me set the stage. I’m retired military and ended up living in southern MD. Not my first choice by a long shot but my better half likes it here, “OW”. I’m sure Fred, formerly of the peoples republic of NJ. understands my plight, as in NJ, if there is a tiny little parcel of open land the only proper thing to do is throw a duplex rental on it. That way we can all wave at each other while sitting on our thrones! Don’t worry about the deer, squirrels, turkey, and bears they will just have to find other places to live or get killed crossing that new 04 lane. A long time ago, in what some say was a misspent youth I happened to acquire an old Stevens 417 walnut hill. Topped her off with a Lyman 25X super targespot , figured out she really likes RWS subsonics, and she became as my long time hunting buddy would say the most boring rifle in the world to shoot . Learned real quick that at 50 yds 25 rounds ended up in a nice little hole that was rarely more than two bullet widths in diameter. “BORING” Finally came up with an interesting way to shoot her! This required two bright white backer boards, two gallon ziplock bags of horse manure and a jar of grape jelly. All you had to do was put up the backer boards about 05 yds aparty at 50 yds. Next was to dump a bag of manure at the base of each target. Finally you would smear o dollop of jelly at 05 different spots on the backer. After set up we would go shoot centerfires or pistols for an hour or so. Upon returning to the white backer boards normally you would find as they say a target rich environment to test your skills on. If the sun was right, your sight alignment , breathing , and trigger control good it was not unusual to run 08 or 09 out of 10! It got to the point if you shot a horse fly it was a penalty, too big of a target. For a long time this has been my pest rifle of choice! At 0-85 yds you put the crosshairs on a house sparrow, its dead. At 0-100,110 yds a starling is dead. Now thats on a bright sunny day with no wind . I know you guys are wondering what this has to do with air guns? Well the bottom line is this, I’m to the point I’m almost afraid to shoot a 22 around here anymore!!!!! Too many “CITYFOLK” that just can’t stand to see those furry/feathery little creatures hurt in any way. Not only that, close gunshots tend to bring the local sheriff around to investigate. I’m felling the need to go in a PCP kinda direction. BB I’m going to put you on the hot seat! If you could only have one rifle to kill house sparrows and starlings off of your bluebird houses and martin gourds what would it be? It would have to be accurate out to 60-65YDS ” One Shot, One Kill ” , quiet , 22 or 25? Thanks for any and all comments and would like to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR BFrey56

      • BB

        Thanks for such a quick reply! Sorry I couldn’t do the same but I’ve been down at the barn helping my wife put a bandage on a horse that didn’t want a bandage put on.

        For your choice of a pest gun, I am both intrigued and confused at the same time. Pesting is basiclly the same as hunting, a waiting game. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a springer kind of guy at heart. Have several HW’s that I love to shoot! But, as a hunting weapon there is way too much movement when cocking along with spring degradation if cocked too long. There are several Mennonite farms in my area that also have martin colonies and they actually have the younger boys watch the housing during the day. Most are carrying either a pellet rifle or a 22. Needless to say our house sparrows wise up pretty quickly and can get as hard to kill as a big buck during the second week of rifle season! Thanks for your input and keep writing this blog! It tends to keep my gray matter in motion.

        BFrey56

    • Bfrey56,

      🙂 I like your sense of humor/reality! Hoping to hear more from you.

      As for your question, I started with springers, TX200 in .22 and have an LGU in .22,.. and then went to PCP’s. I much prefer the PCP for ease of shooting and for me, more accurate. Both are good. You will shoot better, quicker,.. with a PCP, in my opinion. The downside to PCP’s is that added cost of some sort of support equipment, which can vary depending how you get set up. There is both hard core springer and PCP opinions/people to be found here. You will find no lack of advice and real world experience from both sides.

      Please keep us posted as your quest moves forward. Chris

      (Best of the Holiday’s to you as well!)

    • BFrey56,

      Welcome!

      How many points didja get for gnats/no-see-ums?

      My family’s summer cottage is up in Wisconsin, where mosquitoes would be too easy at 110 yards. Up there they’re the size of Red Tailed Hawks. Sometimes you’ll read in the local shopper about a couple of them teaming up and carrying off an unattended toddler.

      Michael

  11. BB
    I will be reading this series with much interest. I do not have have a big bore now but maybe one day. The one package I have on my wish list is the Air force ultimate hunter in .357. Thank you for testing this Tallon ss for us.

  12. Thanks BB
    I have been reading this blog for some time now. I used to post here under another handle but have been locked out for about six months because the password reset on this site does not work.

  13. BB since your last blog on the original Texan several new commercial bullets are now available for the Texan. We hunt with the Nielsen 290g hollow pt., Areo-magnum has also developed a Texan bullet and Hunter’s Supply offers an excellent Texan bullet as well. We were really scrambling to find something to shoot out of the Texan when first released.

    FX vs Airforce in accuracy not even close. Out of the box my .22 FX Wildcat is shooting sub half inch groups at 50 yards and producing 32 fpe with over 60 shots per fill and a standard deviation of 5 fps over a 60 shot string before it fell off of the regulator. I do own two other Airforce guns and they will not shoot with my FX. I always think Airforce = power and FX=inovation and accuracy.

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