TalonSS with Spin-Loc tank.
Testing the new AirForce TalonSS precharged pneumatic air rifle – Part 1
Reviewing the AirForce TalonSS precharged pneumatic air rifle – Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
This report covers:
- The test
- Power set to number two
- Medium power
- High power
- Shot count
- Velocity comparison with older TalonSS
- Discussion
- Summary
Today we look at the velocity of the new AirForce TalonSS precharged pneumatic air rifle (PCP). Perhaps you remember that I was told to expect more power and a more stable low end.
Testing any AirForce smallbore air rifle has always been difficult because of their adjustable power. There are simply too many things to test. Of course in recent years AirForce has been joined by many other PCPs that now come with adjustable power. But the AirForce guns are still the only ones whose power adjusts infinitely, via a power adjust wheel. Today we will look at that.
The test
This is a toughy. I want to test low, medium and high power, plus get some sort of a shot count. I also want to compare this rifle to my old TalonSS, though as today’s testing progressed I realized how difficult that’s going to be. I will do my best to compare the old and new rifle, but there will be times where it won’t work.
I decided to test Low, Medium and High power with one pellet — the Benjamin Single Die that I call the Benjamin Bullseye. Let’s start there.
I filled the rifle to 3,000 psi for the test. Then I set the power as low as it would go.
The power wheel was turned as low as it would go.
I won’t show the 8 shots I fired, but the low one was 418 f.p.s. and the high was 482 f.p.s. That’s a spread of 64 f.p.s. which is tighter than I’d get on the lowest setting with the old SS, as best I can remember, but it’s a bit too high for comfort. So I dialed the power up to the number two and tried again.
Power set to number two
On this setting the lowest velocity was 399 and the highest was 461, so the spread was still 62 f.p.s. That’s too high for me so I probably would not set the power this low.
The report (muzzle blast) registered 92.8 dB on my sound meter. That’s loud enough to hear, but not that loud.
Medium power
I set the power wheel to the number 6 and shot another string. I’m going to show this one because of the first shot.
The power wheel is set to number 6.
SHOT……….Vel.
1……………….781
2……………….844
3……………….844
4……………….842
5……………….841
6……………….839
7……………….843
8……………….839
9……………….855
I shot nine shots this time because of that first shot. You can see it’s much slower than those that follow. That reminded me to shoot one shot to settle the rifle down after adjusting power. If we take the next 8 shots the low is 839 and the high is 855 — a difference of 16 f.p.s. The rifle has settled down
This new rifle is also significantly more powerful at the number 6 setting than the older rifle ever was. Cory Hicks of AirForce told me to expect this and here it is. He said they have modified the valve greatly over time and this is the proof.
At power setting 6 the report is 97.5 dB. It’s a snap you can hear, but it’s not unpleasant.
High power
Now I turned the power wheel as high as it will go. I will show this string as well, and know that I did fire a shot to settle the rifle down before recording this.
The power wheel is set as high as it will go.
SHOT……….Vel.
1……………….873
2……………….860
3……………….861
4……………….863
5……………….860
6……………….854
7……………….849
8……………….856
The average for this string was 859 f.p.s. The spread went from a low of 849 to a high of 873, so a difference of 24 f.p.s. After power setting 6 on this new rifle the velocity does not increase that much.
The report was 100.6 dB. That’s pretty close to the sound at power setting number 6. I might have heard a slight difference but it wasn’t much.
Shot count
I decided to set the power back to number 10 which is about where I have the older SS set. At that setting the velocity of ten shots varied from a low of 830 to a high of 842. But I continued shooting at this power setting and eventually I saw other shots that went out slower than 830 f.p.s. In all I recorded 37 shots that registered 810 f.p.s. or greater. I realize that’s not as clean a number as I normally give, but know this — there were also 18 other shots at the lower power settings shown above, in addition to the 37 shots just mentioned. The bottom line is, this new SS gets lots of shots on a single fill.
Velocity comparison with older TalonSS
This test isn’t a good one because we now know the older SS needs to be resealed. But in Part 2 of the test of the older SS I got between 825 and 835 f.p.s with the JSB Hades hollowpoint before the power started dropping. Since the frame isn’t marked ‘I guessed’m guessing that the power is set at ten.
I refilled the air tank of the new SS with the power set at 10 and shot a string that averaged 842 f.p.s., so the old and new rifles are almost equivalent. Since I don’t really know where the power wheel on the older SS is set, this is as close as I can get.
Discussion
Loading was more troublesome with the new SS because the tank’s fill nipple got in the way of my right hand. I can rotate the tank 180 degrees to put the nipple on the opposite side and the gauge that will then be in its place is only half as high. That should improve the loading.
The safety is very easy to take off with the trigger finger. I need to get used to it because the safety on the older rifle was not as easy to release.
There is no puff of air with the shot. That tells me the old SS is well and truly in need of an overhaul.
Summary
So far the new TalonSS is turning out to be a nice PCP. Accuracy testing will be next.
Tom,
Will you be swapping out the barrel between the two rifles to make the comparison meaningful? Individual barrels from one manufacturer have their preferences as far as pellets are concerned. This would also demonstrate how easy it is to swap the barrel and also prove that AirForce has maintained it’s modularity through the years.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
I hadn’t planned to do that.
BB
B.B.
That is still pretty loud for backyard shooting. How easily can a moderator be fitted?
-Yogi
Yogi,
Not that easily.
BB
BB,
Does your new Talon SS have the AirForce baffles? Are they still available?
RR,
Yes, it comes standard with baffles. I will show them in the next report.
BB
Yogi,
The Talon SS can be equipped with a baffle system that is/was? available from AirForce. The suppressor for the TalonP will fit the Talon SS. There were some aftermarket suppressors available at one time, but apparently no longer.
I have been looking for one for my .20 Condor, but it is about as quiet as a .22 short, so I may not bother.
I made one that worked quite well for the AirForce Edge that BB owns. I have a homemade one in my present old Talon SS. I have the parts for another one for the Talon SS in my parts box. They are really quite easy to make for airguns. This would be a great PCP to experiment with to see how suppression can be improved.
Yogi, look at Talontunes, their moderators slip into the frame in place of that end cap on the SS and stick out a few inches, or slip over the 6″ of barrel that sticks out on non-SS guns. I have their ludicrously long one for my Condor and it is back yard quiet well past when it is time to move out of the backyard (>40fpe). That said, I find my wife’s SS also very quiet, but of course it all depends on one’s back yard. The pellet whacking the target box souns as loud, and 25 yards away.
I also have seen Donny adapters that also slip in place of the endcap.
BB,
The inventory here at RidgeRunner’s Home For Wayward Airguns at present includes an old Talon SS in .22, a Condor in .20 and a Texan in .457. It would certainly be nice to add an Edge to that lineup. 😉
RidgeRunner;
A few weeks ago PA had a red Edge for sale. I thought you had picked it up when it disappeared. I had been contemplating it for a few days before it was sold.
Mike
bmw,
You should have snatched it up when you had the chance. It is my understanding that it is no longer made by AirForce. Most likely they could no longer meet the cost criteria. They are superb shooting air rifles and if you know what you are doing can be made even better.
If you should run across another for sale, I would highly recommend that you buy it immediately. A good clue is that you never, ever see one for sale.
On the off chance you should snatch one up and do not like it, let me know. I will be more than happy to take it off of your hands at a reasonable price.
How did I miss that too? A red Edge would be the exception to the “no more airguns!” rule.
– Mike
Mike,
Like me, you were a day late or a dollar short. Like I was telling bmwsmiley, I have not seen a used one for sale since I bought mine about ten years ago. They just are just not sold once they are bought.
If my memory still serves, I recall that with the ss barrel, it didn’t pay to put the power adjuster wheel much past halfway because there was no meaningful increase in power. The adjuster only came into play at the high end with the longer barrel. Somewhere in the blog archive, this point had been made as it has again today. I wasn’t aware that Talontunes has a moderator for the longer barrel. I’ll have to look into that because the report using the long barrel is not backyard friendly at all.
Fred formerly of the Demokratik Peeples Republik of NJ now happily in GA
BB,
If we discount that first shot on medium power, the average velocity was 843.4 fps for an energy of 22.6 fpe.
The high-power setting had an average velocity of 859 fps for an energy of 23.4 fpe.
That’s only a 3.5% energy increase by going to full power. Hence, as you said, there’s not much point in that, and you may as well lower the setting a bit, for slightly less power, but a goodly number of shots per fill.
I look forward to the accuracy testing on this rifle. 🙂
Blessed New Year for you,
dave