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Manufacturer:
Airforce Airguns
(Dept. AR), P.O. Box 2478,
Fort Worth, TX 76113; (877) 247-4867;
www.airforceairguns.com
Caliber:
.177 or .22 (tested)
Action
Type: single-shot pneumatic air rifle
Receiver:
aluminum with steel bolt and locking collar
Barrel:
24"
Rifling:
12-groove, 1:16" twist
Magazine:
none
Sights:
open sights or telescopic
Trigger
Pull: two-stage, 5 lbs., adjustable
Stock:
black synthetic; length of pull: 14 1/4"; drop at heel;
1/4"; drop at comb, 1/4"
Overall
Length: 38 3/4"
Weight:
6. lbs, 8 ozs.
Safety:
automatic on cocking
Suggested
Retail Price: $570
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The new
Airforce Condor follows on the heels of the companys earlier
line of pre-charged, single-shot pneumatic air rifles. The Condor
propels a .22-cal. pellet at 1250 f.p.s , and its designed for
pest-control agencies, the military, and hunting in the numerous
states that allow it.
Pushing the bolt handle forward cocks
the rifle and activates the safety switch. With the bolt handle
forward, the breech is opened for the manual loading of another
pellet. Once the Condor is reloaded, the bolt handle must be
pulled back and turned left or right to close the action.
Measuring 38 3/4" in overall length,
the air rifle breaks down for storage or transportation by unscrewing
its 490-cc air tank. The DOT-certified aluminum air tank can
be filled to 3,000 p.s.i. (206 bar) by a scuba tank or by a hand
pump available from the manufacturer. During testing, we fired
nearly 20 shots at 50 yds. on power setting 8 before noticing
a significant drop on target impact. The power setting determines
the amount of compressed air released, and it can be reduced
or increased to suit the shooters needs via the regulating thumb
wheel release on the left side of the rifles body above the fore-end.
We found the two-stage trigger to be
smooth through the shot break, and noted that it may be adjusted
for position. It isnt adjustable for weight, however, and one
must push the stiff automatic-trigger safety (forward) to the
off position prior to each shot.
The Condor comes with an integral scope
rail that allows easy mounting of a variety of optical devices.
An optional Airforce high-definition 4-16x50 mm scope came with
our sample and offered an adjustable objective and target knobs
with 1/4-minute clicks.
Additional dovetail rails on the receiver and in front of the
fore-end grip allow the shooter to attach optional accessories,
such as Airforces waterproof/shockproof lasers and bipods. Each
Airforce airgun comes with a detailed owners manual and informational
videotape that should be viewed before firing.
Delivering a variety of quality lead
pellets from the 24" precision-rifled barrel, the Condor
produced accurate results. Airforce indicates, The Condor is
made for power. Although shooting a 14.3-gr., .22-cal. pellet
at 1250 f.p.s. was no challenge for the Condor, best accuracy
was difficult at the maximum setting, and we managed only 17
shots before having to refill the tank. We found that reducing
the velocity to 1000 f.p.s. produced superb results. At the lowest
setting, a pellet moves downrange at 600 f.p.s. Considering the
potency of this rifle, it isnt surprising to note that it emits
a loud report when discharged.
Three different pellet types fired from
the Condor, zeroed at 50 yds., averaged only a 5" drop at
100 yds. with velocities dropping just 19 f.p.s. Our best group
at 50 yds. was obtained using a 14.3-gr. Diablo Exact round-nose
pellet with a five-shot average measuring 1.40". At 10 meters,
Beeman Kodiak pellets made five ragged holes from five-shot groups
with an average measurement of 0.21".
The Condors performance in the field
convinced us of the viability and capability of its design. We
also learned that this air rifle has been used in conjunction
with the war on terror. A special operations sailor told us these
air rifles have been used in Iraq to disable streetlights for
mission support.
While assessing its capabilities, we
found this air rifle easily capable of taking small game out
to 75 yds. Considering the wide range of uses it has already
seen, and its quality construction, the Airforce Condor deserves
serious consideration from anyone interested in an all-around,
high-velocity air rifle.
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