Airforce Air Rifles

Condor, Talon and Talon SS air rifles.

Some things just work and some things just work really well.  The Airforce family of air rifles is an example of taking a good idea and running with it.  In this case taking an operating principal and applying it to a family of air rifles.  The DNA this family shares starts with the frame. And even though the frame length is shorter on the Talon the Condor has an extension to its sight rail the mechanical function is the same. The Talon SS has the same frame length frame as the Condor. The trigger unit including the safety, and the bolt is in fact the same on all three.  What’s not the same is the extent of the specialization of each of these models.  

The Condor is for long range and high power.  The Talon is the handy powerful all around air rifle and the SS is all about keeping things quiet. What is more amazing than this is the ability for hobbyists to blur the lines between them.  You could start with a Condor and install a 12 inch barrel, a low flow tank valve and the proper frame cap and have a Talon SS more or less. And  in less than 20 minutes!

One of the keys to these rifles versatility is the ability to vary the power and conserve air.  All three rifles make use of a side mounted power adjustment wheel.  Airforce explains this power adjustment  falls into three ranges and it functions by adjusting the pre load on the hammer spring.  At the lowest setting you can make the most of the large 490cc  air tank.  On high power you can expect about 30 or so very powerful shots from the Condor.  On low power the number can be well above 100 on the two Talons.

The three rifles all load in the same way.  Center the bolt and push it forward until you hear and feel the action “cock”.  then place the appropriate caliber pellet into the breech end of the barrel. Pull the bolt handle back and at the end of its travel place it either left or right of the center line to lock it closed.  To shoot a pellet requires letting off the safety which is located in front of the trigger guard.  Push it in toward the muzzle end.  The trigger is a good one.  A multi link design that has two stages and a reasonably crisp let off at about three pounds.  When the action is “open”  you can view a part called the “top hat” (it’s the silver object in the picture) which is the part the hammer works on through the body of the bolt.  The top hat is connected to the valve stem and adjustable in addition tho the power wheel.  Start with the factory settings if you are new to this.  The difference here between  both Talons and the Condor  is the inclusion of a high flow valve in the latter.  

The Condor has a 24” barrel, the Talon has a 18” barrel and the Talon SS has a 12”  all by well known  Walther Lothar; a supplier of match grade barrels to the world.  Airforce rifles are available in .177, .20 and .22 cal.  .25 is being offered by aftermarket suppliers if you need or have a desire for it.  The short barrel on the SS  ends well inside the frame and coupled with a frame cap allows for lowered discharge sound levels.  An interesting fact is that many scopes are in fact longer than the barrel on the Talon SS! This short barrel doesn't reduce accuracy in the least.  This rifle is capable of some very precise shooting indeed. 

A very exciting thing about these rifles is the wide variety of aftermarket parts.  It would be a simple thing to personalize any one of these to your hearts content. In addition to the .25 cal barrel previously mentioned custom stocks are available and soften the military or “tactical” look. Lights, lasers and bipods are all easily mounted on these rifles full length mounting rails both on top and below the frame.

I found the Talon SS that I had for a couple of weeks to be a very fun rifle. My favorite calibre is .177 but I have become convinced this rifle family might be best in .22.  I tested The .177 SS using a large number of pellets finding no surprise in the discovery it prefers heavy hitters like Beeman kodiaks.  I really appreciated the large loading port on cold January days.  Accuracy was everything I have come to expect from Lothar Walther barreled airguns.  One feature sure to bring joy is that it’s made in the USA.  It’s also inexpensive by Pre Charged Pneumatic  (PCP) standards; the price of the SS at the time of this review being just over $500 (US). The hard part is deciding which one you want first!

Rick Klages