Pre-charged pneumatic (PCP)
rifles are currently enjoying a huge wave of popularity among
the general shooting population. Although some PCP enthusiasts
may not realize it, modern PCP rifles trace their ancestry back
to the tremendously powerful pneumatic rifles developed in Europe
and England more than 200 years ago for hunting large game such
as deer and wild boar.
In a military context, some
of the original European PCP rifles were also employed by Austrian
sharpshooters to depopulate the ranks of Napoleon Bonaparte's
seemingly unstoppable Grand Army.
Although today's PCP rifles
are generally much less powerful than those of centuries gone
by, they are still among the most potent of all air rifles produced
at this time, easily surpassing the power levels of spring piston,
CO2 and traditional pump-up pneumatic rifles.
Made Right Here
AirForce Airguns is a true
American pioneer in the production of modern PCP rifles. Their
basic model, dubbed the Talon, was launched a few years ago and
became an instant success. Part of that success was due to the
fact the Talon offered lots of quality combined with practical
design at an affordable price. Prior to the Talon's appearance,
most PCP rifle production came from overseas and retail prices
were steep enough to keep mama and the kids in groceries for several
months.
The latest model from Air Force
Airguns is the Talon SS, available in a choice of .177 or .22
caliber. For this report we tested a .22-caliber sample of this
decidedly unusual rifle. Interestingly, interchangeable barrels
in either caliber may also be had in a choice of either 12- or
18-inch lengths.
The Talon SS looks unusual
and sinister enough to be used in a James Bond film, given its
all-black finish and unorthodox styling. In any event, the fact
is that the Talon SS employs modern, state-of-the-art aluminum
and space-age polymer construction throughout; one major-exception
being the finely rifled Lothar Walther premium match-grade steel
barrel. The Talon's frame is made of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy
with a matte-black anodized finish that not only looks good but
is extremely tough as well. Fully assembled, the Talon SS measures
just 32.6 inches overall and weighs a rather feathery 5 1/2 pounds.
Power Plant
Since the Talon's power plant--a
490cc removable air tank--doubles as the buttstock, this already
compact rifle can be made even smaller for storage or transport
by unscrewing the air tank from the receiver. This D.O.T.-certified
aluminum air tank can be easily filled to a maximum working pressure
of 2,800 psi (195 bar) via either a SCUBA tank or a special hand
pump. The manufacturer can supply the required fittings for either
method. The latter, incidentally, retails for $189.95, but is
well worth the extra money.
A fully charged Talon air tank
can give dozens of shots before a refill is needed, depending
upon the power setting chosen. This rifle comes with a fully indexed
Vernier-style power adjustment mechanism capable of allowing literally
hundreds of different power settings. The thumb-operated adjustment
wheel is located on the left side of the barrel shroud, just above
the synthetic forend.
One additional, highly practical
feature of the Talon SS is its integral dovetailed rail on the
top and bottom of the barrel shroud. The top rail accepts the
front end of the optional Tru Glo fiber optic open sight system,
while the adjustable rear sight fits the dovetailed top of the
rifle's M16-like carrying handle. Scopes and other special sights
can also be mounted on the grooved canting handle. In turn, the
rail at the bottom of the barrel shroud can be employed to mount
accessories such as sling swivels or a bipod, adding to the tremendous
practicality of this unique air rifle.
The Talon comes with a surprisingly
smooth two-stage trigger. The trigger blade can be adjusted for
position and overtravel, but no adjustment for trigger pressure
is provided. There is an automatic trigger safety located in front
of the trigger, Cocking the rifle activates the safety every time.
Cocking is accomplished by pushing the oversize bolt knob forward.
This also exposes the breech for manually loading a pellet. The
bolt must then be pulled back to close the action, leaving the
rifle ready to fire the shot.
An Excellent Feature
Like all air rifles in which
compressed air stored in the gun is suddenly released with the
shot, the Talon can be quite loud upon discharge, especially since
this is also a rather potent gun. To solve that problem, the Talon
SS incorporates an integrated sound reduction system that really
works. In fact, the front section of the aforementioned barrel
shroud acts as an air chamber that traps and slows down the high-pressure
air blast following the pellet's exit from the bore, greatly reducing
the muzzle report that this air rifle would normally generate.
The .22-caliber Talon SS on
test was given a varied diet of pellets, producing impressive
results. With a freshly filled air tank and set at full power,
the rifle on test produced muzzle velocities averaging 841 fps,
printing groups measuring approximately 3/4 inch across at 30
yards. Bringing the power adjustment down to the low-power setting,
the Talon averaged 407 fps, still printing impressively tight
groups at 10 yards. From the preceding, it is quite clear that
this is a tremendously versatile air rifle for a wide variety
of uses ranging from small-game hunting to backyard plinking.