Marauder vs Talon SS vs Condor SS

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jonny75904

Member
Dec 31, 2016
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Texas, United States
I am going to take the plunge into PCP in the next week or two, and am torn between three guns: The Marauder, Talon SS, or Condor SS.

It's primary purpose is to eliminate pests as QUIETLY as possible within 10 - 20 yards, at .177 or .22 caliber.

Sound is the primary factor in my decision, and ease of use being the second. Marauder is a repeater, which is awesome, but the condor has removable tanks which means I don't have to stop on account of a pump up party. I'm not quite ready to come rolling in the driveway with a scuba tank, not unless the price is comparable to a pump, and I've no idea how much it costs to fill one. 

Does anyone have experience with these guns in a pest control scenario?
 
Mrod. 
The one my Dad had shot so quiet that I thought it was broken for the first few shots. You should easily get 40 or more shots out of a .22. 
The Talon SS I owned would struggle to stay accurate past 40 yards. I found it to be a bit tedious to load as well. The M-rod would give you the ability of a quick follow up and magazines are not very expensive. It was pretty quiet but, I think the Mrod still has it beat. 
The only + I see for the Airforce guns is the capability of open sights (additional cost) and the ability to adjust power. With the very short distances you'll be shooting, the open sights might make life a little easier. 
Look up top for 25% off (and I think there's free shipping on Fridays?). 
Good luck with your choice!
Tom
 
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To start with, I have no experience with the Talon or Condor. I do have a Marauder, .22, second gen.

At the range, I've sighted at 25 yards. As some have said before, boringly accurate with the right pellets. In this case, the Crosman 14.3 Domes. Don't use the hollows, they don't shoot nearly as straight for some reason.

Things I like:
Accurate
Quiet. Slight crack, but my best sound meter (Android phone running software) says a bit under 90 decibels.
Good trigger
Scope ready, there are no open sights, so plan on optics for this one.
Not too heavy (more on that)

Things I don't like:
Long at 42 inches. It's be nicer if it was shorter.
A bit too heavy (sounds schizophrenic, right?) It's more than I want to carry long distances, but for a bench gun it's great.
Magazines are cheap, both in Dollars at under $20 each, and cheap in manufacture but they do work and work reliably.

I get around 40 shots on a 2800 PSI fill before shots start to drop. Tank in NOT removable, so you'll need a refill option in the field.
Price is right

Pumping is a real pain. Only took a couple tanks before I bought a High pressure air tank.

Another option if you want to use a hand pump is the Maximus. It's only a 2000 psi fill, but you'd need to add a moderator like a TKO. Not sure how much quieter that would make it.

Talon's and Condor's get good reviews as well, so seek out a couple owners and get opinions.

If you buy a Marauder or Maximus, remember the AGNATION code on the Crosman web site. 24% off for AGN members. They sell the Marauder on the web site for $540 - $135 = $405 and usually free shipping on Fridays. Pyramyd and Airgun Depot usually have some good package deals as well. Don't forget an air supply (Pump or tank), scope, rings and pellets.

Love the guns, but do find some Talon and Condor owners for reviews. Good guns, each.
 
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I wasn't all that happy with my Talon SS. They are single shot, but you know that going in, and mine predated models that have pressure gauges. I found mine to be fairly inaccurate compared to all other PCPs I've shot. The high scope mount makes hold over/under a pain at normal airgun distances, ergonomics are poor.

I;m real pleased with my new Gamo Urban as it is very quiet and accurate. Easy to fill for a guy that plans to hand-punp due to a smaller tank. Marauder is good too but bigger and heavier. The synthetic marauder saves a pound or so.
 
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"jonny75904"1) I am going to take the plunge into PCP in the next week or two, and am torn between three guns: The Marauder, Talon SS, or Condor SS.

2) It's primary purpose is to eliminate pests as QUIETLY as possible within 10 - 20 yards, at .177 or .22 caliber.

3) Sound is the primary factor in my decision, and ease of use being the second. Marauder is a repeater, which is awesome, but the condor has removable tanks which means I don't have to stop on account of a pump up party. I'm not quite ready to come rolling in the driveway with a scuba tank, not unless the price is comparable to a pump, and I've no idea how much it costs to fill one. 

Does anyone have experience with these guns in a pest control scenario?
Click to expand...
I added numbers in the quote above, so you know what I'm answering.
1) I'd go Marauder, but I'd prefer clean, known-accurate one from a private seller with good feedback. Crosman/Benjamin quality these days is not what it used to be. Folks are getting bad barrels from them. Or if you really want new, be prepared to send it back for them to make it right if you get one that won't shoot inside an inch at 50 yards.

2) Marauder is the quietest of the bunch, and without the need for an added suppressor. .177 is quieter than .22. But you should base your decision based on the maximum size of the pests you'll need to take down, and whether you want the option of chests or not. .177 is marginal for chest shots on raccoons, opossums, etc. It will penetrate deeply enough to do them in, but they will most likely make it off your property. That may be a good or bad thing, depending on where you live. ;) .22 is better for the bigger pest animals, but for the smaller pests, you have to be quite mindful of misses and what happens after the pellet passes through the sparrow, still carrying over 25 FPE of energy. Also, any high angle shots that miss with a .22 are more dangerous on the return trip than the little .177. I really like .177. It's a great short-medium pesting round. Good out to 50 yards, economical, quiet, etc.

3) It seems like a big feature on paper, and it can be while plinking or target shooting, but for hunting or pesting, having enough air on a fill is not an issue. With a .177 Marauder with the stock tune, you'll get 35 good shots on a fill. Call it 3 mags. (and some change, if you need it) With .22, maybe 3.

I believe a pro-tuned Marauder can be had for about the price of a new Talon or Condor; That would be my choice. A pro-tuned Marauder. It will have a known good barrel, polished, tuned trigger, no manufacturing flaws that haven't been addressed.

Here are a couple shots of my old 1st generation, "Made in the USA" .177 Marauder, with custom stock and some volunteers.











Typical shot string, starting from 3,000 psi and ending around 1800, if I recall correctly. If you know where to hold, you can stretch it to 40 shots. ;)
 
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Squirrel is the biggest I go for. My yard is 18 -23 yards depending on where I aim, so .177 is preferred.

My neighbors use rimfire .22s, but my "sniper nest" also happens to be the baby nursery, so I don't care for spent cartridges and gun smoke in there.

A .177 springer seems to be plenty of power for squirrels, and that's with only 10fpe. I can't forsee anything good coming of adding more penetration to a kill shot - only background damage to whatever is behind my target - but a PCP is an entirely different kind of gun so I dunno.
 
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a prod is a carbine version of them marauder its classified as a pistol but comes with a shoulder stock adapter it also has a dovetail rail so mounting a scope is ez it has a shorter barrel but there generally good up to about 45-50 yards ive had mine for 3 years I originally got it for the same reason you are to take out squirrels and small rodent around my home causing damage and its more then capable for your needs shoots at a lower fpe around 14 pounds of energy but its vary compact ez to fill and vary quite its a great starter pcp that would alow you to roam and free hand shots a lot faster and there come in .22 so the have a lot more dropping power then a .177 on top of witch unless you plan to g shooting or plinking at longer ranges the lower fps will stop a lot of harmful pass threw I'm not saying it will stop it but its not as bad for sure
 
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My 2cents For the distant you say your going to be shooting.I wouldn't buy either rifles they are both over kill at that range.I own a condor ss in 22 it's pretty dam quite.my buddy has the marauder in 177 .ln my opinion it's like they put a barrel on a 4x4. I also have a disco with the tko on its pretty quiet.any ways the disco will meet your needs . Package deal gun pump around 4bills tko 75 bucks oh and pumping it is a breeze it only takes 2 thousand PSI 👍
 
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