.177 tophat setting same as for .25 ? unmodified Condor…
I have read to set the tophat tp .095″ for the .25 but I’m not sure if the .177 should be the same. My goal is to conserve air and reduce noise a bit. I’ll work more on the noise later, so I suppose conserving air is the issue. Thanks
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Where is it set at from the factory?
The tophat is the little silver bit that is on the end of the valve stem, kinda looks like a hat in profile. There are two allen set screws to hold it in position …. loosen them and you can turn the tophat. It does control how much air the valve releases. Make small changes and be gentle with the lock screws. Clockwise looking at the valve will reduce air consumption per shot. I’m happy with mine at .060″ for now. I may change it at some point, but for now I get a good number of shots with plenty of zip, that’s fine for me.
I hate to ask stupid questions, but dogonit how am i going to learn otherwise. What is the top hat? I assume (you know what they say about that) it has to do with how much air is released?
Well, got to play with it a bit yesterday, tophat set to .060″ and I put the .22 barrel in. I had taken both barrels to a gunsmith to have the muzzles threaded for my suppressor. Had to leave BATF registration & the suppressor with him and wait a week for him to get to it, but it’s a pretty job. I sighted in at 3 or 4 on PW, not too loud, then screwed the suppressor on. Still on zero, great ! … cranked up to 6, then 8, then 10, still quiet. Shooting 14.3 gr CP’s and whacking my rimfire spinners pretty good… maxed ‘er out at 12 on PW and settled the crosshairs on the small spinner …. CRACK ! supersonic ! Seemed to be a pretty good setting on the tophat, I figured I’d repeat with Kodiaks… same results up to 10 on PW but at 12 I blew the baffles out of my suppressor …. aaack ! I would have used my chrony, but I shot it the last time I used it and plan to devise a method to prevent a repeat before I use it next. Think I’m close on the tophat at first guess, want to chrony Eun Jins to be sure I can make enough power when I want it. Like this Condor, I do. I need to perform the starling test with it, many times.
yes, haven’t had a chance to make any changes and test for effect. I had a few days worth of enjoying a tooth which culminated in a root canal … sorta put me out of the mood to shoot or do much but take pain medication and lay around. I’m over the tooth pain, but it’s a soggy day here, so I won’t get to shoot for another day yet. Thanks for the info… I’ll set the tophat and chrony it… it was sending 10.5’s supersonic at 4 on PW so I know that’s way more than I need. Don’t need any more root canals any time soon, either.
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Walter….
Seeing as the .177 is a pipsqueak compared to the .25 it follows that the .177 tophat can be greatly reduced.
How about 1/2 of the .25 setting so say 0.045″ for starters.
You also need a stiffer valve spring than is possible in the .25.
try the tophat setting first and if you are wasting air then a better valve spring is next.You should be able to get 2000fpe out of your tank.
Walter….
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Mine was set at about .095″ but I didn’t really check it closely… I used a digital caliper instead of feeler gauges & may not have been “square”.