Airgun Blog: The Weekly (Or Sometimes Monthly, Maybe Daily!) TKO Airgun Blog:
A nice note from Eric from up North...
January 5, 2021 I received this nice note from a fellow in Alaska: Just wanted to give you guys a shout out. I've been using your moderator on my Benjamin 397 for a couple weeks squirrel hunting up here in Alaska! I can't say enough how much I like it! My dog Sprocket is a squirrel finding machine and he would always get really distracted by the report of the rifle instead of focusing on the game. With y'alls moderator he doesn't even notice when I fire and keeps his eye on the squirrels! Thanks again.  Eric Thanks Eric for the note and picture! I hunt squirrels and rabbits with my pal Kip ... a Wheaten Terrier. Great fun watching him work.
New 1911W trigger design...
December 10, 2020 We have redesigned the 1911 trigger (sold over 500 of them!), to now have a wide blade finger pad. These triggers are 3D "Resin" printed with a high strength UV cured resin product. We're still working out the production details, but should have them available around January 14th, 2021. We have around 100 remaining of the original aluminum thin blade 1911 triggers that we give free with a TKO Moderator purchase remaining. Available under Section8.html for purchase too. The 1911W trigger will be only available for purchase.
Prototype Hatsan QE Replacement TKO Monocore Stage V insert is being tested...
April 10, 2019 The Hatsan QE guns, although a good attempt to create a factory rifle with sound moderation, are lacking a true Sound Signature changing design. We have developed a QE replacement core that has shown to be much more effective than the factory "hair curler and felt" system. We will be announcing more specifics soon! Stay tuned!
New easier to navigate website went live January 17th, 2019
January 19, 2019 We created a new, easier to navigate website after some comments about the old website. The new site uses individual pages to display our products and contains much more information to make a decision when purchasing a TKO Moderator. The "Quick Links" at the top of each page makes it simple to find what you are looking for.. We will be enhancing this site with a new version of the Photo Gallery that will work equally as well on computer screens as well as mobile devices. If you have any comments, we would love to hear from you!. Thanks for stopping by! Mike T.
UpperCut Cheek Pads Monday, January 8th, 2018 We have started a new subdivision of TKO Airguns: UpperCut Customs. The first product ready to go is the UpperCut Cheek Pads. These are Laser-Cut, Self-Adhesive Cheek Pads for rifles and shotguns. We have a pattern for the Discovery and Maximus rifles ready to go and have lasered out a batch. (We also have patterns for most trap and skeet shotguns, AR-15, semi-auto and bolt action rifles.) Benefits: Soft, silky smooth feel on your cheek. Warm in the winter, cool in the summer. Wont soak up sweat or moisture. Thin ... won't change cheekweld or eye/scope alignment. Easy to apply (Instructions included in each package). Removeable. Use on wood or synthetic stocks. Will not damage fine wood stocks. Latex free. Custom imprints and colors available. Priced at $10.00 shipped to USA (and PR) addresses. Two for $16.00 shipped. If you purchase a TKO Mod for either the Maximus or Discovery rifle, you can add an UpperCut Pad for $5.00 if ordered at the same time and shipped in the same package.Ordering info will be updated in the next few days. Billy will be handling another aspect of UpperCut Customs: Custom designed Laser engraving of handgun grips. He is in the4 testing phase, but the results so far have been spectacular! Stay tuned for more info!
Saturday, April 15th, 2017 Update November 2018: CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK. We have made a big batch of the TKO 1911 Triggers for the Crosman Pistol grip frames: New, lower price: $18 shipped. Re-introducing the TKO 22xxT-Blade "1911 Combat Crosman Trigger" Adjustable Pistol Trigger Kit (See Instruction Sheet Here) Profile: Colt 1911 vented blade profile trigger positions the finger perfectly for a straight, gentle pull. Slightly change the fulcrum point to offer a lighter trigger pull. Machined from lightweight aluminum alloy. Drilled/reamed to be a perfect fit to the Crosman trigger pivot pins. Also includes small set-screw for optional sear engagement mod. See Ordering Section 8 to the right below to order.
Friday, January 27th, 2017 Our new Benjamin Maximus Hunter Version TKO Moderator... Fits the profile of the adapter and makes that air rifle very quiet.... Only fits the Hunter version. Available in Ordering Section #5 to the right and about half way down the page. Use Ordering Section #1 for the Standard Maximus rifle TKO Moderators.
Saturday, January 14th, 2017 A great solution to add a front sight when adding the TKO Moderator to your Crosman 22xx pistol... https://youtu.be/5894NRvawJw
Friday, January 13th, 2017 Another Youtube video rivew of the TKO Mod on the newer Benjamin Maximus air rifle. Thanks Rick! https://youtu.be/kKZu6zio19o
Thursday, January 12th, 2017 An older Ted's Holdover video review of the Benjamin Discovery and the TKO Moderator installed. Older video (with over 600,000 views) and the price has increased a bit, but still relevant... http://youtu.be/ch2n1a4Q_Z0?list=UUNqIq439XbEIeJhFJca2J-g
Thursday, January 5th, 2017 David sent this nice note re: his testing of the TKO Mod on his Crosman 1701P Pistol.... I have a decibel meter I use with my work. Before at 6 feet, facing the muzzle the decibels were 85 DB After installing and testing, accuracy was exactly the same. However the new sound test revealed 74 DB! Now I know what a mouse fart really sounds like! Great product! Easy install, great instructions. Can't say enough and it exceeds my expectations. David L. Northwest Nevada
Saturday, November 19th, 2016 A moderator comparison test by a customer: I was never able to find a comparison on the two moderators available, the TKO and Wolf Airguns, but today I was able to compare them side-by-side. (drum roll please.....) The Wolf Airguns moderators are massive and look like a real firearm moderator. They are all metal (aluminum outside, not sure what kind of metal the baffles are). They are huge. 8.5" long and 1 1/8" diameter and 5 oz in weight. And it's VERY quiet. I've been using it for about a month and have tried it both on CO2 rifles and pneumatic rifles. It was impressive. But my new TKO arrived today. It is 6 5/8" long, 3/4" diameter, and 1.6 oz. I looked at that tiny thing and my first thought was, "I wonder what his return policy is, because there's no way this can silence my gun like the Wolf." Well, I was wrong. I took it right outside with my high-precision sound meter (guaranteed to be accurate within 1.5 db) and tried them out. Here are the results. The first number is measured at the muzzle. The number in (parentheses) is at my ear (what you actually hear). Crosman 2240 with 14" barrel. No moderator: 105.5-108.6 db (95.9-97.1 db) Wolf: 99.6 db (86 db) TKO: 98.3 db (83.7 db)		And yes, you can tell the difference without a sound meter. The TKO is going on my new Disco which will be coming from my wife for Xmas. I'll do another comparison and report with both of them on the Disco when I get it.
Friday, March 6th, 2015 A word about Airgun Forums... I visit many of the airgun forums to take the pulse of the airgun hobby. I find that these forums are the best for DIY information for the airgun hobbiest. www.gatewaytoairguns.org (I visit the PCP "Gate" most often) Crosman Owners Forum (The "Green Forum" .. A great site for Crosman specific guns and DIY info.) Airguns.net (They have a great free classifieds section for lots of airguns and parts ... careful, if the deal seems too good, it could be a scam. TalonAirgun.com (Great info regarding the Air Force brand of guns, as well as many other airgun subjects. TedsHoldover.com (Ted is an interesting guy, lots of great review and hunting videos, and he recently launched a new forum.)
Thursday, December 11th, 2014 A nice write-up of the Hammerli Pneuma paired with our TKO VMod: http://www.airgundepot.com/hammerli-pneuma-elite-10-supplemental.html
Tuesday, July 29th, 2014 Billy T made a batch of Marauder Pistol tube stocks... While Billy is waiting for his deployment orders (we hope it's someplace dangerous... like Kansas or Iowa!), he has been helping me in the shop, making some of his full shrouds for the Hammerli 850 and a half-dozen BT Tube Stocks for the Crosman 1377/1389/1322 and the Marauder Pistols. The tube stocks are $75 shipped to USA addresses. Use SECTION 7 to order. Enter "BT Tube Stock" in the description. Benefits over the Crosman plastic stock: -- Very fast attachment and detachment (7 seconds timed!) -- No adapter required -- Puts the eye about at the perfect height for scope and dot sights. -- Very lightweight -- Allows you to use custom wood grips
Tuesday, December 9, 2013... A TKO Half-Shroud for the Umarex Fusion Co2 rifle (AKA XS60) A TKO "Half-Shroud" built for the Umarex Fuision Co2 rifle. A nice rifle with a great barrel. The factory brake is destroyed to remove for fitting of the half-shroud. Very quiet and looks much better than the large pickle from the factory. The fill caps usually have sealing trouble, and a replacement is available from Archer Airguns. This air rifle also looks like a good candidate for a bulk-fill conversion.
Friday, October 11, 2013... An intersting link to a youtube video comparing the Marauder .25 cal. air rifle with and without the TKO VMod. http://youtu.be/ZcP8s4VnM54.
Thursday, August 22, 2013... Here is a nice write-up of a Lonestar tuneup I did for a local fellow a while back: "I received a brand new 25cal Lonestar a few weeks back, but was not very impressed with its anaemic performance. With a 3300 psi fill, using 25.4gr JSB's, velocity started out at 820 fps and steadily dropped to 700 fps after 20 shots.Adjusting the hammer tension did not help much, if any. I called Mike T (TKO/22) and asked if he'd look at it, not only to try and juice her up, but to make her a little quieter too. Mike told me to drop the LS off and he'd see what he could do. An extremely short time later, I had the gun back home, sporting a large 1.0" OD shroud, full tune and depinger and a whole lot more power...OAL is now 4.75 inches longer at 46.75" and a lot quieter too. You're AWESOME Mike!!! While the snowy, blizzard conditions here in Omaha Nebraska have prevented me from shooting her outside, and will probably continue to do so for the next few days, I have done a little testing over the ol' chrony and here are the numbers: Start fill: 2800 psi 1. 980 fps 2. 986 fps 3. 983 fps 4. 989 fps 5. 996 fps 6. 1000 fps 7. 1008 fps 8. 1016 fps 9. 1015 fps 10.1011 fps 11.1004 fps 12.995 fps 13.983 fps 14 974 fps End fill: 1700 psi Average velocity: 995fps Ave energy (25.4gr): 56 fpe
Tuesday, August 20, 2013... The AAs200/CZs200 air rifle is a great little target gun and can be made very quiet with the TKO Stage-VMod made specially for it. The TKO brake can be fitted so that the airtube can be removed for filling without removing the brake, even with the longer airtube.
Saturday, August 17, 2013... A little project I started a week ago: make one change to a Discovery valve ... turn down the head to see if there were performance gains without porting, spring tuning, etc. The latest Discovery valves have a harder material molded onto the valve stem. The previous material was soft (Nylon composition) and not easily machined. This new material is harder and will machine with minimal tearing or galling. The picts shows the difference in profile ... less shrouding of the seat, smoother radius on the edges. I'll drop it into a Discovery next time I have one apart and see what happens. I profiled it in a lathe, but the DIY airgunners could easily chuck one in a drill and profile one on sandpaper or a sharp file. Stay tuned for results!
Thursday, August 15, 2013... We started offering free fill cap machining for the Discovery and Marauder Pistol fill end caps a few years ago, but I never got around to mentioning it on my website. SO ... if you buy a TKO Brake that required the fill cap to be machined, send it in with a short note with your mailing address and for which air gun it is for. The machining depth is slightly different for the Discovery than for the Marauder pistol, so be sure to mention the model.
Monday, August 12, 2013... This is the target I use to test our Discovery Tunes. It is based on the ARA Rimfire target sized down for the 20 yards I test at. Feel free to download and use and change for your uses. It is a 3 MB jpg file, so download times might be 2-4 minutes. Right-cklick and save to your hard drive: DOWNLOAD TARGET
Wednesday, August 7, 2013... The Benjamin Discovery has been out long enough that we are starting to see almost all guns that have been in service for 3 years or more having corrosion in the fill adapter area. Most leaks we fix are in this area. Here is a recent gun we opened for a tune: The fix is to remove the o-ring, spin the valve stem in a drill press or lathe, and polish off the corrosion til smooth. We also spin the valve seat/nipple and smooth the seating surface (inset photo.) I have been trying to determine which guns are most prone to corrosion ... filled from a pump or filled from a scuba. So far, it's about a toss-up. My recommendation... spritz some silicone oil in the fill nipple every once in a while.
Friday, August 2, 2013... HOME AT LAST! My son Billy returned today from 6 months of Army Basic Combat Training (Ft. Leonard Wood) and Advanced Individual Training (Ft. Jackson). We had quite a welcome celebration! Billy was the "brains" behind the TKO Tube Stock and made a few before he left for training. I guess I'll put him to work making a few more sets of components before he starts school in a few weeks. WELCOME HOME BILLY... So I thought I would build up a special Crosman 2240 to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. I will start with a stock Crosman 2240, add a Combat 1911 trigger, do an accuracy tune and add a Special paint scheme TKO Stage V brake. Watch this blog for details.
Thursday, August 1, 2013... A nice message today: The LDC arrived today. The fit was perfect. Threads were tight and smooth. LDC flat oversize just about .5mm in diameter as planned. I am very pleased. Thanks, William.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013... Readers Rides ...! Here are a few picts of Customers Guns:
Tuesday, July 30, 2013... A link to a Crosman Pistol PCP Conversion Photo Tutorial we did back in March 2009: (Link available via e-mail.)
Monday, July 29, 2013... In the works! ... 1911W (Wide). We're in the process of making the tooling to finish a batch of 1911W trigger blades for the Crosman pistol trigger frame. These have a wider finger flange. We'll start with a small batch of 15, then if all goes well, we'll make a batch of 100. The earlier design has sold very well (100 total). We cut several with extra waste area to use as clamps. We WaterJet cut those "inside the path" so the clamp tooling will fit tightly and not allow the part to "wander" during machining. Available Mid-August.
Friday, July 26, 2013... Did you know... the TKO Stage VMod for the Discovery/22xx airguins also fits the newer Crosman Tactical pump airguns? I prefer the shorter 5" for these guns, but the 6.5" makes them VERY STEALTHY!
Thursday, July 25, 2013... I like the Discovery air rifle because of the light weight and lower operating pressures when hand-pumping, but also like a decent peep sight. The "Industry Brand (IB)" rear sights sometimes available on the various airgun classifieds can be made into a great little rear peep sight. I simply glued an extra rear sight blade from a 1377/1322 to the face of the IB rear sight, then glued the original discovery front sight to the TKO VMod, and it works like a charm. Usually available through various vendors.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013... This was an interesting project that took forever to complete. Mike S. Asked me to build up a rifle for his 6 year old son. We started with a Crosman 2400KT in .177 cal. I exchanged the airtube for a 2260 tube, getting ready to eventually update it to PCP. After his son shot it for a few months on Co2 cartridges, I did the PCP conversion to PCP, did a trigger job on it and made up a shortened BT Tube stock to fit the tyke. Of course it also has the TKO Stage VMod in 6.5' length. Mike camoed the entire rifle and it appears that like Sammy can really shoot.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013... The .25 caliber airguns have become very popular, so we set out to design a VMod specifically for the larger bore. This brake for the Hatsan BT-65, 25 cal., is 1" diameter and has a specific spacing of the first 2 stages to help with the initial impulse. This VMod was built to 7.5" OAL, but we have found the 6.5" to be nearly as quiet with some length savings.