PCP equipment options

[Ducksoup]

Looking at getting a PCP air rifle but the cost of the needed accessories can be kind of daunting. I've noticed options for 4500 psi compressors and the carbon fiber air bottles that are substantially less money then the so called name brands. Anyone with personal experiance with these off brand products please feel free to let me know your personal experiences with them. I've seen some of the small compressors in the $225 price range and some 1.5 liter carbon fiber air bottles at under $200 which is about half the price if the name brand products.
Thanks for your help and any suggestions you might have.
Tom Brooks

[fv22]

 I got into PCP VERY inexpensively with a Chinese hand pump from ebay for $42 shipped. Have less than $200 in the gun and pump! Takes about 50 pumps to take my QB Chief from about 1200 to 1900 PSI which gives 25-30 shots. The pumping is easy and quick in that range.

[avator]

Welcome...
have a look at the Seneca Aspen or the Nova Vista Freedom.

[Madd Hatter]

Welcome...
have a look at the Seneca Aspen or the Nova Vista Freedom.

I second that as that's what I did. Of course about a month later I picked up a compressor and a Liberty, lol. Nice thing about the freedom/aspen is you can keep the pressure at the same level and that will equal accuracy as your velocities will stay the same which in a regular PCP without a regulator it won't and you will have a much larger spread of low to high vel.

[BackStop]

Welcome...
have a look at the Seneca Aspen or the Nova Vista Freedom.

+1

I own a .177 Nova Freedom and am going to buy another one.

[throbinskin]

following

[KnifeMaker]

I sometimes forget how daunting it was when first starting out on this venture. Seem so long ago. but man, what a venture it has turned out to be!


Good luck and we are all here to help!


Knife

[Stewie]

The air tank and accessories kept me out of PCPs to begin with. Then I discovered the Hill pump and have never looked back. Chinese pumps are cheaper and, I'm told, just as good. In any case, it depends on how much shooting you plan to do. I do backyard plinking and pesting with an AA .22 and .25. Both on low to moderate power, and get 60 shots between fills on each gun, so it's no problem at all. In fact, I like not having to depend on fill stations, tanks, electric pumps and so on. Even filling the .25 to 250 bar is not a problem so long as the pump and pumper are maintained properly.

[Arch_E]

The air tank and accessories kept me out of PCPs to begin with. Then I discovered the Hill pump and have never looked back. Chinese pumps are cheaper and, I'm told, just as good. In any case, it depends on how much shooting you plan to do. I do backyard plinking and pesting with an AA .22 and .25. Both on low to moderate power, and get 60 shots between fills on each gun, so it's no problem at all. In fact, I like not having to depend on fill stations, tanks, electric pumps and so on. Even filling the .25 to 250 bar is not a problem so long as the pump and pumper are maintained properly.

Refreshing to hear this.

I've got lower back issues and don't have a backyard context for shooting over 30 yards. However, back on the farm (homestead), I've got many acres of fields and woods.  Looking forward to some longer range shooting/hunting in the future; but, again, that's what my other guns in the cabinet have been acquired for.  My AGs are for suburbia where power is unlawful and too dangerous. I can't believe that I failed to grasp the worth of air guns until I hit my 60s.  Better now, than not at all.

Plodding and plinking along,

Archie

[Nomadic Pirate]

The air tank and accessories kept me out of PCPs to begin with. Then I discovered the Hill pump and have never looked back. Chinese pumps are cheaper and, I'm told, just as good. In any case, it depends on how much shooting you plan to do. I do backyard plinking and pesting with an AA .22 and .25. Both on low to moderate power, and get 60 shots between fills on each gun, so it's no problem at all. In fact, I like not having to depend on fill stations, tanks, electric pumps and so on. Even filling the .25 to 250 bar is not a problem so long as the pump and pumper are maintained properly.

Word !!

[cherokeesteve]

I got into PCP VERY inexpensively with a Chinese hand pump from ebay for $42 shipped. Have less than $200 in the gun and pump! Takes about 50 pumps to take my QB Chief from about 1200 to 1900 PSI which gives 25-30 shots. The pumping is easy and quick in that range.

I have two carbon fiber tanks that just recently hit their date to need recertification. The money I had available wouldn’t pay for one, let alone two, to be recertified and topped off. I invested in a cheap eBay hand pump and filter. It has worked very well and the labor needed to top off my Hatsan air cylinders is something I’m actually capable of, to my surprise. If you do go the carbon fiber tank route, I believe some available don’t have to be retested until far past 5 years.

[anti-squirrel]

I started with the Benji handpump for filling my PP700 pistol.  I have used the heck outta that airgun, roughly 17000 pellets, are shot by hand-compressed air.

Last year I splurged on a $45 Chinese pump and I doubt I'll use my Benji pump again.  I fill 3 PCPs by hand; a PP700 pistol, a Maximus, and a PR900 Varmint.

[Ribbonstone]

The small volume PCP's are not bad to hand pump.  I still pump fill them, even with a compressor at hand UNLESS I've already got the compressor set up (one of the cheap ones, but a bit bigger than the smallest units).


Bascally I got old and lazy.  For years all I did was hand pump everything,but age caught up to me,and I bought a compressore to celebrate my decsion to retire a 2nd time.



Likely NOT what you are thinking about, but it might be worth mentioning to folks who really need to stretch the budget. Can get into everything you'd need to try a (cheap) PCP for surprisinglymosest amount of $.




And I do still use that rifle and pump....even with other more costly PCP's at hand, it works for me.

[Sky777]

Thanks ribbon.. I too looking for a pcp tank, using hand pump..  which brand of hand pump do you recommend ?

[Ribbonstone]

After tyrying  an FX, Hills,Benjaming, and the "cheap Chinese" pumps...amd going to have to go with the " cheap Chineses".

Nothing mechanical lasts "forever",but the cheap Chinese pumps have lasted LONGER between problems, come with a set of rebuilt o-tings for when you do have a problem, and are pretty simple to take apart and fix.

[Back_Roads]

 I as mentioned before have forgotten how my head was spinning with what was needed to get and shoot PCP. I kept it basic for my first,  a Sam Yang recluse with a UTG true hunter scope, and a 140.00 Air Venturi hand pump. That gave me about 15 low power shots with .35 pellets, and 4 high power shots with slugs. about 85 pumps to top off a 500 cc double air tube.
 MY thinking if i had a PCP it might as well be a big one, now with the birth of many entry level regulated/ multi shot pcps it may have been a different story.

[Doug Wall]

A couple of things to keep in mind:
The "off brand" carbon fiber tanks from China are good, but they are CE certified. That means that you won't be able to get them tested or commercially filled in the US. You'll have to fill them yourself.
Any pump of compressor system needs to have a good moisture absorption system on it. Without it, you'll end up with water in your guns or tanks, which will over time, corrode the insides. With tanks, the aluminum liner can corrode in a matter of months.

[BigBird]

PCP only costs about $40 more than CO2 for me.
All I have is a Walmart $38 hand pump and some $2.50 silicone fluid.
QB Chief is about $150.
All my PCPs are filled with this pump.
There are other items that I purchased related to HPA though but these are the essentials.

[oldpro]

Welcome...
have a look at the Seneca Aspen or the Nova Vista Freedom.

I agree and I have one I just listed. https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=160142.0

[Ribbonstone]

Been using Chinese pumps for the last 4 years(two of them) and been happy with them (esp. for the price). Never got a full year out of a Hills pump without a rebuild, the oldest Chinese pump is still going (although now with my youngest nephew).

Meanwhile, the Hils pump died from neglect and I've no real urge to reseal it.