Tank w/Free air vs Compressor?

[DrGunner]

So, I have my Daystate Regal XL all set up and scoped. Last step- I am trying to make a choice between spending $350 on a small 90 CID carbon fiber tank that would be purchased locally from a paintball outfit that will fill it for free, as long as they’re in business, vs buying a compressor like a Venturi Nomad II. I’ve looked at the Yong Heng route, but I don’t want a system that requires that much hassle with setup and maintenance. Would the Nomad be more “plug and play”??? Is the moisture removal system it comes with adequate, or is more filtration recommended?
Are there other compressor options to look at in the same price range? Pyramyd has them on sale @ $699.
I’ll be filling my Daystate Regal XL’s 162cc tank directly from the compressor.

Also- I have a huge 220V 2-stage 80 gallon Black Max shop compressor. I’ve read that there are step up (Shoebox?) compressors that can run in series with my shop compressor?

As previously stated in other threads- I’m a PCP NOOB, so go gently but please educate me, this is the final link in the chain.

I’d like to hear from Nomad II & other compressor owners in particular.

I could see myself buying the tank now, and compressor later or vice-versa.

Suggestions & info, please-

DrGunner

[Back_Roads]

 If you are doing alot of shooting go with the shoebox set up. I keep a couple 80 scuba tanks and a pony bottle, for remote fills, topped off to fill guns from. I also have a 12 v portable compressor that stays in my truck for when ever I might need it.

[DrGunner]

If you are doing alot of shooting go with the shoebox set up. I keep a couple 80 scuba tanks and a pony bottle, for remote fills, topped off to fill guns from. I also have a 12 v portable compressor that stays in my truck for when ever I might need it.

Well, I’m not sure I would describe my air gun shooting as a “lot”. My main discipline is Rimfire silhouette, this set up is just for backyard practice, during which I will likely shoot 40 or 80 rounds once or twice a week.

Can you tell me more about the shoebox option?
Sources to buy one? Cost? Ease of setup? Required maintenance & gear?

Sorry- think of me as totally clueless when it comes to PCP air sources. I literally just bought my first PCP one month ago so I am very new to all of this.

[Madd Hatter]

If you get the shoebox you really should get a tank. The shoebox is slow but very reliable and is in fact my next purchase to fill my 66 CF scba used tank I bought off ebay. It passed hydro testing with 4 years left on it's life but by the time it can't be filled by a shop I will be filling it myself. It comes down to do you want to have to drive back and forth to the paint ball shop or be able to take care of it at home. For me to get my tank filled I have to drive almost an hour each way. Can't advise about the nomad as I've never had one. I use a yong hang copy called a vevor and it has been a pita but does fill my 191cc Liberty very fast. Bill, (can't remember his handle on the GTA) has one to fill his rifles and hasn't had any problems.

[wolverine]

I may be wrong, ask my wife, but i believe the "step up" compressors need an oil less shop compressor so there is no chance of it getting into shoebox or rifle.
I would go with the tank and free refills for now, and if the time comes, you could sell the tank and buy a compressor.


AOA has a calculator that will tell you how many fills you'll get from your tank.

[AlanMcD]

Based on what you asked and described, I'd say get the tank with the free fills - provided that the shop is close enough and open at convenient times for you to get the tank filled.  And if you read between the lines of the other responses, you will see why: filling from a tank is much more convenient than filling from a compressor (not that a compressor is bad - it is just that the tank is better).

You can always add a compressor later, especially if the paint ball place goes out of business and you can no longer fill the tank there.  The best set up for most of us shooters is a compressor and a smallish tank, but that is a lot of money to sink at once.  You can kind of have that with just the tank right now.

I personally have a Shoebox compressor and a similar sized tank - the Joe B "Guppy" (I think it is 118 cubic inches) - and I typically refill mine every week or two.  The Shoebox does require a shop compressor, but those are a wonderful tool to have on their own - I have had a shop compressor for decades and would never be without one.

[45Bravo]

If you fill the tank to 4500 psi, and fill your gun to the suggested 3300 psi.

And refill when you get to 1800 psi on the gun.
(You didn’t mention how low you shoot the gun to. )

Your tank will fill your gun to 3300psi.
7.5 times before you start getting partial fills.
After that, you will get some air, but not to the full 3300psi. So your shot count will not be as high.

http://www.calc.sikes.us/2/index.php

That being said, as often as you mention shooting the gun, and depending if the paintball shop is not too far, I would get the tank and go with the free fills. 

That is until you realize exactly how accurate airguns can be compared to powder burners, and you become addicted. 

Then you only have to get a compressor if you get into the hobby deeper. 

If you don’t go any deeper into the hobby, the tank requires no maintenance, and is always ready to go shooting. 

If you decide the hobby is not for you, the bottles retain their resale value well if they are within their life span, and in hydro.

 

[wolverine]

here is something else to consider.  i too have a Regal XL.  i also have a 3000psi scuba tank i bought for $35 off craigslist.  this year i bought a 4500psi scba tank and a stikboy.  had i needed it, i would have bought a stikman, that allows you to cascade between tanks.  shoot down to 1800 psi, fill with the scuba to 3000 psi and then top it off with the scba to 3300 psi.  you won't have to fill the tanks as frequently. 

[avator]

All I have to say is.... there is nothing like air independence.
I have the Vevor.. I fill guns directly.. Not sure what hassle you are referring to..
Fill a 5 gallon bucket with water, plug in the pump and fill your guns til the cows come home. It takes around 30 seconds to top a gun off to 3k. That ain't even long enough to build any heat. The compressor is compact and easy to take on the road where ever there is a power supply. It will cost you less than $300. I will absolutely buy another when and if the time comes to replace it.
The hassle is self inflicted when you start asking the compressor to do things it wasn't meant to do.
Free tanks fills would be nice... as long as it's convenient. All tanks need periodic inspections.

[JnJHess]

+1 on avators post, plus if you go away and don't have a chance to get the whole Yong Heng, Vevor setup mobile with you, you also can use a pump to fill.
Of course only if it goes not over a certain PSi range and cc range of the air resevoir on the gun.
Dang avator, did you clean out you gun inventory that much, the last time i noticed you had listed much much more, than you have right now?

[redlined_b16a]

I have a large compressor  and a 30 minute SCBA tank.
Once my SCBA is filled I can fire about 1000 rounds before refilling my SCBA.
So an SCBA filled to 4500 psi would last you a very long time.

I'd check a local fire station to see if you bought a bottle of they would refill it for you.

Not every fire station will fill an out of date bottle.
If you know someone there it may be an option to buy a $100 or less SCBA and a $100 or less fill station.

Or I would go for a compressor,Maybe the nomad 2.

I went with the Air Venturi 4500.It is pricey but I got it on a cyber monday pyramid air sale.
Pyramid air also offers a payment plan through Affirn which isnt a bad plan.
A $1400 compressor comes out to $125 a month for 12 months.
But you can fill any size bottle you like.
I'd rather a larger duty compressor than I need.

[redlined_b16a]

Also like to add for a few hundred if you bought a SCBA bottle with a few years left on the Hydro date and providing a fire station with fill it for you.

You dont have to worry about compressor failure or matience.
No hose to bust or Moisture or moisture traps.
Fire stations have breathing quality clean air.

[DLP]

I have 2 ShoeBoxes, 4 different bottles and a hand pump. Over kill I know. But it’s a deep rabbit hole! Started with the AV G6 hand pump to fill my Mrod. That lasted about 1 week. Cashed in a years supply of bottles and cans that I was saving to buy another gun. But bought a AV CF 90 cc tank instead. The tank worked great. But it was a pain to take the little guy in to get filled. Even though my work is in the same building as the fire department. I sold one of my quads and bought a Shoebox. That was perfect. Until I bought a bigbore rifle too. So I bought a 60 min Dragger  CF tank off EBay for $100. I could fill this from the Shobox. The 60 min tank was too big to lug around. So I bought a 30 min CF Scott tank. It worked perfect. Light enough to lug around and it filled the bigbore(s) great. But I wanted a small CF tank to top off the bigbore while hunting. So I bought a 70 ci CF to carry in a backpack. SO, what is the best option? If I were just going to have one option for just filling one gun, I would buy a 30 min CF tank. Then save up and buy a compressor at your convenience. As for the second Shoebox, I just couldn’t resist the new faster F10 at $200 less then the MAXX was.

[DrGunner]

If you get the shoebox you really should get a tank. The shoebox is slow but very reliable and is in fact my next purchase to fill my 66 CF scba used tank I bought off ebay. It passed hydro testing with 4 years left on it's life but by the time it can't be filled by a shop I will be filling it myself. It comes down to do you want to have to drive back and forth to the paint ball shop or be able to take care of it at home. For me to get my tank filled I have to drive almost an hour each way. Can't advise about the nomad as I've never had one. I use a yong hang copy called a vevor and it has been a pita but does fill my 191cc Liberty very fast. Bill, (can't remember his handle on the GTA) has one to fill his rifles and hasn't had any problems.

Well, the paintball shop is a 20 minute drive away, and is somewhat on my way to work- I work in 2 different locations so it would mean a 10 minute detour- no biggie, except they’re not open on weekends. There’s another much bigger  paintball outfit with obstacle course which is about 10-15 minutes in the other direction- less than 5 minutes from my kids school, which will fill for around $10, and they’re open 7 days/week.

My take-away from your post is that a tank should be part of the plan either way?

If that’s the case, I’ll probably just buy the tank w/free air first, and see how things go.

A really cool guy here on GTA, who was very kind and trusting actually lent me his tank for a few weeks. I’d guesstimate that I’d get about
6 or 7 fills of my Regal per tank fill.

DrGunner

[DrGunner]

I may be wrong, ask my wife, but i believe the "step up" compressors need an oil less shop compressor so there is no chance of it getting into shoebox or rifle.
I would go with the tank and free refills for now, and if the time comes, you could sell the tank and buy a compressor.


AOA has a calculator that will tell you how many fills you'll get from your tank.

If “Oil-Less” is the rule, then my shop compressor is out. Plus, it develops quite a bit of water condensation.

Thanks for the info, just the kind of no BS advice I’m looking for-

[DrGunner]

AlanMcD, 45Bravo, Wolverine-
I think Y’all have hit the nail on the head.
While my current plan is to keep everything in the backyard, mobility with a tank plus free air is a no brainer, with the shop being reasonably close to my home and only slightly off my path to work two days a week. I think I will start with that tank.

[DrGunner]

All I have to say is.... there is nothing like air independence.
I have the Vevor.. I fill guns directly.. Not sure what hassle you are referring to..
Fill a 5 gallon bucket with water, plug in the pump and fill your guns til the cows come home. It takes around 30 seconds to top a gun off to 3k. That ain't even long enough to build any heat. The compressor is compact and easy to take on the road where ever there is a power supply. It will cost you less than $300. I will absolutely buy another when and if the time comes to replace it.
The hassle is self inflicted when you start asking the compressor to do things it wasn't meant to do.
Free tanks fills would be nice... as long as it's convenient. All tanks need periodic inspections.

I have read quite a bit about the Yong Heng compressors, and that is where I was referring to potential hassles. It seems to me that people either get lucky and get one that runs just fine, or they get a lemon that seems to require a lot more time and maintenance to keep running smoothly. That’s why I was interested in the Nomad II as it seems to be a more solid set up, I was just inquiring as to whether the Nomad is more likely to be hassle free vs the much less expensive Yong Heng...?

[DrGunner]

I’d like you all to know that I sincerely appreciate all of the offered help and advice- but I think it’s important at this point to make my needs clear. I only bought this rifle for one purpose- backyard practice for rimfire silhouette.
I am primarily a powder shooter, and that is not likely to change with a PCP epiphany. I’ve been shooting airguns for 45 years, and I have been building and pillar bedding my own rimfire and centerfire rifles for over 20 years.  I have built and still own guns  that are capable of shooting better than 1/2 MOA 5 shot groups at 100 yards.
I came to GTA for help in buying a silhouette practice rifle for use in my backyard, which will literally only comprise perhaps 10% of my overall silhouette practice – all of which is towards proficiency in rimfire shooting where I compete.

I received excellent advice and guidance from the great folks here, and I’m now the proud owner of a Daystate Regal XL with a Mamba Lite 4-16x42 scope.

I simply need advice on the simplest, most efficient gear to purchase so I can fill this single .177 cal PCP rifle. I completely understand you all who have grown your collections and air sources to meet your growing needs- and I have the deepest respect for that type of love & devotion- I have 3 gun safes. 2 are filled with hardware, the third serves as an ammo locker. I get it- I’m already deeply invested in my favorite shooting gear. I have 3 RWS Diana Springers that I’ve owned since the 1980s, and still love em- just not for this niche in my shooting world.

So- with that in mind- I’m thinking I’ll go with the 90CID tank for now, and if I find myself running out of air too soon or too often, or tire of the hassle of getting my tank filled, then I will likely invest in a Nomad II.


To 45Bravo in particular and everyone else in general, my Regal XL came with a sticker on it which was Daystate’s recommended maximum
fill pressure, which is 210bar= 3040 PSI.
I shoot down to around 1800 without losing accuracy at 25 yards. I’ve also experimented with pellet weights, so far my rifle shoots best with 10.65 and 10.34gr pellets, but I have many other weights down to 7.0gr, and have found that switching to 9.3gr at around 2200psi and 8.3gr at 2000psi helps ameliorate vertical dispersion without opening the groups up laterally.
I have not filled it above the 210/3040 recommendation, even though the gauge goes much higher.
It did not make sense to me that they recommended filling to a pressure that barely scratches the bottom of the green section of the gauge, but I did not want to risk damaging anything, so I followed the manufacturer’s as well as the vendor Jim from PA&S’ recommendation.

Am I being overly cautious?

If 210/3040 is overly conservative, what pressure would y’all recommend?

Sorry if I seem snarky with this post, just want to help y’all help me.

DrGunner

[DrGunner]

45Bravo- Love the golf ball meme.

These are two of my all time favorites-

[wolverine]

My Regal XL's box is stamped "maximum fill 220 bar" so I'm not sure what is going on there.  I only fill it to 200 bar (3000psi).  It doesn't change the peformance, only the shot count.


I think the XL HRs are a higher fill.