Done with hand pumps

[BTair]

I think I'm finally done with hand pumps. Started out with an Air Venturi G6, which was constantly needing rebuilt. Eventually couldn't get it to pump despite changing all orings, and bought one of the cheap Amazon pumps. That worked great for a couple years, but has been having issues recently. Spent this morning rebuilding it twice, and now it is leaking in a different place. I'm done, tired of messing around with tiny orings and hoping everything works once you get it back together.

I'm thinking about one of the electric compressors, but worried I'll have the same issues down the line given that they're also manufactured in china. Waiting for some longer term reviews, but for now back to shooting my springers, which I haven't touched in a while.

Am I expecting too much from cheap handpumps?  How often do others have to rebuild theirs? I typically use mine ~20 times a week, depending how much shooting I'm doing.

[Habanero69er]

Brad, not sure about your routine when hand pumping. But, a slow consistent speed when pumping & then a short cool down before topping off airgun helps save on hand pumps by preventing overheating of the pump/o-rings. An occasional application of silicone grease is also a good preventative from pump overheating/friction. You may already know/do this, but just in case.

[Bentong]

Looks like you'll be needing a scuba or scba bottle for trouble free fill ups. Hand pumps and compressors require pre/post op to keep them running.

[Ironman482]

I personally never hand pumped, when I first got into pcp's I bought two scuba tanks ,filled them one time, 120 miles rd trip, found a used alkin on agn classifieds and never looked back, have two scba bottles now and fill then about every 2-3 weeks , and I  shoot every day just not the big bores they only get used during deer season, of course your budget might not allow a real scuba compressor but it is a one time purchase.

[PikeP]

All methods to fill a pcp will require maintenance, even if you buy a scba tank, and have a shop fill it for you, you'll need to maintain its hydro-testing...

There really is no free lunch here. I both use a scba tank and a hand pump. scba currently expired but holding a bit of air for emergencies, hand pump in full operation...

Rebuilding them is really easy, if you take each step slow and ensure proper installation, you shouldn't have concerns with creating new leaks. Not to insult you, but you are likely overlooking something, or rushing through the process. I recommend not getting a compressor if you struggle rebuilding a hand pump, as its failure will be inevitable too and you'll be up a creek without a paddle again...

[longislandhunter]

I originally started off with hand pumps, have 3 of em down in my workshop.  Then I progressed to tanks that I got filled at the local paintball shop, followed by getting a Shoebox compressor so I could fill my own tanks.  That original shoebox is still running like a champ but I use it as a spare since I upgraded to a new Shoebox F-10 compressor which is amazing.  The Shoebox compressors really don't need much maintenance except a piston rebuild every so many hours and all the rebuild supplies are easily ordered and the rebuild is really very easy to do.  They even have videos to show you hwo to do it.  I've done 2 rebuilds over the years and it really is easy.  Thanks to my shoebox units my tanks are always filled. Even though my Shoebox compressors get the job done  last year I went ahead and ordered the Benjamin "Traveler" compressor  (mostly because Sportsmansguide had a great sale going) that is designed specifically to fill rifles directly.  The Traveler has worked so well I barely use my tanks anymore.  It's been running flawlessly and only takes a minute or two to top off my guns when I'm shooting.  I absolutely love my Traveler compressor.  You can plug it into a standard wall outlet or out in the field you can use the battery cables to connect to your vehicles battery for quick fill ups.   

Jeff

[AlanMcD]

Am I expecting too much from cheap handpumps? 

Maybe the key word is "cheap" - although many have said the cheap China pumps work great.  Maybe you just need to get a new one every few years.  But Matt is right - everything in HPA land is going to need to maintenance, care, or replacement over time.

Jeff - A question for you:  I too fill tanks effortlessly with my rock solid and quiet Shoebox compressor, and I can't imagine anything being easier than refilling from a tank (especially when tuning or bench testing, as it can be left tethered and the gauge is much more accurate and readable than the any on a gun).  Just curious why you like the Traveler as a direct fill process over the tanks.  Care to elaborate?

[longislandhunter]

Alan, the reason I like my Traveler so much is it's set up on my bench all the time so it's always available for rifle refills,  it shuts off automatically at the 3000 psi I have it set at, it's internal gauge is extremely accurate and when I do alot of shooting and wind up doing alot of refills I'm not emptying my tanks to the point where I will now have to set up the shoebox and refill tanks.  Don't get me wrong, I still like my tanks and do use them.  Sometimes I'll bring one of the tanks outside to my shooting bench so I can do refills right at the bench, but taking a few minutes in between targets and using the Traveler is easier for me in the long run since I'm conserving my tank psi levels for when I may need them.  I love my shoebox compressors, especially the F-10, but when it's time to refill tanks I have to re-arrange my workbench table, set up the shoebox, set up the oil less compressor,  hook up the tanks and then remain in my workshop area for the time it takes to fill my tanks.  I don't mind filling tanks and periodically I do set up the shoeboxes and refill my tanks of course but I can honestly say it's not my favorite task to do.  With the Traveler it's as simple as hook up the gun, refill then go shoot    I still love having my shoeboxes and tanks as an air resource but the Traveler is just so easy for me to use that I've come to rely on it as my primary fill source and I now have my shoebox compressors and tanks as my "backup" air source.  Besides, my Traveler doesn't need to get Hydro tested 

Jeff

[VaporTrail]

Looks like you'll be needing a scuba or scba bottle for trouble free fill ups. Hand pumps and compressors require pre/post op to keep them running.

I wouldn't go so far as to say they're trouble free. They will require maintenance as well; orings, valve pins and such. They're probably a little less hassle in terms of disassembly, though.

As for the OP, I think you're being just a tad harsh on the hand pump. A quick calculation shows that your handpump went through roughly 2080 pumping sessions; if you paid $60.00 for your cheap handpump, that comes out to about 3 cents for each pumping session. A fair deal, considering all you need to do is become a little more proficient at rebuilding them. We could throw oring costs and maybe some silicone oil, but I think it'll still be fairly cheap.

Depending on the compressor you buy, you could be looking at anywhere from 6 months to several years of use with no issues. If rebuilding a handpump frustrates you, though...rebuilding a compressor will probably tempt you to sell all your PCPs and stick with springers. Speaking of springers...they'll need a rebuild as well, eventually. 

Take a deep breath and just become more comfortable/proficient with your rebuilds. 

[BTair]

Thanks all for your comments/thoughts. Was feeling frustrated with having rebuilt my pump so many times in the past few weeks. I do try to only pump about 30-40 strokes at a time, then let it cool, and lube occasionally as recommended. Your comments def gave me some perspective though, as I have used both of these pumps a lot, so I shouldn't expect them to be maintenance free. But it does seem like once they get older, they need to be rebuilt more often.  Still planning to get an electric pump in the future, but will take my time rebuilding my hand pumps, as it's always good to have a backup.

[AlanMcD]

Glad you are felling better about it - if it is any consolation, that is how things often go in the HPA space.  I have a gun that old Murphy was having a field day with a few years back!  It developed a leak, and every time I went into it to fix it, I somehow caused a new leak. I learned form that to just replace every seal I touch every time I go into a gun or pump - as a result, I keep lots of spare o-rings on hand.

Jeff - thanks for the info on the Traveler.  Your description of your situation explains it perfectly - mine is sort of the opposite of yours.  My Shoebox has its own dedicated space on a secondary work surface in my shop, and it is always hooked up to my shop air supply which is fed by a manifold system I installed from the compressor in the garage.  So when I want to use it, I open the valve to shop compressor in the garage (normally closed to preserve the air in the tank, which I always keep pressurized) and flip that switch on, then go into the shop and hook up the tank and fire up the Shoebox.  Total time to being up and running is about a minute, and about the same when I am done.  So I understand the difference for you - that "one minute to be able to fill" situation applies to the Traveler, but not the Shoebox.

By the way, I now trust the Shoebox completely.  I turn it on and leave to do other things, including on occasion mowing the lawn.  The only thing I have not done is to leave the house.  I do run it with a timer so that if anything does go wrong it will stop about when it should have stopped anyways.

[longislandhunter]

Alan, I wish I had the space to set up the shoebox in it's own dedicated space, I would love that,  but unfortunately I ran out of bench space a long time ago and there's just no room available to add onto my existing bench.  What I really need is another basement  

Early last year I wound up building a third large backyard shed just to store my hunting gear in.  I thought  that was going to solve my space problems but somehow I managed to buy enough stuff to fill that new shed to the rafters.   My wife says I have a serious problem when it comes to buying hunting and shooting related items........ however I disagree 

Jeff

[avator]

I have 2 hand pumps... the cheap Chinese type. One I've used a few times and the other is new in the box. I keep them for back up and a bug out situation if needed.

[VaporTrail]

yeah...they're actually pretty sturdy those little buggers. A pretty good deal, actually.