Finding my own answers about a PCP hand pump led me to this...

[John4861]

WARNING  This post contains mention of graphic TV violence and the use of alcohol. Don't read if you are a snowflake or not capable of taking a joke!


Howdy,

Just got my PCP hand pump in the mail. The instructions were copied and reprinted so may times and the fonts were so fuzzy, much of what was written was not easily deciphered by this aging airgunner.  Looking to assemble said pump was fairly straight forward and was actually accomplished by just looking at the parts and seeing where they'd fit (just like when the wife wants me assemble something from IKEA). It worked, I had the pump operational in a few minutes, but with no gun all I could do was pressurize the hose, so I guess it's all good since it pumped up and the bleed off screw hissed when released.  However, I had air bubbles in the high pressure gauge, and did not know if that was okay and found no answers readily available.  Not being the most patient man on the planet I did what anybody sane would do, have a few cocktails and watched Netflix.  A few hours of senseless decimation, revenge, and charred mangled corpses provided the restful nights sleep I must have needed.

A NEW DAY DAWNS.  Got on YouTube this morning and began to look about. Found video after video of the owners seemingly guessing (they should have tried praying) what to do when their hand pumps quit pumping (its amazing an American man can do in 50+ minutes what a skilled Chinese person can do in 12, but I digress). Their on screen demeanors seemed to do little to boost my dwindling hope that they had viable answers for my question (perhaps it was that deer in the headlight stare). Finally though, after much clicking, I turned a corner into the deep blue South Pacific ocean. Found a guy in Bali who answered both my questions in a 2 minute video; go figure. 

The dude from Bali's video led to the manufacturer of the hand pumps that everybody else seems to offer (and I mean no matter the price, they all come from here, or so it seems), plus they make what we call the Yong Heng's and certain other PCP compressors you may recognize, as well.  I see some expensive brands come from this factory and are simply rebranded, even the shipping boxes get re-badged. What a hoot, its like Toto showing behind the curtain in OZ.  A link to their catalog follows (they seemingly do it all):

https://pcp86.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/topa-pcp-catalog.pdf

The catalog does not really help as I think they are only selling container loads of their products. Too bad we do not have pricing, I'm curious mostly. The compressors that run off a cars battery look quite useful for range outings.  I guess it's just that I figured Yong Heng was the main maker of that PCP compressor and then I find that it's just another badge; now who owns Topa?  I'm afraid to look.

If you just want to see the pump repair videos from the maker, try this link for part one: and part two:

[brewbear]

Thanks, I'll follow the thread since I think sooner or later I'll step into the dark side (do they really have cookies there?)

[John4861]

Thanks, I'll follow the thread since I think sooner or later I'll step into the dark side (do they really have cookies there?)

You betcha, not sure of every ingredient though...

[n2omike]

I bought one of those Chinese hand pumps back when they were $50.  Not sure what they cost now, but they are FAR better than the Benjamin units.  I had one of those first.  Those Chinese pumps were the best bargain in air gunning.  I bought one for my 13 year old (at the time) son to use with his Gamo Urban.  I later stepped up to a Shoebox and tank...  and haven't hand pumped since.

Hand pumps are fine to get started with in a beginner gun, but are best if you can limit yourself to a .177 or .22 max.  Hand pumps will only frustrate you if you try and use them for a .25 and/or if you plan on doing any tuning. 

.25 and bigger guns go through a LOT of air.  Tuning goes through a LOT of air and pellets. 

Welcome to the Dark Side! 

[csitas]

As a point of comedy , can anyone here remember when the water was discovered inside of our air pump. I can , and funny thing , the sky still has not fallen, nor have I heard of rusted out air rifles. Life has its moments

[John4861]

I bought one of those Chinese hand pumps back when they were $50.  Not sure what they cost now, but they are FAR better than the Benjamin units.  I had one of those first.  Those Chinese pumps were the best bargain in air gunning.  I bought one for my 13 year old (at the time) son to use with his Gamo Urban.  I later stepped up to a Shoebox and tank...  and haven't hand pumped since.

Hand pumps are fine to get started with in a beginner gun, but are best if you can limit yourself to a .177 or .22 max.  Hand pumps will only frustrate you if you try and use them for a .25 and/or if you plan on doing any tuning. 

.25 and bigger guns go through a LOT of air.  Tuning goes through a LOT of air and pellets. 

Welcome to the Dark Side!

Mine cost me $51 delivered with tax included, got it in less than a week too. I expected junk, but its like stainless steel and brass, with a lot of rubber O-Rings added just for fun. The quality is surprising even if the seller speaks in chicken scratching and can't read your questions.  The hand pump has only one purpose really. a little exercise for now (I'm deciding on a first PCP as I type).  Then again, someday the grid may go down for more than a week or so, I guess it might seem like a good idea then; either way, it can't hurt.

[Rick67]

Pumps are good exercise 

I still have an extra one that is unopened.

They were on sale a while back for $27 shipped, so I got another one as spare.

My main pump is the more expensive GX, which retails for about $160.

You know, there is a MROD .22 for sale right now by Dairyboy for $250 something.

[MisterAP]

A GX for $160?  I’d jump on that!! Please link!

[Trucker3573]

Sorry couldn’t make it through the entire post. Much too long for my attention span. I got that you were worried about repairing it before you even used it?  I will link a better fix video. My Chinese pump has a slight leak. I know exactly what oring it is but it still works s whatever. If I get 6 mos out of it I may just trash it and buy another for 47 bucks. I mean I guess you could buy a hill or something but I will buy 3 more Chinese pumps. Here is a better video other than you have to take a grown man calling his 12 year old SON honey. I died a little each time he did.

[John4861]

Pumps are good exercise 

I still have an extra one that is unopened.

They were on sale a while back for $27 shipped, so I got another one as spare.

My main pump is the more expensive GX, which retails for about $160.

You know, there is a MROD .22 for sale right now by Dairyboy for $250 something.

Yeah, I remember the sale someplace, but was not thinking about a PCP at the time.
$250 sounds very good, maybe I'll kick a tire...

Sorry couldn’t make it through the entire post. Much too long for my attention span. I got that you were worried about repairing it before you even used it?  I will link a better fix video. My Chinese pump has a slight leak. I know exactly what oring it is but it still works s whatever. If I get 6 mos out of it I may just trash it and buy another for 47 bucks. I mean I guess you could buy a hill or something but I will buy 3 more Chinese pumps. Here is a better video other than you have to take a grown man calling his 12 year old SON honey. I died a little each time he did.

Funny, that was the 50 minute video I referenced. But you must have skipped that part. I did not have the stamina to watch these two all the way through, sort of like getting a root canal. The honey thing was too WOKE for me. My pump arrived open and I saw something that concerned me and no usable answers came from the vendor. So my quest began, and here we are. All is well now.

[Trucker3573]

Pumps are good exercise 

I still have an extra one that is unopened.

They were on sale a while back for $27 shipped, so I got another one as spare.

My main pump is the more expensive GX, which retails for about $160.

You know, there is a MROD .22 for sale right now by Dairyboy for $250 something.

Yeah, I remember the sale someplace, but was not thinking about a PCP at the time.
$250 sounds very good, maybe I'll kick a tire...

Sorry couldn’t make it through the entire post. Much too long for my attention span. I got that you were worried about repairing it before you even used it?  I will link a better fix video. My Chinese pump has a slight leak. I know exactly what oring it is but it still works s whatever. If I get 6 mos out of it I may just trash it and buy another for 47 bucks. I mean I guess you could buy a hill or something but I will buy 3 more Chinese pumps. Here is a better video other than you have to take a grown man calling his 12 year old SON honey. I died a little each time he did.

Funny, that was the 50 minute video I referenced. But you must have skipped that part. I did not have the stamina to watch these two all the way through, sort of like getting a root canal. The honey thing was too WOKE for me. My pump arrived open and I saw something that concerned me and no usable answers came from the vendor. So my quest began, and here we are. All is well now.

Yeah it is long but actually pretty informative. My pump says it comes with a one year warranty and return to manufacturer for any defects. However, nowhere in the box manual or anything is there a single stitch of information about said manufacturer. Not to sure what good that warranty is but then again I pretty much consider it a throw away item.

[brewbear]

A $50 pump would be disposable if you get to use it for six months to a year, I don't really know but I've been considering buying one. Any chance you gents can post a link where I could buy said pump?
Thank you,
Ted

[John4861]

A $50 pump would be disposable if you get to use it for six months to a year, I don't really know but I've been considering buying one. Any chance you gents can post a link where I could buy said pump?
Thank you,
Ted

They are out where I got mine, but this one looks identical:  Ebay Item 283050929770

The airgunner dude who turned me onto this pump has been using his for about three years and just changed a couple of O-Rings and did a deep cleaning recently, it still works.

[Trucker3573]

A $50 pump would be disposable if you get to use it for six months to a year, I don't really know but I've been considering buying one. Any chance you gents can post a link where I could buy said pump?
Thank you,
Ted

There are ones for 44 bucks on eBay that are exactly the same thing I have. Mine does work well. It has a small leak that is a simple oring. Still works decently so I haven’t torn it apart. If you get one just watch the ring at the bottom of the outer tube. That ring makes contact with the bottom of the pump on the down stroke. This can cause that ring to loosen. What happened to mine. There is an o ring in that ring that got cut on the threads when it loosened. Make sure that stays tight.  Pretty easy to fill both my urban and chief to 2800 to 3000 psi.

I actually wonder if the hill pump is actually better? Worth 200 dollars??

[Rick67]

A GX for $160?  I’d jump on that!! Please link!

A GX hand pump, not a GX compressor, sir 

It is robust and very smooth.

[Chickenthief]

A pressure gauge works via a spiraled flattened tube that straightens slightly as pressure is induced. That coupled to the hand gives you a picture of the pressure in the tube.

For a compressor tank where pressure works slowly all is peachy. But for a handpump or directly in the outlet of a HP compressor the pressure changes from 0 to 3000+psi so rapidly that the hand will vibrate fast. The result is that the brass spiraled flattened tube will develop metal fatique and rupture.
To avoid this the intire pressure gauge is filled with glycerine or silicone oil to dampen the shocks from the pump or compressor.

What i'm trying to say is: There's no need for the scale part of the pressure gauge to be liquid filled for it to work as intended. Airbubbles are ok and not a problem as long as the bottom part remains filled with damping fluid.

[Ribbonstone]

Had an old FX (Veripump? Versapump?)...one of the early pumps.  Worked great for years, until it  went over board and got a long salt water soaking.

Bought a Hills pump.  Would work great, then need a resealing about every year  to year and a half.  Current Hills are different models.

Tried a China made pump when ordering a FDPCP...so it’s been quite a few years.  Figured it couldn’t last, so used it exclusively to see how long it took until it died.

Original Chinese pump still working…..bought a second, it is also still working.   

Hills pump died from neglect and have no intention of fixing it.   

[Cableaddict]

A pressure gauge works via a spiraled flattened tube that straightens slightly as pressure is induced. That coupled to the hand gives you a picture of the pressure in the tube.

For a compressor tank where pressure works slowly all is peachy. But for a handpump or directly in the outlet of a HP compressor the pressure changes from 0 to 3000+psi so rapidly that the hand will vibrate fast. The result is that the brass spiraled flattened tube will develop metal fatique and rupture.
To avoid this the intire pressure gauge is filled with glycerine or silicone oil to dampen the shocks from the pump or compressor.

What i'm trying to say is: There's no need for the scale part of the pressure gauge to be liquid filled for it to work as intended. Airbubbles are ok and not a problem as long as the bottom part remains filled with damping fluid.

I'm really glad you explained this.
When I got my 6000 psi Chinese pump, I thought something was wrong, because the gauge was HALF-filled with liquid.  I figured it should either be clean or completely filled.  The seller had no idea.  Of course the pump worked fine, but I thought it was leaking silicone oil.

Whew....  (thx)

[John4861]

Its the beauty of the global economy and an ever present language barrier; they don't know why we don't know what they know, and then we don't understand what it is they are trying to teach us when they send instruction written by somebody who has no clue how to use the translation software. Clear as mud. Good thing the pumps are better built than any of us ever thought possible.

[Ribbonstone]

Just information….can debate it, just what I’ve found.

Two things kill pumps early: friction and heat build up.  Can’t easily do much about the internal fit/finish (friction), but we can control heat by pumping slower/taking breaks. 

Being mechanical, they will all will need repairs sooner or later….assume we’re looking for later.

The real work is in the down stroke, especially getting that last inch of down travel.

That’s where the air transfer from pump to gun happens. 

Air only flows from high pressure to low...so the more air already pumped into the rifle, the higher the pressure the pump has to create to get more air into the rifle, and the harder it is to get that last 1” of down stroke where the real work is done.

Fat people have it easier than skinny people.  At some point, can be locked arm  body weight doing that last bit of pump travel.  Not so much if you’re skinny. 

Pumping is boring and takes patience.