Hand Pumps - how to do it right?

[Marc]

Looking at getting my first hand pump, and I hear so many mixed messages.  Some say get a cheap China one for $50, some say the nicer pumps are worth it.

And what I think may be important - moisture filter???  Some say it's really important, some not so much? 

I prefer to buy decent quality, and honestly will spend more for non-China stuff.

What is a good hand pump rig to start?

[Nomadic Pirate]

I had 8 HILL pumps, 2 FX and one Hatsan,......I will never, ever buy anything but a 50 bucks China pump from now on.

Those inline moisture stoppers are good if that makes you more comfortable.

[EdinGa]

I've got a Hill, a Benjamin and 2 China pumps. I prefer the China pumps.

[bduares]

The only hand pump I have is the one that came with my Umarex Origin. One thing I learned the hard way is to look up and watch the videos on YouTube of people taking their pumps apart and lubricating them. I skipped that part, went straight to pumping up the Origin, and promptly burned up a tiny o-ring at the bottom inside the pump. Result was it would pump a down stroke but Godzilla could not pull it back up again. After that I learned from the videos. Took it apart and lubed everything vigorously with silicone oil, and I have not had a problem since. The pump tube was also very dirty inside out of the box.

Cheap China pump, which the Umarex pump undoubtedly is, is fine if you do the lubricating and cleaning prep before you use it and watch some videos of guys actually pumping them, the whole stroke, wait a second or so, then stroke, etc. Friction heat is not their friend, and allowing it to cool down after every 40-50 strokes is very recommended.

[Marc]

The pump stuff sounds like more hassle and maintenance the more I learn.  Is it not so bad once you get into it?  Definitely sounding more complicated than shooting my R7

[bduares]

Once the pump is set up it is only a matter of using it correctly and lubing it now and then, in my case a few times a year max.

Of course hand pumps are not for everyone and not for every airgun. For my Diana Bandits, it is easy and fast. 20-25 pumps and they are full. For my Origin it would take more and be a workout if I had let the pressure get too low, but even then about 100 pumps or so and it would be full. My Challenger only has a 300cc air tube but I fill it to 3800-4000 psi. I have hand pumped it twice. It was hard work and required several rest periods both for me and my pump. Something like that is much easier to fill with a compressor, so I use my Nomad II for that one, and for the Origin as well. For the Bandits I hardly ever bother with the compressor and just use the hand pump.

If you absolutely have to have a hand pump - and everyone should actually since compressors do go out for various reasons over time - then a cheap China pump is no "worse" than an expensive one if it is set up, maintained and used correctly.

[EdinGa]

I have a really hard time finding the motivation to exercise, but I enjoy the workout from pumping. It's the reward of being able to shoot that does the trick for me. It's not for everyone, but we all have different tastes.

[Harv24]

Cheap Chinese pump here, I don't mind the work out and it has filled my 280 CC Cayden tank to 3000 psi with minimal issues.

[splitbeing]

China pump. Comes with plenty of spare orings too.

[threesuns]

personally i prefer my 2 hill pumps over my older benjamin pump … 1 has a dry pack & 1 does not … can’t tell any difference after using both but tend to go with the dry pack equipped one 1rst. doctor is encouraging me to get more exercise … better start putting more pellets down range.

[johnbrown]

I own 5-6 China pumps.
They cost $25-$35 each (including tax and shipping) and last a long time (1-3 years at least) if you pump 40-50 pumps at a time and let them cool down for 15-30 minutes (depending on the surrounding temperature).
If I had to pay $100-$250 for a pump (Benjamin pump, Hill pump, etc) I would have never started using PCPs.
Now PCPs are by far my favorite airguns, all thanks to the cheap and reliable China pump.

[Gone Fishing]

I own 5-6 China pumps.
They cost $25-$35 each (including tax and shipping) and last a long time (1-3 years at least) if you pump 40-50 pumps at a time and let them cool down for 15-30 minutes (depending on the surrounding temperature).
If I had to pay $100-$250 for a pump (Benjamin pump, Hill pump, etc) I would have never started using PCPs.
Now PCPs are by far my favorite airguns, all thanks to the cheap and reliable China pump.

I do the Hill pumps. Love them. The intake filter is BS marketing though. Use an inline filter.

I suspect they are nearly all the same. I bought from Hill to buy English and not Chinese, but like I said I'm sure they are just about all the same.

[Marc]

I own 5-6 China pumps.
They cost $25-$35 each (including tax and shipping) and last a long time (1-3 years at least) if you pump 40-50 pumps at a time and let them cool down for 15-30 minutes (depending on the surrounding temperature).
If I had to pay $100-$250 for a pump (Benjamin pump, Hill pump, etc) I would have never started using PCPs.
Now PCPs are by far my favorite airguns, all thanks to the cheap and reliable China pump.

I do the Hill pumps. Love them. The intake filter is BS marketing though. Use an inline filter.

I suspect they are nearly all the same. I bought from Hill to buy English and not Chinese, but like I said I'm sure they are just about all the same.

That sounds like my speed.  I try to avoid buying Chinese if I can.  The inline filter, is that a moisture filter?

[T-Man]

HPAman,
I currently use a Hill MK3 - can you provide info on which inline filters you recommend?

[lennyk]

those 3stage chinese pumps cannot be beat in price and performance
none of the non-chinese make a pump that can match the performance or quality hands down.

[KevinJBrown]

I have used a Hill Pump with a moisture filter since last March without incident. It still basically looks like new except for wear on the hand grips. Maybe a cheaper pump would have worked as well for me, I have no comparison.

[Greg_E]

I have a cheapo pump and a Benjamin pump... The cheapo works, but it is slower to pump up the gun (less volume per stroke). That means it is also easier at the higher pressures. Both give you a workout and 2000 to 3000 psi on bigger tanks is certainly a bunch of work.

[Trucker3573]

I own 5-6 China pumps.
They cost $25-$35 each (including tax and shipping) and last a long time (1-3 years at least) if you pump 40-50 pumps at a time and let them cool down for 15-30 minutes (depending on the surrounding temperature).
If I had to pay $100-$250 for a pump (Benjamin pump, Hill pump, etc) I would have never started using PCPs.
Now PCPs are by far my favorite airguns, all thanks to the cheap and reliable China pump.

I do the Hill pumps. Love them. The intake filter is BS marketing though. Use an inline filter.

I suspect they are nearly all the same. I bought from Hill to buy English and not Chinese, but like I said I'm sure they are just about all the same.

That sounds like my speed.  I try to avoid buying Chinese if I can.  The inline filter, is that a moisture filter?

This is the filter I use on my pump.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/air-venturi-compact-inline-filter?a=9038

[T-Man]

Does anyone know where I can find a fill line for a Hill pump?  I wouldn't want to put an inline filter against my rifle or attached directly to the pump outlet.

[nervoustrigger]

My experiences mirror many others’ here.  I have or had a Benjamin, Hill, and 3 of the cheap Chinese pumps.  The cheap ones have worked every bit as well as the name brands.  They’ve all been used extensively and all have needed service at some point along the way.  The only outlier was the Benjamin...it was tough to keep it running but it was a victim of neglect by a prior owner.  It did seem to go through the final stage O-ring quicker than the rest and I could not attribute that to the neglect.