Compressor and psi basics

[Snowwolfe]

Contacted a local dive shop today asking them about filling tanks for PCP rifles and they replied:

"Yes, we can fill them up to 3,500psi (some air rifle tanks are rated up to 4500), assuming it has the standard small quick connect fitting.

I am a total novice when it comes to psi. Is 3500 psi good enough to power my Marauder and Airbow?

Been reading about carbon fiber tanks that can hold 4500 psi. What is the main difference between a 3500 and 4500 psi tanks? Does the 4500 just hold more compressed air?

[Booder98]

I think both the Marauder an the Airbow are 3000 psi max.  A tank filled to 3500 psi will fill the guns to their max recommended pressure.  Sooner or later the pressure of the available air in the tank will go below 3000 psi, depending on the capacity of the tank.

A 4500 psi tank will hold more air and give you more fills than a 3500 psi tank, assuming the same volume for both tanks.

ETA: https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/Tanks/FillCalc.html Fill calculator

[customcutter]

I don't know what the recommended fill pressures are for a Marauder or Airbow, but it should be in the owner's manual or on the gauge on the guns.

Carbon Fiber Tanks have to be re-certified every 5 years and have a 15 year life.  You have to take it somewhere to have it filled, usually have to leave it and return to pick it up.  If they fill it when you are there it will be hot due to filling and when it cools pressure will be considerably less.  Extra cost of fuel, wear and tear on a vehicle, traffic, etc..

As cheap as pumps are I would consider getting a pump instead of a tank.  Also a lot more convenient, they are even available in 12V and can be operated off of a car battery.  (Make sure your car is running when using to keep the battery charged).   Unless you need the portability of a tank.  Do you normally shoot more than 1 fill when shooting?

Lots of things to consider.  Good luck.

[Raider03]

Hi,
AOA has a fill calculator on their website, enter all the info and you can compare the number of fills from a 3500psi air tank.
Then change the tank pressure to 4500psi and you will get the number fills for that pressure.

https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/Tanks/FillCalc.html

[Snowwolfe]

Thanks for educating me. I shoot off the back porch almost every day of the year. When the airbow arrives it will likely go thru a 2-3 fills a day as the wife will learn how to shoot it at different ranges. No way in heck am I going to use a manual pump. Most likely I’ll buy a large CF tank then eventually a compressor to fill it.
One piece at a time . Eventually will add a big bore rifle and a Maruader pistol as well.

[Raider03]

Thanks for educating me. I shoot off the back porch almost every day of the year. When the airbow arrives it will likely go thru a 2-3 fills a day as the wife will learn how to shoot it at different ranges. No way in heck am I going to use a manual pump. Most likely I’ll buy a large CF tank then eventually a compressor to fill it.
One piece at a time . Eventually will add a big bore rifle and a Maruader pistol as well.

Nice plan!

[JimD]

Have you considered a new compressor and a used SCBA tank?  Used tanks are much less expensive but if they have any years left they may not have many - but that is reflected in the price.  You will not be able to get them commercially filled after they are 15 years old but you can fill them yourself if you have a compressor.  This is what I do.  My Yong Heng + expired SCBA tank + fill set cost about what a new tanks costs.  You could also get a used tank with a few years left and a current sticker and get that filled until you buy a compressor.   

To use an expired tank you have to be comfortable with any risk.  I am pretty sure it will leak rather than violently rupture but I don't think anybody can say for sure. 

[Mr Fluffy Tail]

3500 isnt too bad, itl get im guessing about half the fills going to 4500 will get you,  its easier on the equipment anyway .. thats 'if' they actually put 3500 in it .. once you get below your guns fill max say 2900, you can just hook a tank directly to the gun and leave it on when your shooting off a bench ... big bores, and i assume airbows, to, use alot of air, id suggest having an ample air fill system going before jumping into that ..

[ranchibi]

You can also purchase a relatively inexpensive compact 4500psi electric compressor off of amazon or ebay....I'd recommend finding one that you can get an extended warranty (2-4 year) for from amazon....only use it to fill gun reservoirs no tanks. They all probably come from one or 2 factories.

[Snowwolfe]

3500 isnt too bad, itl get im guessing about half the fills going to 4500 will get you,  its easier on the equipment anyway .. thats 'if' they actually put 3500 in it .. once you get below your guns fill max say 2900, you can just hook a tank directly to the gun and leave it on when your shooting off a bench ... big bores, and i assume airbows, to, use alot of air, id suggest having an ample air fill system going before jumping into that ..

The issue is I have yet to find any commercial place around me that has a 4500psi compressor. Plan is to still buy a CF 4500psi tank because sometime in the future I'll purchase a compressor.

[JimD]

Randy,

I think either a tank first or a compressor first will work.  Tank first is dependant on the ability to get it filled.  Filling to 3500 will work but will require more frequent refilling.  I used my Yong Heng to fill my guns before getting my used SCBA tank and fill set.  It worked fine but I had to listen to the noisy compressor every time I needed air.  Still better than a hand pump.  A Yong Heng will fill a large capacity gun in a minute or two at the most.  My little Prod was seconds, well under a minute.  The 12V compressors seem to take several minutes to fill guns with significant capacity.

Tanks are really nice for the lack of noise.  They also fill a gun really quickly.

Jim

[RayK]

In the old days, we all started with the hand pump, then soon bought tanks (with the 4500psi SCBA being the best for lots of good fills), then bought our own compressors.

Now the Yong Heng pump works great for filling guns, so I fill my guns the night before I go shooting.  I shoot all day and still have air left in some of my guns at the end of the day.  My Uragan has 300 bar (4350psi) fill and most of my SPA guns have 250 bar (3625psi) fill.

I always use Royal Purple compressor oil in my YH compressor and blow the cooling water out of the lines after each filling session.  If you leave the water in the head, it will cause corrosion.  My YH has been going strong for 4 years now and I use it every weekend.

I have filled tanks with YH, but I don't bother any more.  I did add an extra in-line moisture trap between the pump and my gun to help keep the moisture out of my tanks and guns.

Ray

[triggertreat]

It is good that you are being honest with yourself with acknowledging that a hand pump is just not fun while trying to have fun.  I was a little more stubborn in my PCP beginnings and paid the price of not having fun for too long.

To have more fun I picked up a used 60-minute SCBA tank on eBay and made the round trips to a scuba shop for refills.  That was no fun either as I had to limit my shooting to someone else's time schedule, and I was not getting my money's worth either as my 4500psi fill was much reduced after the tank cooled back down.

So, to have even more fun I bought a 4500psi compressor (Air Venturi 4500) to fill the tank.  This was all to refill my Marauder I was shooting off the deck.  Since I had my own air source now, I could buy some much nicer guns I needed for other tasks (Listed in my signature).  I can say you are on the right track to having the most fun in air gunning with having your own air.

I like using the tanks...they are fast to fill.  I also have a 30-minute SCBA now for short trips.  With the tanks I can keep them hooked to my gun while at the bench to refill very quickly and also watch the guns remaining pressure easily on the larger tank gauge without flipping the guns over to look.  Once the tank pressure drops down to my guns max fill pressure, I can just open the tanks valve and shoot for a very long time without having to mess will refilling.  I can do this by how I made my tank stand and the fill assembly I picked out which is the Stikman (the best).

Attached is my setup that is a good five years old now and is still going strong.  If you do get into big bore guns requiring high fill pressures like I did with my .357 Slayer you are gonna appreciate having a 4500psi 60-minute SCBA tank and a way to fill it without much fuss so plan ahead so you don't have to spend so much correcting mistakes made.  Air gunning is much more enjoyable when you have what you really need available to you to have the most fun.

[Wayne52]

Finding a place to get tanks filled was easy at first for me (I have three SCBA tanks 4500psi) but when the local dive shop closed down I ended up buying the F10 Shoebox which isn't available anymore.
If I had to buy a compressor today I'd probably get the one that's available at Flying Dragon Air Rifles, I've seen good reviews on these compressor's if they're not abused.  They're oil lubricated so you
would need to address that with the correct filtering to get rid of the oil/water going to the tank.
http://flyingdragonairrifles.org/index.php?route=product/product&path=60&product_id=71

[Doug Wall]

What ever you do, please educate yourself on proper safety procedures for high pressure air. Pressures like 3500 or 4000 psi are nothing to sneeze at!! When things go wrong at those kind of pressures, it can cause serious damage, injury, or death.

[anti-squirrel]

My wife and I shoot a lot- frequently our big-bores now, but we can go through a lot of pellets in a shooting session with the .25 and smaller PCPs.  I used to handpump- even on our EdGuns, now I use a GX CS-2 which can be powered from either automotive 12v or 120v.  Unless portability away from a power source is absolutely the most important thing, skip the bottle.  Especially with an airbow- you won't get many "fills" out of a 3500 PSI tank, and a tank that fills to 4500 PSI is notably more expensive.

Here's the Amazon link to the compressor I've been using for 2 years and many many thousands of shots: 

[tennx]

I dont have any tanks….but did inquire to the local fire extinguishers company they  fill tanks….most dive shops have closed…

[Snowwolfe]

Still have one ace in the hole. I live in a very small town with a volunteer fire department a mile and a half from my house. One day when I drive by and see someone there will ask about getting the tank filled. Am hoping they say yes and it would be worth a 6 pack if they can do the favor.

Knew this new hobby would be expensive to start, perhaps that is why I avoided doing it for so many years. Depending on others is not my favorite thing to do and this is why a 4500 psi compressor capable of filling a large bottle will be purchased in the near future.

My initial thought was to only buy a Marauder. After discovering the wife is legally allowed to use an airbow during archery season one was added to our "wish list". Then discovered the Marauder pistol which would be a handy toy on our deer stand to get rid of noisy squirrels and crows. Next year a rifle capable of killing a deer will be added.

[Trucker3573]

Just something to keep in mind. Any of these smaller compressors will die. Not a matter of if but when. I’ve heard a max expectancy of 20 hrs run time. At least you can get parts for the yong heng people mention.

[Doug Wall]

Still have one ace in the hole. I live in a very small town with a volunteer fire department a mile and a half from my house. One day when I drive by and see someone there will ask about getting the tank filled. Am hoping they say yes and it would be worth a 6 pack if they can do the favor.

Knew this new hobby would be expensive to start, perhaps that is why I avoided doing it for so many years. Depending on others is not my favorite thing to do and this is why a 4500 psi compressor capable of filling a large bottle will be purchased in the near future.

My initial thought was to only buy a Marauder. After discovering the wife is legally allowed to use an airbow during archery season one was added to our "wish list". Then discovered the Marauder pistol which would be a handy toy on our deer stand to get rid of noisy squirrels and crows. Next year a rifle capable of killing a deer will be added.

You'll have to be very lucky to get the FD to fill it. Most won't do it for liability reasons.