Air tank question

[tcshooter52]

Hi to all. I'm learning all that I can before buying my first pcp but, I don't know anything about air tanks. If possible, I would like info on what to buy. Any and all information would be very nice.

Thanks, John

[Bimota]

http://airhog.com/tank.htm

Joe is a great guy to deal with.

http://www.hamcontact.com/airgun/HoseAssembly/mod.htm

Find out what psi your fill place can do . My guy can't do over 4000 psi. Why spend
big $ on a 4500 psi tank and not be able to fill it over 4000?

[TOM aka critter99]

I have 6 tanks and no matter what the SCUBA shops cascade system says after the tank cools I never have more than about 4200 PSI if I am lucky

still beats pumping

get a charge hose set up and watch for a tank used or the ones in bargain gate right now are a good deal

MAC1 has a nice charge hose about $140 bucks

[Addictedtoair]

I used Joe Brancato to get my gear.  airtanksforsale.com
Joe was super helpful and walked me through getting what I needed to do what I wanted to do.  He gives military discounts as well.

Brett

[tcshooter52]

Thanks for the info. Like I said, this is a learning curve but, very exciting.

John

[nipper]

the main issue is if you fill off a casade system to much heat is created and you wont have the pressure you see when full, i only fill tanks off the compressor very slowly , the cascade is used when you need to fill bottles fast....

[TOM aka critter99]

we are not SCUBA shops favorite customers we DO NOT buy lesson, gear, trips etc....so I know if you start to point out they are filling too quick they will just stop filling tanks for air guns and paintball.

Its sorta of a fine line to walk...one dive shop I used to use tottally stopped filling their excuse was its "too hard on my compressor" to fill to 4500 PSI.....told me this while his cascade gauges over his shoulder read over 5000 PSI in the bank and he had a string of huge 6000 PSI rated tanks in his cascade.

he really meant I can't be bothered with you....you will not buy anything but air fills

so tread lightly if you want fills

[tcshooter52]

I could understand that for that is how they make a living by selling more than just a tank refill. How much does a tank refill cost?

John

[0351_Vet]

Typically $5-7 country wide.

[TOM aka critter99]

was paying 7 but the closest SCUBA shop I use just raised it to 10

[Addictedtoair]

I was paying $10.00 for 4300 psi or so after it cooled.

Brett

[aack73]

Hi to all. I'm learning all that I can before buying my first pcp but, I don't know anything about air tanks. If possible, I would like info on what to buy. Any and all information would be very nice.

Thanks, John

most importantly is determine how or where your gonna get your tank filled. dive shop? paint ball shop? bu a shoebox compressor, or lease a 6000 psi nitrogen tank.

typically a good setup would be to buy a 44cu foot or 88 cu foot scba tank (scba = 4500 psi). get a good fill hose assembly. (mac1 airguns). just make sure you have a source for refills or you may have added expense for your own shoebox compressor or a 6k psi nitrogen tank. if you want more specific or explanations just ask someone will gladly answer. don't know what you do or don't know at this point.

[tcshooter52]

I was wondering about a nitrogen tank but, I don't know what the pro vs con would be.
John

[TOM aka critter99]

N2 tank

depends
big and heavy, lease costs, fill costs, delivery charges etc etc all varies by location

transfer hose costs  to fill smaller tanks to fill rifle from

[Addictedtoair]

The nitrogen is more dry than regular HPA. The tank is usually 6K psi and is very cumbersome to move around. However, no separate tank is required to transfer anything as a regulator is placed on the tank and adjusted down to the rifles fill level usually. They tend to last a very long time. It is often the only option for those with no dive shops around or capable of 4500 psi fills. Going this route is usually the final step one might take before actually committing to a compressor such as the Shoe Box compressor for home use.

Brett

[tcshooter52]

Thanks for the info on the nitrogen tank. Yes they are big and heavy but, dry air is good air. This can be an option. Still considering all options. The shoe box is so expensive. Still learning and like I said all comments welcome for you have all been a big help.

John

[aack73]

the 6k psi n2 tanks come from the local welding supplyy. my n2 tank is big and heavy. requires me to use hand trucks and a lot of effort to move it. typically i just leave it in the basement. costs will vary. mine was $150/ year with $85 refills/exchanges. they will only have about 5500 psi. in them to start with. i still haven't had to exchange it since i got it in feb.

i have filled several other tanks and several other peoples guns. and filled, topped mine off .... have no idea, but i waste a lot of air. mine is still around  3300 psi. have been through many thousands of pellets.lots of dry fires and top offs too. each fill waste lots of n2 due to my bleeder and hose assembly. it's more consistent with temp changes and it's 99.9% nitrogen which virtually eliminates any moisture from air.
 
not exactly required but probably a good idea to use a regulator. pretty much all tanks will fill slowly if opened very slowly and just a little bit. it's fairly easy to control so long as your careful and pay good attention. regulators are gonna run about $300 to $400. they would be useful if you have any intentions of tethering, leaving the air gun connected to the tank while you are shooting. that way you can set what pressure you want going into your gun. while not the cheapest option, i think n2 is best  gas option for your ag. jmo

i have a dive shop less than 5 minutes away that will fill 4500 tanks for $5. i really wanted to specifically use nitrogen myself. while not cheap it's likely a 1 time investment for all future pcp's.

 if you had an n2 tank you will likely still  want a smaller scba tank for portability. short outing where you would want to refill. i finally just broke down and bought one. a cheap used one. i've hauled to sc twice to shoot with some buddy's  and will likely take it again if i plan on shooting for a whole day or 2. but i wouldn't think of dragging it over to my brothers house for an afternoon.

edit: 1 plus over a shoe box is i can refill a 44cu' scba tank for my nitrogen tank in maybe a minute or 2 safely without generating a lot of heat. while the shoebox will take several hours to do this. not sure the life span of a shoebox but it doesn't have a yearly lease fee either. maybe a little maintenance. i don't have a shoebox so can't say. several on here do. maybe they could give us some insight as to maintenance if any.  

[tcshooter52]

Sounds like the 6k psi n2 tank might be a good option. I have heard alot about the shoe box but, from what I gather it takes a long time to fill. What is the pro and con of the shoe box? The con I see first off is the price.

John

[Rico14]

Sounds like the 6k psi n2 tank might be a good option. I have heard alot about the shoe box but, from what I gather it takes a long time to fill. What is the pro and con of the shoe box? The con I see first off is the price.

John

You are going to be spending several hundred dollars, no matter which way you decide to go. From what I've read, getting set up with a nitrogen tank and regulator will cost you about the same as a Shoebox. If you get a Shoebox, you are air independent. You don't have to drive anywhere to get air or have anyone deliver a tank to you. Yes, the Shoebox is not the fastest way to fill a tank. It takes 4 hours to fill an 88cf tank from 3000 to 4500. It takes about 40 minutes to fill a 17cf tank from 3000 to 4500. Depending on your AG, the small 17 cf Guppy tank will give you up to around 400 shots before it needs to be refilled. Most people would only need a Shoebox and a Guppy tank.

[tcshooter52]

Thanks for the info.