Filling your air gun tank

[mjbskwim]

A local guy,that has a tin hat, was asking me about air guns. I had little to say other than they are popular in Communist countries that you cannot own guns. Don't know about here much
Then the question came up about how to fill those tanks. If you could fill then easily you would have a endless supply of "powder" for endless shots........
I thought about a divers compressor. A tank of air or helium?(guess you get more shots but it is volatile,correct?) would only fill the gun once and it would be below the max pressure for the tank
3K lbs I guess?
So what is the best solution to filling the tanks on these hot rod air guns?
Thanks
Mike

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[etrain16]

I've not owned a PCP style airgun yet - it's on my list of eventual to do's. From the research I've done, it seems that a lot of folks like to use a standard diver's tank of compressed air. You can get a regulator that is designed to attach to the gun - but it's a lot to lug around. You can use a hand pump to pressurize them (they go up to 3K psi+ depending on the model), but it can take a LOT of pumps to get it done. I would think something like helium would be spendy - you would probably pay much less to have your dive tank refilled at a local dive shop.

I'm a believer that folks should have at least one good airgun in their arsenal. They can be used for self defense in a push come to shove situation, use them for small animal hunting or pest control. And the fact that you can carry 500 pellets in .22 or .25 in a small metal tin is a big plus. And the fact that pellets are inexpensive is another bonus.

 

[turner]

Hand pumps work fine, will run you between $100-300 and take maybe 40 or 50 pumps from 2k to 3k psi.

Alternatively, there are tanks. You could use scuba tanks as mentioned. There are also other tanks (eg. wrapped in fiberglass resin) which will tolerate higher pressures and are generally smaller if you're concerned about hauling them around.

You don't want to use anything but compressed air in your rifle and tanks unless it was specifically designed for it. (read: not helium)

You can have a dive shop fill your tanks for you, and it'll be done with dry air, which you want. If you want to do it at home with a small footprint, look for (and get out your wallet) a shoebox compressor.

 

[Joe13]

+1 for the hand pump for its ability to unlimitedly resupply your air.

Scuba tank would be what I would use if I shot regularly.

 

[mjbskwim]

Dive compressors are around $3000=3500 to start out. That looks like one a guy would keep on his dive boat for extended trips or a small shop.
How many fills will a dive tank get you? And can you get tanks filled without any dive certification?
Problem here is it's a bit of a drive for a dive shop,lol
Where do you find these hand pumps?
BTW these guns aren't exactly priced to compete with High points either

 

[etrain16]

Where do you find these hand pumps?

Amazon - Air Force Brand, up to 3,600 PSI, $212: http://www.amazon.com/AirForce-Rifles-Incl-Adapter-Pumps/dp/B000TFJ368

Walmart - Benjamin Brand, up to 3,600 PSI, $153: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Benjamin-High-Pressure-PCP-Air-Pump/16536064

And they're available at place like Airgun Depot, Pyramyd Air, etc.

 

[cally88]

Most guns fill to 3k psi so if your using a 3k dive tank then technically you would only get 1 fill to 3k psi. It would also depend on the guns tank size and your tank size.

Most pcp's operate at a range of pressures from 3k-2k.

The better uption is a 4.5k psi carbon fiber tank to maximize number of fills, and a necessity if your filling past 3k.

You could also use a shoebox compressor (small compressor that hooks to a shop compressor to increase pressure to 3k) but they need a first stage compressor to deliver air at a starting pressure of 125 psi. If you wanted to be completely self sufficient the. You would want a carbon fiber tank and a 4.5k psi compressor. The 4.5k compressors will set you back between $1,200-6,000.

Also if you shoot infrequently then you could use a hand pump to fill your gun.

Expensive, yes but self reliance costs.... There are people hunting all sized animals with airguns.... Imagine taking down a cape buffalo with an airgun or just shooting in your backyard very quietly.

 

[mjbskwim]

Thanks for all the info everyone

 

[Mistman]

My neighbor brought a 9mm air rifle over a couple weeks ago. 1k fps w/a 115 gn bullet. He only gets about 7 shots before needing to recharge. He has a .22 that he can get about 25 shots out of. He uses a hand pump to charge them (well, he has his boy do it for him) to 3k psi, say's it takes about 100 pumps. The .22 is set up w/a night sight for shooting rats, pretty sweet rifles for sure.