Can I use any air compressed tank for a PCP air rifle?

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Air tanks are filled by compressors. In my experience going cheap doesn't work. Like at all. You can get a tank filled at a scuba shop or paintball shop or if your lucky your local fire department. Offer them coffee and donuts and you may get farther than I did. Anyway I highly suggest getting the biggest tank you can afford from airtanksforsale.com. less trips to the scuba shop and less hassel. If you go the air compressor route there are plenty of small ones that are designed to run for short periods and just fill your gun. Most have adapters to run on your car lighter port as well. I can't recommend any because I just bought 2 tanks and then a compressor to fill them. If you want a good compressor that can fill tanks the cheapest I'd go is the air venturi compressor for around 1300 bucks. I'm generally a guy that recommends lower cost high value stuff but on this you just have to spend money I'm sorry to say. The air tank from amazon or Ali express does work and it seems to be safe but its not rated in America so no dive shop or paintball place will fill them. Same for expired Scott tanks from eBay. Buy once cry once on this deal my friend. The air goes fast too so remember to get as big of a tank as possible. 
 
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I started out with a hand pump and eventually went with a couple of small tanks. But adding up what it cost me to fill, which varies widely depending on where you live, I thought buying an inexpensive compressor would be a good investment. I looked at the water-less oil-less units and found them to not be very durable, and very limiting in what they could fill, so went with the Yong Heng because it was water cooled and had oil in the crankcase. They are great units in case you don't want to spend $1500 on one and they are only $300. You want water cooled for durability on anything you buy under the $2000 mark. Above that dollar amount air cooled is fine and they last many years.

I believe the Air Venturi will fill larger tanks in one sitting. It is a decent unit and weighs in at a bit over 76lb ready to go.

Out of the box the Yong Heng will fill larger tanks only if you do them in 10 to 15 minute stages. With a few mods you can fill them in one sitting. It weighs less than 40lbs

If you want portability then there are plenty of the little 12V units out there but you need to only fill guns and take very good care of them or they can be toast in a minute or two.

 Yong Heng post link

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/a-dedicated-yong-heng-subforum/#post-1127767

Me I think it best to have both a tank and a compressor. I can fill my tanks and guns at home and fill my guns from the tanks at the range.

As far as the tanks go you want a 4500psi carbon tank for portability and the most fills bigger is better.

Most of the Chinese tanks are not DOT certified so can't be filled here in the US unless of course you have your own compressor.

I wish you luck with fulfilling your air needs.


 
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Yes I agree with everything bio just said. I had two yong hengs and they both failed within a year. The good news is that if you buy off amazon you can purchase a warranty for 3 years. This is what I would do if you go that route. All compressors use an electrical outlet that I know of. I don't really know how much it costs to fill. I had a paintball shop fill the smallest tank on the market for ten bucks. I have no idea what the going rate is for higher ones. I seriously suggest either getting a good tank and at least a yong heng or just getting one big tank and filling it up at the shop. Also if you are shooting a 177 that tank will last a long time. A 25 cal will go much faster and big bore goes really fast. You can get away with only having a tank for a long time using a good 177 or 22. 
 
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There is actually a rechargeable compressor out there it is one of the oil-less water-less units so not very durable. Hard to say if it will werq for long enough to be worth it to you or not.

https://www.amazon.com/GX-Portable-Compressor-Lithium-Ion-Paintball/dp/B0974PBNL3/ref=sr_1_47?keywords=pcp+air+compressor&qid=1639725437&sr=8-47
Click to expand...

Interesting. I'd love to see a "top shelf" portable electric compressor along those lines for a higher price point. Especially if it were serviceable. Hmmm 
 
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There is no such thing as a top shelf portable electric compressor.... At least not yet. The design is inherently flawed. Its OK and will last awhile if you don't use it as a primary fill source. Those compressors will fail if used to fill your guns and you shoot every day very quickly....like anywhere from a year to 3 years. Not a big deal if you know how to work on them and can source parts but in my opinion those compressors shine when you fill your guns regularly at home by a larger compressor and use a portable for filling your guns on weekend hunting trips or when your going to the range. I could be totally wrong and someone out there built a bulletproof design but I can't see how its possible with the current technology. I don't recommend them as a primary source of air if your planning on shooting everyday. There's nothing wrong with starting with a hand pump and saving until you have enough for a great white sized tank from airtanksforsale. Or a compressor or both. Do yourself a favor and buy a water cooled compressor of some kind if you buy a compressor. Good luck 
 
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Optimally you need a tank that can hold more than the max pressure your gun bottle/air tube can hold (i.e., SCBA firefighter tank, high pressure SCUBA tank). If you WON'T have your own compressor you need to find a place near you to get it filled (dive shop, paintball shop or an accommodating fire station). If filling at a shop tank must be visually certified & hydrotested every 5yrs). Be sure to ask shop IF they can fill to needed tank pressure & ALL costs involved. That's a VERY basic answer so search the "Tanks, Pumps, Compressor" section of this forum to educate yourself & find what's right for you at this point. Having your own compressor & tank(s) is the best way to go for a lot of us here but depends on how deep into the "rabbit hole" one can afford or want to get.
 
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Yes you can get a compressor to fill your air tank but I hope you realize we are talking about high pressure compressors not the ones you use to fill tires and run air tools. Some people try to use scuba tanks that fill to only 3000 psi or some that can be filled to 3500 psi but those will not fill your pcp rifles up more than once if that if your rifle takes a 3600 psi fill. The two options I would consider is buying a 4500 rated carbon fiber tank if you have a scuba shop in your are that can fill it to close to its fill capacity. Next if you do only have one rifle then using one of the small portable compressor sold by Pyramid Air or the other airgun dealers is an option. I would rather buy from a US company than buy a Yong Heng which could be a problem if it went bad on you. I do recommend all the air supply products sold by Air Tanks for Sale as they are high quality and they have the expertise to guide you in your purchase and needs. Bill
 
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