Niksan Escalade Aluminum Bottles

[SpindleB]

I am glad that I bought an Ozark and not an Escalade.
Besides the Escalade rear air bottle rated to only 200bar it also cannot be regulated.

I already had an Ozark so why buy another.
That 200bar bottle is a mistake it should be 250bar, which is what this specific thread is all about.
Because both bottles on a 250bar gun are rated for 200bar.

With 850cc of air you really don't need a regulator.
You could regulate but the rear bottle would only fill to the front bottle regulated pressure since it fills from the front.
Regulate the front bottle, replace it with a 700cc or 800cc carbon bottle filled to 4500psi
I'd use a Huben Power adjustable set for 170bar or so.
You would probably get a higher shot count due to the higher volume and pressure in the rear bottle.

 

[Gerry52]

Imho that's unacceptable & does NOT follow usual safety procedures & precautions. That's VERY strange & surprising (& worrisome)!

 

[SpindleB]

Exactly, they want to treat it like warranty rather than safety. It isn't the cost of returning, that is no big deal, it is that they never notified me and want me to pay the shipping and they have to understand how badly they screwed up and screwed me personally.

The other issue is are there more out there and have they been notified. I will bet that no, they have not.

I'm seriously considering contacting CPC, FTC whomever deals with this sort of thing given the attitude at DonnyFL.

 

[Chris_K]

CPSC
https://www.cpsc.gov/

 

[nobody1]

CPSC
https://www.cpsc.gov/

Report quickly before Musk gets in there

 

[SpindleB]

CPSC
https://www.cpsc.gov/

Thanks, was already there and filed a report

 

[SpindleB]

Well, I offered to send the gun back for a full refund, at my expense, they have gone silent.
So, I'll keep heating the bottles and eventually the loctite will break loose.
I'll put my CF tanks on and save the Aluminum bottles for the CPSC if they want them.
But a brilliant policy, Safety pfft, so what if we knew, you have to pay for us to fix our mistakes.

What kind of idjit puts loctite on the bottles?

 

[SpindleB]

Update
DonnyFL no longer responds to my email.
Got the 200bar bottles off per their advice.
Two men, large pliers and some grunting finally got both bottles off the Escalade.

Bad news, there is a M18x1.5 male to male adapter in the rear bottle. More grunting and zero movement.

Apply 500f heat gun air for 1 hour, nope.
Bake in oven at 500f for 1 hour, nope.
3 days in acetone, nope.

Have asked DonnyFL to just supply that adapter.

5 days ago I turned down an offer of $400 off a Karma Rifle. I don't want a Karma, maybe before I ordered my Reximex Throne 2.

Have asked multiple times for the adapter.
Just silence.

I built up a kludge adapter from parts I need for another project. The gun can be aired up. But the kludge has a slow leak. I'll drain it again and fix the leak.

But the idea of taking this shot to their reputation just boggles my mind. $50 shipping label and a safety issue would have been solved.

 

[Hobbyman2007]

Absolutely pathetic. A visit to the better business bureau may be in order.

 

[SpindleB]

Absolutely pathetic. A visit to the better business bureau may be in order.

Had not thought of that one.

I just can't imagine letting this go on and on.
As I have told them, it is their choice.

 

[WoodWelder]

Better Business Bureau has been a joke for a few decades now! LOL

 

[SpindleB]

We seem to have come to an agreement. They will replace the Escalade with another Niksan not Escalade. The needed M18 adapter is not available.

My assumption being that all Escalade have the same bottles thread locked to the gun. May not be thread lock, may have been just incredibly torqued on the gun, I'm looking at the threads and see no gunk. But the bottle is supposed to be hand tightened not torqued so hard it takes two adults to break it loose. That M18 adapter, heated multiple times, soaked in Acetone for days, is still locked solidly into the rear bottle. So changing the bottles on an Escalade may not be an option for anyone.

They still claim the permanent 200bar marking is just mislabeled. That the after manufacture marking on the front bottle supercedes the permanent unaltered 200bar marking.

But this all was 100% avoidable.
Recognize the safety issue.
Take rifle back at their own or their vendors expense.
Replace bottles or gun.
Return.

After having taken the bottles off they would have been stuck like i was with the rear bottle adapter.

More next week when they decide to respond again.

 

[silverstreak]

Maybe someone else who has bought the same rifle can chime in... anyhow good to have things resolved.

 

[SpindleB]

Proposals have been exchanged.
Details have not.

I haven't seen anyone else with the Escalade here. There may be but they haven't chimed in.

Maybe reddit or Facebook but I'm not going to chase them down.

 

[nobody1]

Proposals have been exchanged.
Details have not.

I haven't seen anyone else with the Escalade here. There may be but they haven't chimed in.

Maybe reddit or Facebook but I'm not going to chase them down.

So glad I did not buy an Escalade.

The Niksan Ozark I bought (on your recommendation and some of the very few likely paid reviews) is acceptable after adding my regulator, total price around $400.
I would not buy again if I knew what I know now.

So, Niksan importers/distributors (DonnyFL, The Pellet Shop, etc) keep your Niskans, since they are not worth buying for the $400 price.

I just wish that the airgun importers shoot the airguns before they import and try selling them.
That assumes that the importers are actually shoooting airguns.

 

[SpindleB]

So glad I did not buy an Escalade.

The Niksan Ozark I bought (on your recommendation and some of the very few likely paid reviews) is acceptable after adding my regulator, total price around $400.
I would not buy again if I knew what I know now.

So, Niksan importers/distributors (DonnyFL, The Pellet Shop, etc) keep your Niskans, since they are not worth buying for the $400 price.

I just wish that the airgun importers shoot the airguns before they import and try selling them.
That assumes that the importers are actually shoooting airguns.

I'm perfectly happy with my Ozark. Get a squirrel in the sights and it is done. The Escalade, just like the Ozark, was nice tight groups at 45 yards with the extra tank there were a lot of rounds between fills.

Best under $400 guns on the market. Until I found those bottles, that did put a damper on my enthusiasm. Ozark still is a great value.

 

[nobody1]

I'm perfectly happy with my Ozark. Get a squirrel in the sights and it is done. The Escalade, just like the Ozark, was nice tight groups at 45 yards with the extra tank there were a lot of rounds between fills.

Best under $400 guns on the market. Until I found those bottles, that did put a damper on my enthusiasm. Ozark still is a great value.

With the Ozark the main issues I had were:

• trigger

Not adjustable. Have to replace 2 triggre springs to make it lighter

• noise

The shroud is fake since no air gets in there.
I had to add my own shroud.
It does come with a 1/2-20 adapter and 1/2-20 threaded barrel.

• hammer spring assembly

The hammer spring comes as part of a twin spring system (TSS).
It is impossible to replace the spring.
RIght now, I use the weaker spring because the stronger spring is way too much.
I would like to get a spring in the middle, but I cannot because I cannot replace the spring.

There are other $400 PCPs which are better: Umarex Zelos, Stoeger Bullshark, etc