Hill hand pump @$200?

[sidpost]

I'm not filling large tanks and don't have any bottle air rifles.

Is the Hill hand pump a reasonable option for someone who doesn't deplete their air rifle air supply every day? A $300 air compressor that breaks and can't be repaired is not an option so, the next increment fo rme would be a GX Pumps GX-4 with its water cooling which is ~$500 right now. Would I need any supplemental water separation from the air so I don't rust up my air rifle? Humidity at my place runs 60% on average year-round.

A $200 quality hand pump seems like a good option with low risk of failures and easy rebuilds if needed.

TIA,
Sid

 

[WorriedMan]

Sid,
Here's my $270 Yong Heng, three years old last June, added a $125 copper-colored water coalescing filter and $60 molecular sieve for clean, dry air. Repair parts easily found, inexpensive and not technically difficult to install. Had a gauge (under $20) and water pump ($11) fail, though my fault for pulling on water pump wires. Loud and not portable, can easily fill SCBA tank for away missions. Got a $50 Chinese handpump in closet, so thankful didn't spend big bucks on one, hand pumping took joy out of hobby for me. WM

 

[Joedirt199]

I use a cheap china pump from amazon. My hill sits unused because it is a pain to maintenance and rusts on the inside. My china pump can have water in it for weeks with no corrosion, came with extra parts and orings, easy to take apart and lube and only cost $60. Save the money and get a cheap pump. I have pumped air tanks from zero on numerous occasions. Embrace the suck and feel better afterwards.

 

[AlanMcD]

I have an older Hill pump, and while it was good (and there were no cheap China pumps back when I got it) I think Joe is right - save your money and get a cheaper one as they are fine too.

Handpumping is a fine option for what you describe. I did it for a few years with no issues, but finally broke down and got a tank when I got into modding guns - then we are filling them from empty often, sometimes for just a few shot to then drain, mod and refill again. That part got old, so the tank and later a compressor helped with that.

But for limited shooting just topping up a gun I think handpumps are fine. They are designed so that the base acts as a heat sink, and if you go slow (one stroke every five seconds or so) then the air charge will cool down and water will condense out before going into the gun, so there should be no issues. But you have to make sure that you don't take too many strokes or the pump will heat up - limit it to under 50 strokes a fill session, then vent and give it time to cool down before repeating, if you have to. I simply shot in a manner that always had my gun full again in one 50 stroke session, and you control that by how many shots you take before you refill . . . .