What is the best way to get into a tank? How big is best? Most affordable place to order? I ordered a PCP compressor off of amazon, but want a faster fill option without having to run the rattle box. Thanks for the wisdom!
New to PCP- NEED A FILL TANK
- Thread starter Blanks66
- Start date
If you only want to fill from your compressor you can do what I did and buy a used Fireman's tank from ebay. I got a 4500 psi 45 minute tank (66 ft3) a Scott for about $100. It is in great shape and came with a valve and pressure gauge. But I still needed a fill set. The inexpensive one I got from Amazon leaked badly so I got a good one. Cost twice what the tank cost but it works great.
There seems to be a lot of people who get nervous about "expired" tanks and you cannot get them commercially filled. I don't know anything about that option but I do have a little one bookmarked on Amazon. It's about $200. I see it as potentially useful if I ever fly somewhere with an airgun. A smaller bottle would also be easier to carry when I don't need a lot of air. But neither need is so pressing so I haven't pulled the trigger yet. A small compressor might be a better option.
There seems to be a lot of people who get nervous about "expired" tanks and you cannot get them commercially filled. I don't know anything about that option but I do have a little one bookmarked on Amazon. It's about $200. I see it as potentially useful if I ever fly somewhere with an airgun. A smaller bottle would also be easier to carry when I don't need a lot of air. But neither need is so pressing so I haven't pulled the trigger yet. A small compressor might be a better option.
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The larger volume tanks will have more fills per fill (A very good thing). Most importantly for me at least is one having dual gauges (one for tank one for fill pressure). I have a Joe Brancatto, TopGun-Aiguns/AirTanksforSale that has the dual gauges, slow fill valve and body armor, feet and carry handle plus a fill whip.
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Get used:
Scott Air-Pak SCBA Air Tank Bottle Cylinder 45 Minute 4500 psi Mfg. Date 07/2003 | eBay
Scott Air-Pak SCBA 45 Minute Cylinder.
www.ebay.com
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I have the Joe B tank setup as well. Has been trouble free and the valve is awesome for filling PCP's.
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Pyramyd Air has some refurbished, almost new Air Venturi tanks in their 74 cu ft size fit for $499 and in their 98 cu ft size for $609. Both have most of their 15 year life since manufacture date remaining so can be filled at dive shops.
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My fill set is from Joe B. I think he sells really good "stuff" but I don't choose to always pay that much for what I want. But if your budget allows, I would have full confidence in his bottles too.
My confidence in my "expired" tank is largely based upon the evidence that even when damaged and filled way beyond their rated pressure carbon fiber reinforced tanks do not fragment like all metal tanks can, they carbon fiber prevents pieces from flying off. The Navy report also indicates that 15 year old tanks have a lot of life left in them (at least in the Navy's opinion). I think it's a good bet my tank will just leak if it ever fails. Some of us are comfortable with that sort of a justification but buying a new unexpired tank is certainly a supportable decision also.
My confidence in my "expired" tank is largely based upon the evidence that even when damaged and filled way beyond their rated pressure carbon fiber reinforced tanks do not fragment like all metal tanks can, they carbon fiber prevents pieces from flying off. The Navy report also indicates that 15 year old tanks have a lot of life left in them (at least in the Navy's opinion). I think it's a good bet my tank will just leak if it ever fails. Some of us are comfortable with that sort of a justification but buying a new unexpired tank is certainly a supportable decision also.
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Like mentioned you can fill ( in seconds ) from a larger tank, but doing so every fill you get less and less pressure ( well duh ) so at some stage it become pointless as you only get a few shots.
BUT ! if you shoot tethered to such a tank, well you can just shoot and shoot until your tank pressure are just a bit over your regulated pressure ( assuming you have a regulated rifle )
I have shot my 12 L tank from 300 BAR all the way down to 150 some times ( shoot .177 with a regulated pressure of 100 BAR )
And so i can shoot for about 1 month before i need to get my big tank refilled at a dive shop. Many - many tins of ammo and many hours at the bench.
You can also boost a big tank like that after 1 session of shooting with one of the little compressors, but you need to keep a eye on temperatures ASO, so the little compressor probably need a rest now and then, but it is doable.
Of course you can not shoot tethered to a big 300 BAR tank if your rifle are just a 200 BAR one, that would be dangerous, and you would need a inline regulator between the rifle and the tank.
I hate refilling rifle, i constantly forget my pressures and then at some stage i get annoyed of my rifle not shooting well due to the now low pressure, so i gear up at the bench, open the valve on my big tank, and then just shoot for hours on end.
In this PIC my new 9 L carbonfiber tank on the floor, many Hours of .177 fun in that tank / several thousands of shots for a full power .177 rifle
Yesterday i shot my 9 L tank from 290 BAR to 240 BAR ( about 800 - 850 shots ) so at least 1 more shooting session in there before i have to refill my bottle on my 4 Cylinder big ( Chinese ) boy compressor.
Now that i have my own compressor i tend to not shoot my bottles that low, i usually refill when i get a little under 200 BAR
This new 9 L CF bottle, it feel much smaller / empty faster than my 12 L bottle feel like, but the 12 L is a steel / CF hybrid bottle and heavy like a SOB, and i am old - decrepit - and have to carry my gear in / out of a 2 floor apartment in the town, so the small 9 L CF bottle are a god sendt.
BUT ! if you shoot tethered to such a tank, well you can just shoot and shoot until your tank pressure are just a bit over your regulated pressure ( assuming you have a regulated rifle )
I have shot my 12 L tank from 300 BAR all the way down to 150 some times ( shoot .177 with a regulated pressure of 100 BAR )
And so i can shoot for about 1 month before i need to get my big tank refilled at a dive shop. Many - many tins of ammo and many hours at the bench.
You can also boost a big tank like that after 1 session of shooting with one of the little compressors, but you need to keep a eye on temperatures ASO, so the little compressor probably need a rest now and then, but it is doable.
Of course you can not shoot tethered to a big 300 BAR tank if your rifle are just a 200 BAR one, that would be dangerous, and you would need a inline regulator between the rifle and the tank.
I hate refilling rifle, i constantly forget my pressures and then at some stage i get annoyed of my rifle not shooting well due to the now low pressure, so i gear up at the bench, open the valve on my big tank, and then just shoot for hours on end.
In this PIC my new 9 L carbonfiber tank on the floor, many Hours of .177 fun in that tank / several thousands of shots for a full power .177 rifle
Yesterday i shot my 9 L tank from 290 BAR to 240 BAR ( about 800 - 850 shots ) so at least 1 more shooting session in there before i have to refill my bottle on my 4 Cylinder big ( Chinese ) boy compressor.
Now that i have my own compressor i tend to not shoot my bottles that low, i usually refill when i get a little under 200 BAR
This new 9 L CF bottle, it feel much smaller / empty faster than my 12 L bottle feel like, but the 12 L is a steel / CF hybrid bottle and heavy like a SOB, and i am old - decrepit - and have to carry my gear in / out of a 2 floor apartment in the town, so the small 9 L CF bottle are a god sendt.
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I don't agree that it is dangerous to "shoot tethered" with a tank that has more air pressure than the gun can take, or that a regulator is required to do so, any more than it would be dangerous to use such a tank to fill a gun. I do it often without a regulator - but it is a different experieince.
I simply fill the gun to the pressure I want and then close the valve but leave the line charged. Then I shoot off a mag or so of shots, and the crack the valve to put another 100 psi or so back in the gun (whatever makes sense for the gun) as part of swapping or reloading magazines. If it is a single shot gun, I just crack the valve every ten or twenty shots (whatever makes sense for that gun). Sure, it's not as convenient as using a regulator, but it can be done very safely.
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That is also a way to do it.
Some worry about tethered if the line come loose it will whip around.
Not on my current setup as it is a probe and it vent / fill in both directions so it " brake " itself.
A foster quick connect might, but then again with a micro bore hose, you do not have a lot of air coming thru it.
I do not worry one bit about shooting tethered to my fill kit / bottle
I have tethered shot my 200 BAR FX Cyclone on my 300 BAR bottle too, but of course not before it was shot down to 200 BAR or less with my Maverick.
I also have a 12 L 200 bar bottle, but i dont use it these days for other than dusting things off at home, i got that in 2012 and since then it have been filled 7 times all of them before 2015,,,,,, should really have it inspected, but with so little use i am reluctant to do that CUZ that " service " are also not cheap in Denmark.
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I see there are 2ea almost new 60 minute tanks available in the AGN classifieds for $500 each. That is a better deal than the refurbished Pyramyd tanks I posted above. 60 minute tanks are the equivalent of Pyramyds 98 cu ft tanks.
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Get used:
Scott Air-Pak SCBA Air Tank Bottle Cylinder 45 Minute 4500 psi Mfg. Date 07/2003 | eBay
Scott Air-Pak SCBA 45 Minute Cylinder.www.ebay.com
(noob here) is is nerve racking to fill a 21yo tank to 4500psi?
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No, why should it be? HPA has potential to be dangerous, you and you alone can make a decision for yourself, you alone are responsible for the outcome and it the risk/reward it too great for you, just pass and buy a new bottle.
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Well it had to happen some day.
Shooting Saturday tethered to my 9L CF bottle, my Two started to feel a little weird, but as it turned out i had shot my big bottle all the way down to 10 - 15 BAR over my regulator setting.
So ended that session, boosted my 9L bottle back up to 300 BAR and drove home.
I sort of wish the PCP rifle fill kits had a low pressure whistle as you will see / have on smoke diver kits, but i suppose that's just 1 more place for a possible failure.
Also people probably looking at their gauge on fill kit or rifle when filling traditionally, but we can now conclude that i do not do it traditionally and do not pay terrible much attention to my gauges.
Also i shoot a lot, so even with a big bottle, sooner or later i end up there.
Really Friday and Saturday was not so bad, but i did get over 1000 shots, so all my 16 grain and a few 20 grain and even a little 24 grain too.
Note to self bring more ammo.
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There are "deals" on used tanks from ebay and the likes, Get one that has at least one year of "life" and go get it hydro tested as soon as y9ou get it.
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You might take a look @ gx3 ? compressor. Runs on 18v (2) but will run on 1. Might be the answer and not mess around with bottles. Still not as fast as bottle but kills 2 bird w/ 1 stone! That's what I do if I were just getting in!
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If you're referring to your compressor as a rattle box I would assume that it's a small inexpensive model. Before you decide to purchase a bottle you want to make sure that your compressor is going to be able to fill it. It may reach the desired pressure but it may have to run for days to fill it too capacity.
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