Does it make sense to get a scuba tank for my Texan 457? My neighbor has one and I'm not sure.
Scuba tanks
- Thread starter Andy2828
- Start date
Are you genuinely asking or are you peppering our forums with random questions in order to meet the criteria to post a sale ad in the classifieds forum?
If you’re genuinely asking, I’m of the opinion that it makes sense to buy a SCBA tank after buying a big-bore air rifle. You’ll have a portable air source readily available to refill your gun at a campsite, beside your range table, on your range
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I am interested. My neighbor got it for his gun but doesn't use it. I only get 4 shots out of my Texan so I was considering tethering it but I don't know if I want to put anymore $$ into this gun.
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Big bore air rifles generally use a lot of air to push a heavy projectile down range with force. I don’t know many that get a lot of shots without having to refill them unless you tether them. If you wish to hunt, then I can’t see tethering as a viable option unless you’re seated in a blind waiting on an animal to show up within your line of sight and range.
Having a SCBA tank close by is good for us hunters to refill without making a lot of noise as opposed to using a noisy portable compressor or the time and energy it takes to refill with a hand pump. The other thing to consider is this, how may shots are you realistically going to take at an medium to large sized animal with a Texas on a hunt? It’s a single shot big bore. Typical we shoot and the animal either falls or attempts to get away. If you miss with a loud big bore, your quarry is gone and you have to reload so those other shots aren’t so relevant are they? Make sense? The name of the game with a big bore is range, shot placement, and accuracy. Really with any hunting implement. Ideally that should be our goal as hunters to take one shot. Learn it’s capabilities and use it accordingly. I’m giving you advice that I work on applying myself.
In your ad selling your Texan you mentioned hunting foxes with it and it being too much for that. Consider a .35 or .30 airgun for that purpose. There ar plenty of choices in those calibers to chose from. I personally like the AAA Evol in .30, but it’s pricey as are FX guns. You should be able to find affordable options with AEA guns. Also maybe consider a .357 Benjamin Bulldog. You can get 10 good shots on a fill and it shoots well within 50 yards. I push mine to 15 shots and am comfortable doing so. AEA air guns and .357 Benjamin Bulldogs can be purchased for under $1000. Other people may suggest other guns. Daystate and Brockcock are also good guns, but are going to run you north of $1000.
Having a SCBA tank close by is good for us hunters to refill without making a lot of noise as opposed to using a noisy portable compressor or the time and energy it takes to refill with a hand pump. The other thing to consider is this, how may shots are you realistically going to take at an medium to large sized animal with a Texas on a hunt? It’s a single shot big bore. Typical we shoot and the animal either falls or attempts to get away. If you miss with a loud big bore, your quarry is gone and you have to reload so those other shots aren’t so relevant are they? Make sense? The name of the game with a big bore is range, shot placement, and accuracy. Really with any hunting implement. Ideally that should be our goal as hunters to take one shot. Learn it’s capabilities and use it accordingly. I’m giving you advice that I work on applying myself.
In your ad selling your Texan you mentioned hunting foxes with it and it being too much for that. Consider a .35 or .30 airgun for that purpose. There ar plenty of choices in those calibers to chose from. I personally like the AAA Evol in .30, but it’s pricey as are FX guns. You should be able to find affordable options with AEA guns. Also maybe consider a .357 Benjamin Bulldog. You can get 10 good shots on a fill and it shoots well within 50 yards. I push mine to 15 shots and am comfortable doing so. AEA air guns and .357 Benjamin Bulldogs can be purchased for under $1000. Other people may suggest other guns. Daystate and Brockcock are also good guns, but are going to run you north of $1000.
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Just make sure you're talking the same language regarding tanks: the OP says "scuba" while Ezana4CE is referring to SCBA. Similar functions, but two different animals. SCBA is what you want.
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Good point and nice catch. My mind automatically interpreted “scuba” as SCBA. And I agree, a carbon fiber SCBA tank is what you want because they’re light, portable, and generally safely hold up to 4500 psi as opposed to SCUBA tanks (used for diving) holding 3000 psi and being a lot heavier tanks, which is less of an issue under water because of their buoyancy.
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Problem is that you lot dont state size and max. pressure when tanks are mentioned!
No matter how big the tank, a 3000psi will always be under max. fill pressure (for your gun) and of little to no use! The new Texan CF goes 3625psi max.
A 3350psi will be of little use and the larger the better.
Now if we move to 4500psi fillings, things change rapidly, and tank size matters a lot!
My 50 cal Texan will do some 45-48 shots from a 9liter tank filled to 330bar until it drops below 250bar (3625psi).
I have no idea as to how i can translate the actual data to Imperial!
How do you list a tank with the actual internal volume of 9liters to say 549cui or 0.318cft???
But the volume of air at 330bar is 105cft.
Now my Texan uses some 330-250/50x9=14.4liter/shot or .51cft/shot or 24½cft for 48 shots.
Please do download and use this little converter!!!!
https://joshmadison.com/convert-for-windows/
No matter how big the tank, a 3000psi will always be under max. fill pressure (for your gun) and of little to no use! The new Texan CF goes 3625psi max.
A 3350psi will be of little use and the larger the better.
Now if we move to 4500psi fillings, things change rapidly, and tank size matters a lot!
My 50 cal Texan will do some 45-48 shots from a 9liter tank filled to 330bar until it drops below 250bar (3625psi).
I have no idea as to how i can translate the actual data to Imperial!
How do you list a tank with the actual internal volume of 9liters to say 549cui or 0.318cft???
But the volume of air at 330bar is 105cft.
Now my Texan uses some 330-250/50x9=14.4liter/shot or .51cft/shot or 24½cft for 48 shots.
Please do download and use this little converter!!!!
https://joshmadison.com/convert-for-windows/
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One thing to keep in mind, not all SCUBA tanks are 3k psi. The HP tanks are around 3500. With LP steels it is common to cave fill them to 4k, depending on the age of the tank.
DW
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Low maximum pressure limit is the first reason not to buy a scuba tank for PCPs. The second reason, which is just as important as the first is this. SCUBA tanks are bulky and heavy because diving tanks provide negative buoyancy. Firemen and a PCP owners need portability, compact size, weight, and maximum air capacity. This is why SCBA tanks are the preferred choice. My first PCP fill source was a SCUBA tank and it was the biggest purchase error I've made in this sport.
SCUBA = lower pressure, less fills, heavy, bulky, cheaper to buy
SCBA = higher pressure, more fills, lighter, compact, higher cost
SCUBA = lower pressure, less fills, heavy, bulky, cheaper to buy
SCBA = higher pressure, more fills, lighter, compact, higher cost
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That may be so. To be clear, the point is not to act as if I’m a dive equipment expert, but to say that a lighter carbon fiber tank capable of being safely filled and holding 4500 psi/310 bar of high pressure air consistently is a highly desirable option for filling airguns at the time of this post. A SCBA tank. I don’t refute your claims correcting my generalization regarding the pressure capacity of SCUBA tanks. As an airgunner it doesn’t make much sense to me for one to lug around a heavy steel tank that holds less pressure when a more desirable option is readily and widely available.
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Understood. I wasn't try to be an ass. And you are right, the carbon fiber tanks are a LOT lighter. I was just clarifying in case someone in the future reads this thread who is a diver and already has a tank that might be useful in the mean time until they can get ahold of a CF tank. No disrespect intended on my part.
DW
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