I really don't know what I need for a PCP rifle. Could someone explain exactly what size tank would be the best? Do I need steel or aluminum? Also where is the best place to buy online?
- Thread starter Nosler243Shooter
- Start date
Size tank = larger cubic foot gives more shots.
Aluminum vs. Steel - Aluminum will be lighter, but larger diameter. Steel tanks when new and kept current as far as VIP and hydrostatic examination are actually rated for +10% over stated PSI on tank.
Personally when I bought (for diving, forever ago) I went with 100cu ft. aluminum. Biggest steel at the time was 80cu ft. so even 10% more wasn't the same as 100cft.
Be aware that unless you are dive certified it may be hard getting a tank filled... Heck, depending on where you live, it may be hard to get a tank filled period.
Aluminum vs. Steel - Aluminum will be lighter, but larger diameter. Steel tanks when new and kept current as far as VIP and hydrostatic examination are actually rated for +10% over stated PSI on tank.
Personally when I bought (for diving, forever ago) I went with 100cu ft. aluminum. Biggest steel at the time was 80cu ft. so even 10% more wasn't the same as 100cft.
Be aware that unless you are dive certified it may be hard getting a tank filled... Heck, depending on where you live, it may be hard to get a tank filled period.
I'm not familiar with the pre charged air rifles but I assume you will use the tank for re-fills. I have a couple options. I use an old fire department SCBA and regulator for pneumatic nail guns and filling tires, etc. I have easy access to refills at the FD. Many off road speciality suppliers sell a similar set up for filling tires. The regulator will step down the high pressure in the tank to a usable level for any of these uses. The problem comes down to re filling the tank to 2000 lbs. or so. I believe companies that fill acetolene and welding gasses may be able to fill straight air. A buddy who used the same set up for carpentry had one of these places fill his bottles with nitrogen, as it was dryer, but also pricier. I can get you an old bottle and valve, but you would have to find a regulator and a place to fill it.
I started with a 200 bar / 3000 psi SCUBA tank and quickly sold it and replaced it with a 300bar / 4500 psi SCBA tank.
Most pre charged pneumatic air rifles like around a 200 bar fill. With a 200 bar tank, that means you can only fill the rifle totally full for the initial fill and every fill after that is short filled as the pressure in the tank will decrease every subsequent fill. With a 300 bar tank, you can get many complete fills out of the tank until the tank gets down to 200 bar and then after that you can still get many partial fills before having to refill the tank.
Better still is a cascade setup with two tanks; you use the initial tank for the bulk fill and one the initial tank drops below 200 bar and you can no longer fill the rifle completely you do the bulk fill off the initial tank, then close the valve for that tank, and do the final "top off" with the second tank. You can get *many* fills out of a cascade arrangement but it does cost substantially more (two tanks plus dual fill adapters.)
I have a twin tank cascade setup and have 3x 44CF 300bar / 4500 PSI tanks-- the double tank cascade filling arrangement gets me many, many fills of the rifle before I have to have the tank refilled. Once one tank becomes too low to fill the rifle I switch to my spare 3rd tank and send the low tank with my firefighter buddy for a refill.
Remember that the filament wound 300 bar bottles have a 15 year lifespan. You can often pick up very good deals on ebay on tanks that have 7-8 years left on them, but you need to figure out your cost in dollars per year of lifespan and see if that used tank is really as good of a deal as you think compared to a new tank with a full 15 year lifespan.
Regarding a regulator, unless you plan to "tether" the gun to the bottle for a long shooting session a regulator isn't required-- you simply crack the valve and fill the gun until the gun is at its proper maximum pressure. Obviously don't open the valve wide open or walk away and let the bottle overfill the gun...
If you're only going to buy one bottle I would get either a 66cf, 71cf, 88cf, or 97cf 300 bar tank. Twin 44cf 300 bar bottles are more versatile and will actually get you more complete fills of the rifle before having to refill the tank than a single 66cf or 88cf tank but it will cost more up front.
Joe Brancato has a lot of good info here... I got all my fittings, microbore hoses, and gauges for my cascade filling arrangement from him.
http://airtanksforsale.com/
Oh, and find your local filling capabilities before shelling out a bunch of money. My local dive shop only has a 200bar / 3000 psi compressor for SCUBA tanks but my local fire station has no problem filling 300 bar / 4500 psi SCBA tanks.
Most pre charged pneumatic air rifles like around a 200 bar fill. With a 200 bar tank, that means you can only fill the rifle totally full for the initial fill and every fill after that is short filled as the pressure in the tank will decrease every subsequent fill. With a 300 bar tank, you can get many complete fills out of the tank until the tank gets down to 200 bar and then after that you can still get many partial fills before having to refill the tank.
Better still is a cascade setup with two tanks; you use the initial tank for the bulk fill and one the initial tank drops below 200 bar and you can no longer fill the rifle completely you do the bulk fill off the initial tank, then close the valve for that tank, and do the final "top off" with the second tank. You can get *many* fills out of a cascade arrangement but it does cost substantially more (two tanks plus dual fill adapters.)
I have a twin tank cascade setup and have 3x 44CF 300bar / 4500 PSI tanks-- the double tank cascade filling arrangement gets me many, many fills of the rifle before I have to have the tank refilled. Once one tank becomes too low to fill the rifle I switch to my spare 3rd tank and send the low tank with my firefighter buddy for a refill.
Remember that the filament wound 300 bar bottles have a 15 year lifespan. You can often pick up very good deals on ebay on tanks that have 7-8 years left on them, but you need to figure out your cost in dollars per year of lifespan and see if that used tank is really as good of a deal as you think compared to a new tank with a full 15 year lifespan.
Regarding a regulator, unless you plan to "tether" the gun to the bottle for a long shooting session a regulator isn't required-- you simply crack the valve and fill the gun until the gun is at its proper maximum pressure. Obviously don't open the valve wide open or walk away and let the bottle overfill the gun...
If you're only going to buy one bottle I would get either a 66cf, 71cf, 88cf, or 97cf 300 bar tank. Twin 44cf 300 bar bottles are more versatile and will actually get you more complete fills of the rifle before having to refill the tank than a single 66cf or 88cf tank but it will cost more up front.
Joe Brancato has a lot of good info here... I got all my fittings, microbore hoses, and gauges for my cascade filling arrangement from him.
http://airtanksforsale.com/
Oh, and find your local filling capabilities before shelling out a bunch of money. My local dive shop only has a 200bar / 3000 psi compressor for SCUBA tanks but my local fire station has no problem filling 300 bar / 4500 psi SCBA tanks.
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if you have a local scuba shop talk to the owner. tell him/her what you are using the tank for. offer to permanently mark it "not for dive use." my local shop had no problem with agreeing to this.
Alabama should have plenty of dive shops to fill your tank. I've been to at least 6 different states with my PCP tank in tow and never an issue with refills. Not to say it can't happen but as long as your hydro test date is current I would find it hard to believe an issue with getting it filled would prevail. PCP air gunners are an ever increasing breed especially since rimfire ammo shortages so it would stand to reason dive shops are filling more for non-diving than before. Mine is painted on the outside "NOT FOR SCUBA"
Steel tanks are the least expensive, carbon fiber the most. Downside of the CF is they have a 15 year life span PERIOD!! If you take it in for hydro testing after that time frame they will either refuse or (I've heard) drill a hole in it due to Federal regulations.
You didn't say a price point so I'll provide a link for what in my humble opinion is the best gear going. No point in repeating the info found there but, if you have access to a dive shop with 4500psi capabilities the great white is the way to go.
AirTanksForSale
Steel tanks are the least expensive, carbon fiber the most. Downside of the CF is they have a 15 year life span PERIOD!! If you take it in for hydro testing after that time frame they will either refuse or (I've heard) drill a hole in it due to Federal regulations.
You didn't say a price point so I'll provide a link for what in my humble opinion is the best gear going. No point in repeating the info found there but, if you have access to a dive shop with 4500psi capabilities the great white is the way to go.
AirTanksForSale
Another trick to squeeze a little more pressure into a tank is to have it chilled while filling...
Thanks for the replies. You can really run into some serious money with the PCP guns. I will have to check if anyone around here can fill a 4500 psi tank. I also had not considered that filling the tank might be a problem since I don't have a diver card. Sometimes I wish I had never bought this thing. It was a gift for my dad. If I could do it again I would have just bought him a nice spring gun.
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