SCBA tank, bottle, or portable compressor?

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Normkel

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Aug 21, 2020
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I've had several compressors, smaller bottle, and now use GX CS3 portable compressor to direct fill at the range.

I'm wondering if we can do a thread to list how others approach filling and what they consider to be the advantages and disadvantages of their preferred solution?

I began with Yong Hengs, but not really suitable for transport, plus the water bucket was messy, annoying and in the way until I changed to water from a faucet & draining into the sink. The Ninja bottle was too small for shooting at the range, so I acquired a 45-minute SCBA tank.

I could usually last the 6-7 hours of continuous shooting with the 45-minute SCBA but it always had me wondering. I needed a backup in case something failed/leaked so needed a small compressor as backup. I really don't like to have a high-pressure tank inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle.


It is more convenient to take the GX CS3 than the equally heavy & bulky SCBA, and my GX CS! clone in case of a failure. We have 120-VAC at the range and can park close to the shooting shelter if vehicle power is needed for the compressor.

What is your solution and most importantly why?
 
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I asked a very reputable salesman about this topic. He recommended that I buy a tank first and get it filled at my nearby dive shop. That was going okay until the shop decided that $15 was not enough for a top-off and started charging me $25. It no longer made financial sense, plus the need to drive there during business hours and sometimes leave the tank for a day. So I bought a compressor.

I'm still glad to have the tank and would have purchased it for the range anyway. It's much faster and easier to fill from a tank, in general. It also bought me some time before having to buy a compressor and deal with the maintenance.

Not sure what the moral of this story is, but that was my journey. No regrets.
 
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When shooting at a range I would go the scba for sure for quick refills and just have a compressor for back up there. As far as transport in a vehicle. You are 100000000000000000000000x more likely to be run over by a truck or if the scba isn’t secured it flying around and knocking you out on the way than it exploding.
 
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Normkel said:
I've had several compressors, smaller bottle, and now use GX CS3 portable compressor to direct fill at the range.

I'm wondering if we can do a thread to list how others approach filling and what they consider to be the advantages and disadvantages of their preferred solution?

I began with Yong Hengs, but not really suitable for transport, plus the water bucket was messy, annoying and in the way until I changed to water from a faucet & draining into the sink. The Ninja bottle was too small for shooting at the range, so I acquired a 45-minute SCBA tank.

I could usually last the 6-7 hours of continuous shooting with the 45-minute SCBA but it always had me wondering. I needed a backup in case something failed/leaked so needed a small compressor as backup. I really don't like to have a high-pressure tank inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle.


It is more convenient to take the GX CS3 than the equally heavy & bulky SCBA, and my GX CS! clone in case of a failure. We have 120-VAC at the range and can park close to the shooting shelter if vehicle power is needed for the compressor.

What is your solution and most importantly why?
Click to expand...
Big compressor, many tanks. Ive also become the air guy of my group. About 300cf of 4500 psi air, 270 cf of 3400, 88cf 3000 scuba for a range tether manifold
 
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I mainly shoot in my back yard but that is limited to 35 yards or less. So sometimes I go to a range. Historically I've taken my 45 minute air tank or a hand pump (years ago) and they work. But recently I bought a GX CS2 and I made a power tool battery adapter for it. So now I'd probably take both. That would give me plenty of air. I don't worry about my safety around the bottle but it resides in a tray that makes it pretty big for the passenger compartment so I put it in the bed of my truck or the trunk of my car. The CS2 is nice and small so it can go in the passenger compartment. I fill my Scott air tank with my Yong Heng. I have 2-3 gallons of distilled water in a bucket with water wetter in it. I don't change it. I have two small radiators in the loop with fans. To run the Yong Heng I flip three switches to turn on the water pump, the fans on the radiator and the 8 inch fan on the electric motor. Then I make sure the vent is open and start the YH. No real setup to do. The refill of the bottle takes 20-40 minutes depending on how empty it is. I vent every 5 minutes but I go do yard work inbetween ventings. Noisy in the room the YH is in.

If I had to get down to one it would have to be the CS2. I don't like filling guns off the YH and it is not easily portable. I could put it in the bed of the pickup with a big Milwaukee power supply and take it but I won't unless I am despirate. If my bottle were to spring a leak I would fill from the CS2 until I got another. To me it's a totally viable stand alone filling option. It takes longer and makes more noise but neither drawback is a big deal. My last ditch option is still the hand pump. It also works, but it is work.
 
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Here's the ultimate portable compressor 🤣
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1000008461.jpg
 
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Direct filling a gun at the range sounds like a hassle. Not for just the act of hauling a compressor around but also waiting on the fill....I much prefer hauling a tank or two around & cracking air instantly into the gun. The safety issue doesn't even really register w me either as I doubt I'll be the first forum member to have a tank rupture.

It's strictly a matter of ease and use of my time since the tanks can be topped off periodically when I don't mind the commitment and be ready to go when I don't.
 
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I do not find waiting 3-5 minutes for a gun to fill to be a big deal. I have room on my shooting bench at home for my gun and the CS2. It can be sitting there ready to go. I cannot easily have my bottle sitting there ready to go. Instead I carry the gun to the bottle. While my CS2 pumps up the gun I can load magazines. Or sometimes if I am at the range I'm talking to other shooters. Airguns are still a novelty around here and it's a good chance to introduce people to the hobby. I find it much nicer to use the CS2 that isn't very loud than I do the Yong Heng which is loud. It's easy to talk over the CS2. Not the Yong Heng. I still prefer to fill from a bottle and that is mainly what I do but I am very convinced I would still enjoy the hobby if all I had was a little CS2. I would expect the water cooled CS4 and 5 are even quieter.
 
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kwaping said:
I asked a very reputable salesman about this topic. He recommended that I buy a tank first and get it filled at my nearby dive shop. That was going okay until the shop decided that $15 was not enough for a top-off and started charging me $25. It no longer made financial sense, plus the need to drive there during business hours and sometimes leave the tank for a day. So I bought a compressor.

I'm still glad to have the tank and would have purchased it for the range anyway. It's much faster and easier to fill from a tank, in general. It also bought me some time before having to buy a compressor and deal with the maintenance.

Not sure what the moral of this story is, but that was my journey. No regrets.
Click to expand...
Which compressor did you decided to go with?
 
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