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Best/cheapest method for filling FX Impact

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I

imnewhere

Member
Feb 21, 2020
39
3
Nc, United States
I am planning to purchase my first PCP rifle soon and it will be an FX impact (if you have one for sale let me know). What do you guys recommend as the best method that won't break the bank for air fills? Most of my shooting will be done in my backyard range. There is a scuba shop not far from my house where i could get tanks filled but not sure what they charge. Would I be better off to go ahead and spend the money for a compressor or just buy a carbon fiber tank? What do you guys prefer? Thanks. 
 
Be sure to remember..."DRY air". A hand pump, if pumped continuously until full, isn't giving dry air. The action of pressurizing the air like this is heating the air. Heating the air causes moisture to develop while cooling. The desiccant on some hand pumps, is on the wrong side of the system. It needs to be on the pressure side, NOT the vacuum side. Simple physics.

Fill a little, let the air cool, fill a little let cool, and on. Do this until full, probably three to four cool down periods of about ten or so minutes to 300bar. It takes a while, but that's what I'm doing right now. I'd rather go slowly vs. injecting moisture (water) into the guns tank/reservoir. Different story when done quickly like with a tank. While the air IS being pressurized and heated, it's to a very small degree vs hand pumping. And dive shops...they have "driers" in their systems. So when THEY fill the tanks, they take all precautions that divers DON'T breathe water..!

I also have a dive shop near me. They have no problem going that high. My only concern, because they are so far inland, will they survive this virus crap. Hopefully they will, both for them AND me. They are nice people. But, I'm waiting before I buy a tank..

Mike
 
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HI I started off with a air tank and I used to have it filled for $10 bucks when I didn't shoot much , fast forward to 5 years ago I was going threw lot of air I bought what I thought was a good compressor in 2016 it failed like 13x , by 2018 , I ended out giving it away and buying an AirTex scuba compressor , and I never had a problem with filling tanks , this thing fills my big tanks in like 8 minutes from 220 bat to 300 bar ,

I realized for me I had to buy a good unit for it to work reliable , I fil my tanks like 3x week now I know it was pricy but buy once and cry once is better then buying junk and trying to fix it ,

I think buy a tank like full sized airhog and go to scuba shop to fill it for 10 bucks , and if you like pcp shooting save up for a good unit used or new

LOU
 
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I am planning to purchase my first PCP rifle soon and it will be an FX impact (if you have one for sale let me know). What do you guys recommend as the best method that won't break the bank for air fills?

Whatever you do, make sure your air is clean and free from contaminants....There are lots of cheap compressors out there that contaminate the air you are feeding into your air cylinder, then add people not using air dryers (Air Desiccants) in order to save money...But then these shooters complain about failures or their guns not performing...To me this is like buying A Porsche Turbo and filling it with unleaded low octane gasoline and then complaining for lack of performance/failures...Get into the "Air Tanks, Pumps, Compressors" section in this forum and ask questions, or start a new thread...People are very cooperative and usually give you good information...

Maybe a Shoebox with a good HP air filter is a good alternative to start with, these compressors are very good and reliable but are not the fastest...Shoebox recently closed their operations and you will find some in the classifieds sections of this and other forums at low prices...Overhauling these compressors is a matter of replacing around 6 o-rings and it will take you 1/2 hour to do it for another 125-150 hours of operation...100% better option than those cheap alternatives from China.



There is a scuba shop not far from my house where i could get tanks filled but not sure what they charge. Would I be better off to go ahead and spend the money for a compressor or just buy a carbon fiber tank? What do you guys prefer? 

A Carbon Fiber tank is a must have item, the more pressure your tank holds the better...Scuba tanks are 3000 PSI (About 200 BAR) but most guns nowadays are rated 250 BAR, so you would need a 300 BAR (4500 PSI) preferably carbon fiber air cylinder...Lots of alternatives depending on your budget....Check the classifieds, eBay, etc. and also ask in the "Air tanks, pumps, compressors" section in this forum...Ask many questions until you know what works best for you.

If I may another recommendation you didn't ask for: Buy the BEST OPTICS that you can afford, a scope is as important as the gun itself...You don't want an Impact with a $70.00 Mickey Mouse Wal-Mart scope on top of it expecting it to perform. This is one of the most common mistakes I've seen ever since I started shooting many years ago, people buying good guns but going cheap on optics and ammo.

Take care,

AZ
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I started out with a hand pump, you can get a cheap Chinese hand pump for around $60. After the hand pump I got a small Ninja carbon fill station tank for more shots $300. After spending way to many $ at the paintball shop filling my small tanks and screwing up my arms doing the same with the hand pump, old injury, I broke down and bought a Yong Heng compressor $300. Got the good one. Even though I overheated it several times it is still werqing two years later. Then I got a more powerful airgun $2000 it used more air so I bought a Great White carbon tank $800+. Then I bought another gas hog gun $2000 so thought I needed another Yong Heng just in case the first one died so another $300. But the second one died in two or three months instead. Fixed it for $12 in parts and it is filling my tanks now. 

The life and the addiction is real! ;^) Get what you can afford. Or rent your house out for the summer and pitch a tent in the back yard so you can afford more airgun toys.

PS you will need a water filter for your addiction it's $50 for the hand pump unit or $90 for a compressor sized filter. It will keep moisture out of your guns. 
 
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Once this Covid is over, go shooting and ask other airgunners how/where they fill theirs. Had a nice guy fill my tank a few times until I saved up and bought a shoebox. I have since done the same for a few others. I wouldn't make it a permanent arrangement (and check tank dates) but it will give you time to evaluate your options and hopefully make a good decision. Best part is you meet other blowhards :)
 
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