Compressor/Tank Advice

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TheGoose

TheGoose

Member
Nov 3, 2018
113
11
Massachusetts, United States
I am a newcomer to air guns and even newer to PCP's. What started out as a way to shoot in my basement in the winter has taken on a life of it's own. Being new I have made some short sighted buying decisions without considering the bigger picture. I started with a Marauder and a hand pump .Very quickly decided that hand pumping was not for me. Figuring that my shooting would only be in my basement or backyard I bought a Nomad II. It works great .I now have 4 PCP rifles and the other day I topped off all 4 in less then 1/2 hour. Perfect. Except now I realize that I want to shoot at 50 - 100 yards which means going to the range. Although I can run the Nomad on my car battery it would seem that long term walking back to the parking lot, hooking it up and waiting for it to fill will get old fast. So now I am considering a larger compressor and s tank. I am still researching compressors (any advice welcome), but my question is about tanks and tank size. What size tank would you experienced guys get? Given the ability to refill at home is bigger better? Is smaller more convenient? If I bought a small one will I just want a bigger one later? At this point I am trying to consider the longer term. I now know that this is a hobby that I will stay with. Likely I will acquire more rifles. Right now I have the ability to get what I will need. Within the next year or so I will likely fully retire and stop working and disposable income will become less available . I would like to have a good system in place by then. Thank you for any advice 
 
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Goose I don't have any large tanks however remember you still have to tote those big tanks around. That would be the only drawback I could see. Glad to see you are enjoying the sport ! Being retired and having started this hobby after retirement I certainly applaud your planning. I am moving from a nitro tank to a small pump and am glad to see you having good luck with the Nomad II. 
 
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Welcome to the club, Mr. Goose. I feel your pain regarding the buying lessons involved with our addiction...uh, uh I mean hobby. I retired 2 years ago. Good thing, or I would have a house full of air rifles, as opposed to this 1 room full.

The tank I use is an Air Venturi 74 cu in ft. The versatile size allows me the portability I require and capacity to fill my favorite guns several times before having to top-off again.

This fellow in the link that follows (Aaron Cantrell) preaches frugality to the point of annoyance. Check him out for some good ideas on acquiring accessories at bargain prices:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snW_n3IRjsw&t=44s



Good luck.

AL
 
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I use this tank. It’s medium/large in my opinion. I think even a bit smaller one is fine for going to the range. Get one too big and you’ll need a dolly for it. 

https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/Tanks.html

As long as that compressor you have works well, there’s no reason why it couldn’t fill your tank too. I use a booster style compressor and although it takes a while, it fills my tank just fine. I’m never really in a hurry to fill my tank. 
 
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My 2 cents,,, figure out the max amount of times you'll need to top of your guns in 1 full day of range shooting/hunting. Then get a tank capable of storing that amount of air. The bigger you go the more cumbersome a tank becomes. Some ranges might not allow large tanks, and large tanks stress compressors more then small tanks if filling is not approached correctly .A small tank 15-20cf (90ci) @4500psi might be all you need. It should top of a Mrod at least 8-10 times, thats 300 rounds minimum before you need to hook up the compressor.

https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/Tanks/FillCalc.html



jmo
 
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I have the same tank and size as Intenseaty22 and find it large enough to do just about whatever I need it to do. Can get tons of refills on my Marauders, Wildcats, Edguns, Vulcans, Impacts and Crickets off of one fill. I probably don't shoot much more that a tin of pellets a week and sometimes I can go a week without having to fill the tank. As far as size goes, I think that the 74 cu ft tank is about the right size. Now if you are going to be lugging a tank with you around in the field while you hunt, a buddy bottle might be more appropriate as you can throw that in a back pack, but for everyday purposes 74 or 75 cu ft does it for me. The weight when full is somewhere around 10 or 12 pounds (guestimate). Compressors … you might run into a few differences of opinion on that one. Some folks have a love affair going on with their compressor, you know ... the nipple twisting kind ... others are looking for the most economical way to fill a tank and others the most reliable. Personally, I am not the kind to leave my wife in bed at night and crawl up the stairs to snuggle up next to my Omega … not to say I haven't thought about it from time to time, but if you are going to be retired (as I am) you are probably gonna be looking for economy and reliability and probably somewhere in the $900 to $2,000 range. Some folks will swear by their Omegas or Air Venturi or Daystate or Alpha Caretta and some who are retired with plenty of time will opt for a Shoebox compressor. I have heard of quite a few people opting for the Hong Yang hoping to get more bang for the buck and praying that they don't get the BIG BANG ... some have had good luck with them and others ... well ... not so much. Can't tell you which is best for your circumstances, that's something that you will have to do your homework on and come to your own conclusions. I bought a Omega that was defective when it arrived at the house from AoA ... sent it back to them under warranty and it has been golden ever since except for the water pump going out, which was no big deal. Whatever you choose, weigh all the pros and cons and get what you truly think will be best for you. Welcome to the forum, there is a wealth of knowledge here and people more than willing to answer questions and help you out if necessary … truly a great bunch of people.

Stay Chilly

John
 
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If you have a decent size shop compressor, I would take a look at the Altros booster compressor. I use one to fill my 45 minute SCBA and it has worked flawlessly for going on two years now with zero maintenance. The unit creates virtually no heat and cycles slowly so they should last for a very long time. Of corse as with any compressor set up, you will need to invest in a good filtration system. I'm in your same situation, I am also looking to retire soon and wanted something solid. Good luck with your decision.
 
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Everyone has an opinion and ultimately what you do depends on your needs and your budget, so this is only food for thought. I chose to buy a good compressor (Omega) and two guns (I now own 5 PCPs) and not buy a tank at all. It seemed to me that the money I'd spend on a tank was better invested in a second gun. Having more than one gun also provides a backup if one needs repair and I could easily get in excess of 100 shots; more than enough for a days shooting. And as I'm only filling the guns with the compressor, there is less wear on it.
 
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I'm personally in your same situation in many ways. I have one 30 minute 44cf SCBA tank. I'll be buying a used bigger tank, maybe a Drager 74cf or an Interspiro 88. Possibly even Omega 100cf tank. On the other hand, small, I'll be getting a regulated ninja pony type buddy bottle tank.

I've looked, and found great prices on used compressors from Ebay, and many other direct suppliers. I've found a very good compressor that starts at around $3K (that's a reps mark up included) add tax, shipping, insurance, oil, filling apparatus. You're going to spend at least 3K for any decent 3 stage compressor new and this brand comes with a full 2 year warranty. There's 3 things people do, or don't do that aren't good for compressors.

1. Most folks don't run it under no pressure for 5-10 minutes after a fill as a cool down cycle to reduce moisture.

2. I ran everything, compressors to hand pumps in a small room with a dehumidifier running and keeping it at 30% or less. Why let your filters do all the work? If you have a mobile type, run off your car battery, then I suggest a good inline filter like Joe B. sells

3. They don't run their compressor often enough. Even if you fill a big 88-100cf tank and it lasts you over a month. Run your compressor while not under pressure for 5 minutes once a week.

4. The old saying of if it has boobs or wheels, sooner or later you're gonna have problems with it. Add in 3rd stage on compressors. I'd say over 75% of any problems develop in the 3rd stage of smaller mobile type HPA compressors, as it's doing the hardest work. A 4 stage compressor isn't realistic for a one man shooting show. There's a 1986 50+CFM Bauer on Ebay right now for $1000.00. I don't know if it even runs, or what it needs to be rebuilt.

New, this was easily over $25K so a company like August Industries, or SCBAS, a fellow with experience, a machine shop, ties to Bauer could buy this, rebuild, sell to a dive shop or paintball field. In all reality, this is Military/dive shop grade area as even the 3.7CFM 3 stage compressor I'm buying has a 5 hour continuous run time. I will never be filling (6) 444 Cubic Feet cylinders to 3K and cascading. The Dive shop charges $12.00 per fill to go from 2K to 4500psi because they have to fill directly from compressor through control panel. Normally, they only charge $7.00 a fill of a SCUBA tank that's actually taking more air going from 0 to 3000psi. 500psi difference but compressor has to work harder to fill, so they charge more. The other thing I want to point out about my choice of compressor is it has the lowest RPM's of any compressor out there. 1050RPMs. A Bauer is around 1800RPMs, a Daystate Coltri, something like 2300-2500RPM's. Louder also.

I've decided I'm not running to the dive shop at least once every day and paying $12.00. 365 x's 12 =$4380.00 so if you shoot big bores, or a lot of anything, a compressor can literally pay for itself in 1-2 years, and the brand I'm going with has a 2 year warranty. I thought of trying a $1200-$2500 compressor. Nope, not taking a chance.

I will on the other hand buy the Chinese copy of a Hill pump as their tolerances are WAY better than The Crosman Benjamin pumps I rebuilt over 20 of. Heck, Hill just dropped from $287 to $199.00 Benjamin pumps are around $187.00 and a total waste of money. The Chinese Wally World 4500psi pump was $35.00, sold out and now $45.00, with 2 rebuild kits. Hill rebuild kits are $35.00 each. Point is, prices are coming down on EVERYTHING from hand pumps, rebuild kits, compressors of all types & brands as the air gun market increases. 

So to original poster, if you're in the market for a good compressor but understand none of them are cheap, PM me and I'll point you in that direction. I'm not affiliated with them. I just have been researching and decided this is the best bang for buck, buy once cry once deal. I'll cry when I buy The Schmidt & Bender Field Target II also, and a Beaumont for it to go on.

Everyone has an opinion and ultimately what you do depends on your needs and your budget, so this is only food for thought. I chose to buy a good compressor (Omega) and two guns (I now own 5 PCPs) and not buy a tank at all. It seemed to me that the money I'd spend on a tank was better invested in a second gun. Having more than one gun also provides a backup if one needs repair and I could easily get in excess of 100 shots; more than enough for a days shooting. And as I'm only filling the guns with the compressor, there is less wear on it.
Click to expand...

This is actually very wise in that he has less long run time on compressor. Yet running them often gets the oil up in it as needed. Just please do the cool down of 1-2 minutes if only filling up to 500cc rifles to get moisture out. Guys using Yong Heng to fill rifles, I get it. Filling 44cf bottles or bigger? I say expect your pump to die fairly soon.
 
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If my Nomad II stays running for a couple of years, it will have been one of my best purchases!

I love my 74 cu.ft. 4500psi tank, but even it will start giving partial fills after a busy day at the farms and a few hours on the range. I was looking to get it topped off once per week.

Now with my compressor, I have no worries at all. No more partial fills and my tank can last me a month being I only use it at the farms.
 
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I started with a small 90ci tank that I thought would be enough. One of the guns I fill has a 3350 PSI tank and I just ran out of air too quickly. I then purchased the Air Venturi 74 CF tank and since then, I have not used the smaller tank. I find the 74 is not too big to carry around and it fills my guns longer than I can shoot them in a day. Another consideration in tank size is that with a bigger tank you can fill it to a lower pressure, which takes some stress off all of the other components. I have the auto-stop on my compressor set to 4350 psi. After cooling, I wind up with about 4100-4200 psi. This does not provide me with enough fills on the smaller tank but is not an issue on the 74. I had not considered any of that in my first tank purchase.

With regard to a bigger compressor, I have had the AV4500 compressor for a little over a year. I only have about 7 hours on it, but zero issues so far. The compressor survey thread has some useful information on the more popular compressors.


 
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Your in the same boat I’m in, getting toys before retiring. Seems we’ve both have an eye for a great airgun too, the taipan long. I picked up a new 100cf omega from Jim at precision Airguns because he gave cash discounts and discounts on how many ever months old the tank was from the born on date. I figure if I’m still shooting at 75 I’ll gladly buy a new one. I’m looking at compressors too, but just looking at this point. Figure later on this year after the shows to see if there’s anything new. In the mean time I’m loving the tank, checked into nitrogen but to expensive to use around here. Good luck and enjoy the new pup.
 
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Speaking of economics, I started off buying a Yong Heng for $350. Then by the time I bought a coalescing tower filter and 3 section desiccant/charcoal filter, one-way values, bleeder, bigger water pump, etc, it was more like $650. Then I broke down and spent another $650 for a 95CF DOT-certified carbon fiber tank.

In retrospect, I found a dive shop 3 miles away that charged me $5 to do an initial charge on the 95CF tank (0 to almost 4,000 PSI), which made me wonder why I bought a compressor at all! Bottom line, if you like toys and tinkering, you're here in good company.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kUfN8U4nqE



Enjoy, Michael
 
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I bought a Joe Brancato Great White setup in 2018. 97 CF if I recall correctly. The protection ("armor") package and carry straps make it very easy to move to the range if necessary and prevent dings to the tank body. Weight is probably just over 20 pounds-no problem to move easily. Large capacity gives many fills on even the largest reservoirs. If actual carry into the field (hunting use) isn't needed I would get the largest tank you can easily move, especially if you want to shoot all day away from a fill source.
 
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