Hobby creep…

[BenjaminM]

Well I finally went down the compressor rabbit hole and ordered some high pressure tanks. I’m sure they are aged out firefighter tanks. 30 minute SCBA units.

The plan is to borescope the internals and do a some remote pressure testing when they get here I have a steel pipe that’s capped on one end to put them in for pressure testing from a distance once I do my due diligence. Either it’ll be a great safety mechanism, or a pipe bomb….we’ll see which.

Hopefully it doesn’t end up being a decision I regret. But getting a year or five’s use out of these is what I’m hoping for.

I’ll be using the Yong Heng pump with a filter system…all the Chinese stuff makes me a bit nervous, but people seem to have good results.

This whole “saving money by shooting air rifles” instead of powder burners isn’t turning into quite the excuse I thought it’d be when I started lol…

Then I decided I “needed” a taipan veteran 2, so yeah. It’s no longer an inexpensive hobby. I’ll probably have more money into killing squirrels than they’ve ever cost me in damage…

 

[BenjaminM]

Well I finally went down the compressor rabbit hole and ordered some high pressure tanks. I’m sure they are aged out firefighter tanks. 30 minute SCBA units.

The plan is to borescope the internals and do a some remote pressure testing when they get here I have a steel pipe that’s capped on one end to put them in for pressure testing from a distance once I do my due diligence. Either it’ll be a great safety mechanism, or a pipe bomb….we’ll see which.

Hopefully it doesn’t end up being a decision I regret. But getting a year or five’s use out of these is what I’m hoping for.

I’ll be using the Yong Heng pump with a filter system…all the Chinese stuff makes me a bit nervous, but people seem to have good results.

This whole “saving money by shooting air rifles” instead of powder burners isn’t turning into quite the excuse I thought it’d be when I started lol…

Then I decided I “needed” a taipan veteran 2, so yeah. It’s no longer an inexpensive hobby. I’ll probably have more money into killing squirrels than they’ve ever cost me in damage…

This isn't meant as a sob story, I went down this road willingly, I even avoided the things for a few years while my brother got into it heavy.

It’s just funny how these things progress.

 

[Airgun Al]

Well I finally went down the compressor rabbit hole and ordered some high pressure tanks. I’m sure they are aged out firefighter tanks. 30 minute SCBA units.

The plan is to borescope the internals and do a some remote pressure testing when they get here I have a steel pipe that’s capped on one end to put them in for pressure testing from a distance once I do my due diligence. Either it’ll be a great safety mechanism, or a pipe bomb….we’ll see which.

Hopefully it doesn’t end up being a decision I regret. But getting a year or five’s use out of these is what I’m hoping for.

I’ll be using the Yong Heng pump with a filter system…all the Chinese stuff makes me a bit nervous, but people seem to have good results.

This whole “saving money by shooting air rifles” instead of powder burners isn’t turning into quite the excuse I thought it’d be when I started lol…

Then I decided I “needed” a taipan veteran 2, so yeah. It’s no longer an inexpensive hobby. I’ll probably have more money into killing squirrels than they’ve ever cost me in damage…

$500 or $600 is a lot of money for a brand new tank!
Yet when you factor in its 15 year lifespan, it equates to $40 a year!
$40 a year is a very reasonable price to me, for peace of mind!
If it were me, 1 new tank would be a much better option, as opposed to several expired tanks.
Just be careful!

 

[coastal drifter]

Definitely not cheap but...It makes me happy. Life is short, enjoy it and try not to put your eye out.

 

[Hold_Over]

Like with anything there are ways to approach this hobby with a more budget friendly method...but like anything else you can spend as much as you want to. As long as it's a good time in the end.

 

[maxtrouble]

@BenjaminM - Sounds like you are on the right track. A lot of shooters use the YH compressors with great success. Tons of forum posts on the subject, tinkerer's dream.

Taipan's are great rifles, hard to go wrong with one. I have had mine for four years with no problems. Great woods walker and very pointable.

The rabbit hole goes as deep as you want it to. Mine has leveled off and now I am only interested in pistols. Find a certain depth in your rabbit hole and then start enjoying what you worked so hard to get!

Oh have you ever heard of Weihrauch before? Now THAT is a heck of a rabbit hole!

 

[dizzums]

meh, just use em .. as long as theyre not physically damaged like banged or cut, those tanks are good for double their rated lifespan of 15 yrs is what ive read ..

 

[Gerry52]

Be SAFE! Make sure of the pressure rating of the PIPE you're going to use. Hate for it to become shrapnel!

 

[BenjaminM]

@BenjaminM - Sounds like you are on the right track. A lot of shooters use the YH compressors with great success. Tons of forum posts on the subject, tinkerer's dream.

Taipan's are great rifles, hard to go wrong with one. I have had mine for four years with no problems. Great woods walker and very pointable.

The rabbit hole goes as deep as you want it to. Mine has leveled off and now I am only interested in pistols. Find a certain depth in your rabbit hole and then start enjoying what you worked so hard to get!

Oh have you ever heard of Weihrauch before? Now THAT is a heck of a rabbit hole!

Sure have, they’ve got some lovely offerings…. I’m also an appreciator of fine springers….RWS Diana Air King in .22 in 2011 is when this disease really took hold…. 3 scopes later I decided pcp was the way.

 

[BenjaminM]

Be SAFE! Make sure of the pressure rating of the PIPE you're going to use. Hate for it to become shrapnel!

Think a 3’ section of 1/4” thick steel 14” in diameter with a welded on cap on one end and the other is open to the sky. Not sure what the pressure rating is, but it’d be more like a cage to deflect shrapnel up than anything -sort of like a gun clearing station at an indoor range or police station.

 

[BenjaminM]

If I’m not mistaken the Scott tank burst rating is 12,000 psi, so almost 3x their fill rating. To me as long as the interior isn’t corroded/pitted, and the composite isn’t damaged it’s worth a shot, especially done carefully. I like the idea of having a tank, but don’t know for sure how much I’ll use it.

Thus the willingness to try the cheap option. I want to “test the waters” before going all in on a “great white” sized tank.

Trying to pace myself. (Without damaging myself.) hopefully that second part is a success.

*further research on Scott’s site they rate these tanks for 30 years in “some markets” so that minimizes my concern about any age related issues.