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Using a hand pump question

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WNYBill said:
I am an old guy and only have one PCP rifle and don't shoot much. Don't want to invest in a compressor. If I start pumping with a hand pump and run out of steam, will I lose all the air I have pumped and have to start over? Or will the pump hold the pressure till I regain ambition?

Bill
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The valve into the gun is one-way. So every bit of air that gets past the valve stays in the gun, until you shoot.
 
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WNYBill said:
I am an old guy and only have one PCP rifle and don't shoot much. Don't want to invest in a compressor. If I start pumping with a hand pump and run out of steam, will I lose all the air I have pumped and have to start over? Or will the pump hold the pressure till I regain ambition?

Bill
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hand pumps are a nightmare,
and get very old very fast.
to me anyway lol

if you start pumping and quit,
best to bleed the line so what air youve already put into the gun stays there,
as a tiny leak at the pump with the whole system pressurized could in essence drain the gun of air,
bleeding the line will make sure that doesnt happen,
then youll just have to bring the hose back up to pressure to continue filling.


i would hit up any local fire stations,
alot of times they will have scba tanks they will give away or sell, and also continue to fill them for you.

last 2 tanks i got only cost me 20 bucks for one,and the other was free.

add a 50 dollar fill system and youre golden.
 
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beerthief said:
IM old (77) and no the gun does not bleed back to the pump , you can take the 15 minute break and what air is in the gun will stay in the gun , Dont know about longer like an hour or more , probably just the hose might lose pressure ?
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Bleed the pump between pumping sessions. Only takes a few (very easy) pumps to repressurize the hose. I like to remove the hose from gun as well. I am 78 and have no trouble pumping up a rifle if I don't try to do it all at once. Also, no need to pump up gun to max pressure. Just do what you can handle and settle for fewer shots before pumping again. It's not that big a deal.
 
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A lot of guys will push you to high end equipment but reality is you don’t want to pump if you don’t have too. Trust me I’m 32 and I pump my 2 budget pcp’s to 2000psi (which is low) and it’s not hard but it’s not fun and can get old fast. I think you would benefit from a travel compressor, their cheaper than the full size ones and meant to fill the gun only and not air cylinders. I would grab a pump as a back up or a top off device.
 
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youll be alright just pick a number of the amt of strokes you will do as a 'set' .. ive done that successfully to fill 500cc bottle guns .. as long as your not in a hurry a handpump is better actually than wasting your tank air ... another consideration is maintainance for handpumps, if you want them to last they HAVE to be broke down dried and lubed after every days use, so learning the procedure is pretty mandatory .. its not hard, just another chore, once you know it well takes about 10 mins ..
 
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Yeah, I was hand pumping until the pump gave out. Was apparently beyond repair, as I tried to fix it with the parts kit that was supplied and referencing some youtube videos which seemed to describe my failure. Was kinda glad that I couldn't fix it, because hand pumping was getting pretty old. Ended up getting a 3400PSI scuba tank from a friend, and have been using that since. Fills are $6, and I get around 17 top-up fills on the gun before I need to refill the tank.
 
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Fact-Based Opinion: I would be concerned leaving the system unbleed for any length of time due to water volume present in the system from compressing air.

Experience-Based Opinion: I used to hand pump but found myself pumping more than shooting. That's the trade off and the opportunity cost is time. I shortly found that I started to dislike hand pump and as a result shot less. My expensive hobby was becoming unused , no longer enjoyable, and instead a laborious physical expression of work.

Any compressor is better than hand pumping. The real discussion point is which one is "better" and I still hold to the axiom that any working compressor is the "best" compressor.

Closing Thoughts: Good luck and hope this helped
 
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starlingassn said:
hand pumps are a nightmare,
and get very old very fast.
to me anyway lol

if you start pumping and quit,
best to bleed the line so what air youve already put into the gun stays there,
as a tiny leak at the pump with the whole system pressurized could in essence drain the gun of air,
bleeding the line will make sure that doesnt happen,
then youll just have to bring the hose back up to pressure to continue filling.


i would hit up any local fire stations,
alot of times they will have scba tanks they will give away or sell, and also continue to fill them for you.

last 2 tanks i got only cost me 20 bucks for one,and the other was free.

add a 50 dollar fill system and youre golden.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the fire station advice. Will be checking with them!
 
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