What size air tank do most of you buy?

I agree with crittahitta that the 98 cu-ft (or 100 cu-ft) is the way to go. There really is a marginal difference. The Omega 75 cu-ft'er is 6.3" in diameter, 24" in length, and weighs 10#. The 100 cu-ft'er is the same length, only 0.7" more in diameter, and weighs less than two pounds more. The only way you will know what is right for you is to actually try it. But I would not go under 75 cu-ft; it kinda defeats the purpose.

I used to have an Omega 75 cu-ft 4,500 psi CF tank and an Omega 4,500 psi Air Charger when I had my RAW HMx .357 (130 ft#). Since I sold my RAW and switched to the FX Wildcat .25 Mk1 (similar to your situation), I sold my tank and compressor. I thought I could handle the relatively small 300 cc bottle and 230 bar bottle fill pressure of the Wildcat with my FX 4-stage hand-pump. Well, after weeks of filling my bottle with my pump, I finally broke down and ordered an Omega 100 cu-ft 4,500 psi CF tank from Airguns of Arizona. A 100 cu-ft'er means less trips to the dive shop (not my favorite activity). I always have issues with waiting overnight and my tank not being topped-off. (This is the reason I bought a compressor.) But, now that I have only my Wildcat and I am strictly a hunter, a 100 cu-ft'er w/o a compressor should do me just fine. After all, I live in San Diego; there's a dive shop on every block. We'll see. Like most things in life, you never really know how something will be until you actually do it.

Keep in mind that tanks must be hydro-tested every five years or dive shops will not fill them. So be aware of this when buying used.


 
My first gripe is this BS Cu/Ft rating........it means absolutely nothing because it is based on not only the volume of the tank, but the temperature and pressure as well. I guess this rating was introduced for stupid people because it has no value without the rest of the data. It is so much simpler to just state the tank volume and basic arithmetic can resolve anything else you may need. That said, I'm a big bottle guy. Little bottles may be light and easily portable for sure, but there is not enough usable volume for many gun refills. I use two 12 liter bottles. My crown regulator pressure is 130 bar. One 12 liter tank when charged to 235 bar will provide a day's shooting (350 to 400 shots). As the tank pressure drops, the shots between gun refills becomes shorter and shorter as the day progresses. Towards the end of the day I am refilling the gun after just two magazines.

My 12 liter tanks are Scuba aluminum and only rated at 3000 PSI. I am pushing these to 3600 PSI (235 bar). I' m refilling these tanks, so I can fill them to what ever I want, but these pressures are VERY dangerous and I'm not comfortable going higher. So, in light of my personal experience, small tanks do not seem very practical.