Filling a pcp using a hand pump

I'm 48 years old...and that's how I fill my Airforce Condor.

I am 80 years old. My first PCP purchase was a Talon SS which took one heck of a lot of pumps for relatively few shots. I finally placed the CO2 adapter on the Talon SS and use it for pest control up to25 yards.
my next purchase was the FX-400 which provided many more useable shots per fill. I tried hand pumping and found it took ca 200 strokes with cool down after each 25. 
To make a long story short I finally decided to splurge and purchased a 88 cuft. CF tank. Now I can shoot all day for a $5 fill.

A bit depends on how much you weigh. I am only 140 lbs or so, and I have to use a particular technique to get to 2900 psi with either a Hill, or Benjamin pump. Getting to 3K is a stretch at my weight. The technique is as follows:

Bring the pump handle up while standing erect. Push the handle down with your arms until they are straight but elbows not locked. Then squat to bring the handle down the rest of the way. Do not try to bend over to get the last part of the stroke, especially if you do not have a lot of upper body weight. You need to use the energy of your falling weight as you squat to get the last bit of compression. It helps a bit to pause before you squat.

Note: With all compressors, if you can get the heat of compression to dissipate, the energy required goes down. However, with the three and four stage concentric compressors that are hand pumps, it takes a lot of time to get the heat energy out of the pump. Still, going slow, in the long run, is easier. 

I've used the the Hill, Benjamin, and just a bit with the FX pumps. I got the Benjamin before I knew all that much. Were I to start over, I'd get the Hill and not look at the package of the Marauder with Benjamin pump. But then, if I had done that, I might not have the SCUBA tank I have now. 

Alex, so the first time pumping will take a while, make sure to pump only the recommended pumps by manufacturer, too many in rapid succession can harm the seals. Once you get to your guns's psi capacity you will shoot down to 2000 psi or so, from then on you will use less pumps to get back to capacity. IE a lot less pumps that it takes for your initial fill. I've been using a tank but recently lost my source for free air and purchased a Hill MK IV pump and am happy with the purchase. It takes me about 150 pumps to get my gun back to 250 Bar which is about 3,625 psi.

I'm 29 years old, 175 lbs, and 5'8" tall(not sure how much height would matter but thought I'd share). My Hill mk3 hand pump is my only air source when I needed to pump my Benjamin Marauder, FX Bobcat, and Royale. I've always topped off the FX guns at 220 bar and it's really not to difficult after you get used to it. Starting from 150bar, I would pump 50-60 strokes to 175bar, relief line pressure and let pump cool. Another 50-60 strokes to 200 bar, relief line pressure and let pump cool and finally 40-50 strokes to top it off to 220 bar. I would recommend a Hill Pump mk3 because it is very easy to rebuild.

CJ

Hill pump FTW

I will always have a hand pump, even though I use a carbon bottle too. I pump when I have time and that saves money on fills.
When shooting with friends or out in the field good to have the fast fills of the bottle. Used 3 different MK Hills, all have been stellar.

Hand Pumps are a great and economical way to pump up a PCP. It's readily available and portable. I have 2 hand pumps for sale if you are interested.
http://airgunnation.dev/topic/wts-benjamin-hand-pump-3600-psi-130/

Considering a hand pump is about $200 and a carbon 4500 lb fiber bottle is about $300, if you have a paintball shop close by, go with the bottle.

I have a Marauder. 215cc bottle. It takes approximately 3 pumps per shot. About 100 pumps to get from 1500 pounds to 2700 pounds. I weigh 175 and basically have to lean the middle aged stomach on the pump at the higher pressures. Takes 15 minutes or so to fill a bottle half the size you have. It is quite a work out for a middle aged person (me!)

Filling from the bottle takes about 15 seconds.

I have a PCP to shoot, not as an exercise program. It may affect your accuracy as well. Exercising and shooting shortly after means your heart will be pumping and causing some shake for the first few shots.

For an average pump and a 500cc bottle, figure 200 pumps, at least 15 minutes to pump it up and a few minutes to shoot the tank empty.

I think you'll find shooting much more enjoyable with the tank. You will shoot more and enjoy more and won''t waste time pumping and resting between tanks.

Hey Alex ! I've created a similar topic a few days ago, you might find some infos here too

http://airgunnation.dev/topic/480cc-bottle-fill-with-a-hand-pump/

I use a Hills Mk II pump and find it reasonably easy to pump my Royale 400 & 500, fair enough it takes awhile allowing for the pump to cool and there is only one o-ring in the pump that will eventually fail, the little green one in the final stage but its easily stripped down and replacing it takes me about 5-10 minutes then I am up and going again. I also find that hand pumping the 400 & 500 bottles to 220bar easier than my Daystate Huntsman's 180cc? tube , don't know why, but if I am going to a comp. shoot I use a Scuba bottle to fill the rifles, helps to keep the heart rate down, lol and the hand pump is there for a back up. BTW I am 52 and can do with the exercise occasionally.

I also fill my Gen I .177 Marauder exclusively with a Hill MK III hand pump. One of the things I discovered was that you can compensate for your fill method with some tuning of the gun. For instance, I fill to 2600PSI and shoot down to about 2000PSI and get 30 shots at a decent ES (right around 3% last time I checked). This keeps my pumping to about 60-70 strokes for that 2600PSI fill. Then I load the mags to give my heart a chance to slow down before the next shooting session. While I shoot my 30 shots, the pump cools down for the next pumping session. Of course, the Mrod does not have a 500cc bottle, so your mileage may vary.

Hi Alex. I am 54 years old and weigh about 150 lbs. I have a Hill hand pump and would recommend that brand. I've pumped up the 500cc bottle to 250 bar on my FX Boss many times. Going to 220 bar on a 500 cc bottle should be no problem. Just take the advice of the technique (it's all in the technique) and of not letting the pump heat up too much that others have mentioned in this thread. With a steady, SLOW, pace though, the pump doesn't heat up that much. At least that was my experience with the Hill.

I have an Air Force condor the bottle is 490 cc I think. I get about 30 shots at around 880 to 900fps with the talon tunes quick change top hat and power wheel set on 7. I start at 3000 psi and end at 2500. My spread of fps is around 25 fps with jsb 25.4 grain pellets but at lower pressure shooting further distances out past my zero of 50 yards I know how much to hold over to use. I use the hill mk4 pump. I also have a Benjamin pump that I got with my Discovery for my girlfriend to pest with me. I use it as my field pump and a backup pump. The hill is strictly home use out of the cold damp air and the hill is a lot easier to pump for those days im out in the woods all day come home and my gun is below 2500 psi. My closest dive/scuba shop is 2.5 hours away so no bottle for me. I calculated it to be about 10 to 15 psi drop per shot and it's about 12 pumps per 100 psi with my hill pump. I weight 145 and I have no trouble at all. When you first start pumping it will feel weird. It's not like pumping a bicycle tire pump at my weight you gotta put some effort in it. The key is go slow take a break maybe play a round of call of duty Then go back at it. I think I counted close to 350 pumps from 0 to 3000 psi but that was my first time filling and my first time using the pump. You will have some half strokes of the pump also. Be sure to bleed the line at around 50 pumps because you get moisture build up and it's not good for the tank or the pump. 

The first fill will be a challenge as you're starting from 0psi. After that, you're only going from about 1800-3000psi. That's not nearly so bad.

I use the hill mk3 and I use it to pump my aa30th limited edition I shot it from 180 dwn to 135
my daysate airwolf I shot it from 185 bar dwn to 80 bar
my brock from 165 bar to 100.

its works very well im 165 pounds weight
and I use my pump for all my shooting.

I have filled my Royale 500 tank from 160 bar to 230 bar many times. It usually takes about 180 strokes. I do sixty at a time to not overheat. I have two pumps a hill mkII and a hill mkIII. I would switch off between the two as to limit stress on only one. The MkIII does a way better job above 200 bar. So, I would think the mkIV would even improve on this. I am 6'2" and 215lbs. I start with the arms, lock them straight while bending at the knees. 

You will learn to pump way before you shoot as to not raise the heart rate. 
Heat is the enemy in these things, so do not push them beyond a slight warm feel. 

I have evolved to a shoebox/ guppy tank and I hand pump no more!

The biggest thing with hand pumps is to take your time. Don't be in a rush to make each successive pump, nor to get the rifle filled quickly. I have used my FX pump to fill everything from Benjamin Marauders to FX Royales, an FX Independence (not many pumps for this last one), to filling an older Daystate Schmale (sp). I found that after a week or so I got used to pumping and then I could operate the pump consistently with pump heat being the final limit. 50 pumps was a good break point. I would make 50 pumps, stop - do something else - come back 10 minutes later and do 50 more pumps and so on. Even though I now own a compressor and two different sized bottles, I do not mind filling rifles with a pump. I kind of enjoy the cardio workout. Reminds me of doing "hill repeats" when training on my bicycle. FWIW, I am 59 years young, 6'2" and 205lbs.

I am only 140lbs so I have a hard time towards the end