First step into PCP’s - Tank or small compressor?

If you have a local source to fill a tank (fire station, dive shop, etc.) then a tank alone should work well. My local fire station fills my tank but many have stated others do not. Only you know your area well enough to decide such

If you've got a reliable place nearby that will fill your tank, go for that first. A full SCBA bottle will give you a lot of shots and is a lot more portable than even one of those Micky Mouse duel voltage units. If you go for the small compressor, you won't need a tank but if you get one later, you'll need something with a higher output to fill it. No matter what you get first, you will want the other.

Small compressor is the way to go imo. You always have air, every time, any time, any where. A tank is good cause it can fill you gun in under 10 seconds. But you gonna need to refill that tank. You gonna drive, find a place to fill it, pay the fee. Can be $5 up to $20 per fill. That plus gas to travel there to drop it off. Wait an hour or more for it to get fill. Go back and pick it up. Too much headache for filling a tank every time. Also those who claim the fire department will fill you tank. Most department will not fill it. Even if one did fill you tank. They might fill it one or 2 times. They ain't there to keep filling your tank every time you bring it over. I shoot a lot. I have a 74 Cf tank and it can fill my impact like 6 or 7 times before pressure gets under 3500 psi. And I need my to fill my tank 2 times a week. Do you think the fire department gonna fill my tank 2 times a week, every week? 8 times a month. 104 times a year. No they will not. I own a the bigger compressor so I can fill my own tank. Nothing like having infinity air. So if you cant afford a big compressor plus a tank, get a smaller tank.

I am x2 Eaglebeak with the tank setup. Consider a high quality tank and valve setup as a great place to start, getting the largest tank setup you can afford. Research will establish this benchmark for you and the resources here on AGN are ample. Also, I would research your local fill options as well, like 2fast2furious mentioned. My moto : Great gauges, Large tank and clean dry air. Add a quality compressor with filters when you feel you need one (no cheapy one either) . Preserving your AR with clean dry air is paramount. No short cuts here. All here have given great advice.

I will go for compressors. Some PCP like the Huben can take 4500 ~ 5000 psi. They cannot be filled by tanks unless you fill the tank to a higher pressure, say , 6000 psi. I am not sure if you can easily find places to do that.

After selling my Hill pump, I have been using my cheap Yong Heng compressor for one and a half year. Fill up my Huben in about one minute. The compressor can easily be fixed as the construction is simple and parts are widely available at very low cost. Really like such total independence. 

I purchased a small 100ci tank when I first got into PCP's. That werqed OK cuz I had a paintball shop within a couple of miles to fill it and none of my guns took over 3Kpsi. So, I got several fills for my guns from my smallish tank. But then the addiction made me purchase an Impact with a fill pressure of 3600psi so the tiny tank just gave me a couple of fills if I got a 4500psi fill from the shop which I often did not.

So, I bought a Yong Heng and it filled both the gun and the tank so two to three hundred shots for the Impact when I went to the range. Lately that has not been enough as I have a couple of air gobblers I like to shoot besides the miserly Impact so I bought a spendy large 97cf tank. I should have it in a couple more days then I can shoot till the addiction is happy and go home content knowing I have satisfied it for the moment.

So, like many here I ended up with both a tank and a compressor to fulfill my needs.

...I will go for compressors. Some PCP like the Huben can take 4500 ~ 5000 psi. They cannot be filled by tanks unless you fill the tank to a higher pressure, say , 6000 psi. I am not sure if you can easily find places to do that....

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The statement above is rubbish, of course you can fill the Huben with your tank. It is just like with any other gun that you fill it but not till the max rated pressure but for whatever reason to a lower pressure. (as in this case the max tank pressure is the limiting factor) yes it will cost you some shots, but not a whole lot. (Like when for a gun the max press is 250 bar, and some ppl choose to fill to 200 bar)

As for the compressor of tank, you really want both. So if you can only have one you’ll need to decide what matters most for you: independence (compr) or the abilty to fill faster (tank). Then there are also other factors coming into play, like if you go on a huntingrip, can you use the compressor along the way? Or is there a (scuba) fill station near your residence. So really the decision can only be made by you, as you are the only one who has all the information.

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The statement above is rubbish ..... it will cost you some shots...... you are the only one who has all the information.....

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Don't you think your self-contradictory comment is rubbish ? Shot count may not be important to you but does it mean the others should give it up as well ? I don't know how old you are but you are definitely not mature enough to participate in public forums like this. 

Tank first, then a compressor if you need it. All of the 12 volt compressors I've seen do not have long term durability proportionate to their cost. The $200-300 compressor aren't the answere because they don't include essential elements to provide dry air. They require longer setup time with water buckets, etc. and they break down far too frequently. Therefore, get a tank first with a quality yoke and hose. When you know you're going to be a volume air user, bite the bullet and buy a good quality compressor. It amazes me that guys don't think twice about $2,000 pcps but expect a 4500 psi compressor to be cheap but last. You get what you pay for.

Judging from all the PCP's available from the big airgun retailers, a lot of shooters must have figured out a solution to that problem. I shot, and still do shoot my springers a lot. I knew when I got my first PCP, it would be a very short honeymoon if I had to constantly pump it up, or drive somewhere to fill a tank. I'm sure it would cause me to "conserve" my air and therefore not shoot as much as I'd like. 

I went all in and bought an AV compressor and a 74' CF tank. The only time consuming thing I do now is buying more pellets! You said it will probably be an addictive hobby so you're on the right track to consider a tank or some type of compressor. 

It sounds like a lot of people like the somewhat inexpensive Chinese models. They seem to work. Since a lot of PCP's may only get 30 to 50 shots per fill, a tank is a great way to keep on shooting without having to fire up the compressor. They're also portable. 

If I had a small compressor I would also get a tank. To extend the life of the compressor, I'd not fill the tank to MAX PSI, just enough to get the job done. Airgunners more familiar with this setup may have better suggestions. Good Luck and enjoy the sport!

@Airgunfans: Sorry if I stirred your pot, but your statement " Some PCP like the Huben can take 4500 ~ 5000 psi. They cannot be filled by tanks unless you fill the tank to a higher pressure, say , 6000 psi." is simply not true.

Filling my Huben to 300 bar (4500PSI) (by either tank or compressor) instead of the Huben's rated max 350bar gives me literally multiple dozens of hi power shots. (meaning 50FPE+) Let alone if you dial back the power, if you don't need that for a specific situation. Then the shotcount goes even (much) higher.

Maybe you meant to say that you cannot fill the Huben to it's MAX rated pressure with a "regular" rated (4500PSI) tank. That is a fact, but the way you worded it, it was simply not true and misleading to the TS.

No need to bring maturity into the equation if you are offended, This is a forum so ppl vent their opinions and thoughts and discuss brought up things. I was not trying to attack or bully you or anything, just correcting the wrong info.

I would do the following:

• Estimate how often you plan to shoot
• Estimate how long you plan to shoot
• Determine how long you are willing to wait between filling and shooting
• Determine where you will be doing your shooting
• Contrast this against your available budget
  • Forecast buying the best you can afford
  • Factor in min-max and overages. IE: Is it better to spend $900 for a compressor that may last a year and has a 90 day warranty or is it better to spend $2000 for a compressor that may last a year but has a warranty of >=2 years.

From here you have a very easy decision tree.

• Items 1-3 help determine if you need a compressor.
• Item 4 helps determine if you need a large tank or a small tank.
• Item 3 and item 4 helps determine the type of compressor you may need based on Items 1-3 to fill a bottle
  • Shoebox
  • Yong Heng
  • LC-110
  • etc
• Item 5 determines how much you're willing to invest into the hobby factored against the emotional/usefulness of the hobby.

The above is unique to each person. I have a 480cc bottle gun and I often shoot for 1 hour or more. I own a LC-110. I own a 90 cu-in Ninja Bottle w/EZ-Valve. I can refill 3-4 times to ~200-220 bar. This is good for a 45minute - 1 hour shooting session. It takes ~10 minutes to walk from my shooting lane, with the bottle, warm up the compressor, fill it, perform the cool-down cycle, and return to my shooting session. This is my unique scenario using a carefully considered and purpose built/acquired setup.

I hope this was useful. What you're going to hear is very helpful advice from forum members who are sharing their situation and experience in hopes it will help you. What you need to determine and forecast is your use case.

For me, there aren't any shops within an hour to fill a tank, so a compressor is my only option above a hand-pump. I also have my eye on a Hatsan Spark and hope to get one before next spring. Unless something dramatic happens in my life, I won't ever be able to reasonably afford anything more than that, and I'm okay with that. I don't really shoot real often, I might have to pump only about 10-15 times per season. Some might tell me to stick with the hand pump, but I'd really like to have a pump to save my back.

For me, there aren't any shops within an hour to fill a tank, so a compressor is my only option above a hand-pump. I also have my eye on a Hatsan Spark and hope to get one before next spring. Unless something dramatic happens in my life, I won't ever be able to reasonably afford anything more than that, and I'm okay with that. I don't really shoot real often, I might have to pump only about 10-15 times per season. Some might tell me to stick with the hand pump, but I'd really like to have a pump to save my back.

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A compressor surely sounds like a good option for you. I would suggest reading everything written here and anywhere else you can find before spending your money on any compressor.

If you decide to start out with a tank, get the biggest 4500 non regulated CF one you can afford. That way if you do fall down the rabbit hole, you will have less trips to the dive shop. I made exactly 2 trips to the shop before I found a way to purchase a ShoeBox compressor. It wasn’t cheep. But gas and time driving isn’t either. Plus it’s a pita. I don’t use the SB to fill my rifles. Only tanks. Very good advice above. I am a long ways from a dive shop and I drive a few hours away to my cabin. So it’s nice to have a tank to take with you. If you go big bore, I believe a compressor is a must. 

Well I just started with my first PCP and went through the same dilemma. In the end I decided to get two 12 liter 4500psi tanks. I weighed up the pros and cons and I think tanks are the way to go if you have a local fill source. The portability of tanks means I can go hunting/ camping for a few days and not have to bring a compressor and a generator to power it. 

I always wonder why one of these tethering regulators are never brought up in treads like this. Especially if one were to go with a tank first, and be dependent on fill shops down the road that charge $5-$20/fill. In this game, Air is gold to us, and you all know it. With out it, the budget guns all the way to the immaculate Daystate and FX guns are just now gardening tools. These regulators save air, especially when target shooting off of a bench or tuning on a rifle over a chronograph. 

When I first got my Marauder rifle when I started this hobby almost three years ago, I knew the hand pump was not for me, so I went with a tank. Just trying to tune the Marauder I noticed after a few shot strings over the chronograph, my tank was ready for a top off, and that’s in half a day! That meant driving 40 minutes each way, and $9 to top off. Not to mention fuel. The biggest waster of air, is bleeding the fill hose after a gun top off, and you all know it. My suggestion to the original poster, is a tank along with a tethering regulator, provided you have a fill shop nearby to make it a “fun” hobby. If not, then I would go for one of the 12v/120v portable compressors, more than likely the Hatsan Spark, which I have never seen any complaints about. Not one so far.



yes, you can shoot tethered without a Regman regulator like I own, but just like shooting unregulated, your velocity will fall off, and you will not be consistent in the tuning process, unless you constantly monitor the tanks valve to keep the fill whip topped off.

Just my take on things.

Personally I would buy a tank as long as there is a place to fill it near by. I keep playing with the idea of a compressor. And every time I'm ready to pull the trigger I read some horror story on the very one I was about to buy. And these were all over a grand to purchase. I have one tank I purchased new and one that I got locally used. I'll stick with the bottles I have.Only thing that ever happened with the bottles was an o-ring, .50 cent fix and my daughter stepped on a fill hose and cracked the fitting, 23 bucks to fix. We're both in MI. and a lot of dive shops around. The ones I go to in Oakland county charge 11 bucks for a 4500 psi fill.