Free air

I like your math

Was that 74 cubic inch or 74 cubic foot? if it was a 74 cubic foot bottle, I can see where the Paintball shop wouldn't want to fill it. that's a lot of air. If it's the 74cubic inch bottle, WOW?!?!?!?!? The paintball shop didn't want to fill it? The shop I use will fill my 90 cubic inch bottle and doesn't even bat an eyelash.

Good to hear that the air is free now. All the better

Tanks make most sense if you live near a fill station. I get mine filled at a firefighters supply store 5 minutes drive so it's super easy. Driving for an hour is more hassle than pumping. 

If money was no object and space wasn't an issue, a decent compressor and an SCBA tank is the nicest set-up.

it has to be a nice compressor though. If it is one of those ones that has to run all night to fill the tank and needs lots of maintenance, I would rather drive 5 minutes once every 3 months to get my tanks filled (I have 3 tanks so they last a while). 

I got an Altaros back in December and let me tell you, you're going to spend a lot more on pellets once you are air independent. I go out to my shop with my 66 cu ft bottle at 3500 psi, hook it up and leave, an hour later it's back at 4500. No lubing this or tightening that, no maintenance at all, I love it!

Having a compressor just takes the pressure off of shooting. Without the compressor i think i would just subtly ration myself. Now with a compressor i am free to shoot when and how much i want, try new pellets, fill back to the sweet spot, actually stopped cascading as well.

I have 2 scuba tanks that i have had for a long time, just hydroed, both are steel 3442 psi, an 80 and a 117 and now my omega 75 with the Daystate compressor, auto shut off.

A compressor is not a small outlay but i am finding it has really added to the enjoyment of shooting.

My scuba tanks get down to 2500, i fill back to about 3200 in about 7 or 8 minutes, the SCBA, refill from 3000 to 4000 maybe the same time.

If i had a good gun, but wanted a high dollar gun, i'd keep shooting the good accurate gun and buy a compressor, then later the exotic gun.

"scubajeeper"I got an Altaros back in December and let me tell you, you're going to spend a lot more on pellets once you are air independent. I go out to my shop with my 66 cu ft bottle at 3500 psi, hook it up and leave, an hour later it's back at 4500. No lubing this or tightening that, no maintenance at all, I love it!

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I'm with you there. Lost my source for hpa last January; the shop owner died, family decided to shut things down. After much research, and looking around I bought an Airetex 45. What a beast! Perhaps an overkill, but I wanted something that would be hassle-free and quick. That it is! I now shoot so much more not worrying about getting a refill on air. Better stock up on pellets, cause you will be going through them.

I'm REALLY lucky. I get my 3K (80 cu. ft.) scuba and 4500 cf tank (74 cu.ft.) filled at a dive shop about 25 minutes away. 4500 fills are $8, 3K fills $6 but that's from empty. They haven't charged me the full amount yet. Example--last time they filled the cf tank from about 2900 to 4500 and the scuba tank from about 1900 to 3000. Charged me $7 TOTAL, said it was just a "top off". They must have overfilled 'em slightly because when I got home they read 4500 and 3000 exactly and I didn't leave them overnight or anything. They filled them while I waited. Sure hope they never close!

Ed

The paintball shop near me only charges $1.50 per 1000 PSI so I could get my tanks filled for about $3. But I had the usual problems depending on someone else for air. Sometimes they were low on pressure if they were very busy, a lot of teenages work there and some didn't know how to fill the tanks, etc. So i got a N2 tank as back-up. I recently got a Super Charger so no worries about air anymore.

Free air is the way to go. When you can get a compressor for the price of a rifle. Why not. But as scubajeeper said you will spend a lot more on pellets. When air is not an issue pellets become the next issue. I am trying to talk my neighbor into building a pellet factory. Not working yet.

I have an Omega Air Charger, but I wouldn't say it's free! But, I do agree that refilling is a pleasant experience. Nice to just hook things up, turn it on, and go about your business, near having to worry about anything!

Why don't most paintball shops just go for a compressor of some sort. Seems like a nice dive compressor would pay for itself quickly at $6 a fill. Or just use it to fill your bigger storage tanks to fill smaller ones.

Man you guys got it made in the shade , Before I bought my Sheldon compressor I had to drive 30 miles wait an hour or so to get service.
Pay 38,00 for a fill no matter what size tank and no matter from 3000 to 4500 of 5000 sometimes when the English was not good.
but they did take visa,
Mike

"D4v0s"Why don't most paintball shops just go for a compressor of some sort. Seems like a nice dive compressor would pay for itself quickly at $6 a fill. Or just use it to fill your bigger storage tanks to fill smaller ones.

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Both paintball shops near me have compressors. They keep enough pressure to operate the paintball guns, just sometimes they drop below 4500 psi which is what I go there for. They use the compressors to fill their large cascade tanks and work from them. They only fill the large tanks the evening before after business hours for the next day's operation..

Paintball shop I use does the same thing. They pressurize for business, so I need to time my visits on Friday's, before they really get going for the evening. A bit of a pain, but 4500 PSI compressors aren't cheap. I'll live with the headache for now. Compressor later

Not everyone has $1,500 to $2,000 laying around to buy an all-in-one, high-pressure compressor. Which is why (in some respects) Shoebox and Altaros stay in business. But I have to say, until I bit the bullet, and bought an Omega Air Charger, I didn't realize the hassle I was going through every time I refilled my portable bottle.

Of course part of the issue is how much you shoot. So far this month, I've gone though about 400 pellets, but during a normal summer, I do that in less than a week! 

What did I discovered along the way to getting where I am now? I would have been much better off financially had I bit the bullet when I first got into PCP airguns!

I also spent a fair amount of time driving my tank around to get it filled so I bought a Super Charger about a month ago. Had my Omega 75 cu. ft. tank filled at the same time and I have about 3600 PSI left.

I'm super anxious to try out the compressor. It's still sitting quietly in the box it came in LoL

I figure it'll pay for itself over time by eliminating the driving and time wasted. Looking forward to "free air" !!

Matt

I have a Shoebox high pressure compressor that I use, along with a regular compressor, to fill my scuba scuba tank.

Have been wondering how an Omega Super Charger stacks up to it.

Anyone know? .

I like to pay for my air. Kind of.

I pump. I do find myself subtly rationing myself, but that's not a bad thing either, since pellets cost money too. It also helps me avoid the guns with the huge tanks, which also tend to cost more.

I "pay" for the air with the excercise I get to compress it, and by extension, I use my food calories (which I've bought) to pay for it. The bonus is I'm in better health, because all of my airguns require some physical effort to shoot. Springers require a tiny bit for each shot, PCPs require a lot of effort every 30 shots.

The only downside is that if I need to refill outside on a humid day, I'm putting some damp air into my gun. I usually don't though. When I'm shooting a lot outdoors, I'm at the club, which includes air with the fee to shoot. Otherwise, the pump stays inside, where the air is relatively dry.