Hand Pump 101

Jump to latest Follow Reply
K

khrome13

Member
Mar 27, 2019
27
0
TX
So I am looking to buy my first pcp, currently own break barrels. I want to buy a hand pump as a back up to either a tank or small compressor. Haven’t decided which route.

I have read where some say there are cheaper hand pumps that work just as well as the more expensive? I don’t mind paying for a good pump, but I don’t want to overpay for a name either. If you were buying today what would you buy?



khrome


 
My first hand pump was the Benjamin. Cost $179. Then ppl talk big about how good the hill pump is. So I got the mk4 for $289. Both broke after a year or so. I mean broke as in when you pump up, it's really hard and it's trying to suck back down. So got a cheap Chinese hand pump on eBay no brand name for $40. Works just like the Benjamin and hill pump. But it also got harder to pump after a while. I suggest if you gonna spend $100-289 on these hand pump. Just get a yong Heng. It's only $240 with free shipping. Fill your guns in less than 5 mins. And also fill tanks too. Search yong Heng on eBay and you can find them. Get the one with yong heng on the side. There are many clones and look alike. But don't aren't as good as the original yong heng.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Airmanator
Upvote 0
If you go down the route to get a Yong Heng or alike, be prepared to spend some time to learn how the machine works and how to repair it by yourself if it fails. The construction of the machine is quite simple and parts are widely available so it's not hard but there is a learning curve. 

If you fill your guns directly, those little 12V Chinese compressors should be a better choice as there is no need for water cooling and regular oil change but their self-serviceability is much poorer due to the lack of supply of spare parts. Furthermore, they have been out for just a while so there is not much info around on how to repair them. 

I am done with hand pumps. They are great for my 10 meter target guns but feeding my Huben K1 which requires 4500 psi is out of the question. If used in high humidity environment, hand pumps will produce significant moisture but my Yong Heng set up does not have such issue. There is really no need for any "backup" because the compressor can be fixed in relatively short time if it stops working. 
 
Upvote 0
My first hand pump was the Benjamin. Cost $179. Then ppl talk big about how good the hill pump is. So I got the mk4 for $289. Both broke after a year or so. I mean broke as in when you pump up, it's really hard and it's trying to suck back down. So got a cheap Chinese hand pump on eBay no brand name for $40. Works just like the Benjamin and hill pump. But it also got harder to pump after a while. I suggest if you gonna spend $100-289 on these hand pump. Just get a yong Heng. It's only $240 with free shipping. Fill your guns in less than 5 mins. And also fill tanks too. Search yong Heng on eBay and you can find them. Get the one with yong heng on the side. There are many clones and look alike. But don't aren't as good as the original yong heng.
Click to expand...

I agree with your recommendation to get a yong heng. I have one of the "clones" and have been using it for a couple years to fill my guns. It will fill a gun in seconds. But to go back to your hand pump issues, they could have been fixed easily with a couple new o rings.😉

My advice is, whatever you get, learn how to fix it yourself. It's so simple (even the compressors) that it just makes sense. Every pcp airgun and filling device use o rings and they're gonna fail eventually.
 
Upvote 0
ok thank you for all the responses so far... 

are the hand pumps with more stages easier to pump?......



khrome
Click to expand...

Started with a Hatsan 3 stage hand pump, not knowing better (at least found one way under list price...) pumping for an AT44 rifle to 200 bar. Has a small air reservoir and was not that bad as soon as you realized how to bring your body weight to bear. Bought a another rifle, this one was 300bar with a 500cc "bottle" type reservoir. Way different animal. Hatsan pump would not do it past about 235 bar or so. Bought a 4 stage no-name Chinese pump on Amazon.

Fill hose burst and pump's gauge was defective - stuck at 3300psi when I pressure tested the pump. They refunded some of my money, basically replacing the fill hose and the gauge. So, answer to your question - more stages, easier to pump? - not for me. The 4 stage pump seems to move a little more air, but at increased effort. When I approach ~270bar, pumping gets ridiculous - I just don't weigh enough!! Hand pumping is not easy, it'll work you out like you haven't been worked before! I've been saving for a compressor which I finally ordered 2 days ago, Daystate LC110. No more hand pumping for me! 
 
Upvote 0
ok thank you for all the responses so far... 

are the hand pumps with more stages easier to pump?......



khrome
Click to expand...

Started with a Hatsan 3 stage hand pump, not knowing better (at least found one way under list price...) pumping for an AT44 rifle to 200 bar. Has a small air reservoir and was not that bad as soon as you realized how to bring your body weight to bear. Bought a another rifle, this one was 300bar with a 500cc "bottle" type reservoir. Way different animal. Hatsan pump would not do it past about 235 bar or so. Bought a 4 stage no-name Chinese pump on Amazon.

Fill hose burst and pump's gauge was defective - stuck at 3300psi when I pressure tested the pump. They refunded some of my money, basically replacing the fill hose and the gauge. So, answer to your question - more stages, easier to pump? - not for me. The 4 stage pump seems to move a little more air, but at increased effort. When I approach ~270bar, pumping gets ridiculous - I just don't weigh enough!! Hand pumping is not easy, it'll work you out like you haven't been worked before! I've been saving for a compressor which I finally ordered 2 days ago, Daystate LC110. No more hand pumping for me!
Click to expand...

Thank you for the info you shared.... Why did you choose a $2k compressor as opposed to the smaller less expensive versions? I could justify buying the smaller versions (Hatsan Spark) or something similar but I can't imagine unless you are supplying air at a tournament how and individual could need the big versions. I think it's great if you can afford and need it, I just don't know enough about pcp yet to understand the need ?
 
Upvote 0
I originally bought a Hatsan Lightning compressor when they were first released. It turned out to be a lemon that over heated, reaching the 195F temperature limit in about 10 minutes where I would shut down to avoid jeopardizing the warranty way short of the pressure I wanted. I filed a customer service request on the overheating issue and was totally unimpressed in Hatsan's response to the problem. Not only did it seem that they didn't have a clue as to what was causing the overheating issue, but the particular service agent I was assigned to seemed not to give on whit about my problem either. I can't tell you how many hours I spent doing this and that, disassembling, photographing and reassembling the compressor at Hatsan's request and guidance only to finally receive a return a shipping label after 3 months of messing around. In my estimation, I should have reached the same point in about 3 weeks given a reasonable amount of timely attention by Hatsan Service. As soon as I saw that Hatsan had received the compressor I told them that I would not accept another compressor and wanted a refund. I was given a refund shortly there after.

I decided to buy a Daystate since I don't want to mess with a compressor. Bottom line - I want to spend my time shooting and working on my airguns, not wrenching on a compressor trying to make it work correctly or constantly performing maintenance. In my estimation and research, the Daystate LC-110's reputation appears to meet that expectation. Its a lot of money, but its a lot of compressor as well.
 
Upvote 0
I originally bought a Hatsan Lightning compressor when they were first released. It turned out to be a lemon that over heated, reaching the 195F temperature limit in about 10 minutes where I would shut down to avoid jeopardizing the warranty way short of the pressure I wanted. I filed a customer service request on the overheating issue and was totally unimpressed in Hatsan's response to the problem. Not only did it seem that they didn't have a clue as to what was causing the overheating issue, but the particular service agent I was assigned to seemed not to give on whit about my problem either. I can't tell you how many hours I spent doing this and that, disassembling, photographing and reassembling the compressor at Hatsan's request and guidance only to finally receive a return a shipping label after 3 months of messing around. In my estimation, I should have reached the same point in about 3 weeks given a reasonable amount of timely attention by Hatsan Service. As soon as I saw that Hatsan had received the compressor I told them that I would not accept another compressor and wanted a refund. I was given a refund shortly there after.

I decided to buy a Daystate since I don't want to mess with a compressor. Bottom line - I want to spend my time shooting and working on my airguns, not wrenching on a compressor trying to make it work correctly or constantly performing maintenance. In my estimation and research, the Daystate LC-110's reputation appears to meet that expectation. Its a lot of money, but its a lot of compressor as well.
Click to expand...

again thank you for sharing... I would not have been happy either... as a matter of fact I would have wanted to throw it through their front door had they expected me to repair it for them... warranty should not require you using wrenches...
 
Upvote 0
I have 3 hand pumps, two Chinese, one Hill MKIV, a clone Heng and a 72cu/ft fill station. Each of these fills a PCP handily. The Chinese hand pumps are less expensive and work well. The Hill is made better but does the same thing. The Heng works great but takes time to set up unless you have the space to keep it at the ready. The carbon fiber fill station is the quickest and easiest but must have a place or compressor to fill it. I have filled by hand for years, weigh a buck fifty wet and it’s easy. All these do the same thing depending on your budget most of all. Most of my PCP’s reservoirs are small so hand pumping them is not labor intensive. If you hand pump, do it slowly as to not build up heat and the o’rings will last much longer, 50-60 pumps then let the pump cool.....then resume if need be. Make sure to lube the center column of the hand pump with 100% silicone oil or grease (light coating) every few times it’s used, scuba silicone is usually 100%.
 
Upvote 0
So I am gathering "most" that hand pump don't put much emphasis on the cost of the hand pump as any indicator of it's longevity. Which is how I also feel about the rifles themselves. I don't think a $2k rifle is really worth the price. I also feel the same about PB's. Yes there are some that are prettier but not necessarily any more functional than some of the inexpensive models.

Do you guys use any water collector or dessicant bottle on your hand pump?
 
Upvote 0
Do you guys use any water collector or dessicant bottle on your hand pump?
Click to expand...

I did. I made a tall container about 30 cm tall x 8 cm in diameter using PVC tube and filled it up with silica gel. The container is connected to the intake of the pump via a hose. When the pump is not in use the container is detached and fully sealed to avoid absorbing unnecessary moisture. This is much better than that came with the Hill pump which is too small to be effective IMHO
 
Upvote 0
ok thank you for all the responses so far... 

are the hand pumps with more stages easier to pump?

is their a difference in the yong heng/chinese and the Hatsan spark?



khrome
Click to expand...

I have the FX 4-stage pump and have used it for many years in my S410/S510’s and FX bullpups. I would highly recommend this hand pump for another reason; it has an internal moisture trap that purges when you vent the pressure. Regardless of the stage it’s easy enough to bring the airguns up to their max PSI. 

I will say that after using this for years I am actively pursuing a used ShoeBox, but only because I find myself shooting more from the bench now and going through a lot of air firing groups at various ranges to validate or determine my dope, and pumping becomes tedious at best. For hunting, I just use the pump to top off the rifles when I put them up. 
 
Upvote 0
I have a Discovery, a Maximus, and now an FX Dreamline. I bought the three-stage TaoUSA pump below from Amazon, as well as an additional high pressure hose and in-line filter:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01173BARU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Taousa 70354 Moisture Filter Kit, Desiccant Kit for Airgun Pump

Taousa 70422 20in hose with 8mm Female quick disconnector for airgun pump

I bought the extra hose in order to more easily attach the quick disconnect to my rifles and also to be able to read the gauges easier.

So far, I have had not issues with the pump or accessories. They are all pretty solid, and the pump came with a full bottle of silicone oil, a wrench, and spare o-rings. Pumping the Disco and Maximus to 2000 psi isn't a problem, and I lube the pump each time I use it. I also heed the advice of taking your time when pumping to avoid heating up the o-rings...heat kills the seals, so keep the pump lubed and pace yourself. You can actually hear the air moving between the different stages when the pump gets near the top of the stroke.

Now pumping up the FX is a different story...that's a 230bar (3300psi) fill cylinder. Topping that off from around 110bar to 230bar is more of a chore. I felt it in my legs (of all places), but it can be done without too much drama. I don't think I would want to fill a 4500psi CF tank (even a pony tank), but it can certainly be done with the right technique, and if you take your time.

A hand pump was good enough for Lewis & Clark, and the technology wasn't as matured as it is today. I cannot speak to the other pumps available out there (Hill, AirForce, Benjamin, etc.), but this isn't new technology. My logic was why spend $$$ on a hand pump when I eventually hope to move onto a compressor? I also have a feeling that while the pumps I've listed may be assembled in the UK, US, etc., there's a decent chance that their parts are sourced from the same factory in China that made mine. I'm sure that those pumps are all quality (you really don't hear much about pump failures), but I don't know if they are worth the high price tag to me.

Good luck and good shooting!

Bill




 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu