HOT CARS

Never leave an air tank in a hot car. That's common sense. If you are too lazy to take it back inside the house then don't even take it into the car in the first place. All other stuff you mentioned like scope, the gun, electronic, that stuff is ok. But no no for air tank unless you want it to blow up or shorten the life of the tank. You don't want to find out what happens when an air tank goes boom.

If I've done the calculations correctly here's something to think about.

A carbon fibre tank at 4500PSI is 310bar at 68F. Now, if you raise the temperature to 140F (not an impossible temp in the summer) the pressure in the tank goes to 352 bar or 5,105PSI.

I'll not store my stuff in my car at all.

True it’s not a good practice but if they’ll go boom in your hot car then those firefighters are screwed. Damn near suicide bombers for sure.

As a rule of thumb, I personally wouldn't store my rifle/tank in my car at full pressure for prolonged periods, one would ideally keep the rifle below regulator set point and tank at 10% below max fill if you were left no choice but to keep either stored in a hot vehicle. Just my 2 cents.



-Matt

Never leave an air tank in a hot car. That's common sense. If you are too lazy to take it back inside the house then don't even take it into the car in the first place. All other stuff you mentioned like scope, the gun, electronic, that stuff is ok. But no no for air tank unless you want it to blow up or shorten the life of the tank. You don't want to find out what happens when an air tank goes boom.

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Fortunately, it wouldn't go "boom". All SCBA and CFFC type tanks have a pressure relief device called a burst disc. It is set to release at 5300 psi, or 400 °F. Interestingly enough, for SCBA tanks that Firefighters use (and airgunners, normally used ones), it is "tri-dimensional" in that, if it is activated, it would disperse the air from the tank in three directions so as not to throw the user off his or her balance. I've also read that the 4500 psi rated CFFC SCBA tanks burst disc could be rated at higher pressures, depending on the intended usage.

I have had a burst disc blow about 5 years ago. I knew better but...…….had another senior moment.

Back in the 1980's I served as Match Director of the second field target competition ever staged in Texas, and later wrote an article for American Airgunner magazine about the "Shooting For Peace" event that included a couple Chinese gentlemen (who spoke NO English), releasing a white dove (of peace, of course), and the indoor field target competition. I was confident of winning the match with my sixties-vintage .22 Crosman 160 Co2 rifle; but being preoccupied with my responsibilities left the 160 in my car... in 100+ degree Texas temperatures. I knew full-well that might be a recipe for disaster, and sure enough the scoped 160 shifted zero enough I couldn't even hit face-plates! However my (now late) brother Kim (no he's not Chinese) won the match, and the nice, Marksman-branded Weihrauch spring-piston rifle award.

I reckon the interior of my car reached around 150 degrees, as the metal work of my rifle was too hot to hold when I took it out of the oven... I mean, car. At those temperatures I'm guessing the chamber pressure of the fully-charged Co2 rifle was in the vicinity of 2000 PSI. 

Hey, you asked for anecdotes... and I've got a million of 'em! 

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Bubblerboy, where at in PA are you from? I live in SE PA

How does a person carry their equipment to a shoot or anywhere during the summer then? Gas tank is external of the vehicle though in the good old days most trucks it was right behind your seat.

Never leave an air tank in a hot car. That's common sense. If you are too lazy to take it back inside the house then don't even take it into the car in the first place. All other stuff you mentioned like scope, the gun, electronic, that stuff is ok. But no no for air tank unless you want it to blow up or shorten the life of the tank. You don't want to find out what happens when an air tank goes boom.

Yeah...sorta like this time. Anyone remember? " Smile, you son-of-a-pow BOOM!

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