To Tank or Not To Tank?

Tanks are great for when one needs to be mobile. No need to be mobile no need for a tank it's that simple. Although it is nice to tether to a tank when shooting for long sessions. The empty lots next to my house and across the street are now a house and a 58plex now so I need to go somewhere else to shoot. I need a tank, these days, as it is much more convenient that hauling my compressor around.

My guess is you will eventually want a tank but you certainly don’t have to have one. Lots of guys start off with a hand pump. Facts are if you eliminate the have to haves there isn’t much needed other then a springer , pellets and something to shoot at. Stick with that and save THOUSANDS 

Both would be best/most convenient...

Imo, Its more convenient to set up/run your compressor 1 time and fill a tank, and your gun, Then have the full tank to do a dozen or more fills before you need to set up the compressor again.

With a tank its a fast simple gun fill, unlike a compressor. No water lines, no power cord, no arranging hoses, cleaning filters, driers, etc. Setting up/running the compressor every 1/2 dozen mags could get annoying for some..

You don't have to fill a big tank all at once, you can/should let the compressor rest/cool a few times till tank is full....

jmo

It depends whether you want to pay the price for convenience. 

I used to fill directly but then bought a tank and fill valve for about $200. It's hard to beat the convenience of a tank if you can put it right next to where you shoot and recharge your gun in a matter of 30 seconds instead of taking it to the pump's location and recharging it over a couple minutes [and waking up everyone within ear shot]. It takes about 20-25 minutes to top off the tank and I get maybe 30-40 fills [never really counted].

If you shoot a lot it’s also nice to be able to tether the tank to the gun . It’s what moneys for .

IMO opinion you don't gain anything by cycling the compressor everytime you fill the gun. I'd rather run it once and fill a bottle and shoot off that for 12-15 fills, less wear and tear.

As others have stated, it comes down to need, convienance, and budget. Of course, if you never go anywhere, you can continue as you are. I started out with an FX compressor in like 1999 and did the same thing, filling my gun. Small compressors do well with short run times. You can always upgrade as you need to and if you keep airgunning. Currently, I have a Bauer Jr II compressor with automatic shutoff, all 3 sizes of Joe B tanks wth all options, and a Joe B regulator. Tethering makes long shooting sessions much more enjoyable, especially with certain airguns, ( the LCS SK19 and .30 Uragan with 580cc bottlecome to mind. Big compressors actually benefit from longer run times. I can top off all 3 of my tanks in about 30 minutes (3500psi to 4500psi). I told my Bauer dealer I was topping off 1 tank at a time. He told me to wait until all 3 tanks needed filled to get a longer run time. He said the compressor I have is usually used to fill much larger tanks and more frequently and the heat from a longer run time cooks off any moisture inside the compressor that might otherwise end up in the oil. When you need to uprade, you will know it.