SCBA tank fills
Finally made a contact at a local volunteer fire dept a few weeks ago to get tanks filled. The first time I spent a little time chatting and explaining how our guns work and turns out the gentleman is a long time hunter/shooter so of course he was quite interested. He flat out declined to take any sort of payment/donation/compensation in exchange for filling my tank and I told him next time I’d bring my .25 setup for him to see/try. I think he was having a little bit of a hard time with the idea of a $1000+ air gun.
Next time was yesterday, and he had a hunter friend with him who he had told about my gun and also wanted to see. While my two tanks were filling, I answered many questions explaining how it all worked; both seemed duely impressed with looks and feel but appeared doubtful of performance of a “pellet gun”. Demonstration time.
Took a couple of pieces of 1×4 about 16 inches long which were leaned in a corner and walked them out about 50 yards and leaned against a tree one in front of the other. As I walked back the hunter friend looked at me and said “are you going to be able to hit that?” I just smiled and said I think so. Took two shots at a spot on the 1×4 each time a solid SMACK sounded back and both guys appeared somewhat surprised; one asked how penetration would be at that range. Upon retrieving the boards, both shots were within 3/4 of an inch of each other and had passed completely through the first board and embedded more than halfway into the second. This is the point where I got the “wide eyed holy-shit look” from both of them and a reply of “that would be great to hunt squirrels with” 😯 😈 😀
I have now been encouraged to call/come by any time I may need air. OH, AND HE ONCE AGAIN DECLILNED TO LET ME PAY HIM ANYTHING SAYING HE WAS GLAD TO DO IT. I put 5 bucks in the change cup in the fire dept refirgerator anyway and told him I appreciated him taking time out of his day to help me.
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That is a good story. Our local fire dept is literally 2 blocks up the street from me, I often think of trying the same thing you did. Sure would be more convenient than driving all the way to even the closest Sports Chalet.
Your story also conveys how little most people know about what todays airguns can do, still thinking of them as basically ‘toys’ that aren’t capable of much. Good job on bringing those guys up to ‘speed’ in the AG world.
Those stories are great…
The “Holy Shit!” looks are better.
Great job
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Your story also conveys how little most people know about what todays airguns can do, still thinking of them as basically ‘toys’ that aren’t capable of much. Good job on bringing those guys up to ‘speed’ in the AG world.
If your fire dept is “City” type, you’d have to get lucky and one of the guys be a diver or something like that. I checked all my local “paid” departments and all were too liability concious (even with a signed waiver) to do anything for the general public. look into “volunteer” departments in your area