What type of scuba tank?
Hello, I am a newbe.
I have a new Condor .22 on its way, and I want to get a scuba tank.
What size of tank do I need?
Will 80 cubic foot be large enough?
What pressure do I need?
Is 3000 psi enough, or should i get a 4500psi tank.
I know the max pressure for thegun is 3000 psi , but won’t the pressure drop in the scuba tank every time you fill the gun?
Sorry this is my first PCP, and I have no idea.
Thanks
All Replies
Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
Two more options are the http://www.scuba.com/scuba-gear-200/043201/XS-Scuba-106-Cubic-Foot-Aluminum-Hoop-Wrap-Tank.html 106 Cu/ft.-4350 psi. (make sure you can get it filled that high) another option (although not portable) is a 6K nitrogen tank from an industrial gas supply house (praxair etc.)
I shoot my Edguns a lot! I was getting my 4500psi 66cf SCBA tank refilled once a week! When it gets down to 3100psi, I take it in for a fill. A 3000psi Scuba tank would not work for me.
I have had a Shoebox compressor ordered since Aug. I have my tank filled at either of my 2 local fire departments. I keep telling them that I wished that my Shoebox would come in so I wouldn’t have to bother them anymore.
Both stations have told me that it is not a bother and not to worry about it.
Great bunch of guys. Talk to your local fire chief. Once in a while, a box of doughnuts or a can of coffee will go a long way also! 😆
I got my SCBA tank off of ebay. I ordered the hose, fittings and other stuff off of the net. I saved some bucks doing it that way but, it took a while to get it up and going.
If I had to do it again, I would go with http://www.airtanksforsale.com/. It would cost a little more but, you would have everything that you needed, in one shot. He sells high quality stuff.
NO….80cuft, 3000psi is NOT ENOUGH..if you shoot very much at all, you’ll be getting that tank filled more than once a week.
Everyone seems to knock the SCBA tanks because they are ONLY good for 15 years..Do you realize how long FIFTEEN years is???? You may not be airgunning in 15 years, you may not even be alive…
I bought a COMPLETE 66 cu ft , 4500psi, SCBA set-up for $ 350.00 delivered to my front door…..the bottle will be obsolete in FIVE years, so most guys would say don’t buy it… cause I’ll have to buy another in 5 years whoop-tee-dooo that’s FIVE years from now…not next month..jeeeez..if ya are worried about every cent you spend on airgunning, let me tell ya right now–ya picked the wrong hobby….airgunning, on any sort of enjoyable level is sort of expensive, a lot more than many others hobbies…
Go to this site http://www.airtanksforsale.com/ and have a look around..call Joe and talk to him if ya need to-he’s a helluva nice guy and very helpful..I’m telling you from experiemce, buy the best (SCBA) to begin with and you’ll not have to ever upgrade…..if you can afford a new Condor, don’t sell yourself short and “cheap-out” on a fill station…get the best !!!!
Thanks guys for the quick reply, and the great info.
Hot Rod,
This is a typical cascade scuba system, it will allow you more fills than a single scuba tank. you will get 8 or so 3000 psi fills then the pressure drops from 3000 to around 2900 to 2500, where is the level some folks only fill to, experimentation will tell you your best level. I refill the tanks at around 2700PSI.
On pumps, whatever you do, do NOT buy a Air Force or a Benjamin pump, they will break very quickly. Only FX and Hill pumps will last. I went thru 3 AF pumps in as many months, and that counts down time for shipping.
Scba, the 4500 PSI tanks, are the way to go, if you can get them filled. Most folks will use a Fire Department if they can bribe them, but some departments will terminate their firemen for doing a fill. In California, I hear that Alpine Chalet will fill scba tanks. And Paintball stores will fill them. They are more expensive, but much lighter than the scuba tanks.
Scba tanks can be found used for around 300 bucks, but you will have to get a hose/fill assembly for another 150 bucks or so. The picture you see of the scuba stuff set me back about 350.00, I bought the used scuba tanks at the scuba shop I fill at, that is usually the best place to get the best deal.
If you can afford it, a shoebox compressor, which works in conjunction with a oiless shop compressor is the best way to go, you can fill either scuba or scba, and it will not matter if your tanks are not certified or not, your the one filling them. That system without tanks will set you back close to $700.00 after both compressors and hoses. A conventional 4500 PSI compressor usually starts at around 2500 to 3000 dollars.
Scba tanks are only rated for 15 years, but that is a goverment rating, they last at least twice that long for a useable life. But if you do not fill them yourself, all tanks scba or scuba must be certified by inspection in order for outside sources to fill them.
Welcome aboard, you have come to the right place, but beware this stuff is very addicting.
Roachcreek
First off welcome to the dark side of airgunning….pcp…yes an 80cf is big enough and yes the pressure will drop in the tank with every fill so what that means is that you will never have a full 3k fill from a 3k scuba tank ..if you have a shop locally that can fill to 4500 then a scba tank is the way to go but they are expensive and have a 15yr life span before no one will fill them anymore…now what I did for a while was use my scuba tanks for the bulk of my fill then topped off my tank with a hand pump (I bought it first) to 2800 since that is where my gun is set to run… Greg
:tag:
Make sure to read the quick reference section will answer many questions that many newbes have. For tank fills use this calculator from Airhog http://www.airhog.com/tank.htm
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I get great mileage out of a 3500psi 100cuft Steel tank. Airhog sells a 119cuft 3500psi tank. That should give you a lot of fills from any SCUBA shop.