Need PCP Equipment Advice

[Magicwolf]

Hi guys, Im new here. Been Using Air guns for a couple of years now, but Never delt with PCP and am very interested.
After doing research on the net, here's what I've decided;
the PCP pistol Im interested in is the Evanix Renegade or Evanix AR6 Hunting Master in .22 Caliber.
I already decided that a hand pump is out of the question, im not dealing with that!
That leaves me with an air tank. Im not a certified Diver, nor are there any dive shops in Las Vegas, so I wont be dealing with a Scuba Tank!
that leaves me with a nice mini carbon fiber tank I saw online at http://www.airhog.com/mini_tanks.htm
My question is this, If I cant fill tanks at a certified Dive shop and I buy the Carbon fiber mini Tank, WERE CAN I FILL OR CHARGE THE MINI TANK WHEN I NEED TO ????????
 Not everybody can go to a dive shop and not everybody uses a hand pump, So how would I fill up a mini tank...?

It seems the charging of a PCP gun is more of an issue that the gun itself, which infact is holding off my purchase right now........LOL

[kirby999]

Check for a paintball dealer in your area , most of them fill tanks now and I've read some fire stations will fill them if you ask them nicely. kirby

[dw33]

I Googled "scuba diving, las vegas" and it came back with about 9 shops -- I think a lot of divers dive Lake Mead.

[Magicwolf]

Yea Im sure there are dive shops for Lake Mead diving, but from everything I've read, because Im not a certified diver they wont fill any tanks for me! But I have found a number of paintball Pro shops, I just gotta call around to see if they fill tanks, Thanks for that paintball shop suggestion Kirby999...!

[dw33]

Forgot about that certificate thing, but just wanted to point out the dive shops there.  Luckily, I got a lifetime NAUI certificate when I was young, but the local place that sells dive equipment and fills tanks has never asked me for anything.

[Gene_SC]

Absolutely before you buy a carbon fiber tank make sure you find a shop that will fill it first. That is very important...

[kiwi]

Do this.....
hire a bottle of Argon gas....
a 11cubic metre bottle gives 600
top ups from 3000psi down to 2500psi
with a pistol  a 1000 ??

[Magicwolf]

Acually Gene, If I find a paintball pro shop that fills tanks,  I may buy the tank from that Proshop, but Yes I agree, Im not buying anything, not even the PCP pistol until I resolve the tank charging issue, well I got phone calls to make to some paintball shops, I will keep u guys updated on my progress!

[Magicwolf]

Okay,I found a paintball pro shop near by that fills and sells tanks, now that issue is settled, I have another question. The Pistol Im going to purchase is the Evanix Renegade .22 Caliber, I noticed that some PCP guns have pressure gages on them, but the Renegade pistol dont, So when I hook up the carbon tank to the gun's reservior and begin to fill, How will I know the gun is full? Will the Carbon tank have a gauge that will show no more air leaving the carbon tank? How do I fill the gun safely without blowing myself up........LOL
Also how do i know what fittings will fit the carbon tank to the guns resevior?  All these questions to iron out, Gezz...... no wonder gun Powder cardriges are so popular..........LOL

[Als69GT]

Usually if you tell a dive shop that this is not breathing air, they will put a sticker on it saying such and there is no problem. My closest dive shop only fills to 3500 but it is only$ 6 so not so bad. If there is a pressure gauge in line between the bottle valve and the gun, you can open the valve a bit and close it and that valve will show the pressure in your gun. Someone offers a regulator App $ 300 that you can set and fill to your pressure without worry. There is some one that sells hose and adaptor assy's, he has the microbore hoses so there is minimal air loss.    here is the website.

 http://www.hamcontact.com/airgun/HoseAssembly/

[Als69GT]

You can find great deals on ebay for used carbon fiber tanks. Be careful as they only have a 15 yr life span so make sure you know the date of Mfg. I picked up an 80 CF tank for $ 60. plus 40 for the hydro. But it only had 3 yrs left on it. I have seen 2001 and 2003 models for App. $ 150 to $200. Also check the pressure, some of the carbon fiber tanks are 2216 psi. Usually the tanks are rated in hrs of air. A 30 min tank is 66CF a 45 min tank is 80CF and 1 hr is 88CF.

Al

[Magicwolf]

Ebay probably has good deals but I never knew these tanks had an experiation date or life span of 15 years so to avoid that  Im going to buy new, infact I was looking at the Airhog Pigmee tank  http://www.airhog.com/mini_tanks.htm  it holds 9.5 cu.ft. of air at 4500 psi, according to the gun specs it says not to fill past 3000 psi (204 bar), so wouldn't that pigmee tank work for the Evanix AR6 or Renegade pistol...? Also, you said you spent $60 on a 80 CF tank and $40 for the hydo, What exactly is a hydo..? WOW, this is getting complicated.....!!!

[Magicwolf]

Oh, is Hydro the test required to see if the your tank is okay? Is that only for old tanks? Do new tanks need a hydro test? On the Evanix AR6 .22 cal pistol, does anybody know what size and type fitting is needed to fit the filler hose to the guns resevior?

[dw33]

New tanks don't need a hydro, but after a year you will have to have it visually inspected ($10).  I have heard that air gun is really loud.  Ever thought of something else?

[Magicwolf]

Well, loud dont bother me, but here's how I came to favor the AR6, Im looking for a .22 Cal with a high FPS output, but I dont want a rifle, and my budget puts me in a price range of $600 or less (Pistol only price range) so it seems the Evanix AR6 PCP .22 cal. Pistol is the only pistol that fits that need. Unless you know of another Pistol im not aware of, Im up for suggestions, I haven't bought anything yet, the AR6 is out of stock till mid August, so right now, Im not commited to the AR6. Thanks!  :-)