PCP Manual Pumps ?

[Magicwolf]

Im looking to use a tank on my new PCP Pistol purchase, But if anybody has had any expeirence with these PCP Pumps, I'd like to know if using a manual pump is really as difficult as I hear, and how long does it take to pump up a gun that requires 2000 - 3000 psi, 10 minutes, 20, 30, 40?
Also, I'd like to know, is there any real difference with ease of pumping with a more expensive pump as apposed to the less exspensive pumps ? Thanks, Your Opinion counts!

[MikeX2]

Pumping my disco to 2000psi will take about 120 pumps. Just figure how long it would take you to pump a bicycle tire up with a pump 120x. For me it takes about 4 minutes with a rest (and sip of a cold one) every 30 or40 pumps. Your results may vary slightly...

[longislandhunter]

I pumped my Marauder to 2500 psi with my hand pump when I first got it..... I went slow and took a couple of short breaks.... wasn't to bad but I wouldn't want to do it all the time.  First thing I did after that was get the fittings I needed for my scuba tank so I don't have to bother with the pump for my Marauder anymore.  I still use the pump for my Air Force Talon and Condor, but I'm only topping off the fill after taking perhaps 10 or so shots during a hunting trip with those rifles.  I use the air force rifles exclusively for hunting so if I take 10 or so shots during a hunt it's a lot,,, but with the marauder I'll do quite a bit of target shooting and shoot off 50 or 60 pellets so that's where the scuba tank comes in handy....  Trust me, one you experience how easy the scuba tanks make PCP's you won't want to pump that much.

Jeff

[Magicwolf]

That's kinda what I figured, Thanks!

[Magicwolf]

I know using a hand pump on a large bore rifle such as a Carrer 707 9mm Rifle with a 500cc Reserviour is probably really dificult to pump up to proper pressure,
but Is a hand pump just as hard to use on a smaller pistol reservoir, such as a Evanix AR6 pistol..? Or are all these hand pumps a workout No matter what gun its used for..?

[PeakChick]

I use my FX pump to fill my PCP rifles. My BSA rifles, Ultra and Sportsman HV have relatively small reservoirs and are very easy to top off, usually taking 25-35 strokes. My Daystate Harrier X has a much larger reservoir and takes about 50 strokes to top off.

[ribbonstone]

Have had three: a crappy Chinese made BAM (which they stopped selling for obvious easons), and old model FX, and a Hill.  The FX and Hill I still use.  

The Hill may move a little more air than the FX, but not a great big amount..maybe 4%.  IF it takes 100 umps to fill with the FX, might take 96 pumps to fill with the hill...nothing to get excited about, esp. as the Hill takes more effort to pump at higher pressures than the FX.

Hill is the eaisest one to take apart and rebuilt if/when needed.  FX is smaller and lighter, more portable.  Hil;l takes a bit more effort per pump, but it's not a problem (am an old guy, 165 pounds, pretty active shape, and have no problems pumping these guns up...heavier folks would probably find it easier as their weight helps on the down stroke).

How much effort it takes to fill a gun depends on how high the pressure and how big the gun's air volume.  Pump effort gets pretty heavy past 2500psi and the larger the volume to be filled, the more pumps it takes to do it.

PCP's start to shoot slower as they shoot down and  pressure gets to some certain point.  How low depends on how the rifle is tuned, some will start to show significanlty slow shots while still up at 1400PSI and others will be tuned to shoot well down to 900psi.  Either way, most of us stop shooting a little before that "fall off pressure" and either refill the rifle or put it away for next time.  

Depending on the rifle's (or pistol's) performance , may be no good reason to fill to the listed max.  PCP's also tend to shoot a little slow at first until they get down to the optimum pressure.  So the gun might be rated for 3,000psi, but if it doesn't start shooting it's best until 2800psi, why put in the "extra" 200psi?

Can fill a little air tube, Like the 122CC tube on an AA S200, from 1200psi to 2700psi (which happens to be where mine is set for it's best shooting) with about 50 pumps.  Can fill a Sumatra (think the volume is about 480c)  from 1400 to 2900 psi in about 125 pumps.  Discovery would take about 55 pumps to go from 1000psi to 2000psi.

I'll pump in sets of 50-60 pumps, then let the pump cool down before putting in another set of 50-60.  Will VENT the line between sets to bleed off moisture.  that's why it's 50 to 60, as it takes a feew pumps to repressurize the line until the gun's fill nipple clicks open.  Makes more work for me, but  the pumps are lasting a long long time between rebuilds and I've not found any moisture problems inside the rifles they fill.

I can't think of any pistols with large air volumes, so filling by hand pump shouldn't be a problem.

[Magicwolf]

Hey thanks for the Detailed answer to my question, I appreciate you guys putting in the time and effort....!
Im looking at purchasing the AR6 or Renigade pistol by Evanix, but for that pistol size i dont want to get to overly involved with air tanks yet, Unless I can get away with a small 53 Cu Inch tank since the AR6 has a considerably smaller reservior than most Rifles do. But maybe I'll start with a pump first...! :-)

[DanoInTx]

Don't even bother with the small paintball sized air tanks for filling your PCP, they just don't have enough volume to give you any sort of refills.  A pump with a small resevoir like a PCP pistol wouldn't be too bad, but you'e right, if you buy a Career big bore you may as well give up your gym membership because you are going to get ALOT of execise:)  I used to fill my Airforce Talon with a pump and it got to the point where I just didn't shoot much because it was such a pain to pump.  Now I have an Air Arms S200 with a small 122cc airtube and I fill it with a standard 80cuft SCUBA tank and get plenty of fills.  My SCUBA shop fills my tank to 3300 psi without problems, so that helps get more fills, and I only fill the S200 to about 2800psi.  

[Magicwolf]

I really do want the career 707 9mm with an 80 cu ft Scuba tank, I Just gotta make sure I can get the scuba tank filled at a local dive shop, im not a certified diver, so my best bet is to buy the tank at the scuba shop, make sure they will do me the favor, so i dont end up buying a tank over the internet for nothing...!!! But I would never atempt to manually pump a 500cc reserviour on the 707,  but if all else fails there's the AR6 pistol & Pump.

Would a paint ball shop fill a 80 cu ft tank, or can only Dive shops fill that capacity?

[ParishM]

make sure they will fill the tank if you are not dive certified.
95% of the dive shops in my area will NOT fill your tank unless
you are certified.

[Gene_SC]

The only pumping I do anymore is pump gas in my car to get to the scuba shop to fill my tanks...:)

[whipperwilly]

I have a GEHMANN Pump and a Career Fire 202S 9mm rifle.

TWO IMPORTANT NOTES:

    1) Check your rifle's manual, bet it doesn't SAY to pump to 3000 PSI, BUT instead says to NOT EXCEED 3000 PSI !
         This is important because on my pump's pressure dial the space between 2800 and 3000 PSI is about 1 or 2 mm SO ITS going to be
         hard to tell when you are exactly at 3000 PSI or have exceeded it. BEST to quit at around 2800 PSI !

    2) CHECK the manual of the PUMP you get/use, or the rifle you have.....either will probably tell you the procedure to use....STICK TO IT.
         Mine says to pump 20 pumps, stopping at the top and bottom of each stroke for a short moment (several seconds), then stop for 5 minutes
         before doing the next 20 stokes.
         REASON:  The high pressure valves in the pump maybe made out of a plastic like material such as Delrin or Nylon.....compressing air creates
                          lots of HEAT.....too much heat can MELT those valves.....said pump is then RUINED !! By stopping and allowing it to cool for 5
                          minutes or more will prolong the life of your pump.

By doing this, it takes about 1 hour to pump up my gun.....BUT it is NOT EXHAUSTING work to do so. It does NOT play me out, and I'm 60 yr. old.

[Gene_SC]

Daryl, you must be related to Jack La Lane..:) But good cardio exercise I guess..:)

[whipperwilly]

Gene_SC:
                 Ha...Ha...   BUT seriously, I do NOT have any problem pumping up my rifle...its almost TOO EASY !  
Maybe its the 20 pumps...then rest for 5 minutes routine, but I really have NO problem at all. It could be this pump too, its
supposed to be easier to use, maybe thats it. Usually I combine this routine with something else I doing.....so the 5 minutes or
so go by quickly.....

                 Now as for the gun...I Love this Career 202S 9mm.....its wicked !  Even a near miss on a magpie is fatal.....I finally found a way to make my rubber bullets for the deer......spread silicon ruber about 3/8 inch thick on a wooden block, let harden for a week, two or three...then use a cut-out punch - 3/8 inch diameter works fine - to cut out the bullets. They come out shaped much like a pellet shape due to the rubber tendency to compress. They are a tight fit in the .354 barrel.....but they work FINE !! Got my eye on a pestty fox now....with the heavy pellet.

                Nice thing about this gun....the pellets are so heavy that the distance they travel is kept SHORT....they hit the ground in a relatively short range, unlike a .22 cal rimfire that most farmers use around here...it goes for a mile....DANGEROUS ! So I have less worry about hitting
a neighbour with my 9mm.