Canadian Airgun Forum

Not long after the purchase of my first PCP airgun late in 2007, I was scrambling about to get myself all set up for refilling from a scuba tank. During this process, I inadvertently discovered a very important bit of info with regard to the the quick connect fittings used for filling . One supplier had the fitting that I needed, but in brass, at a much higher cost than the similar steel fitting. Being of a frugal nature, I asked for the steel fittings, but alas, only Brass fittings were in stock. Upon examining the brass connector, while the salesperson was writing up the bill, I casually commented that the brass could not be nearly as strong as steel, and asked if he was sure that they had the same specifications for pressure handling. He was pretty sure that they were, but would confirm it from the maker's specifications.

This is where it gets interesting. The brass quick connects are only rated at 1000 PSI working pressure, whereas the steel ones are rated at 5000 PSI working pressure. Even considering the standard 4:1 safety factor, if you happen to be using a 4500 PSI tank, it could be an accident waiting to happen. The above spec. was the same for most major manufacturers that I checked - Aeroquip, Parker, Foster, Faster, and Tomko.

If you or anyone you may know is using the brass quick connects, it would be well worth your while to double check the ratings on the specific brand you are using if it is not one of the ones mentioned above. If you are currently using a brass quick connect bearing any of the above mentioned manufacturer's names, I'd suggest changing them to the steel connectors, in the interest of safety.

Regarding the price differential alluded to above - the steel connectors are generally about 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the brass ones. For my AA S400E, the steel fittings were $8.00 ea. in steel, as opposed to $25.00 ea. in brass.

Good call Supr.
I had used a few of the brass for the same reason you mention... available.
I have bought SST ones from Tim Mac1 at $3 each and am converting all I have to this.
The 2000psi fills were enough to cause the balls to upset the brass on the male quick connect. not good
Thanks for the heads up.
Walter....

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Walter

The stainless steel quick-connects, to my surprize, are rated at a lower working pressure by some manufacturers than the plain steel, but typically, about 3 times what the brass ones are rated for. For the particular connector for my AA S400E, the stainless unit is rated at 3000 PSI working pressure. A few manufacturers rate the stainless and plain steel for the same working pressure.

Thank you for confirming my suspicions, and ultimately, the validity of the manufacturer's specs as well, with your observations on the brass connectors.

there is a guy on ebay who sells stainless steel ones sometimes for $3 each , i bought a bunch . worth checking out , also the female ones for $5 , lots of pressure gauges in 1200-3000-5000psi . $4


*lucky*7* is the seller , some time he has lots .