Canadian Airgun Forum

Anyone know a Canadian source for Carbon Fibre tanks? Has anyone brought one in from a US source? Any problems? TIA Doug

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Time spent in reconnaisance is never wasted.

I have an order going out to the manufacturer of the carbon fibre (4500psi) and aluminum (3000psi) HPA tanks later this week, and am willing to custom-order anything people want, if it's paid in advance.

As an example (and carbon fibre tanks aren't cheap):

50ci with whatever regulator you want up to 3000psi, $219.99
68ci with regulator, $229.99
90ci with regulator, $242.99

A no-slip tank base for the CF tanks (black or red) is $18.00


The aluminum tanks are alot cheaper and listed on the website: http://www.scopesandammo.com




.

Just so everyone knows.... tanks rated in cu.in. (like in Eric's post above) are the volume of the tank AT 1 BAR.... when they are listed in "cu.ft. at xxxx pressure".... that ALSO means the volume AT 1 BAR....

For reference, at 3000 psi (207 BAR) , and at 4500 psi (310 BAR) :

13 cu.in. = 1.6 cu.ft. , 2.3 cu.ft.
22 cu.in. = 2.6 cu.ft. , 3.9 cu.ft.
50 cu.in. = 6.0 cu.ft. , 9.0 cu.ft.
68 cu.in. = 8.1 cu.ft. , 12.2 cu.ft.
90 cu.in. = 10.8 cu.ft. , 16.1 cu.ft.

I mention this so that you can compare Eric's prices to Airhogs "Pigmee" at 9.5 cu.ft. for $275 US and their "Warthog" at 17 cu.ft. for $475 US.... and the Airhog tanks don't come with a regulator....

Bob

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Dominion Marksman Silver Shield - 5890 x 6000 in 1976, and downhill ever since!
Airsonal; Too many! Springers, Pumpers, CO2, but I love my PCPs and developing them!
Proud Member of the 2000+fps Club!

Many thanks for replies from AGE and Bob. The larger sizes of CF tank may be just what I'm looking for. I do have some questions, though.

Roughly how many fills will I get from a 90 ci tank filling to 2500 psi and shooting to 2000psi?

What exactly does a regulator on the tank do when I'm filling my AA S410?

Where do I get one of these 4500 psi tanks filled and do I need a special adapter?

What additional fittings/ hoses do I need to fill my S410 and what is the cost?

Sorry for all the 'newbie' questions. Thanks in advance for your help.
Cheers, Doug

_________________
Time spent in reconnaisance is never wasted.

Here is a tank fill calculator:

http://www.airhog.com/tank.htm

Be sure you use the correct units.... The 90 cu.in. tank is 16 cu.ft. at 4500 psi.... You need to know the volume of the air reservoir on your gun in cc (maybe someone can chime in with that number).... IF the gun is 200 cc (typical) you would get 29 refills topping up from 2000 to 2500 psi (which seems like a very narrow range, BTW)....

The regulator prevents you from overfilling your gun.... and it's actually pretty easy to goof and do that.... IMO it's a really good idea and safety feature to have....

As far as where you can get a 4500 psi tank filled, you had better check around in your area.... Paintball fields will probably have the ability.... SCUBA shops from what I understand are hit and miss for 4500 psi (they can all fill to 3000).... but you better find a place you can fill at BEFORE you buy....

The 90 cu.in. bottle is equipped with a male Foster quick connect.... hopefully any place you can get fills will have the matching female Foster fitting already.... again, ask.... On the output side, the regulator ends in a male "ASA" fitting so you will need a matching female with a pin valve (called an ASA adapter) plus a hose and a bleed valve assembly (to drain the air from the hose so you can disconnect the gun) and a connector to fit your gun.... I'm sure an AA owner will chime in and tell you what that is....

Larger 4500 psi tanks will have a different connector.... I haven't a clue what that might be....

Bob

_________________
Dominion Marksman Silver Shield - 5890 x 6000 in 1976, and downhill ever since!
Airsonal; Too many! Springers, Pumpers, CO2, but I love my PCPs and developing them!
Proud Member of the 2000+fps Club!

The 4500 psi tanks have the same connector as the 3000psi tanks- i.e. the regulators/tops are interchangeable between the two- assuming of course the regulator has an appropriate input-side burst disc (i.e. 7500psi)- not something like the 1800psi unit typically used on paintball regulators.

This is starting to sound more complicated than it should.

Someone would need the tank with appropriate regulator, hose/valve with correct connectors to attach to rifle reservoir and somewhere to have it filled.




htpp://www.scopesandammo.com

Again, thanks for the ongoing assistance. Armed with your info, I headed out to one of our local paint ball entrepeneurs to see about 4500 psi refills. Learned a lot! First, Eric's prices are very competative! Second, buddy can, but is reluctant to fill over 3700 psi as the time and wear on the compressor is excessive. Apparently, paintballers get plenty of shots at that level.

So, looking at a 90 ci CF tank at 3700 psi, and a cylinder of 200 cc, I should get about 22 refills. That's plenty of shooting for me and the refill station is only a mile or so away!

Bob, I get 30 good hi-power shots between 2500 and 2000 psi. This keeps me in the 'best part of the curve' and keeps my pumping sessions relatively short. With a tank, I'd probably push it out a bit.

All I need now is to convince 'Santa'!

Cheers, Doug

_________________
Time spent in reconnaisance is never wasted.

I get 40 fills with my (80 cu.ft.) tank. B51 Bam not sure with my condor never checked

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VE7SHM//VE7ZJ

Moderator

Hey Lauchlin,

Interesting! I have a B51 as well! I enjoy both the BAM and my new AA S410 but the pumping is getting tiresome!

Using the Airhog fill calculator, I should get 55 fills out of a full 80 cu. Scuba tank so I certainly cannot disregard that option. The advantage of the little CF bottle is its' portability. If I could get 3 or 4 shooting sessions out of it, then drop it off on my way to work for a $2 refill, I'd be happy. It's about the size of a football and only about three pounds! It has a long, coiled hose that I could hook up without taking the rifle off the shooting rest! That, and it's cheaper than a (new) Scuba tank c/w connections, etc.

A larger CF tank would be better, but so far can't find one at a reasonable price in Canada. SCBA firefighters tanks are really expensive and my city firehall is pretty iffy about doing refills.

Still haven't made up my mind but at least there are some alternatives. I appreciate your input and may well go that route in the end.
Cheers, Doug

_________________
Time spent in reconnaisance is never wasted.

Are you sure that hose is not just intended for CO2 pressures?.... Having it go bang at 2500 psi would spoil your whole day....

In addition, long hoses waste a significant amount of air when you bleed the line down to disconnect the gun....

Bob

_________________
Dominion Marksman Silver Shield - 5890 x 6000 in 1976, and downhill ever since!
Airsonal; Too many! Springers, Pumpers, CO2, but I love my PCPs and developing them!
Proud Member of the 2000+fps Club!

Wow! Definitely something to check carefully!! Thanks, Bob

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Time spent in reconnaisance is never wasted.

So, just got back from another visit to the Paint Ball emporium! Buddy assures me all his gear is rated to 4500 psi and showed me the certification on the hose. It's actually tested to 7500 psi!

Also showed me a 68 ci @4500 psi tank about the size of two softballs taped together! Calculator shows 16 fills at 3700 psi. Best part is the price @ $145 plus $40 for the hose which includes gauge, bleed valve and Foster QC. I'm really tempted!

Any and all comments will be appreciated - even the skeptical ones!! My signature block says it all!!

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Time spent in reconnaisance is never wasted.

Sound great !!!....

Don't forget your first fill will use about 1/3rd of the tank, so you will only get about 10 refills....

Bob

_________________
Dominion Marksman Silver Shield - 5890 x 6000 in 1976, and downhill ever since!
Airsonal; Too many! Springers, Pumpers, CO2, but I love my PCPs and developing them!
Proud Member of the 2000+fps Club!

Interesting. I presume you mean if I start with an empty rifle. I can and will use my Hill pump when necessary. Otherwise it's a three-minute drive over to buddy's for a refill!!

_________________
Time spent in reconnaisance is never wasted.

Correct.... it takes 5 times as much air to fill from empty to 2500 psi as it does to refill from 2000 to 2500psi....

Bob

_________________
Dominion Marksman Silver Shield - 5890 x 6000 in 1976, and downhill ever since!
Airsonal; Too many! Springers, Pumpers, CO2, but I love my PCPs and developing them!
Proud Member of the 2000+fps Club!