MarauderAirRifle.com

[soarwitheagles]

Hi everyone!

Well, I purchased my first aluminum 80 cubic feet Catalina blue scuba tank 3000 psi tank for $50. I think it was a good deal, but not sure.

The previous owner purchased this tank exclusively for paintballing [he was a professional paintballer], and used in only a couple of times. It appears to be in great shape.

I realize I will need to get it hydro tested as well as the visual check. Hope it passes.

I also found a steel SCUBA tank, 120 cf rated at 3300 psi and that owner is asking only $85 and that tank is still has the legit hydro test good for another 3 years.

Ok, I have a couple of more questions...

1. Was this a good deal on the Catalina Blue?
2. Is there a certain amount of years that aluminum tanks can be used? Or, perhaps I should ask, is there a maximum number of years the aluminum tanks can be refilled?
3. Is it true all 4500psi Carbon Fiber Tanks have a 5 year limit for refilling?
4. When I inspect the 3300psi 120cf tank, is there anything I should be looking for?
5. What type of connectors/attachments will I need to fill the Marauder from the Blue Catalina?

Whew! Sure hope I haven't worn you guys out!

Please help me if you can.

Thanks!

[AlanMcD]

Well, the tank you bought is probably a good deal for the tank itself, but probably not as good a deal for you as an airgun shooter as the 120 CF steel tank would be, depending on usage. More on that later . . .

First, Carbon Fiber tanks are officially limited to a 15 year max life from the date of manufacture, and they must be hydro tested every 5 years. Aluminum and steel tanks have no maximum service life (as long as the manufactured batch has no issues - some aluminum tanks have had to be scrapped) but also need to pass a visual inspection and a 5 year hydro.

So the big question is "how do you plan to use your gun/tank?" If you are planning on filling to 3000 psi, a 3000 psi aluminum tank can be used, but you won't get many full fills out of it - in fact, if your dive shop will only fill to 3000psi, you won't even get one! Of course, the first fill will be to about 2950 or so, so that is pretty close.

The easy way to think about it is to consider the percentage of the air pressure you can use for a full fill, and then multiply that by the number of cubic feet the tank can hold when full. So if you are filling your gun to 2500 psi, the Aluminum tank can provide you with about 13 cubic feel of usable air per trip to the dive shop ((1-2500/3000) x 80 cubic feet) while the steel tank would provide you with about 26 cubic feet per trip - so twice as much air, and the ratio will go up as your fill pressure goes up (with a 3000 psi fill, the steel tank is virtually infinitely more usable). Of course there are calculators on line that can help you figure out exactly what you are probably going to get (like here: http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/Tanks/FillCalc.html ).

The carbon fiber tanks really shine if you want portability - even the big ones are far easier to transport than the SCUBA tanks, which are of course heavy for a reason (to reduce buoyancy in water).

So if you are not looking to haul it around with you, the steel tank might be the best value as you will get at least twice as many shots out a fill from the dive shop, thus fewer trips and more economical shooting.

The fill unit you will need will depend on the output from the tank. Most SCUBA tanks use a K fitting, but some use a DIN - and you will need the other end to be a female foster fitting. The best source for god safe HPA connections is Joe Brancato, and you can find his info here : http://www.airtanksforsale.com/

[JDUB]

Well, the tank you bought is probably a good deal for the tank itself, but probably not as good a deal for you as an airgun shooter as the 120 CF steel tank would be, depending on usage. More on that later . . .

How about the 120 CF steel tanks. Those are the ones you want right? how much do they usually cost?

[soarwitheagles]

Well, the tank you bought is probably a good deal for the tank itself, but probably not as good a deal for you as an airgun shooter as the 120 CF steel tank would be, depending on usage. More on that later . . .

First, Carbon Fiber tanks are officially limited to a 15 year max life from the date of manufacture, and they must be hydro tested every 5 years. Aluminum and steel tanks have no maximum service life (as long as the manufactured batch has no issues - some aluminum tanks have had to be scrapped) but also need to pass a visual inspection and a 5 year hydro.

So the big question is "how do you plan to use your gun/tank?" If you are planning on filling to 3000 psi, a 3000 psi aluminum tank can be used, but you won't get many full fills out of it - in fact, if your dive shop will only fill to 3000psi, you won't even get one! Of course, the first fill will be to about 2950 or so, so that is pretty close.

The easy way to think about it is to consider the percentage of the air pressure you can use for a full fill, and then multiply that by the number of cubic feet the tank can hold when full. So if you are filling your gun to 2500 psi, the Aluminum tank can provide you with about 13 cubic feel of usable air per trip to the dive shop ((1-2500/3000) x 80 cubic feet) while the steel tank would provide you with about 26 cubic feet per trip - so twice as much air, and the ratio will go up as your fill pressure goes up (with a 3000 psi fill, the steel tank is virtually infinitely more usable). Of course there are calculators on line that can help you figure out exactly what you are probably going to get (like here: http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/Tanks/FillCalc.html ).

The carbon fiber tanks really shine if you want portability - even the big ones are far easier to transport than the SCUBA tanks, which are of course heavy for a reason (to reduce buoyancy in water).

So if you are not looking to haul it around with you, the steel tank might be the best value as you will get at least twice as many shots out a fill from the dive shop, thus fewer trips and more economical shooting.

The fill unit you will need will depend on the output from the tank. Most SCUBA tanks use a K fitting, but some use a DIN - and you will need the other end to be a female foster fitting. The best source for god safe HPA connections is Joe Brancato, and you can find his info here : http://www.airtanksforsale.com/

Alan,

You sure know your tanks and mathematics too! Thanks for sharing the information so clearly. To be honest with you, I am on a tight budget, so even though the Carbon Fiber tanks are incredibly attractive, I am not at this time able to fork out $500-$700 for a real nice tank. I am hoping I will be able to use the 3000psi Catalina tank on a temporary basis, just to fill the Marauder a few times and test it out for now. I read somewhere that if I fill the Marauder up to 2500-2600psi I should still be able to refill with the Catalina 3-7 times, and obtain 20-30 shots per refill. That would be approx. 100-300 shots per tank load...Not sure if those are accurate numbers, but I hope they are!

Not bad for a $50 Catalina tank.

I realize lots of people like the 3000-3300psi levels in the Marauder and that would be real nice. But I am willing to start small and low, just to get my foot in the door. I did notice a number of sites [PA and AGD] suggesting that I not go above 2600psi to achieve maximum accuracy with the Marauder. So it appears to me it may work well at that level.

I can always purchase a nice new Great White Carbon Fiber tank after winning the lotto [whoops, so sorry, I just remembered, I don't play the lotto]!

Well, I can save up my pennies and hopefully pick up a Carbon Fiber Tank somewhere down the road...

[SHOOTINIT]

it will work just fine...pressure will drop naturally from use with a .25..but instead of say thirty shots you'll lose maybe 1/2 a shot each time you fill it. also depends on how far you let the gun pressure drop to...

[RayK]

You can adjust your 25 so it is tuned for a 2500 psi fill. That will allow you to get plenty of full fills from your 3000 psi scuba tank. viewtopic.php?t=9988&p=63771

The 120 cubic foot high pressure 3500 psi steel scuba tank http://www.amazon.com/Asahi-Diving-Cyli ... B0013AIEY0 is far better than a 3000 psi 80 cubic foot scuba tank http://www.divers-supply.com/luxfer-80c ... AqTb8P8HAQ - except that the steel tank is very heavy. I have all three types of SCUBA and SCBA tanks and the SCBA are by far my favorites. Cal Joe and talk with him before you buy anything http://www.airtanksforsale.com/

Ray