fill air tanks

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   Hi Folks,
I went through all the same problems.
I used to have a 300bar 10L scuba tank which was great for filling any gun, and my local dive shop would fill it up to 300bar, no problem. Heaps of air and could fill any gun again and again!
When I immigrated I brought my 300bar tank with me, and that’s when the problems started 🤔

Problem number 1 was there is only one dive shop in North island (that I know of) who will fill a tank to 300bar, and believe me, I phoned around, a lot!!! And they are in Auckland, and I’m not.
My “local” dive shop in Hamilton, (the only dive shop in Hamilton) fills to “230bar”… hummm! But actually by the time you get home and your tank has cooled, you usually get about 205 bar, 210 if you’re really lucky.

Problem 2 is that NZ and OZ have some stupid work safe thing on scuba tanks called a LAB number and a dive shop can’t fill a scuba tank if it dosent have a LAB number, and my 300bar didn’t have a LAB number, so I had to either get it filled privately, or get my self a compressor.  Neither of those options worked out.

I ended up getting a one year old NZ LAB numbered 15L 230bar scuba tank, which I now get filled up in Hamilton for 10 bucks a pop, and it lasts me a few months filling up all my pcps (regardless of what their max fill pressure is).
I run them all from 200 bar down to 100ish bar (even though most of them have a 250bar max fill), and I get plenty of shots per fill from each rifle and plenty of fills from the 15L scuba tank.

Part of the secret to my success (😂) of getting maximum shooting pleasure from minimum dive shop air, is using a 15L tank (lots of air), not shooting huge amounts of FPE, and tuning all of my rifles to perform nicely with the regs set as low as possible, which gives the most shot counts possible before they fall off the regs.

I get by and it only cost me $400 for the scuba tank, and $10 for a refill every few months, and I certainly do a lot of shooting every month 👍🏻
I think the hydro test costs me $30 once a year.

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RangerPete Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 19 Apr 2023 Location: Cambridge. Status: Offline Posts: 1023	Post Options Post Reply Quote RangerPete Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: fill air tanks Posted: 25 Aug 2025 at 12:30am
	Hi Folks, I went through all the same problems. I used to have a 300bar 10L scuba tank which was great for filling any gun, and my local dive shop would fill it up to 300bar, no problem. Heaps of air and could fill any gun again and again! When I immigrated I brought my 300bar tank with me, and that’s when the problems started 🤔 Problem number 1 was there is only one dive shop in North island (that I know of) who will fill a tank to 300bar, and believe me, I phoned around, a lot!!! And they are in Auckland, and I’m not. My “local” dive shop in Hamilton, (the only dive shop in Hamilton) fills to “230bar”… hummm! But actually by the time you get home and your tank has cooled, you usually get about 205 bar, 210 if you’re really lucky. Problem 2 is that NZ and OZ have some stupid work safe thing on scuba tanks called a LAB number and a dive shop can’t fill a scuba tank if it dosent have a LAB number, and my 300bar didn’t have a LAB number, so I had to either get it filled privately, or get my self a compressor. Neither of those options worked out. I ended up getting a one year old NZ LAB numbered 15L 230bar scuba tank, which I now get filled up in Hamilton for 10 bucks a pop, and it lasts me a few months filling up all my pcps (regardless of what their max fill pressure is). I run them all from 200 bar down to 100ish bar (even though most of them have a 250bar max fill), and I get plenty of shots per fill from each rifle and plenty of fills from the 15L scuba tank. Part of the secret to my success (😂) of getting maximum shooting pleasure from minimum dive shop air, is using a 15L tank (lots of air), not shooting huge amounts of FPE, and tuning all of my rifles to perform nicely with the regs set as low as possible, which gives the most shot counts possible before they fall off the regs. I get by and it only cost me $400 for the scuba tank, and $10 for a refill every few months, and I certainly do a lot of shooting every month 👍🏻 I think the hydro test costs me $30 once a year.
	Walk quietly, but carry a big stick.

Pauly5 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Joined: 11 Mar 2013 Location: Titahi Bay Status: Offline Posts: 1662	Post Options Post Reply Quote Pauly5 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Aug 2025 at 4:01pm
	There were a couple of airbow compressors on trademe this year. Don't know if they sold, but keep an eye out, they might come up again.

Grey Kiwi Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 09 Jan 2022 Location: Richmond Status: Offline Posts: 53	Post Options Post Reply Quote Grey Kiwi Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Aug 2025 at 10:48am
	The Gun City pump (GX CS2) is OK, but air cooled and heats up quick. Heat kills those wee pumps. Be prepared to pump for maybe 10 minutes, and allow to cool. Pump for another 10 minutes. Can get tedious. The next step up is the CS3 which has a fully enclosed case but the same guts as the CS2...so not much better at all. Better of the lot is the CS4. It's water cooled (has a built in radiator). I sold mine recently for $1000 to give you an example. They are rated to 5½ hours continuous running. I sold mine to get the Hill Evo-310, and pleased that I did. Only use it for gun filling, and it will outlast me I reckon. For the GX CS2/3/4 etc you get a better price by buying direct from Alibaba (not Aliexpress). The Aliexpress sellers are sometimes selling a clone...and they have no shame. For the money that GC want I'd be looking at a genuine Yong Heng (water cooled). Needs a bucket of water to pump from for cooling. Needs regular maintenance (yearly probably)...seals, grease, etc. Yeah, sod the scuba tank filling guys. Damn dear per fill, plus the yearly test, and the 5 year test, etc. Edited by Grey Kiwi - 18 Aug 2025 at 11:06am

J-S Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 20 Oct 2014 Location: Auckland Status: Offline Posts: 483	Post Options Post Reply Quote J-S Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Aug 2025 at 10:02am
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Pauly5 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Joined: 11 Mar 2013 Location: Titahi Bay Status: Offline Posts: 1662	Post Options Post Reply Quote Pauly5 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 15 Aug 2025 at 10:11pm
	Gday metallicsting, I would suggest you look at a compressor. A decent one will completely fill your gun each time, where a dive tank will loose headpressure after each fill and then of course need a trip to the dive shop to get filled. Then there is the testing fo rthe tank that will happen every year that costs around $70 -$90. Some people think you don't need a test if it's not for breathing use, but it does need to be in test to be legally filled. Get a compressor that works on 12 v and it means you can fill it in the field off your car battery. I have a GX CS4. Paid around $900 landed, but I see Hunting and Fishing might be selling them under Gamo label with their new PPCP (plastic precharged Pneumatic) I also have an earlier Airbow compressor as a backup, and haven't used my dive tank for a few years now.

metallicsting Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Member Joined: 15 Aug 2025 Location: Wellington Status: Offline Posts: 1	Post Options Post Reply Quote metallicsting Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 15 Aug 2025 at 9:17pm
	How did you get on with getting a tank? I see gun city now sell them for an extortionate $1,199 , and they also sell an air compressor for $799. What did you end up doing? I'm interested in purchasing an FX Impact M4 and am looking at the filling situation also. Most annoying thing is most dive shops don't put how many bar the tank has.

Pauly5 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Joined: 11 Mar 2013 Location: Titahi Bay Status: Offline Posts: 1662	Post Options Post Reply Quote Pauly5 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 16 Nov 2019 at 4:06am
	Good point Mike, If the gun is regulated at say 120 bar, filling to 250 bar will only give you more shots, otherwise no advantage apart from a greater safety margin in the tank pressure. You would only know the difference if you filled it to max, and shot a string, then filled it to dive tank limit and compared shot count.

dvlnme Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 31 May 2017 Location: taranaki Status: Offline Posts: 519	Post Options Post Reply Quote dvlnme Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 16 Nov 2019 at 3:45am
	you right there paul,using 250 bar tank to fill 250 bar rifle does mean only getting few fills at full 250 bar etc,personally cant see point in 250 bar guns unless you have capablity to constantly fill them to 250 bar,and that means having your own compressor or pump you guts out with hand pump and am getting too old for that sh*t eh!!if rifle is regulated it will run perfectly fine at lower fill pressures the shot count will just be lower,but will still be a decent shot count,very likely higher than many other rifles,it just comes down to bassically how many shots will suit you i guess,i perfectly happy with 25/30 shots per fill,as thats 3 mags worth for my rifles,plenty for a day or nights hunting,i dont know what you shot count is from full 250 bar fill but imagine its significantly more the 30 shots,there fore using a lower fill pressure should still give you more than the 30 shots i am used to.evan if you do get your bulk bottle filled you will only get a very few fills at the full 250 bar anyway,possibly only one or two fills at 250 bar,it is what it is eh!!just find a comprimise and enjoy your rifle mate. cheers mike

Pauly5 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Joined: 11 Mar 2013 Location: Titahi Bay Status: Offline Posts: 1662	Post Options Post Reply Quote Pauly5 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 15 Nov 2019 at 11:54am
	The other option is to fill up with your dive tank, and top off with a hand pump. Samba, I know we have talked already, but I believe the dive shop in Island Bay might do those generouus fills. But of course you're always going down hill pressure wise.

nunga Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Joined: 09 Mar 2013 Location: Pukekohe Status: Offline Posts: 1080	Post Options Post Reply Quote nunga Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 14 Nov 2019 at 3:41am
	Yeah the only time you really need that higher PSI is for the big bore stuff
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