Henry Rifle Forums

We've been going back and forth for some time on whether to take the big plunge and add an air compressor for our few PCP rifles and have finally pulled the trigger one one. The time was ripe for it, since we've been selling off a lot of our regular guns and have the funds to finance it. Since I promised to let a few of you know when and what we decided, here goes.

The issue for us is that we have been using scuba tanks to fill our PCP rifles and driving forty miles one way to get them filled at the nearest dive shop. The tanks, though, are now out of date and will need to be pressure tested, again, to be safe. That's a whole different headache, since that will require a drive of hundreds of miles. Just not practical.

Back when we got into PCP air guns, there weren't any affordable options for compressors, anyway. Things have sure changed these last few years.

So why bother with PCP air rifles in the first place, you might ask? This is why and these are only average 50 yard groups for our Daystate PCP. Believe it or not, I've shot even better groups with it.


Oh, we could fill this great PCP rifle with a hand pump, but that would require about 150 pumps with our PCP hand pump and take well over an hour of really hard work, not counting rests in between to let the pump cool. At our age, not an option. And we will never part with this rifle, a vintage Daystate CR97.



After researching this choice of compressor for literally months and months, we narrowed it down to two, both of which have received great reviews from owners.

First is the surprisingly compact (and relatively affordable as compressors go) AV Nomad II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYNSx1OhMmk

The second is the more expensive AV EC-3000, but, unlike almost all the other compressors we looked at, it is made in England, not China. It's also air cooled instead of water cooled, which is a better fit for our cold northern climate. Very simple to operate and great construction quality, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYNSx1OhMmk

We decided to pay more and go for better quality and ease of use with the EC-3000. Will let you know how it works when it arrives.

PS
We also added one more Daystate PCP rifle to go with it, but that's another story. Here's a teaser, though. Shows what state of the art PCP rifles can do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=879bgLE4vB4

FYI, I have the Nomad 2 which replaced a junk Xisisco pump that came out of the box full of rust. The Nomad 2 is built much better and it works flawlessly. It won’t fill larger tanks, but works great on a rifle cylinder. I really like the built in power supply, so I can use it from a truck battery or from my travel trailer.

I am sure the bigger pump will be a joy to use, but it is not very portable. Can it fill a scuba tank, for when you are away from 120 vac power? What do you plan to do to dry the air? I use the suppled AV inline filter and it works fine, but the humidity in my garage is really low. You need a better setup in your moist climate, especially considering all those very fine rifles you have.

John Davies
Spokane WA

Just curious did you look at the portable one that Airguns of AZ sells NCG
https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/compre ... ompressor/

John, no, it is not designed to fill large tanks like scuba tanks, but it can do small pony tanks. You could push it to do scuba tanks, if you wanted, but it would take a very long time. We may add an inline filter. We'll see.

We don't plan to keep using our scuba tanks, anyway. Once they're empty, that's it. Not going to mess with getting them re-tested and they are now over-due. We bought them used at a bargain price and they've served us well, but they are definitely showing their age. That's mostly what pushed us into getting a compressor. Then, too, standard scuba tanks run at 3000 psi, so after a number of fills, the pressure drops and I can't do a complete fill on our current Daystate which runs at 3000 psi. The new Daystate runs at 3600 psi, so I'd never get a complete fill with scuba tanks.

The nice thing about this Hill is that a fill on our rifles is around 2 or 3 minutes, tops, so the compressor won't have to work hard enough for the auto shutoff to kick in to cool the unit. We may add a pony tank, later, but all we really need is direct fill.

Al, yes, we looked at the Omegas, but they're all out of stock, right now. Again, didn't want to mess with a water cooled unit and all the hassles of running water through a bucket or small cup, anti-freeze and so on. That just won't work with me shooting in the winter. With the Hill, all we have to do is add the lubricants and go. Also like the auto controls on this Hill. Very simple to use.

Portability is not that big an issue for us. At 55 pounds, this is still portable enough to cart down to our shooting bench. We have a utility light pole there with an outlet. We have no plans of ever running it off a car, since we do all of our shooting at home. The heavier duty construction and made in England was more important to us. Also like that it is wired directly for 110, rather than using a converter. Most likely, we'll just set it up and leave it in the garage which is only a short walk from the shooting bench, anyway. That's where we have the scuba tanks and do our fills, now.

Ill likely never own one or a PCP rifle but one never knows. So on the water cooled units is it necessary to change that water often. Or whats the maintenance involved with the water cooling.

The smaller water cooled units, especially the portables, don't have radiators, so you have to supply water for circulation, externally, via a hose and a bucket as the unit runs. From what I've read, it's a workable solution, but in winter, we'd be forced to run the unit indoors, of course.

With air cooled units, you usually have to sit and watch a temp readout and shut them down to cool once a certain temp is reached. Running them too hot quickly wears them out. On ours, the unit shuts down automatically when the heat reaches a certain temp and then automatically restarts once the unit has cooled. That means we don't have to babysit the unit while a gun is filling.

Believe me, I do understand about the feeding PCP guns. It's a headache, no matter what method you use, but PCPs are where the air gun world has gone, big time. I'm as diehard as it gets with spring piston guns - they'll always be our mainstay shooters - but even I have to admit that there are some serious shooting advantages to PCP guns.

For me, one of those advantages is how easily I can change shooting positions and not have a POI or accuracy change with PCP guns. With my springers, I have to develop and work on a hold for each shooting position. Springers can get very grouchy, so to speak, when you take them out of their usual shooting position, some much more so than others.

Thanks for the write up. I still haven’t bought a PCP. The CO2 pistol is still on back order and I finally received the cylinders yesterday, a week late because of weather delays. I want to become familiar with the new CO2 rifle and pistol before moving on to PCP.

When it’s time to but a compressor I hope I can find this thread.

Thanks NCG but from what I gathered on a couple for youtube videos the omega actually has a small radiator and cooling fan of course. I get the cold weather and anti freeze issue I was just curious about whats involved with the water maintenance in general. Seems to me a guy would be better off with a 50/50 mix in that system to begin with. But maybe it wont work with that item. Straight water would equal rust somewhere I would think. Unless its all aluminum.

I forgot to mention that Daystate is a beauty! Great shooting too.

FYI, install an inexpensive hour meter, there are dozens to choose from. I bought a vibration activated one with no wires, it wakes up when it senses the compressor turn on, then shuts off after a while. This makes it really easy to monitor run time, which is critical for maintaining the pump (draining moisture, lubrication) and filter(s). I keep a chart showing when I did stuff, I would never remember otherwise.

This is mine, it reads to the nearest 0.1 hr and seems to be accurate enough. I installed it on top with 3M VHB tape, no drilling required. The battery is not replaceable, they say it has a life of “over two years”. As little as I run my compressor, it will be probably be much longer. When it dies I will write down the number of hours it reached, and install a new one. Or pry open the back to see if I can swap in a new button cell.....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081 ... UTF8&psc=1

Note: one reviewer commented that it will not record at all if the meter operates for less than 0.1 hr (6 minutes). This is wrong, it works fine to record accurately a bunch of three minute fills. It just takes 6 minutes before the last digit changes .

John Davies
Spokane WA

We'll soon see how the compressor works. Got a notice it has shipped.

Our new compressor has arrived and, have to say, it looks to be of very high build quality. We're buried in some other projects, right now, so not sure when we'll get the new compressor set up and running, but it is a huge relief to know that we no longer have to count on a dive shop forty miles, away, to get our PCP air guns filled.

Now that we are in the PCP game, big time, we're planing to expand our backyard range to include a 50 yard shooting station and maybe even add a 75 yard or even 100 yard station.

North Country Gal wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 23, 2021 11:16 am

Now that we are in the PCP game, big time, we're planing to expand our backyard range to include a 50 yard shooting station and maybe even add a 75 yard or even 100 yard station.

That is so cool, it sounds as if you would be in the market for a .257 caliber gun, if you don’t already own one.

https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/i ... c=161118.0

100 yards for me is a loooong shot, but 200 yards is amazing, with 1/4 MOA accuracy. It even shoots to 400 yards . Cast your own slugs, use a bullet trap, recycle the lead, free shooting! Or these:


John Davies
Spokane WA

For sure, John, what some folks are doing with these PCP rifles is just amazing. Thanks for sharing.

I'm looking forward to your compressor impressions once you have had it a while. I'm glad John is sharing some valuable insight also.

I see that Airguns of Az now has the new Umarex compressor which doesnt use water to cool it. Its also about 300.00 cheaper that the other portable one they offer. Thinkin hard here.

It is hard trying to decide, I agree. Lots of reviews on most of these compressors to the point of information overload. I do think, though, that if you seriously want to go PCP, and get all the many benefits PCP guns provide, a compressor is well with the investment. I never like messing with scuba tanks and driving to a dive shop for fills can be a real hassle, plus scuba tanks can't do complete fills on the new crop of PCPs that run at pressures higher than 3000 psi. Yes, hand pumps are the other option, but using them is for fills is just beyond what I can handle, physically. Keep in mind, too, that hand pumps do need constant maintenance. They are prone to wearing out and do need rebuilding from time to time, all the more so from incorrect use and improper maintenance.

If you really want air guns that can compete with your best 22 rimfires for accuracy at rimfire distances and do it on a similar consistent basis, not to mention comparable ease of use to rimfires, the PCP platform can't be touched by other air gun platforms. That's coming from a diehard spring piston shooter, by the way. In fact, I use our Daystate CR-97 PCP as the standard of accuracy when shooting our springers and try to match it. Now and then I come close to shooting a group almost as small with our best springers, but it's impossible to shoot a springer with the same consistent accuracy, group after group that matches up with a premium PCP or even a tuned mid-level PCP. Not even close. Heaven knows, I've been trying for years. That's a hard pill to swallow for a springer lover like me, but targets don't lie.

Not only have I been reading what you post I have done some pretty extensive research. Your post back up all the research I have done. If you are going to enter the world of PCP the compressor is the way to go.

Decided we better get to work and get that compressor running. We added the oil, re-read the instructions. Hooked up our vintage Daystate CR-97 which was down to the minimum 2000 psi. Turned on the compressor. Took a grand total of one minute to to fill to to the max 3000 psi.

Gotta love that no more trips to the dive shop.