We can offer you a range of options at Emmett & Stone. You can buy canisters, cylinders, hand pumps, or refill your air bottle or airgun itself, right here in the shop.
A modern PCP Air rifle must be filled with clean and dry compressed air either by a pump or a cylinder (scuba tank).
A hand pump is an excellent option for portability, due to its size and weight, you can take it anywhere with you, pretty much as you would a bicycle pump! We sell the FX four-stage pump which has a totally unique gearing system you will not find on any other pump. This allows you to change gear depending on whether you want high volume (with lower pressure) or high pressure (with lower volume). You can fill the air tube rapidly with over 300cc of air per stroke and then change down gear (less than 200cc per stroke) to reach recommended fill pressure with ease.
If you consider buying a hand pump, check it has a decent filter and a so called "dry pack" as this stops dust and moisture getting in the internals of the gun that will cause corrosion and may damage the valves and seals.
BUT, a pump is undoubtedly hard work, becoming increasingly harder as the pressure inside your gun increases. You have to weigh up convenience over effort!
Cylinders (or bottles) are currently the most popular method of filling up our customers’ PCP rifles.
We only stock 300 bar cylinders, as we believe this is the best pressure rating for air rifles. You can purchase them empty and we will refill them using our in-store compressor as required. When using a 300 bar cylinder, do not under any circumstances use the pressure gauge on your gun to check the pressure of your fill, because the gauges on most guns have such a small hole in that back to measure the pressure that they respond in a rather slow way and you may well get overfill and ruin your gun while filling. So a gauge at the dive cylinder side is a must.
This is a cost effective way of keeping your rifle charged, but of course not as easily portable as a hand pump! You should get a good 60 fills out of a 7 litre cylinder.
But remember, no matter what cylinder size or pressure rating you get, you will have to have it inspected and tested 5 years after it has been made and thereafter every 2 years. The test includes a visual inspection of the inside of the cylinder and - if required - a hydro test where they fill the cylinder with water under extreme pressure and make sure that the bottle does not flex). After this, you will then get a sticker placed on the side of your diver’s bottle saying that it has been tested. Without this sticker, we cannot refill your cylinder.
Come in with your rifle and have a chat with us and we will be more than happy to advise you on what is best for you.
