I'm glad to have got rid of the pump I had, last year. Memories: mainly one, take it apart regularly to dry the chamber out as it fills with water. Don't know if it is likely to start rusting the barrel if left wet. I think you have to get the 'body motion' right when charging: on compression stroke, keep arms as straight as pos using upper body weight to assist the hard work.I know we've talked about recharging PCPs before, but I have a more specific question.
I'm finding it increasingly difficult to get my tank (gun mounted) recharged - neither of the two gun shops within sensible distance of me hold air any more. So, it's either diver's air tank, 300bar compressor, or a stirrup pump.
I only use the gun for squirrel control (and, of course, the odd sighting-in session). So I have difficulty justifying £200 mark to get the job done. I have two perfectly fine springers so it's not just the financial manager I need to convince
Anyway, looking at stirrup pumps; It appears I can get a three stage pump for £35 to £190. Has anyone tried any of the lower cost ones? do they work? To put this in perspective, I doubt I'll be recharging the gun more than once a month at the very most so I don't need something that can be used every day for the next ten years! On top of that, with a bit of planning, I could take a few days to recharge the gun - so a few twenty minute sessions.
Any thoughts welcome - but in particular, thoughts from anyone that has tried one of the lower cost pumps.
Typical example:
Pre-Charge Pneumatic air rifle Stirrup Pumps
- Thread starter Broch
- Start date
OK, preliminary results are in 
The pump arrived simply packaged, plain cardboard box, no fancy graphics or photos, simple label with the Chinese manufacturers contact details.
It is robust and feels heavy. It looks well made. I didn't strip the valve; I though I would check if it held pressure as delivered first. But I did check for any debris or dirt that could get into the rifle. There was none. The cylinder is also clean and unmarked.
Building consisted of simply screwing the handle on, attaching the pressure gauge, and attaching the hose. I checked there was a filter fitted as well. It's delivered with spare filters, spare O rings and seals, a spanner (cheap but serviceable), a small bottle of oil (but a warning not to use it at first as the pump is already oiled) and a quick connect to threaded adaptor. The hose has a quick connect on it that matches my gun probe.
Then, of course, came the important test. It took 150 pumps to reach 200bar from zero. I'll put the extra 30bar in tomorrow. I found, keeping my arms and back straight and using my legs in a kind of sitting motion was a) the least painful, and b) the most effective.
So, it works, it's well made, it looks like it will do the job I require.
However, the air inlet is at the top of the cylinder just under the handle. There is no way I could attach my workshop airline to provide initially dried air at a small pressure advantage. The other concern is that I am not convinced by the small in line filter and moisture trap and I will probably change that. I have units in my 'store' that I need to check for pressure rating.
If anything changes over the next few months (i.e. something breaks or it fails in any way) I'll update the thread
Edit: The instruction leaflet that came with it is next to useless. The manufacturers really should get a fluent English speaker to produce them as it does taint their image unnecessarily.
The pump arrived simply packaged, plain cardboard box, no fancy graphics or photos, simple label with the Chinese manufacturers contact details.
It is robust and feels heavy. It looks well made. I didn't strip the valve; I though I would check if it held pressure as delivered first. But I did check for any debris or dirt that could get into the rifle. There was none. The cylinder is also clean and unmarked.
Building consisted of simply screwing the handle on, attaching the pressure gauge, and attaching the hose. I checked there was a filter fitted as well. It's delivered with spare filters, spare O rings and seals, a spanner (cheap but serviceable), a small bottle of oil (but a warning not to use it at first as the pump is already oiled) and a quick connect to threaded adaptor. The hose has a quick connect on it that matches my gun probe.
Then, of course, came the important test. It took 150 pumps to reach 200bar from zero. I'll put the extra 30bar in tomorrow
. I found, keeping my arms and back straight and using my legs in a kind of sitting motion was a) the least painful, and b) the most effective.So, it works, it's well made, it looks like it will do the job I require.
However, the air inlet is at the top of the cylinder just under the handle. There is no way I could attach my workshop airline to provide initially dried air at a small pressure advantage. The other concern is that I am not convinced by the small in line filter and moisture trap and I will probably change that. I have units in my 'store' that I need to check for pressure rating.
If anything changes over the next few months (i.e. something breaks or it fails in any way) I'll update the thread
Edit: The instruction leaflet that came with it is next to useless. The manufacturers really should get a fluent English speaker to produce them as it does taint their image unnecessarily.
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