Switching from c02 to Compressed Air??

[shadowmaker]

I have a minimag, I think I bought it in 1994, # on the valve is 8444. It has no stars on the valve and all I ever changed was the bolt and barrel. Ive just started playing again, first time since around 97. I know alot has changed. I ve been searching the site for a few days now and havent found the info I need. I m running a remote line with an expansion chamber.

Having said that, I want to switch over to compressed air. I know the gun is a level 7, says so on the owners manual that came with it. What tank do I need to buy? Any modifications needed to the gun? What do I need to buy with the tank? I cant afford one of those $200 tanks but have seen some in the $50-$80 range. I d like to keep the same size tank as a 20 oz so it ll fit in my backpack, what size is that?

Whats a good barrel? I m currently using a 10" boa barrel.

Thanks for any help.

[guseppe16]

Welcome back to the game. Your best bet for an HPA tank in that price range would be a steel tank like this one. It should be similar in size to your CO2 tank and fit with your pack. You could then save some weight and take the expansion chamber off the marker, since you wouldn't need it anymore.

You wouldn't need to change anything internally, so you'd be all set as far as modifications go.

For a barrel, it is mostly preference. There are many twist-lock barrels for sale here in the misc section. A barrel kit is best, but you could go with a larger bore that will allow you to shoot many different sizes of paint (although not as accurate as a kit would be).

Hope this helps you.

[ljpiller]

I agree, at that price range, most carbon fiber tanks will be a bit on the expensive side. The only downside to having a 47/3000 size tank is that you aren't going to get a whole lot of shots from it. Probably in the 400 range. For some it's plenty all day, and for others, it barely makes it through a game.

I personally prefer Nitro Duck brand. It's $5 more than the pure energy, but from my experience it's a noticeable step up in build quality.

http://www.actionvillage.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=k5wrvFVaiuwrRhLgYwbrFF_8m7HudWHaqa4=?ProductID=BZbAqArbmckAAAEOa83ybvfr#

The BOA barrel is great. They're kind of sought after even these days. If you are looking for a different barrel, Lapco still has stainless steel twist lock Bigshots. They're at steal at $30. I would have expected to pay around $100 for the craftsmanship of the barrel. The low price makes me think that they aren't making them anymore and are just trying to get rid of them.

[Dawg047]

Hey, you in Ohio? I have a store right down here in Miamisburg (Dayton). Yes, there are plenty of tanks out there in the $50-80 price range and at that price, they are most likely 47 or 48cu 3000psi tanks. They are a little wider than a 20oz but should fit in your pack just fine. With these tanks however, you have to think with a 3000psi tank, you get about 10 shots per cu and a mag kind of eats gas so 400-480 shots per tank fill. With a 4500 psi tank, you are going to get about 15 shots per cu. I have 2 48/3000 Myth tanks, not the fakes but the real Myth tanks new for $70 and a new Pure Energy 48/3000 for $70. I also have new 45/4500 PE tanks in carbon fiber for $169 if you are interested. As far as barrel, I would keep the BOA barrel. It might seem kind of short but that does not affect your velosity or accuracy at all. You just need to make sure you have a good paint to barrel match meaning, you should be able to put a paintball in your barrel, it should wedge itself in the barrel touching the barrel in only 2-3 places and you should be able to blow the paintball out of the barrel a pretty good distance. If you are looking for a longer barrel, I do have a NEW 32* Quiet Riot in 12 or 14" I believe for $30. But, like I said, that BOA is a good barrel and I would stick with that

[shadowmaker]

Thanks for the replies.

It felt good to be back out there. There were a bunch of younger guys looking at my gun asking what it was, etc etc. Most had tippmans and bragging about how good the tippman was. Dont get me wrong, I started with a tippman and they are ok guns. By the end of the day though, the tippmans werent as dominant as they expected and instead of just being "team tippman" they wanted a mag on their team as well.

The boa barrel does great, even back when I was playing on a regular basis, it was hard to beat. To be as short as it is, most people couldnt believe how accurate it is. I just thought with the time Ive been out maybe something better was out there. To be honest, I m glad theres not, thats less money I have to spend. The guy I bought it from, tried all kinds of barrels and the boa always out shoot them, he tried several times to buy it back.

No, I m in VA. There are no stores close by that I can find, except wally world. But if I need something, I will give you a shout. I need a supplier.

What do I need to have in order to fill the bottle if I go compressed air? If all I m going to get is 400 shots, thats going to eat my day quick. I know some where bringing scuba tanks back in the day but what does one of them cost? Right now, the place that fills fire extinguishers is filling the C02 bottles. If I stay co2, I m going to get a big tank and fill station and do my own. I really want to go compressed air but getting the bottle filled maybe a problem.

[michbich]

Since i live in a small town, the only person that filled HPA tanks was the magager of the public pool. I had to buy an adapter so that he could fill my tank from his scuba.

I have a cheaper one, but they usually look like this: