Bottle or Tube? What’s your preference?

[PasadenaMike]

I hand pump all my pcps so I hardly ever shoot more than a couple of magazines before topping off.

Hand pumping is another good reason to have a tube. You can also fill from small tanks so you’re not hauling a giant tank with you in the field. The little GX Compressor lasts a long time if you use a small compressor. 0-3000 psi took 600 stokes on a hand pump on my Talon SS as an experiment. Burned out the o ring on the fill valve on the talon.

 

[EdinGa]

Hand pumping is another good reason to have a tube. You can also fill from small tanks so you’re not hauling a giant tank with you in the field. The little GX Compressor lasts a long time if you use a small compressor. 0-3000 psi took 600 stokes on a hand pump on my Talon SS as an experiment. Burned out the o ring on the fill valve on the talon.

I'll probably buy a compressor one day but I enjoy the workout now. I'm about to be 55 and I'm in better shape than I was at 40.

 

[Bladebum]

I have owned both and prefer tubes. The profile is just sleeker and easier on my fill equipment. One day I might get or build a low power, high shot count setup with a bottle to shoot starlings and rats inside barns.

 

[EdinGa]

One day I might get or build a low power, high shot count setup with a bottle to shoot starlings and rats inside barns.

I did that with this one. My 8 fpe .25 Jet 1. It's currently down with a broken valve stem but I hope to have a new one in soon.

 

[Peskådot671]

Tube guns for me.

1. They're sleeker and I hate the looks of bottle guns but that's just personal preference.

2. I shoot a lot with a bipod. Most bottle guns, especially bullpups, have a short picatinny rail that's mounted too close to the trigger. I like to have the bipod mounted further away.

3. In reality, I don't shoot long sessions as much as I'd like to. I'm fine with a 25-30 shot count so a tube gun works for me.

The only bottle gun I own is a Leshiy 2. I have it set up in a .30cal configuration which sucks up a lot of air. In order to get 3 mags out of it, I had to put the 300cc bottle on it.

 

[MileHighAirGunner]

All of my PCPs have tubes. I have never owned a bottle gun. I do prefer the tube guns but I’m not necessarily apposed to owning a bottle gun. Some are rather nice looking but others are absolutely hideous looking.

 

[Franklink]

Tube guns are great until you get very high in power output.

My longest tube gun is a Veteran Long with one plenum. Lots of air for a tube gun and at about 45fpe, I only get 40 shots per fill, from 250-130bar.

 

[PasadenaMike]

Tube guns are great until you get very high in power output.

My longest tube gun is a Veteran Long with one plenum. Lots of air for a tube gun and at about 45fpe, I only get 40 shots per fill, from 250-130bar.

Yes good point. My .30 Maverick would probably get 8 shots if it had a tube. The 580cc cf bottle is what suits this beast best.

 

[oOmpH]

Aesthetically - tube hands down