|
Compressed Air Tanks also known as N2 tanks or Nitro tanks. Compressed air and nitrogen are both interchangeable so you can
store both within the same tank.
Compressed air is favored over your common CO2 for one reason - consistency. CO2 is stored within a CO2 tank as liquid (this
is why you see CO2 tanks listed in ounces). When CO2 moves into your paintball gun, the liquid is converted into gas. Under
certain weather conditions and rapid fire, there is not enough time for the liquid to be converted into gas. This results
in 2 problems (1) the consistency will be off, you will sometimes receive spikes in your velocity measurement which will result
in paintballs dropping because of drops in velocity, they can create losses for you within a game if your shots aren't hitting
their targets and (2) liquid entering your paintball gun. Liquid entering your paintball gun can damage the internals as well
as cause your gun to freeze.
Compressed air and nitrogen are stored as a gas within compressed air tanks therefore no time is needed for them to convert.
Regulators on compressed air tanks allow high flow of air into your paintball gun, allowing you to rapid fire with a constant
feed of air. Regulators limit the amount of air being fed into your gun which means you'll get more consistent shots all the
time.
You can further enhance consistency of your shots by purchasing an adjustable tank. Most tanks come with a preset regulator
meaning the amount of airflow allowed into the gun is already set and cannot be changed. 3000psi tanks always have a high
pressure preset of 850psi while 4500psi tanks have an option of either a high pressure preset of 850psi or a low pressure
preset of 450psi. Adjustable tanks allow you to lower your pressure even more. A good consistent flow allows consistent shots.
Low settings also give you less kick when you fire. Too low will cause your marker not to fire properly because you are simply
"choking" your gun.
3000psi tanks generally come made out of either steel or aluminum. 4500psi tanks are made out of a thinner layer of steel
but have an additional layer known as carbon fiber wrapping. This allows the tank to hold the extremely high pressure of 4500psi
while maintaining a very light weight - one of the other benefits of a 4500psi tank.
Generally you'll see tanks listed with ci. or cu. and psi or in the form of # / #. For example: 68ci. 3000psi or 68/3000.
Cu. and Ci. are the same thing, it stands for cubic inches, this number is the size of your tank. Psi stands for P.S.I. or
pounds per square inch, it is a measure of power within the tank. Normally you will see common psi numbers such as 3000, 4500,
and 5000, these numbers represent the amount of power within each square in of the tank resulting in more shots.
Depending on how efficient your gun is, you can normally squeeze a lot of shots out of even small and low psi tanks.
Here is a chart based on gun efficiency and common sized tanks. You can also use a chart to compare different sized tanks
among each other and decide whether the dollar amount is worth it to you to move up to 4500psi or get a larger tank. You can
also decide on wheather you should install air efficient parts onto your gun or just upgrade to a bigger or higher psi tank.
Gas Hog
|
Tank
|
AVG Shot Count
|
|
45/3000
|
~475
|
|
47/3000
|
~495
|
|
50/3000
|
~525
|
|
68/3000
|
~715
|
|
45/4500
|
~710
|
|
47/4500
|
~740
|
|
68/4500
|
~1075
|
|
70/4500
|
~1100
|
|
72/4500
|
~1135
|
|
91/4500
|
~1435
|
Average
|
Tank
|
AVG Shot Count
|
|
45/3000
|
~515
|
|
47/3000
|
~535
|
|
50/3000
|
~570
|
|
68/3000
|
~775
|
|
45/4500
|
~770
|
|
47/4500
|
~805
|
|
68/4500
|
~1165
|
|
70/4500
|
~1200
|
|
72/4500
|
~1235
|
|
91/4500
|
~1555
|
Efficient
|
Tank
|
AVG Shot Count
|
|
45/3000
|
~555
|
|
47/3000
|
~580
|
|
50/3000
|
~615
|
|
68/3000
|
~840
|
|
45/4500
|
~830
|
|
47/4500
|
~870
|
|
68/4500
|
~1255
|
|
70/4500
|
~1295
|
|
72/4500
|
~1330
|
|
91/4500
|
~1680
|
Very Efficient
|
Tank
|
AVG Shot Count
|
|
45/3000
|
~610
|
|
47/3000
|
~635
|
|
50/3000
|
~675
|
|
68/3000
|
~920
|
|
45/4500
|
~915
|
|
47/4500
|
~955
|
|
68/4500
|
~1380
|
|
70/4500
|
~1420
|
|
72/4500
|
~1460
|
|
91/4500
|
~1845
|
|
