Hpa

[ItalianAnaconda]

Ok I am making myself look more and more like a noob despite playing for 3 years. I have played paintball for a while but havent used a whole lot of their products so my knowledge is limited. I want that knowledge to increase. I love this sport and want to know more about it.

Now that leaves me to my question. What is the benefit to owning an HPA tank? Does it use CO2 or some other gas?

[D.B. Daddy]

HPA is High Pressure Air. The main advantage is the external temperature doesn't affect air or nitro like it does CO2.

[SirRod]

HPA is just what is says Air like you breath, under high pressuer, up to 5000psi.
The HPA tank is filled by a compressor, but a very different compressor like a dive shop uses to fill SCUBA tanks, but HPA isn't compatable with breathing aparatus.

One big benifit to using HPA is during cooler or cold weather your tank dosn't get cold so you won't suffer from shoot down. So HPA is much more stable than Co2.
What is shootdown you ask? Well the more you shoot like rapid fire the colder the Co2 tank will get to the point that you loose pressure enough to propel the ball from the barrel. HPA dosn't suffer from this syndrom.

Now this isn't any reason to stop using Co2 it's great in the summer when its hot but when cooler weather come go to the HPA tank.

Here is another reason... running a charging compressor dosn't cost any thing but the juice to run it weather it's gas or electric powered. So HPA will only cost you a set fee for like a scenario weekend of play.

Co2 on the other hand is sold by the pound so it when you buy a event air ticket usually you get a limited number of fills.

HPA tanks also can be filled with N2 which is Nitrogen.
So HPA is realy an alternate power sourse. I have both.
I use my HPA more.

IA: Don't feel like a noob your not your just lacking a little information, thats why this web sight exist to help new players get into paintball. I love to impart wisdom to less informed.
"It's What I do" Jack O'Neall Stargate Commadnd SG-1

[ItalianAnaconda]

Start Gate. Awesome show. It wouldnt be what it is with out Jack O'Neall lol.

Thanks again.

[SFC_V]

Now is it true that HPA is more accurate?

[SirRod]

Originally Posted by SFC_V

Now is it true that HPA is more accurate?

Well saying more accurate maybe a misnomer.
More consistant from shot to shot would be a better way of saying it. HPA being more stable than Co2 which goes from a liquid at whatever degrees below zero to a gas at room tempature.
From shot to shot HPA is more consistant so you could say it would be more accurate if every painball projectal were the same like real ammunition.

[socoj2]

Originally Posted by Death By Daddy

HPA is High Pressure Air. The main advantage is the external temperature doesn't affect air or nitro like it does CO2.

man you know you can give a better answer then this!

1. HPA is an ideal gas, so pressure change does not cause it to change states, Ie to a liquid.

So rapid fire, wont cause you to start shooting dry ice. or freeze your gun.. You also wont blow up a PVC cannon and damn near kill everyone near you Cough*wizard*Cough

[SirRod]

Here is another thing to make sure of when your having your HPA tank filled. Moast every HPA vendor has a licences and abides by the regulations. There are a few who don't realize what there doing can cause the end user problems. When plain old air is compressed one of the by products of the process is "Water". Thus all systems used for paintball must have "Water Vapore Traps" otherwise you get a bottle full of water. A friend told me reciently his HPA tank was filled at a field and he got water and actually shot his marker. Mind you it didn't ruin the valve but it could have. This is just common knoweledge, I use to be a painter and used a compressor with a Binks NO.7 cup gun to spray paint. Water is a big enemy when spraying paint,and paintballs...

[havokrooster]

did anybody mention that the fiber wrapped hpa tanks are lighter than the co2 tanks? and that eliminating liquid through the gun saves o-rings and other internals?

some of the newer guns require hpa. if you were to run co2 in them, you might as well throw it in the trash.

[SirRod]

Originally Posted by havokrooster

did anybody mention that the fiber wrapped hpa tanks are lighter than the co2 tanks? and that eliminating liquid through the gun saves o-rings and other internals?

some of the newer guns require hpa. if you were to run co2 in them, you might as well throw it in the trash.

My 91ci 4500psi HPA carbon fiber weighs 2lb 11oz, a full 20oz Co2 tank weighs in at 3lb.
The HPA tank will never get any lighter but a Co2 tank will get lighter with the use of the Co2 down to about a pound or so.

Running Co2 thru the new valves dosn't ruin the newer markers "LIQUID" Co2 does thats why I suggest using an expantion chamber which eleminates any possibility of Liquid Co2 reaching the valve.

I have an impulse and an Ion and use Co2 for both in a pinch but mostly use HPA.