12 Gram Co2 Cartridge Recommendations. And are Dye masks still good?

[SPSheep]

New stock class player here and I need 12 gram cartridge recommendations. Evidently ones for airguns/BB guns have oil which gunks up your marker and destroys O-rings. Some say to use food grade ones but I can't find those in 12 gram size. Any recommendations? For a CCI Phantom if that helps.

Also, are Dye masks still good quality? I haven't played since 2005 so it's...been awhile. If not Dye, which ones? Thanks for any info!

[BigRed]

Leland 12 grams are the gold standard. You can't go wrong with the quality and when bought in bulk the price. In Canada most of us use Mosa 12 grams, they're high quality as well.

http://www.lelandltd.com/12_gram_airgun_cylinders.htm

https://icotrading.ca/products/mosa-12-gram-co2-cartridges?variant=13640991965239

Dye masks are good. You can get some used I4s around here for a decent price. As always masks are very individual and work for some and not others. JT Flex are still going strong, but there is a whole bunch of new brands to choose from. Vitrue Vio, Sly Profit, Push Unite and Empire EVS are some to look at.

[AnarchicArctic]

Leland’s are definitely a favorite at stock class events. Plenty of crosman around as well.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Oil dose not destroy anything it just requires more maintenance. The oil can build up if you play a lot and needs to be cleaned more often. Best way to buy 12g is in bulk. Red Rock Has always been my go to place to get them. If you buy enough you get free shipping. They sell ”food grade 12g” (no oil) under a few different brands. All are very similar and the same quality as Leland’s in fact they are probably made in the same factory.

As for Dye they make great masks and have the best lens in the industry. However the new Dye I5 is not very durable and they are pricy. They chose comfort over durability. They feel amazing on your face. But the foam while soft wears out. The ratchet strap while convenient wares out quick and is pricey to replace. The lenses are Super clear, never fog and dye makes the best HD lens out of them all. But the scratch easy.

For this reason I use a VIO with the BK HD lens. It’s a similar design at 1/2 the cost. It’s cheaper to maintain long term and more durable all the way around. I’m still a JT Proflex fan it’s a great mask lenses are meh at times but I still love the modular custom design. + they are collectable and hold value like no other mask.

That being said you got to find what works for you any of the mid to high end masks are really well made and work well. It’s not like it use to be.

[Spider!]

Also, be aware that crosman and other less expensive 12grams can vary in length by at least 0.050". This is more than the tolerance built into many CCI bucket changers which will leak because they cannot seal on the shorter carts. This comes up on the fixed length lever (cam) changers also.

You can shim the bucket changers and adjust the lever changers, especially if you sort the 12gms.

Another occasional problem with lower end carts is that the hole in the neck is not centered. With a wide pierce pin, the cart cannot center on the seal and is pushed to the side no matter how tight you twist the bucket.

These don't usually cause problems in the PMI/PGP shoot-to-pierce markers, so don't be surprised when those guys gobble down crosmans.

[Nish]

Leland's are my choice as well because of consistency in fill and size.

I will note that you should try one in your gun before ordering in bulk. They are a little short and this does cause sealing issues in some guns.

[Chaos]

Lelands are definitely one of the best 12 G however if you can't get them the next best thing in my opinion are Daisy cartridges that you can usually find at any Walmart. I was almost exclusively using Daisy for the longest time and never had a single issue. They are like $11 at Walmart for a box of 25. Stay as far away from Crosman cartridges as you possibly can simply because of two factors.... First the ratio of dead ones in a box on average is 5 out of 40. Secondly the diameter of the cartridge tends to be a little fatter so they tend to get stuck in certain 12 G setups. For example my Boxgun does not like Crosman's at all and they will get stuck in the gun often yet I do not have this problem with Leland or Daisy.

[Donny1228]

Hey chuck E ducky it wont let me private message you about the barrel u message me about buying.. can you text me at 630-965-9112

[Trbo323]

I've owned both the i4 and I-5, sold the 5, still have the 4

But, it's a backup now. I moved on to a push unite. The guy who started push actually used to work for dye and helped with the development of the I-5 before he left. Basically he thought the mask could be better so he went and built it better.

The unite is expensive but has a lot of nice features, check it out

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[Lt. head-shot]

I swear by the Carbon Zero mask. I owned an I4 and I5, Grillz, flexes, ViO's, etc. Carbon is by far the best breathability and has good features. Its expensive, but so are any of the good ones these days.

[Lt. head-shot]

It is the only mask that I cannot get to fog. I do have the fan installed, but I've had fans on other ones and they still have issues. I also play with a prescription glasses insert, so I have extra issues. Played in a downpour at supergame and then 101 heat with 99% humidity this summer and still could use the mask.

[Chuck E Ducky]

That’s the way I feel about my VIO it just works great. They have a very similar design. I still prefer my Flex for comfort but if it’s crappy conditions I use my VIO.

[Erase]

Can’t buy Carbon in Canada and they don't ship here directly, 3rd parties in US will. i really like what they are doing and want to support them, their barrel with carbon fibre injection is interesting. The fact they are offering larger coverage masks that increase dimensions in multiple areas is attention to detail. Even just their branding is really well done.

[SignOfZeta]

I shot about 2000 12gs in the last four years. All Crossman, zero issue. You don’t need anything more exotic.

Don’t sophisticate yourself into a corner if you don’t have to.

[JeepDVLZ45]

Don’t sophisticate yourself into a corner if you don’t have to.

I've never heard that phrase before. I can't wait to use it on a customer (yes, I have one in mind) I'll be sure to "footnote" you when I do it.