What happened to all the 2" HPA tanks?

[Trbo323]

Seriously, where did they go? I know there was never an abundance of them but I was looking around at options for my EMF build and realizing, there really were not options

Like here, it's an old link but FS 17/45 was $120

https://ansgear.com/first-strike-her...ur-regulator-/

Now. HK 15/45 is $285

https://ansgear.com/hk-army-alpha-ai...lator-hostile/

I can get the bottle alone for $190 which if I'm forced to I might do that.

Does HK have a corner on the market is that why they are so expensive? Tariffs? Something else?


Are these 2" HPA tanks hydro exempt?

















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[vijil]

Must have the market cornered. Guerilla became FS, and FS is now some crappy VC firm running it in skeleton mode. They don't seem to do tanks any more.

No surprise. HK may be a bunch of EDMdruggiecryptobros, but they know how to run a business better than 90% of the industry.

[mooman978]

Yeah and I have been looking for 9 or 10 ci tanks as well

[The Last Snood]

I've been looking for one also for my pump set-ups, but was not trying to drop $200+ for a second tank. Luckily, I got a FS 15 cu off ebay last night for a good price.

That seems to be the best play, to try and catch a used one. They pop up but move quickly; but also as you said there aren't many choices for these tanks. Just these two brands? and yeah FS seems to not be in stock anywhere, so the HK ones may be the only tube tanks out there which kind of sucks.

[Rusty Brass]

MCS still has aluminum tanks for sale. Not as cool as carbon fiber but I run a 17ci on my MG100 and it lasts through a 5 mag loadout.

[loveaboveall]

Echo Rusty Brass + "crappy VC firm"

https://www.renatus-group.com/collec...-3000-hpa-tank

[Trbo323]

I have access to a 13/3k already.

I'd just really like to do a 15/45 at some point

Anyone know about the hydro stuff on these? Does the 2" rule apply to 4500 tanks as well?

I was finding stuff ranging from they are exempt from all hydro to exempt from the 15 year lifespan to ... Shoulder shrug

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[Chuck E Ducky]

They are not hydro exempt according to the manufacture. However it still falls in that gray area as these were not available when that rule was made and they do technically still meet the hydro exemption requirement under the DOT rule. It’s less then 2’ long 2” around and Aluminum. Nothing specifically states pressure requirements @3k only. However at the time that was all that’s available. It also wasn’t in the manufactures benefit to push for hydro exemption. Why make a wear item, a lifetime tank. Likely made getting them approved easier for the paintball market as well.

However I would error on the side of caution and hydro for safety (When needed). I believe most fields will require it anyway.

Im sure more will be made when demand rises as these age out of useful lifespan. They were very popular.

[nak81783]

Before you drop the money, consider some of my experience:

1. I don't run 2" tanks anymore. I couldn't find one that shouldered well even after trying various tank butts - commercially available and custom-made. It messed up my muscle memory when going back to a 68/4500 for mech or electro play.

2. The smaller the tank, the more pronounced the cooling effect reduces tank pressure. A quick fill to 4500psi can cool down to below 4000psi.

3. On busy days, my local field's air system struggles to maintain 4000 psi, so point #2 is even worse.

4. For me, even a full 17/4500 didn't give me enough shots to stay on the fields the entire round of games - usually 4-6 games. I'd have to run up to fill while the others kept playing, making me miss some games.

I hear you on the hydro enigma. I think only steel or aluminum under 2" diameter are totally exempt. The carbon fiber ones need a 5 year hydro, and then you're just down to figuring out if there is a 15 year lifespan. I believe it had something to do with an ISO rating on the tank and the pi symbol, but you also had to show that the company that hydro'ed it each time was certified for ISO/pi symbol testing (whatever that means). I could very well be wrong, but that's what I remember off the top of my head.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Only the 2AL tanks are hydro exempt “aluminum”.

[river031403]

Seriously, where did they go? I know there was never an abundance of them but I was looking around at options for my EMF build and realizing, there really were not options

Like here, it's an old link but FS 17/45 was $120

https://ansgear.com/first-strike-her...ur-regulator-/

Now. HK 15/45 is $285

https://ansgear.com/hk-army-alpha-ai...lator-hostile/

I can get the bottle alone for $190 which if I'm forced to I might do that.

Does HK have a corner on the market is that why they are so expensive? Tariffs? Something else?


Are these 2" HPA tanks hydro exempt?

















Sent from my motorola edge 2024 using Tapatalk

I believe wouulf might have some left

[Matt Drown]

Anyone know about the hydro stuff on these? Does the 2" rule apply to 4500 tanks as well?

Relatively confident that they require 5 year re-hydro for an unlimited amount of time. The first strike ones have "5-year hydro" printed on the tank itself. They aren't all aluminum either.

[Trbo323]

Before you drop the money, consider some of my experience:

1. I don't run 2" tanks anymore. I couldn't find one that shouldered well even after trying various tank butts - commercially available and custom-made. It messed up my muscle memory when going back to a 68/4500 for mech or electro play..

Already have a pwr stock which is designed around the 2" tanks and I like how it feels so I'm set there


.

2. The smaller the tank, the more pronounced the cooling effect reduces tank pressure. A quick fill to 4500psi can cool down to below 4000psi..

I'll keep that in mind but I'm not too concerned about it. The common paintball math is ci*15 for a 4500psi tank to get the number of shots and really that equation was made when half the industry was blowbacks. Even still, 15ci*15 = 225. I would need 11 mags to shoot that. I'm planning on eventually carrying 10 but right now I have 4 and only enough space to carry 7.

Also, if I'm going through 10 mags, 200 FSR in a rec game or two, roughly $70, something is seriously wrong


.

3. On busy days, my local field's air system struggles to maintain 4000 psi, so point #2 is even worse.
.

see above, I have buffer, and I actually have a line on a 17/45 already

.

4. For me, even a full 17/4500 didn't give me enough shots to stay on the fields the entire round of games - usually 4-6 games. I'd have to run up to fill while the others kept playing, making me miss some games..

Generally my local fields play 2 games and then switch to a different field. At most I'd be looking at 4. But again to shoot that tank dry I'm looking at 10 mags and $70 worth of FSR. This last weekend I played with it for the first time, played half the day and went through not quite 4 mags.

I pretty much am building this setup for big games mainly so, this won't be a consideration as the game won't stop anyway















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[Frmrspec]

I have access to a 13/3k already.

I'd just really like to do a 15/45 at some point

Anyone know about the hydro stuff on these? Does the 2" rule apply to 4500 tanks as well?

I was finding stuff ranging from they are exempt from all hydro to exempt from the 15 year lifespan to ... Shoulder shrug

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Fiber wrapped tanks are not hydro exempt even if under 2” that rule only applies to aluminum/steel tanks.… they have the standard paintball tank certs so 15yr life span, hydro every 5 years.


and the reason they were so cheap for a long time was because First Strike had a TON of them made and then almost nobody bought them because the price was so high (about the same as what HK is selling for now)… so amid First Strikes Insolvency they blew them out, ANS bought a vast majority of them (if not all) and then sold them for a marginal mark up however under the stipulation that they are already 2 years into their hydro


also they sell these bottles for PCP air rifles without a regulator for about $90

[Trbo323]

also they sell these bottles for PCP air rifles without a regulator for about $90

Where? I was looking around pretty good yesterday and didn't come across that


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[nak81783]

Trbo323 Let me know how you end up carrying 10 mags. I’ve done it various ways with chest rig pouches and 2 dump pouches. Right now, I’m back to 6 in my chest rig and 1 in the marker. For me, carrying more than that was just too bulky.

I missed that you’re using FSRs. Yes, that would control my trigger finger. FSRs aren’t allowed at my local field, so I’m not too worried about going through all my mags in a game. Mostly playing with rentals and a few self-equipped guys ranging from pump to electro, so mag-fed for me is just a fun handicap.