Regulators, expansion chambers and efficiency with c02
c02 is not at all a stable propellant, your 20oz c02 tank can have a theoretical output of anywhere from 0psi to 3000psi. 0psi being empty and 3000psi being the limit of the burst disk on the valve of your c02 tank. c02 in its liquid form can escape from the tank and make its way into your marker causing velocity spikes, catastrophic valve or oring damage and internal freezing & binding of moving parts. Ambient temperature can also increase ( hot weather ) or reduce ( cold weather ) the output pressure of your c02 source.
Also read : Anti-Syphon Tubes and c02
So if c02 is so temperamental why do so many people use it?
It’s cheap and easily available. Every paintball store carries and fills c02 tanks, all paintball fields offer c02 fills and smaller sized c02 tanks have an infinite working life. For the volume or size you can expect to get far more shots from a c02 tank then a HPA tank of comparable physical size.
Also read : How many shots will I get out of my tank?
I’ve never noticed a problem with my paintball marker before, can I really improve any aspect of my paintball markers performance or reliability?
Absolutely, as long as you stick to the smart upgrades and not something that just looks good. Which brings me to the massive and very essential difference between regulators & expansion chambers and pressure & volume.
A regulators primary function is to regulate pressure. I personally run a Palmers Pursuit stabilizer on my Tippmann A5 and with the turn of an allen key I can increase or decrease the pressure I want to operate my paintball marker at to anywhere from 0psi - 900psi. The normal operating pressure of a Tippmann A5 is approximately 800psi, but with lots of love and care ( and upgrades ) I can run at 400psi.
Why is a consistent pressure desirable?
The velocity at which the paintball leaves your marker will be more consistent. How the paintball travels down the barrel of your marker and travels in flight will also be more consistent. I didn’t say accurate there, because accuracy is a combination of mechanics and skill, consistency is purely mechanical.
Why is a lower pressure desirable?
Lower operating pressure :
- will reduces the kick back of your marker, making it easier to place paint on paint
- is more gentle on the orings, springs and other internals of your marker. Elongating the life of your marker and its precious internals
- in some cases can reduces the audible report of your marker
Are there any drawbacks to a lower operating pressure?
Not really, but you have to consider that you still need to apply the same amount of force to a paintball to get it to travel at an optimal 300fps. So when you reduce the pressure of the propellant you have to increase the volume of the propellant. This now will introduce you to a new term known as dwell. Dwell is the length of time your markers valve will stay open, an open valve releases a volume of air. On lower end mechanical markers, like Tippmann and BT markers, there is no way to adjust the dwell without buying aftermarket parts or manually modifying the rear hammer spring. Tweaking your operating pressure in conjunction with your dwell will produce the highest efficiency possible.
An expansion chambers primary function is to provide liquid c02 with extra space in which to expand into a gas state. Expansion chambers are especially useful in colder climates or on c02 powered markers that need to sustain a higher rate of fire.
Also read : Winter performance with c02 powered markers
Unfortunately although expansion chambers will provide a high volume of propellant, they have no form of regulating your operating pressure, you will still be at the mercy of c02’s temperamental nature.
Tags: "anti-syphon", "expansion chamber", c02, effiency, palmers, pressure, regulator, volume
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