Achieving that ideal air pressure makes or breaks your shot, so finding the right air compressor is a must. Check out my hands-on reviews of the best PCP air rifle compressors on Amazon.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. GX PUMP CS4 - Max 5800Psi/40Mpa
Highlight: Upgraded powerful motor makes it 15% faster.
Helpful review: I took this out of the box, plugged it in, and started pushing air into the air rifles. I did this like a torture test, and I just wanted to see if I could do something to find fault, and I failed at my attempt.
Many of these compressors do not come with instructions, but this one had a good set of them as well as an exploded diagram, just in case I needed to take it apart. The machine has a built-in oil-water separator, and according to the booklet, it produces breathable air for folks who fill up scuba bottles or small bailout bottles. I don't know anything about that, so I will not say more than that.
This unit comes with the airline to fill up my Stogers. It has the standard Foster-style fitting to fill the compression chamber. This machine has an actual water pump to cool it. This is unlike other cheap machines that use a water jacket like a heat sink but a proper water cooling system and a good little pump to keep everything running like a top.
This machine runs on AC or DC power with a quick input change, and I am happy to fill up anything that fits. The inverter seems well made, but I did not take it out and run tests separately. It just does not get hot when I check it with my laser thermometer, and it did not ever give me the burning packing oil smell when I first turned it on, so all of that is good.
The manual tells me I can use it in any setup, horizontally or vertically. I don't know when I would put it in that position, but if I need to, I have no problem doing that. The machine is built with a double-redundancy auto shut-off valve. This machine is made to operate forever; I don't know if it will, but this one seems to be made for the long haul.
Get it from Amazon now: $589.99 & FREE Returns
2. GX PUMP CS2 - Max 4500Psi/30Mpa
Highlight: 0.5L container from 0 to 300 BARS in about 18 minutes.
Helpful review: I read a few reviews on this machine about folks charging scuba tanks to 4000 psi, and the machine needed very few cool-down periods. I don't use anything that requires a scuba tank, and I am far from jumping in water deep enough to need to bring air with me, so I won't know if it does that or not. I know some folks who use the air tank on their rock crawler jeeps in Moab and other areas around here when they air their tires down to 10 lbs and then air them back up for highway driving home. I will find someone with one of these and ask them to try this out and see if it works for them.
According to one reviewer, this machine can be taken apart and greased with lithium grease, making me feel even more warm and fuzzy about it. With a bit of work and some mechanical skills, I can do the preventative work on this, and it will run forever, I guess. I know two threaded ports can be opened, and some grease can be added to keep the machine lubed up and running for a long time.
This machine does not use liquid cooling, so its weight and size are very usable and stored. It will not be put under the seat or behind the truck seat but in a cupboard or under the bench in the garage.
This hard-working, heavy-hitting machine is a workhorse and should be on the top of anyone's list, and if you have kids that shoot the PCP rifles, it needs to get on the need list. The price tag is still a little steep compared to others, but if I need to use it a lot, this is the one, or one like it, over the smaller, more noisy machines. This one is an actual plug-it-in-and-get-to-work machine.
Get it from Amazon now: $349.99 & FREE Returns
3. Spritech 110 - Max 4500Psi/30Mpa
Highlight: Built-in converter to work with 110v or 12 VDC.
Helpful review: This one would work very well as an onboard option for a travel camper. With the ability to work on 110 or 12 volts, this unit can do whatever the air gun shooter needs. This machine will run the fan the minute power is applied until it is shut off, and the fan is very loud.
This air compressor will work as an onboard thing, and I plan to plug it into whatever power source I need. If the camper is hooked up to shore power, I will plug it into the standard outlet by the door. I wired in a heavy-duty 12-volt outlet from the truck stop. I made sure to use the heavier wire so the heavy pull of the compressor does not burn out the cables. I wired it directly to the battery because there is no way to run this, and no one hears the fan. I can go outside the camera and hear the fan run, so I think it's safe. I also have some solar panels that keep the battery full of juice.
This machine seems to be built well but is not excellent. I can hear the plastic gearing whirring away inside, and if I push on the drive shafts, or whatever they're actually called, there is some play in the fit. Plastic parts with plastic in the shaft will eventually cause a bind, and the whole thing will come to a screeching halt.
For the money, having a compressor handy to charge up the air guns for fun and shooting cans near camp will be fine for a long time. If I were a true air gun fanatic who shoots the hell out of air rifles all day long, this unit wouldn't work as a backup until I could get a replacement or a repair on the one I lean on all the time.
Get it from Amazon now: $179.99 & FREE Returns
4. GX PUMP CS3 - Max 4500Psi/30Mpa
Highlight: Hassle-free operation and auto shut-off function.
Helpful review: This is the one to buy. The rest of the compressors here have a place, but if anyone has room and money to get the best one, get this one. The machine has auto shut-off, has a lot of power, and is built like a tank. This machine showed up and was packed inside of packing and then in a box. I think that makes sense. This could have been tumbled down the stairs; all it would need is to brush off the outer box. The unit is easy to carry and move around; the weight and size are not an issue.
Like the rest of this article, this unit does not use water or oil cooling, so there is no mess to deal with, which keeps the compressor lightweight and smaller. I don't know who would need anything more significant or liquid-cooled, but I also don't run an entire air gun team or club. For hobbies, this is magic.
The machine is quiet in comparison. This is an air compressor, so the noise level is a given. This one is not so obnoxious that I want to drop it in the trash. I can handle this compressing in the shop with me, but it is about the top of my tolerance level for noise. All I did was put on the Champion electronic shooting muffs and went back to sweeping the floor.
My favorite option, of all my favorite options, is the auto shut-off. This is also adjustable and works perfectly. This makes me feel comfortable that I can set this up, get the compressor running and do something else, or come in the house and eat supper. When I return to the shop, the Stoger will be full of air and ready to blast pigeons into memory.
Get it from Amazon now: $379.99 & FREE Returns
5. OrcAir - Max 4500Psi/30Mpa
Highlight: Lots of power in a small package, Marauder Pistol 0-3000 psi in two minutes.
Helpful review: This unit is designed to fill the chamber on guns like my Stogers, not the large bottles. It will fill the bottles, but it will take a while, and it does get hot, so it will take a few sessions.
This machine is tiny, almost the same size as my pistol, and is safe. If I did not have all the electronic seat motor stuff under the seats of my truck, I would put it there so it would be handy when I needed it. Most of the time, I will take the air rifles out, shoot them out of the air, and then bring them home and forget to refill the gun.
Following the standard, this machine is small, inexpensive, and loud. The bigger machines, which don't fit under the seat, are much quieter but need more space. This machine only works on 12 volts and cannot use 110 volts; no converter is available. I could get a transformer and do all that business, but I use the jump pack from the navigator and take care of that while I get some space between myself and the noise.
A quick look inside to check on how it's made shows me some shortcuts were taken, which is expected at this price point. This machine will not be one that the grandkid inherits, but it will probably live as long as the air rifles it charges, so that will work for me.
Get it from Amazon now: $189.99 & FREE Returns
6. GX PUMP CS1-I - Max 4500Psi/30Mpa
Highlight: Runs at a constant speed for ten minutes and never slows down.
Helpful review: This is a nice and compact unit. It fits on the counter right next to the air rifle. The compressor fan is separate from the cooling fan, which keeps everything nice and cool. I performed the pressure check, and the compressor never pulled down.
This little machine arrived with all the parts and was ready to go. All I had to do was plug it in, test the air pressure, and start filling up the Stoger. It took about ten minutes to fill the air gun, which is normal and matches all the other articles I checked this against. The fan seems to move more air than others I have tested. This machine gives me a lot of confidence it will be a go-to for anyone who gets one for their air gun hobby.
I had some buddies over, and we had plenty of beer can targets that needed to be shot, so we laid into them with all the motivation of a bunch of guys that have not grown up past 13 years old. We did plenty of recharging on the air rifles. I enjoy two Stoger air guns, and we kept at least one shooting at full power. When the lawn care guys start mowing in the spring, I am sure the fence may get minor damage from the mowers throwing pellets out of the grass. That is what happens when I can sit on the deck and soot over the fence and smash beer cans in the park.
Get it from Amazon now: $269.99 & FREE Returns
7. TUXING S-061 - Max 4500Psi/30Mpa
Highlight: Auto shut-off if it overheats.
Helpful review: This machine is built for the international market. I know that because it is set to 220v from the factory. Switching is easy; finding the switch is a challenge, mainly because they don't send instructions in the box, or at least not in my box. I have read many other reviews about parts being left out of the box; some folks needed lots of stuff to make the machine work. My box did not have the bleed screw valve when I opened it. All I had to do was call the customer service number, and they had one in the mail in a day and in my hand in about a week or so.
This machine worked well. It can also be used on 12 volts to take it to the field, which I did. I took it to the weeds to blast a few Ravens out of this zip code and used the clap on the battery terminal. I took the laser temperature gun with me to see how it worked. I know some of these pumps will get hot when running on the 12-volt function, and I thought it would be good to know.
When I was in the field, it was probably 70 degrees, and this machine performed flawlessly. I ran it for 8-9 minutes, and the hottest it got was 155 degrees. I like keeping this machine in the truck to reinflate tires or the air can in the woods. With the 12-volt function, my brain runs amuck with ideas; the only thing I need to get is a regulator so I don't blow things apart with this level of compressor.
Get it from Amazon now: $159.00 & FREE Returns