Air Venturi 4500 psi Air Compressor
Photo shows the Air Venturi 4500 air compressor and two air rifles.
In today's Gear Test Tuesday we expose an Air Venturi 4500 psi Electric Air Compressor to solve the frustrating problem of running out of air pressure while hunting with PCP air rifles.
Air Venturi 4500 is reasonably portable
You can fill at any time just for the cost of a little electricity
A new Nomad version also runs off a car battery
Air Venturi 4500 Compressor Simplifies My Airgun Shooting
I love airguns and have jumped into them big time during the last five years. They’re a “quiet blast” for plinking and especially hunting small game. One problem I had early on was poor accuracy, especially in single-pump break actions. That’s a problem when you’re hunting small game with a small kill zone. But after going on Pro-staff with Crosman I started using their Benjamin Precharged Pneumatic (PCP) Marauder and “poof!” My accuracy problems were cured. I hit a little ground squirrel at 100 yards last year and made a head shot on another one at 52 yards. My Marauder is a shooter.But one downside to a PCP is recharging them. You need to carry a high pressure, spare air tank for the job. On typical hunts for a few rabbits, that’s not a big deal because I don’t shoot much. But on a good day of ground squirrel hunting I’ll take 400 shots. My little auxilliary air tank runs dry way before that, so I got a second one. I still run out of gas about two-thirds of the way through the day.My tanks hold 5,000 psi of air pressure. Not 500 psi, 5,000! There aren’t many places where you can fill to that pressure level. I use SCUBA dive shops for fill ups, but those are in limited supply. So I began looking for options. Found one at the SHOT show a couple of years ago. Kristen Coss with Air Venturi had an air compressor specifically made for air gunners named the Air Venturi 4500 psi Electric Air Compressor. Like most electric air compressors, it fills high pressure reservoirs and tanks by using electricity to run a pressurizing pump. Simple. I got one and now I can fill my air tanks up to 4,500 psi with it.As you can imagine, when dealing with this much air pressure you want to play by the rules. But don’t panic. It’s safe and easy to operate. Plug it in to any 110 outlet, hook the quick-connect hose to your airgun tank, turn on the compressor and wait for the tank to fill to 4,500 psi.You can set it to automatically shut off when it hits the desired psi, but it’s probably not smart to leave it unattended while filling. You can fill carbon fiber tanks or diving tanks with it, too.If you don’t understand why I’m gushing about this compressor, you probably don’t hunt with a PCP airgun. So let me outline some pneumatic airgun challenges:INCONVENIENCE #1: Your buddy calls unexpectantly and wants to go ground squirrel hunting tomorrow. You say “sure, but we’ll have to wait until 10:00 AM when the dive shop opens so I can fill my tanks.”INCONVENIECE #2: Every dive shop fill costs you $6 to $10 for a couple of tanks.INCONVENIENCE #3: Some of the places I hunt are 1-2 hours from the nearest scuba shop. So when I run out of air I’m done hunting.You can probably think for yourself how an Air Venturi compressor eliminates these inconveniences. Basically free refills any time at your convenience. About half of the places I hunt, even though they’re out in the boonies, there is a gas station or ranch nearby that I can go plug in my compressor and fill my tanks. Even if I drain both my tanks, I don’t have to run all the way back home for a refill.Now, when reviewing products you’re supposed to point out the bad as well as the good. I’m sorry, but I’m just not finding any bad with this one other than it does require you to have an electrical source – and now Air Venturi is even fixing that.This year they released a new model called the Air Venturi Nomad. It’s powered by 110v, but can also be hooked up to run off your car battery. This is a double win. First, it’s portable so you can fill tanks out in the field. Second, you might not even need to buy air tanks. Just use the Air Venturi Nomad to fill straight into your rifles.Here are some specs for the standard unit:Air Venturi 4500 psi Electric Air Compressor
Max fill pressure 4500 psi
Adjustable output pressure, up to 4500 psi
Automatic shut-off feature
Internally water-cooled
Digital temperature gauge
Uses 110V electrical outlet
Noise level while running is 90 dB. This is similar to a food blender in terms of real world noise.
Weight: 76 lbs (without water and oil)
Dimensions: 18”L x 17”W x 17”H
For PCP airguns, airsoft, and paintball tanks
Compressor comes with a hose with a female quick disconnect fitting, a replacement output air filter, male to male fitting, male quick disconnect test plug, and extra seals and O-rings.Approximate fill times:
90 cu-in. bottle from 0 to 3000 psi in 10 minutes
90 cu-in. bottle from 0 to 4500 psi in 15 minutes
There you go. It’s not as convenient as a carton of 22 Long Rifles, but if you’re an air gun hunter, it’s almost like unlimited ammunition.Veteran hunter Tom Claycomb has gone air gun crazy in recent years, probably because he and his air guns are all full of hot air. (He's going to kill me when he reads this.)
