Pressurized Gas for the Propulsion of Dragon Eggs

Compressed Air is a good choice if you have a vehicle with a compressor and tank already operational. Just connect and go. We do recommend a PN FBS-RGK regulator/gage to use in-line for better range control, but it is not essential. Plus, we always recommend that a new HS be operated and dry fired multiple times using shop air before heading to the field, to provide plenty of familiarization with the operating procedures before loading and live firing.

Bottled Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is what most operators use. It is readily available, easily portable, and is efficient for its size and weight, as it is stored as a pressurized liquid in the bottle. There are two basic CO2 bottle systems:

  1. FBS-RR&GK
    Industrial bottles with a shut-off valve and a standard CO2 mounting flange. These are sized by how much CO2 they hold (by weight), such as five, ten, twenty pounds on up. A five pound tank can be strapped to our backpack kit PN FBS-BPK for transport when walking around in the field. Our gas kit PN FBS-RR&GK will attach directly to the bottle via a fixed step-down regulator, which drops the bottle internal pressure, usually 600 to 1000 psi depending on ambient temperature, to about 170 psi. Then, after passing through a coil hose, it is controlled by the regulator/gage (also available stand-alone as our PN FBS-RGK) from zero to 155 psi. The gas kit will also be necessary when using a twenty pound CO2 bottle from a vehicle, etc. These twenty pound standard CO2 bottles are readily available from most industrial gas suppliers, although the five pound bottles may need to be requested ahead of time.


    FBS-RR&GK Gas Kit being used with a 20lb CO2 bottle and a ‘classic’
    PyroShot HS at Big Branch Marsh NWR.


  2. Sidearm kits with ‘pin bottles’ that screw into a regulator/gage/manifold, then connect directly to the HS through a coil hose. These are the same style bottles that are commonly in use for paint ball guns, and can be filled while you wait wherever paintball folks hang out. The Powertank sidearm kits that can be seen HERE are by far the preferred carry-around system by PyroShot HS operators. You can even fill your own ‘pin bottles’ using Powertank’s transfill tool from a ‘mother tank’ if you prefer. A PyroShot HS plus one of these sidearm kits is all you need to start PyroShooting. Just add Dragon Eggs and ethylene glycol.