Learn › Track 02 · Equipment & physics

Cylinders: lifespan & safety

Your pistol’s cylinder holds 200 bar, nearly a hundred times the pressure in a car tyre, and it sits just in front of your hand for every shot. Most cylinders give years of trouble-free service, but only if you follow a few rules. The first one surprises people.

Think first: An aluminium cylinder looks perfect, holds pressure overnight and shoots well. It was made 11 years ago. Can you keep filling it?

  • Yes — it passes every check you can do
  • No — it is past its 10-year life and must be retired
  • Yes, as long as you only fill it to 150 bar

Reading the stamp

Every cylinder carries its manufacture date, stamped or engraved into the body. The life counts from that date, not from when you bought the pistol or first filled it. In Morini’s own example, a cylinder made in February 2024 expires in February 2034.

The format varies between makers. Find the date on each of your cylinders now, and write the expiry dates in your logbook.

Think first: Today is 24 October 2026. Your next match is in November. Can you use this aluminium cylinder?

  • Yes — it is good until the end of 2026
  • No — it expired in September 2026
  • Yes — the 10 years count from its first fill

Steel: one more chance

Not every cylinder is aluminium. Walther also makes steel cylinders, and these can be retested once. If they pass, they get another ten years, to a maximum of twenty.

Think first: This steel Walther cylinder reaches 10 years in January 2027. What are your options?

  • Retire it in January 2027, like aluminium
  • Have it retested once. If it passes, it can serve up to 20 years in total
  • Keep using it — steel never expires

Before every fill

Expiry is only one part of it. Build these checks into your routine:

  • Check the date. Never fill an expired cylinder.
  • Look for cracks and damage before each use.
  • Fill only to the rated pressure. 200 bar for most makers. Your manual and cylinder markings decide.
  • Grease lightly. A thin film of silicone grease on the O-rings and a trace on the threads. Keep grease out of the valve, and never use petroleum products.
  • Let it cool, then top up. A fresh fill reads high while the cylinder is warm.

Retiring a cylinder

When a cylinder expires, empty it and never refill it. Don’t keep it “just for training” or lend it to a friend. Ask your maker or dealer how to dispose of it. Buy a replacement before the old one runs out, especially before a big competition.

Who checks?

At a competition, your cylinders can be checked along with the rest of your equipment.

Think first: At Equipment Control, an official finds that your spare cylinder is out of date. Whose responsibility was it?

  • The manufacturer’s, for not reminding you
  • The Range Officer’s, for not checking it earlier
  • Yours — athletes are responsible for their cylinders being in date

The athlete is responsible for any compressed air or CO2 cylinder being within its validity date. Equipment Control may check this.

Travelling with cylinders

  • Aluminium cylinders: 10 years from the stamped manufacture date, then retire them.
  • Walther steel cylinders may be retested once, for up to 20 years in total.
  • Check for cracks before each use. Fill only to the rated pressure. Silicone grease only.
  • Empty expired cylinders and never refill them.
  • You, not the officials, are responsible for your cylinders being in date (GTR 6.2.4.2).

← Air pressure and the shot · Barrel, weights & balance →