I recently had a question asking if it was OK to remove your Co2 tank if there was still Co2 in the tank. The answer is yes; but the question reminded me how often players at the field brake their tank's o-rings over and over again due to improperly unscrewing them from the gun. Ever have this problem? Here's why it happens...

The problem resides in the way you remove the tank from your marker. The first tip that prevents most o-ring breaks is to unscrew the Co2 tank face up. Why? The Co2 in you tank is in two forms: Gas and liquid. The liquid rests at the bottom of the tank since it's heavier, and the gas lays at the top. The reason why your o-rings break is because you have your tank face down, causing the extremely cold liquid Co2 to expel through the nossle while unscrewing the tank, freezing the o-ring and breaking it. Urethane o-rings aren't meant to be that cold. That's how they get destroyed.

The second common reason why your o-rings are breaking is simply due to a lack of lubrication. You by no means need a hefty amount of oil to lube the o-ring. I'm talking less than a drop of oil. I usually just put a little oil on my fingertip or cotton swab and layer the o-ring lightly.

O-rings don't cost much at all. You can find 500 urethane o-rings for a few bucks on the internet. So it's no big loss breaking a few o-rings once and awhile, but it's definitely an inconvenience to keep having to change your o-rings over and over... especially if you don't have any spares.

Peace.