I have noticed that a lot of people use an aircompressor for cleaning their firearms. I am thinking about a purchasing one. I would like to keep it under a hundred bucks, and the primary use of one would be for firearms maintainence and cleaning. Could i get a way with one of the little pancake styler ones? what is the min you would recomend? thanks

Buying an air compressor is like buying a computer, you always end up wanting/needing more power eventually.  Buy the best you can afford.  If you work on cars or lots of DIY projects, then you will use it a lot.

If you'll only ever use it to clean your weapons, one of the pancake ones will probably do fine.  Unless of course you go crazy trying to clean with the blow gun alone.  That takes a lot of air volume and needs a large compressor.  So either get a bigger compressor, or live with smaller and lesser squirts of the blow gun.

Another tip, oil-less air compressors are usually cheaper, but don't last as long or stand up to as much abuse, consider spending a little extra for a compressor with an oil reservoir.   Of course if you going to use the air compressor for something that needs super clean air, totally free of any trace of oil, the oil-less air compressor is a better choice.

Once you get a compressor, you'll wish you had a bigger one.  The pancake ones will work fine for what you CURRENTLY want to do.

My air compressor is busted at that moment.  Would it be OK to use the canned air that I use to clean electronics until my compressor is fixed?

Canned air works but is expensive...I have a 5 gallon I bought for 49 bucks...

That's why I also used the computer analogy.  I only suggest someone think a little longer than a quick list of jobs you do now, think about your hobbies, shop on the internet and look at the things you can do with an air compressor and if you interested in those things and think you may do any of them in the future.  Like a computer, many people have made a purchase based off what they need at the moment, only to find in a year as their horizons expand, that purchase falls woefully short and they are buying a whole new computer again; same thing happens to some people with air compressors.

Yes, agree, if you're convinced you will only use it for the lightest duty for a couple of jobs, a cheapo pancake compressor at your local walmart/hardware store will work fine.

Canned air is NOT worth it, IMO, that subjective, I'm sure some swear by it and believe its worth the extra cost.  If you don't have an air compressor than consider changing your cleaning method so that Blowing off the parts is NOT necessary.

We all clean differently, I can see if your using water and/or solvents how you want compressed air to blow it out, but if doing the standard scrubbing and wipe down with CLP, compressed air isn't necessary.  Definitely NOT worth the $7 a can to do it, at least to me.  I got by for years just blowing on any part with lung power, if it was needed.

Walmart  and hardware stores often sell a 10 gallon or more tank for compressed air, usually really cheap, like $25.  You can take that to your local gas station and fill it with compressed air, probably will have to pay $2 in quarters to run the pump, it will probably last as long if NOT longer than a can of cleaning air, something to consider.  (The cleaning air cans uses a chemical as a propellant, that's why it lasts so long with such a small can and is expensive).

Agreed, I just need something short term until I get my compressor up and running.  I wasn't sure if blasting my gun with really cold air would hurt it.

Even if you have a huge compressor, you still need a little one.  A pancake type is fine.  It will not run airtools that require more air than a nailer.

I use mine for guns and tires..don't think I will paint the house soon...

I just bought an air compressor a few days ago.  I got a Craftsman 3gal. on sale for $99 at K-mart.  Its a little larger than the pancake type and I think they are on sale through fathers day.

Like DitchDR, I have the 3 gallon Sears compressor

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00915310000P?vName=Automotive&cName=Tools+%26+Equipment&sName=Air+Compressors+%26+Inflators

Works fine for airing up tires, using a blowgun for cleaning gun parts, etc.  Unless you buy a REALLY large compressor, storage is the answer.  So you can always add a 12 gallon tank for storage, and greatly increase what you can run with a small compressor.