Hatsan Opinions on buying a cheap Hatsan springer and modifying it vs buying higher end Hatsan.

Though I'm NOT into springers most of us here have found (by trial & error) that we should have invested the time, cost & frustration of modding a mediocre gun into buying a better gun in the 1st place! Good luck with whatever you decide.

First off Hatsans are garage type guns.. some are accurate and some are not. Barrel dependent. As for power the gas rams are usually set ,older ones had adjustable rams but were troublesome and prone to failure. Not sure they make them anymore. Spring models can be tweaked a bit but they are bug heavy pistons that kick and will need a new seal. As well as other mods. Their build quality and materials are poor . The breech shim area is a known failure .. MIKE ELINGSWORTH , ( 4888blues on here ) is your man to contact. He has done more Hatsans and worked with a fellow who has pushed them into huge power. As for 30 caliber. You are limited to very few pellets and they are Costly . . 25 will net you better power to accuracy and NOT BREAK THE BANK buying pellets.
The Quatro trigger is good when modded but has issues to.

Spend money once for a quality gun and be done with it.
Inwould recommend a HW90 inn.25 and set it for 20 ft lbs / 700 fps with 20 grain ftt. Most HW BARRELS LIKE them.
Cocking won’t be as easy as a smaller gun but with power comes a sacrifice.
No tuning other than a hand pump will be needed.

It’s gonna cost you at least $300 for the mods to be done to a HATSAN to get 30 ft lbs of accurate reliable power. If your going to try the. It’s time and experimentation. By the time your done you may end up with not much better results and wasted time.. TIME IS $ and we don’t want to waste either.

Josh1973 said:

I am debating on either buying a more affordable Hatsan springer and modifying it for more high end performance.
Or possibly just spending $300 on a higher end model alreqady pre made.
I want something in .25 caliber as I heard their .25 caliber is more powerful than their .30 caliber.
Due to the use of the same gas piston in both models.
So I guess my questions are.
1. Is it possible to by a a cheap Hatsan and buy the stuff to upgrade it to a more powerful level? Or will I be better off spending more and getting a higher end air rifle?
2. Does Hatsan offer customer service or at least a secondary market for replacement springs/gas piston?
3. Would I be better off to get the .30 caliber ober the .25 caliber?
4. Is the .30 caliber able to be set up to perform with higher fps or is it pretty much topped out due to a limit in the gas piston mod availability?
Any advice or links is deeply appreciated.

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Lipstick on a pig
Get better gun “Buy once cry once”

Hatsan isn't a brand I'd consider based on 3 plus years of mainly "negative press" from forum members. Might be all wrong about the brand, just not taking the chance. Upgrading a basic model over purchasing an upgrade is a common question. Planning to keep forever, not that critical, but trying to recoup a $600 investment on a $300 gun can be a struggle. Purchaser must trust upgraded parts and skills of installer. Recall YouTuber regretting $1500 spent upgrading a Crosman pistol to high-end PCP, stating, would have preferred, in hindsight, just getting the high-end PCP. Of course, can't deny knowledge gained upgrading a platform. WM

Everyone's a Hatsan hatter. Or for that mater anything other than the more expensive counter parts. One of the reasons I'm pretty much done posting on this forum. At least as much as I used too. If your not into top of the line elite guns why bother. You will be told yours are junk and to invest into etc.... GTA is a much better place to discuss anything about any gun not made in Europe.

Septicdeath said:

Everyone's a Hatsan hatter. Or for that mater anything other than the more expensive counter parts. One of the reasons I'm pretty much done posting on this forum. At least as much as I used too. If your not into top of the line elite guns why bother. You will be told yours are junk and to invest into etc.... GTA is a much better place to discuss anything about any gun not made in Europe.

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What's that thread here ..?? Losing interest in air guns ..?

No I still hold a interest it's nothing here interests me anymore .. it's amazing how just after COVID all this took a turn from before coivid .. was a lot I liked to discuss ..

What turned me off GTA was all the member "moderators" ganging up bird dogging guys if you stepped on there toes or disproved there thinking .. gosh forbid you show there wrong or something ..lol. administraton turns a blind eye and allows it ..

Hateful McNasty said:

What's that thread here ..?? Losing interest in air guns ..?

No I still hold a interest it's nothing here interests me anymore .. it's amazing how just after COVID all this took a turn from before coivid .. was a lot I liked to discuss ..

What turned me off GTA was all the member "moderators" ganging up bird dogging guys if you stepped on there toes or disproved there thinking .. gosh forbid you show there wrong or something ..lol. administraton turns a blind eye and allows it ..

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Been shooting airguns for over 20 years. Do it almost every day. Haven't lost interest in the guns. Mostly just the forums.

I've got a .30 Hatsan 135 and it shoots an honest 30 fpe with 45 grain pellets and 31 fpe with 50 grain pellets, I think they're a great deal considering the price. The stock is adjustable, it's got a built in silencer and even the goofy scope rail is better than on other magnum springers.

The trigger will likely suck when you get it, but look up a diagram online of one so that you understand what each screw does and smooth out any casting marks or rough areas and you can make it pretty good,

I would also disassemble it as soon as you determine that it's functional and swap out all the fasteners with higher quality ones. Hatsan fasteners suck and are prone to stripping, rounding and breaking. Just spend an extra 5 bucks and get rid of them.

Sawney Bean said:

I've got a .30 Hatsan 135 and it shoots an honest 30 fpe with 45 grain pellets and 31 fpe with 50 grain pellets, I think they're a great deal considering the price. The stock is adjustable, it's got a built in silencer and even the goofy scope rail is better than on other magnum springers.

The trigger will likely suck when you get it, but look up a diagram online of one so that you understand what each screw does and smooth out any casting marks or rough areas and you can make it pretty good,

I would also disassemble it as soon as you determine that it's functional and swap out all the fasteners with higher quality ones. Hatsan fasteners suck and are prone to stripping, rounding and breaking. Just spend an extra 5 bucks and get rid of them.

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The .30 is a awesome rifle. Have two 130QE.

Septicdeath said:

The .30 is a awesome rifle. Have two 130QE.

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Yep. I've got the older one with the adjustable gas piston and I'm tempted to bump it up to 150 bar and see if it will do 36 fpe or more, but it's been holding air now for 8 years and I don't want to screw it up.

Sawney Bean said:

Yep. I've got the older one with the adjustable gas piston and I'm tempted to bump it up to 150 bar and see if it will do 36 fpe or more, but it's been holding air now for 8 years and I don't want to screw it up.

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Have the older models also, with both rams rebuilt they are at 160 bar have not chronographed them in a long time but they where shooting at about 600fps right after being rebuilt.

Septicdeath said:

Have the older models also, with both rams rebuilt they are at 160 bar have not chronographed them in a long time but they where shooting at about 600fps right after being rebuilt.

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Mines shooting at around 550 with 45 grain pellets and 525 with 50 grain pellets if I remember right.

Septicdeath said:

Everyone's a Hatsan hatter. Or for that mater anything other than the more expensive counter parts. One of the reasons I'm pretty much done posting on this forum. At least as much as I used too. If your not into top of the line elite guns why bother. You will be told yours are junk and to invest into etc.... GTA is a much better place to discuss anything about any gun not made in Europe.

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Though I own 3 FX guns I've never been a Hatsan "hater". I learned all about working on PCP'S, how technique is critical for accuracy & that even a not so top tier gun can be a powerful & efficient hunting tool with Hatsan guns. Sorry you feel the way you do about the perceived snobbishness of some on the forum but, for me, the helpful, generous & caring nature of the MAJORITY of people I've dealt with here FAR overrides the negatives!

NO Hatsan at all ... IMO

Septicdeath said:

Been shooting airguns for over 20 years. Do it almost every day. Haven't lost interest in the guns. Mostly just the forums.

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That's what I'ma saying ..

The performance of both the Hatsan 135 and the Gamo Magnum for around $300 in today's currency is really pretty spectacular. Back in the day the magnum springers to have were the Beeman Kodiak/Webley Patriot or the Theoben Eliminator. The Kodiak was advertised at 800 fps in .25 and claims were made of it producing 30 fpe, but in reality it was more like a 25-26 fpe rifle and it cost around $600 back in the early 90's. It was a beautiful rifle with deep bluing, a gorgeous stock, a horrible trigger and mediocre accuracy at best. I never shot the Theoben, but that was apparently slightly more powerful and cost around $900.

Then if you were really loaded there were the Whiscombes and the Dual Magnums, but those were low production guns that cost well over $1000.

From my own experience, both the Gamo and the Hatsan are significantly better guns at a fraction of the price, at least compared to the Kodiak, (I'm sure the Whiscombes and DM's are much better). Their finish can't compare, but they're more powerful, more accurate, have better triggers and are less hold sensitive.

Poor H@t$ans. They really get the grief around here.

They are perfect beginner guns. Cheap and effective. They don't last long but they give a guy an opportunity to learn what makes an airgun tick. You dont have much invested and your learning curve is steep. When they break just toss them into the corner and buy another. You can break 4 of them for the price of an HW.

A Vortek kit for an HW95 cost more than a new H@t$an 95. And every H@t$an 95 I've owned has shot longer than my HW's before a spring failure. The HW rifles are in a class way above the H@t$an to be sure but they are not without their frustrations.

I probably won't buy another H@t$an springer. But I've bought 9 to date and loved every one of them. Broke 7 of them. Still shooting the hell out of 2. They are not bad guns for the price. They just aren't great guns. Probably not a rifle most fellows would consider for a project. They are however a great tool for learning what spring air rifles are all about.