Flash acting up

[Darinjfry]

So about a month ago I bought a refurb flash from hatsan usa. Loved it at first but noticed today the barrel seemed loose. I tried tightening it down but it just seems to spin. Also what was an accurate rifle seems to just fling pellets now. Also it seems louder than it did before. Ideas?

[Rallyshark]

It should not be spinning around for sure.  There is a nut inside the end of the shroud that secures it.  Just unscrew the end cap, and remove the QE guts, and there will be a 14mm nut in there.  Hopefully, you just need to get a deep well 14mm socket and extension and snug that bad boy down good.  That will probably solve your problem.  Oh, and pay attention to the order and direction of the QE bits in there, so you put them all back in the correct order. 

Let us know if that doesn't fix it!

[Darinjfry]

I took the qe out and shined a light down the shroud but I couldn't see a nut down inside.  Hopefully hatsan usa will message me back and fix the issue. Really liked this airgun till this problem came up

[Rallyshark]

There's a nut there I promise.  If you didn't see it, then you may not have got all the "guts" out.  It should be end cap -two hair curler type pieces with felt -two cup baffles.  The nut will be under that.  You don't need Hatsan for that, you need a socket and extension

[Dan H]

This one is very simple get those pieces out of the end of the QE then torque down with deep socket , then it will shoot straight ...   like Donny said ...

[Darinjfry]

Well I have a 14mm socket but no extension.  Will track one down. Thanks guys. Will report back. Hoping and assuming that is the only problem.  Bought as a refurb for 200$ and is a dandy rifle for the price

[Darinjfry]

So tightened it down but that didnt fix it. Hatsan suggested I check the breech seal but I'm not sure how to access it. They say it's about 3/4 in inside the barrel from the breech? Does the gun need depressurized to get to it safely?

[Rallyshark]

There's no need to degas the gun.  You will have to pull your scope and rail off though.  You have two 2.5mm allen screws on top of the breech holding the barrel in.  Reverse what you did with the QE, and remove the nut and QE shroud entirely.  Then remove the scope rail(also 2.5mm), then the two 2.5 allen screws under that.  Then just wiggle the barrel and pull it straight out of the breech.

Then you can take a flashlight and look into the breech end of the barrel.  There should be an o-ring in there.  If there isn't, or the one in there is damaged, Hatsan would be correct.  I assumed since your shroud was loose that would be the issue, but the breech o-ring would have been my second guess for sure.  The gun should have come with a spare in the little package of goodies that comes with them.  Yes, even the refurbs   It is a little tedious to fish them out and install them.  Usually a small paper clip with a little hook bent into the end will do the trick. 

You'll want to lube the new one with some silicone oil or grease.  You can get the silicone grease from the plumbing section at the hardware store.  That will also help you get the new o-ring to slip back into place.  Lack of lubrication from the factory is likely what cause the o-ring to fail in the first place.  Silicone grease is a must have when playing with PCPs.  RC car shock oil can work as well, if you live near a hobby store. 

Make sure to pay attention to the barrel port when re-installing the barrel.  You want that port facing straight down.  There are little indentations on the barrel where the set screws go to assist in lining that up.

[Darinjfry]

Thanks. Took it apart and checked the breech ring but looked fine so I put it back in. My only other guess is the air valve? It just seems noticeably louder and way less accurate than when I first got it.

[Rallyshark]

I'm assuming you checked the two outer o-rings on the barrel as well?  If you didn't lubricate that breech o-ring, I recommend doing so.  I would go ahead and replace it anyway, if I had a spare.  The only other thing that would cause it to be louder(off the top of my head), would be one of the o-rings on the outside of the valve where it seals in the breech?  I have seen the thicker one towards the tip of the valve get cut on install.  I've done that myself.  Also that middle 3mm screw could be letting air past.  You can wrap that in plumbers tape and screw it back in.  If you want to pull the valve to check those o-rings, there are 3 allens holding it in.  Two 2.5mm and one 3mm in the middle.  You'll have to unscrew the piece that the stock screw goes in to get at the rear most allen.  Again, you don't have to degas it. 

I would be most inclined to think the breech o-ring the issue, since it actually gets moved around.  All the others are static, and less likely to fail.  If the gun is holding air, then it won't be any of the o-rings internal to the valve or cylinder, so it would have to be one of the ones on the outside.  If the barrel and QE are tight now, then it would have to be an o-ring leak somewhere causing inconsistent velocity, resulting in it not being accurate.  I suggest pulling all the o-rings mentioned and lubing them with some silicone grease while you're in there.  It will save you some trouble later. 

[SwampHunter]

May be of no concern in your situation but I was having similar problems and it wound up being a faulty poppet valve causing the leak. The retaining screws backed out that hold the valve/tube assembly to the action resulting in it being loose, causing a rattle, ultimately the last time I shot the tube came a few inches forward with a loud pop. New valve and loctite on the retaining screws, shoots great!