Hatsan FlashQE refurb from HatsanUSA - quick review

[mikeyb]

I am a big FAN of Hatsan rifles in general and am NOT a Hatsan Hater.  However, I am going to provide my honest opinion (good and bad) when reviewing ANY air rifle.

I have many different Hatsan air rifles. Mostly springers but also a few PCP rifles.
Have "tuned" the hammer adjustments on my Galatian, AT44, and BT65 rifles to get the muzzle energy and shot-count needed for my applications.

JUST RECEIVED my very first FlashQE-22 refurb from HatsanUSA.

https://hatsanairgunsusa.com/product/_refurbished-flashqe/?attribute_pa_caliber=22

$129.99 all-in w/free shipping coupon = freeship. Sorry, already expired :-(

https://hatsanairgunsusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Flash_exploded_view.pdf

IMO it is a light weight and clunking cocking BUDGET version of my AT44s. The light weight and cheap price are POSITIVE features. But there are some not-so-nice features.

The bolt cocking is VERY clunky compared to the silky smooth LEVER cocking on my Galatians and AT44s. I'll get used to it but it is shockingly awful compared to what I have been shooting.

The plastic spring loaded magazines are sloppy (tolerances) and more difficult to load than the solid aluminum ones on the other series rifles. The pellet FEED from the magazines is ALSO clunky with at least a couple difficult feeds from each cycle.

The magazines FLOP AROUND even after the probe has a pellet seated. I have used Gauntlet/Freedom magazines A LOT and they DON'T flop around when inserted. This really seems like a big OOPS either in the DESIGN or the IMPLEMENTATION. I have added a shim on the rifle side to "stop the slop" and it helps with the clunky pellet feed issue.

The magazine position seems silly. It sits VERY HIGH up above the picatinny rail. I had to DIG DEEP into my scope rings box to find HIGH PROFILE rings that would allow a scope to clear the protruding magazine.

There ARE some positives coming.

Accuracy is good so far and the QE does a FAIR job of quieting the rifle for indoor shooting.
I like the feel and size (LOP) of the synthetic stock. Trigger is nice and may not need any adjustment.
I am still in the process of tuning the energy/shot-count but it looks like I'll be able to get a usable (for me) shot curve over 3 magazines (12 pellets per mag).

I'm pretty certain the clunky cocking effort will smooth out AND I'll get less annoyed about it over time.
I also think I can clean up the magazines to make them work more smoothly and I can make my temporary magazine shim, which is a big improvement, more permanent.

I understand WHY Hatsan made the Flash and at the refurb price it is a tolerable ENTRY LEVEL PCP rifle for a fix-it person like me. If I would have paid $200 or more for this rifle I would have been VERY DISAPPOINTED (furious actually) and probably returned it for a refund.

Would I buy another FlashQE refurb?  Maybe in 25 cal IF the price was below $130? Uncertain at this time. I'm still a Hatsan Fan but their products (design and QC) are testing my limits :-)

[avator]

I have let a couple friends shoot my Hatsan Flash QE and, it never fails, they want to yam all the way back on the bolt as if locking it to remove the mag. This is not necessary to cycle the mag. The mag cycles and loads the next pellet smooth and easy if you learn the sweet spot. Pull back on the bolt and watch the mag and you'll see the rotation of the mag and hear/feel the sear catch... that's it.
Enjoy.

[mikeyb]

Update 1:

Am in the process of tuning the hammer spring to get a specific pellet energy shot curve I want. I'm not looking for BIG energy so I might be able to get a nice 4 magazine string with both sufficient energy and accuracy. Will post results when my hammer tuning is complete.

As part of the hammer tuning process I decided to disassemble the hammer/bolt/probe/trigger assembly for inspection. Found some significant burrs and several chunks of metal swarf. Deburred and cleaned all the parts and added my preferred lubrication. Put it all back together.

Opened one of the magazines that was particularly "jammy" and cleaned up some plastic molding flash and what appeared to be chunks of lead residue. This WAS a refurb purchase so "used rifle and used accessories" is to be expected.

Still NOT as buttery smooth as the side-lever AT44 but bolt cocking is now MUCH smoother than it was out-of-the-box and pellets are feeding from the one magazine better also. A good deburr and cleaning helped a lot!

Accuracy is mostly excellent but I'm getting the occasional flyer. Not many and not WAY off, but obviously just outside the main group single hole. That could be the magazine distorting pellet skirts?

I'm starting to like this FlashQE.
It might end up being a much better bargain than I originally thought :-)

[martrage]

 The Hatsan FlashPup was my first PCP, purchased at Utah Airguns in 2018 after testing a Flash there. It was the right price at the time for me and until just
 recently had a spot in my air arsenal . It never had a single issue and I never even changed orings on the fill port ,or anywhere else! I used it w/ pellets & Knockout slugs . The bolt finally got to me because of arthritis in my right hand so it now is the first PCP for a friends son. I may have got lucky, but that was (is) a good airgun, I've just moved to sidelevers & regulated guns now. My new Stoeger BullShark gives me the same power & portability but w/ more shots &
 easier operation.

[tennx]

I wanted a lever action PCP…..couldnt be happier with my Vectis….quarter size out to 30 yards…scoped/rested….goods luck

[martrage]

 Tennex , That's the same platform as the Flash for sure. A very interesting gun. If that was out when I was shopping back then I would have been hard pressed
 to pass on it , being I was a lever gun centerfire guy.

[tennx]

Tennex , That's the same platform as the Flash for sure. A very interesting gun. If that was out when I was shopping back then I would have been hard pressed
 to pass on it , being I was a lever gun centerfire guy.

Sawed off the OEM moderator and added a TKO …whisper quiet in the back yard..good luck

[anti-squirrel]

I wanted a lever action PCP…..couldnt be happier with my Vectis….quarter size out to 30 yards…scoped/rested….goods luck

This is actually (hopefully) my next PCP purchase since the other lever-actions I want are still not as budget friendly.

The platform as a whole seems to be pretty good (including the Flash etc). 

@Mikey- thanks for the input, good and bad.  It sounds like the Flash in general is a budget-friendly pester/plinker with good aspects that outweigh the bad.

[mikeyb]

I wanted a lever action PCP…..couldnt be happier with my Vectis….quarter size out to 30 yards…scoped/rested….goods luck

This is actually (hopefully) my next PCP purchase since the other lever-actions I want are still not as budget friendly.

The platform as a whole seems to be pretty good (including the Flash etc). 

@Mikey- thanks for the input, good and bad.  It sounds like the Flash in general is a budget-friendly pester/plinker with good aspects that outweigh the bad.

My rifle was a $130 refurb with "freeship" code. Freeship active again for now!

IMO a good deal on a budget PCP if you can do a little work on them. Some have claimed even deeper discounts to $100. I'd order another right NOW for $100 but i don't have/know that discount code.

I am VERY tempted to get a 2nd one at $130 freeship. Folks are modding these extensively but I'm satisfied with simply CLEANING  and tuning the factory refurbs. :-)