Marauder or BT 65

[eliechahine]

Hello

I'm going to buy my first pcp air gun.

I live in Lebanon, so i don't have that wide of a choice .

only the marauder or the hatsan bt65 sb.

Well i'm trying to keep it as low as possible... the Marauder is priced at $1050 with the handpump, and the hatsan is $700 with the handpump.

What would you do in my shoes?

Oh and i do own a hatsan mod 85x springer which has a silencer equiped, i'd like to know if it will fit to the bt.

Thanks in advance.

[AlfredoM]

It is a good question, for sure in your country there is a big difference in price between the two guns and that may be a factor in the decision.
The Marauder  is really quite while the BT65 is loud, if you are planning to do some backyard target shooting in a town setting, you will need a LDC for the Hatsan.
I have the Marauder .25 and it is quite powerful, the Hatsan in the same .25 is more powerful if you are looking for longer range shoots.
I ordered the BT65 in .25, I was impressed with the power and the quality of craftsmanship, but I tested it for one hour or so and decided to return it and have it exchanged for a Sumatra.
The reason why I returned the gun is the magazine, it is so narrow (+/- 12 to 13mm) and do not let me to use heavier pellets. In my opinion what is the point to choose a more powerful gun and then be limited in the weight of the pellets.
For my use I prefer to have more knock down power with those 35 to 42 grains pellets.
That is just my opinion, there are many many people that are really happy with the Hatsan.
You will also have to verify which one of them has better customer service for repair and parts in your country.
Alfredo

[eliechahine]

Hello

Thanks for the reply!

Well to start with, i will be shooting in my backyard..or the equivalent of it in my country.

Both don't have official dealers, but the hatsan does have a 1 year guarantee and i'm not sure about the marauder but i think it does too.

About the sound, can i think i can use the sound moderator on my old springer (hatsan 85x ) and mount in on the bt.

Anyways, it's a hard decision..but i'm not sure the marauder is worth $300 more being less powerful .(yes i know it's less noisy too)

Oh by the way sound moderators or sil.. are not restricted in my country

[AlfredoM]

If you don't care for those Eun Jin heavy pellets and already have an LDC, I would say go for it, it is a nice and well made gun, the one I ordered was the one with the walnut stock and it was great.
The LDC I used on it was the one from Neil Clague and was bringing the report down quite close to the Marauder.
Alfredo

[eliechahine]

It's not that i don't care about them.. i do not have them in my country

i'm hoping to find any brand of .25 really.

thanks for the assistance!

[the1stkim]

I have both, and I have to say I love the Hatsan. Ive done a lot of tuning on both and even put a good bit of money and time into the mrod. Ireally like crosmans support and Hatsan's support is really coming along full steam here in the states. This may be an important factor for you. I would research parts and support availability in your area. They are both heavy. I like the ability to change the air cyl. on the hatsan. I keep one in my backpack when walking the woods. When at home I used to use the benji more but with the tko ldc the hatsan is really quiet. With that in mind the benji is much shorter than a bt65 with ldc. Heck- I paid way more for my Hatsan than I did for the mrod- as it was a refurb. It was twice the price. Its hard to say- I like them both!

[eliechahine]

Hello everyone!

I went to the shop yesterday and bought a Hatsan.

It wasn't a BT-65.. it was the new Galatian III.

If you want some pics or ask anything i made a new topic:

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=51337.new#new

[mcoulter]

Congratulations!  Looks fantastic! 

(Now we expect regular updates on how she shoots!!!)

 

[eliechahine]

Congratulations!  Looks fantastic! 

(Now we expect regular updates on how she shoots!!!)

 

Thank you!

I will update it as soon as i get to shoot it.

All i can say i can pump it under 5 minutes..from 100 to 200 bar ( and i'm a skinny guy 55 kg)