Did I make the right move?

[allpumpedup]

I had a Benjamin Trail NP2 on back order and since they have been having a few problems with their new rifle I decided to change my order this morning to the Hatsan 125 Sniper Vortex. I have been reading reviews and it looks to be a very good air rifle. I'm totally new to air guns and I hope I made the correct decision. If you have any advice on the Hatsan 125 please let me know...I would greatly appreciate you knowledge and experience on shooting this rifle.
Thanks, David

[Privateer]

Can't say if you made the 'right' move but I really like my Hatsans.
I'll have a Vortex powered one someday.
 

[blackfocal]

from what i have heard that is a beast of a gun and be prepared for recoil! Otherwise you made a GREAT move.

[allpumpedup]

Thanks for your comments. From what I've been reading, I feel confident its going to be a good shooter.
Any pellet and maintenance on it that some have used?
Thanks again, David

[Privateer]

Even if I buy a brand new one? I'll take it down to check the seal and see if there's an old Chevy in the chamber.
A polish on the trigger parts also helped mine alot.

The JSB's and H&N's are favorite food for mine with the H&N doing better out at 70 yards.

[stonykill]

  I love my Hatsan Vortex. Mine is the 1000s vortex and a very nice weapon. A 125 will be my next AG.... at some point. I personally think you made the right move!

[allpumpedup]

  I love my Hatsan Vortex. Mine is the 1000s vortex and a very nice weapon. A 125 will be my next AG.... at some point. I personally think you made the right move!

Thank you, I'm really feeling good about it. Can't wait to try it out.
Thanks, David

[Airgun.Sniper]

i believe you made a smart move…over the np2…just get ready for some weight and recoil and most of all hold on

[allpumpedup]

i believe you made a smart move…over the np2…just get ready for some weight and recoil and most of all hold on

I hope the NP2 becomes a great air rifle, but I feel good about the  Hatsan 125. I think its what I'm looking for in a good shooter for accuracy. I've read where the scope is not the best. Would the Hammers 3x9x40 be a better option.
Thanks for your comments and advise, David

[Bryan Heimann]

I think that the satisfied Hatsan 125 owners outnumber the disappointed ones by a large margin.  And if you have magnum-itis, I have not seen a more powerful gas piston gun sold in the U.S.  Still waiting for the Vortex 135...

[mafatone]

I have a 135 and I like it. Every Crosman rifle I owned had to be worked on. Re-crowned or barrel lapped. Didn't have to do a thing to the Hatsan.

[longhunter]

i have a 125 sniper vortex and i love it. be sure to check the baffles in the "can" for clipping. i had to open mine up a little. just cock the gun and look down the barrel from the breech end. if you see anything other than a perfectly round hole, you have a problem. it's an easy fix. take a soda straw, stick it in the "can" from the muzzle end, until it stops. mark the depth. remove the straw and take a drill bit that is just slightly larger than the diameter of the hole in the muzzle end of the "can". mark the drill bit with a piece of electrical tape so it is 1/4 inch SHORTER than the depth you marked on the straw. ( this will keep you from buggering the barrel crown ). turn the drill bit by hand, until you reach the marked depth. take your time and keep the bit straight, as you turn it in. give the bit a couple of turns after it reaches the desired depth to cut off any plastic "curly-cues" that may be left attached to the baffles. after you're finished drilling, blow out the baffles with an air compressor, from the muzzle end. this will get all the shavings out of the baffles. that's it. you may have to repeat the procedure more than once to get a clear shot through the baffles. i had to drill mine twice. since the "can" is really nothing more than a marketing gimmic, (they're really only effective at sound moderation on pcp's and co2), you won't notice any change in the sound of the gun.

also, i've found that a firm hold on the grip( pulling the buttstock tight to your shoulder), with a moderate to light hold on the forearm with your thumb and forefinger on the far end of the grip panel seems to give the best results.
and, don't bother trying to benchrest the 125. it's too light and bounces around too much, when it recoils. the two best ways to shoot it are standing, offhand and sitting on your butt, with your elbows braced on your knees. at least that has been my experience, your mileage may vary.
hope this helps.

[allpumpedup]

i have a 125 sniper vortex and i love it. be sure to check the baffles in the "can" for clipping. i had to open mine up a little. just cock the gun and look down the barrel from the breech end. if you see anything other than a perfectly round hole, you have a problem. it's an easy fix. take a soda straw, stick it in the "can" from the muzzle end, until it stops. mark the depth. remove the straw and take a drill bit that is just slightly larger than the diameter of the hole in the muzzle end of the "can". mark the drill bit with a piece of electrical tape so it is 1/4 inch SHORTER than the depth you marked on the straw. ( this will keep you from buggering the barrel crown ). turn the drill bit by hand, until you reach the marked depth. take your time and keep the bit straight, as you turn it in. give the bit a couple of turns after it reaches the desired depth to cut off any plastic "curly-cues" that may be left attached to the baffles. after you're finished drilling, blow out the baffles with an air compressor, from the muzzle end. this will get all the shavings out of the baffles. that's it. you may have to repeat the procedure more than once to get a clear shot through the baffles. i had to drill mine twice. since the "can" is really nothing more than a marketing gimmic, (they're really only effective at sound moderation on pcp's and co2), you won't notice any change in the sound of the gun.

also, i've found that a firm hold on the grip( pulling the buttstock tight to your shoulder), with a moderate to light hold on the forearm with your thumb and forefinger on the far end of the grip panel seems to give the best results.
and, don't bother trying to benchrest the 125. it's too light and bounces around too much, when it recoils. the two best ways to shoot it are standing, offhand and sitting on your butt, with your elbows braced on your knees. at least that has been my experience, your mileage may vary.
hope this helps.

PA says my order is shipped. I'll check that out as soon as I get it. I plan on going over everything and then give it a good cleaning. May I ask, what scope you use on your 125.
Thanks, David

[Nathan]

If you like the gun and are happy with it's performance, than yes, you made the right move, for you.  There will always be someone on the forums who will say "You should've bought this or that instead". You're getting some sound advice from owners of similar guns. Remember, it can take some time and skill to master a magnum like the 125, so be prepared to practice and don't give up too soon.

Nathan

[mtsheron70]

Coming from a Benji Trail owner < (former) for a reason I think you made the right choice.  May want to de-tune it a bit because these I hear can be one heck of a kicker as I say or recoil heavy.

These are easily detuned to make for a smoother shot cycle and not sacrificing much in the way of power I hear.

Good luck.

[allpumpedup]

I never knew there was so much to learn about air guns.  Thanks everyone and I really appreciate all the advise...I have a lot to learn. I'm glad I found this website and a lot of nice people here . I hope I don't ask too many stupid questions!!
I've been around firearms all my life and retired from a career in Law Enforcement. This is a whole new ball game!
I'm a rookie again!!!
I really enjoy reading all the threads here. I learn something new everyday.
Thanks again everybody, David

[Privateer]

Mine still has the Optima 3x9 that came with it.
It's holding up fine so far and there's around 1000 + shots through it.
A better scope is a good up grade. I plan a 4x16 SWAT as I prefer to keep killing those pesky bottles out at 70 yards or so.
 

[longhunter]

two things. first, it really doesn't kick THAT hard. having said that, it does kick a lot more than a non-magnum ag. the gun has a bit of a learning curve, so, don't get frustrated if you aren't hitting dimes the first time out of the box. just keep practicing.

second, i don't have a scope on mine. it actually has some pretty good open sights. either way, don't scope it right away. it'll only make it harder to get a handle on the gun, initally. especially if you're new to airguns. take your time and let the gun "shoot itself in", then scope it. it's much easier to learn how to shoot with iron sights than it is trying to chase POI all over the paper with a scope. WORK ON GETTING A CONSISTENT HOLD, FIRST. that's the single most important thing, when shooting airguns, especially magnum airguns.

[JR]

A 125 is a head first jump into AG's but as was said just take everything for the first while with a grain of salt and you'll be fine. Mine is a Vortex ram and yes there is some recoil, maybe like a 22 rimfire' "ish" it's not like a 300 win mag. The recoil is different from a powder burner, mine just go's "thump" when the piston stops, more fwd motion than back.

I have a normal Trail NP that I like to shoot to if I'm just dinking around and going to pack it for a while. But if I plan on long shots and I want them to count, I take the 125, 80 yds at a starling and I feel good about it. A smaller gun is nice to pack and shoot once in a while, maybe get a smaller gun down the road to mess with.

Shoot 500 or so shots through it before you scope it and don't worry about groups for a few hundred, the gun and you need to break in.

I have a CP 4x16x44 on mine, it has about 2,000 shots on it and has held up fine. Get a scope rated for spingers and mount it as low as you can with a good set of rings. The higher the scope is the more whiplash if gets. A fixed or lower power scope (generally) will hold up better, mine is set on 8x and I rarely move it, just the parallax for focus.

Mine shoots 14.3 gr CPHP's fairly well but that is the lightest I would try to shoot in mine. Depending on the gun and where you live that might be to light so try and stay in the 15+ gr pellet range.

[allpumpedup]

This is some good info. I really appreciate this from everyone.
I should have my new 125 in a couple more days.....I can't wait to put some pellets down range.
Thank you again, David