Hatsan 135 should I tune ?

[DocSpringer]

I have a Hatsan 125th in 0.25 that was 30.4 FPE with Baracuda HE ( best pellet ).  After tuning ( lube, piston seal from Pyramydair, and 3 washers at the top of the piston ) I got 33.5 FPE.  After a put the washers in I noticed more resistance at the start of the cocking cycle.

Today I received my Hatsan 135 in 0.25 and after 50 shots I chronied her.  38.8 FPE with Baracuda HE.  WOW!!  It feels pretty smooth, no real honking or anything.  I noticed right away there was a lot of resistance to the spring immediately after starting cocking it.  Sort of like the 125th after the tune.

Should I bother tuning it ?   I am thrilled with it right now but of course if I could make it even better ( more powerful, more smooth ) why not ?
Is the tuning likely to help much for the power if it is already doing well?

[Nathan]

Well if it ain't broke..............

You can always tune it later too....

Nathan

[DocSpringer]

Yes, I might just leave it for now.  When I opened the 125 there were no shavings or pistol seal damage that I have heard others report.  I had no idea the 135 could be this powerful out of the box.  Just used both and the 135 takes more effort to cock.  Just chronied the FTT's ave 891.67 fps ( 35.16 FPE ).  The regular Baracuda's ave 726.07 fps ( 36.32 fpe ) ave.  The Baracuda Hunter Extreme's are still the best.

[blackfocal]

Have to agree with dude....
If it ain't broke don't mess with it.

[Airgun.Sniper]

 Your gun could always benefit from a tune. I tuned my hatsans as soon as i got them because I knew they needed it. But that is to say it isnt any problems yet so dont fix it

 Jay

[SpiralGroove]

Hey Doc,
As the others have said, just shoot the 135 awhile and get used to her, especially if everything is working nicely.
I'd work on getting good groups before anything else.....

Just curious, why did you add the washers to your 125 after the tune?

[DocSpringer]

Kirk,

My first time taking it apart I de-lubed, lubed, and changed the piston seal only.  I only got 1 FPE increase in power but was much smoother.  I guess that makes sense because the factory seal seemed pretty good.  I added the washers to increase the power and it pretty good.

[SpiralGroove]

Doc,
Did you put the washers over the piston tip, and then place the seal over the washers?

[DocSpringer]

No, that would never work.  I put them inside the piston between the top of the spring and the inside of the piston.  Adds weight to the piston and preload to the spring.  Made a pretty big difference in power.  I used 3 washers, the 3 together measured 5mm.  I don't know if adding more would be helpful or if adding washers to the other end of the spring would be helpful.  Taking apart airguns is new to me.

[SpiralGroove]

Yeah Doc,
Wasn't sure what you had done.

I'm No expert on these springer's either, just have taken apart a few, learned some and created some of my own problems through tinkering.  IMHO the increased piston weight and spring tension are likely to introduce new consequences, i.e. rougher shot cycle (less accuracy) or damage, but with more power.  Otherwise, Hatsan engineers most likely would have already done this (they are the "magnum" power guys).
Hatsans' springer problem issues usually involve cutting costs to make their price point [lack of internal finishing - (requiring a tune) or safety (not allowing more trigger adjustment - (requiring a trigger tune)].

I don't want to be calling the kettle black, because I've done my fair share of tinkering, just trying to give my two cents.
You seem to want to push the limits on springer's, if you have the $$ and want more power, check out the BT65 SB Repeating Air Rifle.   

[BobbyHumphrey]

I agree with Spiralgroove on this. I am no expert and certainly not an engineer but I have tried a few different things with my WFH. These guns already have power. Yeah more is better but first , for me , its all about accuracy. You didnt say anything about before and after groups. If you change the total piston weight then you will change the shooting characteristics of the gun. May be better. May prefer heavier pellets with the added weight of the washers. I would try adding the washers to the spring guide on the bottom. Same tension , same piston weight.  I kinda felt like this gun already has a heavy piston. In fact on a russian site these guys mod the &^^& out of their Hatsans. I couldnt understand a lot of it because the translater was hard to understand. But one of the things they did was to lighten the piston by drilling holes all over it. Like I said I dont know the math , I can only try to figure out what I can from others that do. On mine I made a new top hat that was lighter to see what happened [I lost the original one anyway] . I dont have a chroney but accuracy is what matters to me and it is getting close to perfect [for me]. As far as I know it shoots chp even faster but like I said as long as I can hit what I'm aiming at this thing has the power. Also , what helped mine the most was sleeving the piston , soft bedding the stock , and chopping/recrowning the barrel.

[DocSpringer]

Thanks Guys, good advice.  I WON'T try to increase the power of the 135.  It is already a cannon.  The reason I like the highest power possible is so my 0.25 pellet will shoot relatively flat out to about 100 yards.  After adding the washers to my 125 it does seem less accurate.  I thought it was the trigger so I put a longer first screw in and lightened the pull.  Trigger is better, accuracy- still seems off.  I hunt open sites and 100 yards is about my limit.  I find with it's current power the 135 is  shooting pretty flat.  Accuracy is great.  I am sure I will take her apart purely to lube, debur, and inspect the internals trying to improve smoothness.  I know I could get a 0.22 to shoot flat but I really like the 0.25 for hunting.  Who knows, may get the 135 Vortex that PA just put for sale today!  Decisions... my motto "when it comes to airguns lately is when in doubt buy."

BTW been looking at the BT65 QE.  Wish they had it with the walnut stock...

[SpiralGroove]

Doc,
Some day I will get the Hatsan BT65 SB Repeating Air Rifle, Walnut Stock -> .25 cal.
I bet if you added a regulator, you could get 40/50 shots at 900+ fps per fill.
Can't do w/o the Turkish Walnut,
Kirk

[DocSpringer]

It's beautiful!