Hatsan quality control

[Schmeddz1]

I'm a huge fan of "Out of the box thinking" Just ask Schrodinger's cat who never wanted to be in the box in the first place. That cat only had a 50/50 chance of living. Not the best odds.  (Even though most of the cutesy cat vids my female friends send to me are of cat's climbing INSIDE of boxes, go figure!)

I WANT a gun to shoot straight out of the box. I don't want any fuss and I certainly don't want any malfunctions from the beginning. The fact that I had to disassemble the Hatsan valve assembly and clean out all the brass chips because it was leaking is not acceptable. I consider myself a qualified HPA mechanic because I get paid for this skill at my work. I know I'm the exception to your standard purchaser of any airgun. This is not arrogance. I know the PCP mechanism is a fairly complex balance of factors to make it work right. This is why tuning exists. (Here is the "BUT") But,,, (Told yah!) , most people who buy a PCP cannot and (Maybe) should not work on their own guns. And it is my belief that they should NOT have to work on their guns. It should shoot straight right out of the box.
I am happy now with the Hatsan and it took a couple of shooting sessions to develop the leak. Fortunately it did not happen while I was shooting with a friend who saw the performance of the gun and (I'm not making this up) he whipped out his IPAD and ordered a Hatsan .25 immediately. He had 5 scuba tanks already so the extra's weren't a big deal for him. So, I brought a new airgunner into the fold. I would be embarrassed if the gun I was recommending started to give him trouble right from the get go.
I have returned one PCP that didn't have the accuracy I thought it should have. I have also returned a CO2 gun that was <100 dollars because at 15 yards it shot a 5" group. (It was a rifle) I would not give that rifle to a kid even. I can't imagine trying to teach the youngsters how to shoot accurately if there is no accuracy.
I like this hobby because I like to tinker and have some small measure of mechanical skill. (Here's another "but") But, I want a certain level of performance when I'm spending around one half of a kilo buck!

(Oh... side note.. Since I'm also in aviation, we call $1,000 (kilo buck)  an aviation unit or one AU, which ironically is the symbol for gold. So we speak in aviation units as a measure for money since the associated costs are astronomically higher.)

P.S. Yes I did have a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun as a kid. And I still have both my eyes. Try to shoot a group at ten yards with one of those! Even as a kid I wanted accuracy and I was disappointed by that gun.

It's over $500+ to get into this (PCP)  hobby for an initial purchase. (Leaving out the Disco!) (Let's also talk about the cost of a pump, or an air bottle.) Most of us don't have a large disposable income. (Just guessing on that. Maybe everybody here is a lottery winner? I apologize if I am wrong!)
It's kind of like giving a kid a cruddy instrument to learn how to play music. I'm not saying give them a Stradivarius, but maybe a decent, playable piece that will not induce frustration from the beginning.

Ok I gave a nickel. I want my three cents change! 

[SpiralGroove]

Hey Guys,
I've said this a few times before, and I'll say it again, "Hatsan air guns are best owned by people that can work on them", period .
Otherwise buy a Crosman, Gamo or RSW or something more expensive.  Hatsan clearly cuts corners to meet their (very low) price point.  That corner is most often QC, not basic design.  These issues can be easily fixed, but require time and patience.
Even manufactures of moderately high, priced airguns must cut corners to meet their price point or rely on older designs.  I have messed with every gun I own, except for my newest R10, because every gun has known improvements that can be made.

For people with the Cash , who just want to shoot, buy a higher end Beeman, Diana, Air Arms or Weilrauch.  Then have it tuned by Motorhead, you will not be disappointed.

Kirk .......................................

 

[cpt_sfc]

Still waiting to see my friend to ask about who he got the hatsan from. He also runs a varmit control co that goes all over for .gov to remove unwanted critters that they the .gov won't let us shoot but pay him to shoot. Kinda crazy.  My own air guns all shot out of the box after a patch down the bore, EXcept the hatsans. I have evanix,airforce, cross/benj, RWS, daisy, daystate, and even a couple old gamo's made in spain, they all worked out of box but I did tinker to wring out better groups and power. I don't take them all apart for full tunes as i'm a little scared to. I worked 2 years as a depot maintenance sec chief and did all kinds of mods for the marksmanship unit, I even won a state wide army/air force first place the only time I ever went . BUT they, .gov was buying the parts and now I am so a customer should be able to get a workable air gun out of the box 95% of the time if we are to keep people/kids involved in this sport.

[nervoustrigger]

Even expensive PCP rifles often need work.  Less so on the average, of course.

While I wouldn't want to buy a car and have to tune the fuel injectors and intake manifold to get it running well, I'm more than willing to do it with an air rifle.  Just like I'd rather spend $35 on a Romisen LED flashlight and have to tighten a locking ring or touch up a solder connection than spend $150 on a Streamlight.

[Bwalton]

Still waiting to see my friend to ask about who he got the hatsan from. He also runs a varmit control co that goes all over for .gov to remove unwanted critters that they the .gov won't let us shoot but pay him to shoot. Kinda crazy.  My own air guns all shot out of the box after a patch down the bore, EXcept the hatsans. I have evanix,airforce, cross/benj, RWS, daisy, daystate, and even a couple old gamo's made in spain, they all worked out of box but I did tinker to wring out better groups and power. I don't take them all apart for full tunes as i'm a little scared to. I worked 2 years as a depot maintenance sec chief and did all kinds of mods for the marksmanship unit, I even won a state wide army/air force first place the only time I ever went . BUT they, .gov was buying the parts and now I am so a customer should be able to get a workable air gun out of the box 95% of the time if we are to keep people/kids involved in this sport.

I have not come across a Hatsan that did not work out the box, maybe one that someone tried to adjust the trigger and did not know how. The Hatsan is a simple rifle. Not getting the whole story here....seems like it shoot out the box and then leaked? I would have just sent the tube back to whom you bought it and that was that..no need to send the whole rifle back for just a leak, any rifle that is filled with air has a chance at leaking... What if it was a $2400 rifle? I have seen those leak also.

[cpt_sfc]

 My friend bought 25 hatans from hatsan and so far out of the 25 I have 2 the after I tinkered with shoot very well and work good , but no kid is going to cock a bt65. The other 3 I put in order , 22. now shoots well and we have to chrono it because I think it breaks the sound barrier , the 25 he has has no scope yet butit functions fine now. The 35 cal.  shoots for &^^& even after cleaning and cking crown etc. 50 yds the groups are 2-3 inch's from each other , It is sighted in and out on loan to another friend who is going to shoot a small wild pig at a hunt club, at least it now functions well.  At buying 25 guns at a crack and pellets by the case he is serious about this. They should cock, safety , and general function out of the box. I advised him to contact his rep at hatsan, between his other work he will fit that in. BUT!!! thank you all for the feed back. I have to go to his shop next week to figure out a display for him.