Page 8 - Hatsan 135 QE Vortex Reviews

Very powerful and accurate gun, once you get it zeroed it's deadly.. I shot a 25 pound opossum and dropped it with one shot. Can't ask for a better air rifle.

Nothing.

Not a toy and definitely not for kids.

Kick ass! Wow, in love again! I have not missed anything (JSB 50`s).A while ago I read some reviews that stated: reminds me of a safari gun,YES. Big and sweet.

Go all the way,where are my safari express sights and hard core round nose or spitzer?(no I`m not out after buffalo).

Recoil is in the mind,I don`t see it.Something I have not heard before,great balance! Hold out at arms length in middle...perfect! This is a big baby doll.

I purchased a 135 in .30 and am impressed! The stock is quite nice for the price,the build quality is solid and the metal finish is very good for a hunting rifle. I was expecting it to be Very heavy, but it's not bad at all. Very good balance/comfort for off hand shooting yet it still shoots well from a bench. Another thing that was a pleasant surprise was the firing behavior! I kept reading about harsh recoil but it is smooth and linear. Not bad At All! Just a muffled thump and pronounced Smack when the pellet connects! I was able to adjust the trigger to be Very Good! ... more on that later. It seems like some magnum grade break barrel rifles are ridiculously large and while this is no Red Ryder, thankfully it's Not stupid big. Also,the stock iron sights are fine for those who choose not to use a scope. Just a Very nice airgun!

The stock on mine is nice but there were lightly visible tooling marks. For the price,I can deal with it. I would change the sling swivels to a more robust design and enlarge them to work with standard slings! (Hatsan,take note!) Maybe a bit more adjustability to the cheek piece,as in height. And finally, decrease the sharp edges of the scope mount rail.

The Quattro Trigger can be set up to work Very Well! But it takes a longer 1st stage adjustment screw to accomplish this. This is my 3rd rifle with the Quattro and I find the overall design quite good, however,if you lack the skill to perform these modifications..DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS YOURSELF! SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH MAY RESULT! Take your rifle to an authorized repair center for adjustment! I gave this unit a 5 star rating in accuracy. I did this with it's primary use in mind, which is hunting. I get approximately 1 inch 5 shot groups at 25yds, which I find very good for small/medium game. This rifle has a substantial cocking effort but is smoothing out with use and not bad at all,as far as I'm concerned. On the chrony it is shooting at an average 541fps with JSB 44.75 gr. pellets. The QE system seems to do the job as this rifle is quiet .Initially,I was apprehensive about buying a Hatsan gas-ram rifle ( I've had a BEEMAN RX2 since 2005) but so far,I'm Very Happy with this airgun!!

Shoots great out of the box. I haven't found a pellet it doesn't like, shoots the H&N Field Target Trophy pellets great. In .25 caliber it hits hard. I don't find it to be hold sensitive at all.

The way the front sling swivel is set up. It WILL scratch up the stock if you don't protect it with a piece of leather or something.

Read the specs carefully. Until you hold the gun it's hard to picture just how big and heavy it is. They say 50 pounds of force to cock it and I think that's about right. Great hunting gun but not a backyard plinker. I really like it so far, going to take it out hunting soon.

i've had the 30 cal for almost 2 weeks now,,, shot it 24 times,,, mounted a leapers scope on it,,, paid under 80 bucks for the scope,,, very beautiful rifle,, blows big chunks of bark of the oak trees out back at about 25 to 30 yards,, i've read reviews of hatsan quality control and rifle performance issues,, i found 3 small burrs on the mouth of the breach,, a gently filing with a round file,,, good barrel cleaning,, keep it in a hard case when not in use,, i hope it lasts,, this is my only apprehension,, some people say that hatsan won't last,, so far,, so good

removable sling mounts,, i am not going to put a sling on it,, the front mount gets in the way while shooting

don't be afraid to buy a hatsan product, i am planning on getting some quality gun oil to rub on the stock

Power house, good qaulity for 300buck. Took alot of retraining myself to put rounds on target this is a large cal but still a pellt gun so the hold is very diffrent as it takes milsecons to leave the rifle. A light touch is needed not tight cheat weld firm pistol grip and dont wrap ur fingers on the forarm. You just barly hold it. Qaurter at 25yards that being said with 7.62 rounds head shot is no big deal center mass will do the job

Better urganomics its heavy and kicks hard. Stock bipod would complete this gun well

Springers have two recoils one forward as the piaton comes forward and one back as pellet leaves the gun

Fit and finish are excellent, everything is staying tight, haven't experienced loosening of screws like other rifles I have. Adjustable cheek rest is a nice touch. This rifle really puts a lot of energy downrange. The QE shroud seems to dampen some of the noise and makes cocking this rifle easy. I'm using .30 caliber predator polymags and they seat tight, I have to use a pellet seater to get them in the breech. Which is fine by me. I know they are sealing good. It doesn't have a massive recoil like my Hatsan torpedo .25, great scope mounting rail. Thank you Pyramyd Air.

There is nothing I would really change, it's a big magnum break barrel that functions well.

Buy the 10 for 10 when you p purchase your air guns. I have not purchased it before on one of my rifles and I had to work some bugs out myself. Order some breech seals also. The breech seal in mine has some grooves in it and I know it's leaking at a couple spots. I also noticed the front blade sight is canted to the left. I've had to adjust the rear sight almost all the way to the left. This is by no means the fault of pyramyd air or UPS rough delivery again. It's hatsan not paying attention to details. This isn't the first hatsan I've bought, it's the 3rd. All have had little flaws that could be avoided. All in all if your worth your salt with gunsmithing they can be fixed. Regardless of this. I still buy Hatsan because of raw power of these air rifles! Buy it you know you want it!

big bore fun to shoot heavy gun definitely for a big guy like me

nothing

if you want a big bore at a great price this is the one you wont regret it

These are my first thoughts on examination of my purchase after firing about 50 pellets. This is an exceptional rifle. It looks solid, it feels solid. The craftsmanship upon scrutiny is top notch. Fit and finish are on par with German air rifles at a fraction of the price. The walnut has an attractive stain, nice checkered crosscuts on forearm and grip areas. It is not so aggressive as to be uncomfortable. Where the metal meets the wood, it is uni-formally seated, the bluing is exceptional, and the fiber optic sights pick up quickly when you need to acquire a target. A few clicks of the sight had me putting pellets on top of each other at under 10 yards, even while I am breaking it in.

The only plastics visible on the exterior of the rifle are the sights and the safety. I don't mind the safety so much as there is little stress placed on it, but would like the sights to be more durable to occasional knocks they are likely to receive during use, particularly in a hunting situation (trudging through brush and whatnot in the woods) or accidental impacts.

The integrated compensator/sound modulator is metal on the exterior (likely plastic baffles on the inside). I was unable to determine this from descriptions of the rifle. It feels solid and quality unlike some that are plastic coated barrels. The trigger guard is metal, not plastic like some rifles. The rubber recoil pad is adjustable. The integrated scope rail accommodates Picatinny (11mm) or Weaver mounts. They include a scope stop if you chose Picatinny as your mount style. The safety is easy to reach while aiming so you don't have to take your eyes off target. Trigger is exceptional even unadjusted, with little play or travel.

I will update when it is broken in and I have mounted a scope and zeroed it in. I expect it will be a tack driver based on the open sights results. This review is on the .25 caliber which I must say is impressive and is a nice compromise between fps and energy delivered at target. Mine was chrono'ed averaging 805fps before break-in.

i swore id never buy another brake barrel gun again after my umerex that was impossible to maintain any accuracy ,,loud ,,but I like the caliber and looks of this rifle,,its a pretty gun ,,nice Finnish and wood at this price point ,, out of the box hit within 1.5 inches off the bulls eye 12 inch splaterburst target at 21 yards stock out off the box site setting,, first 2 shots which is the one i use on new guns to site em in, while shooting the 2nd shot the bolt that holds the front sling and stock to gun workings broke in two ,,had to replace bolt 2nd day decided to check all exposed fasteners,, trigger guard front screw was loose ,, gave it a turn but kept turning it was striped and it came that way,, one size larger was the fix ,,after about 50 rounds later that day the cheek weld piece fell to the floor and it was tightened down hard just with the supplied key .this gun has a kick and will loosen up fasteners so keep a eye on things coming loose,, its the nature of the beast

better factory qc ,,this rifle is worthy of more attention ,and not use mechanical screw fastening tools as they cant detect tork setting between softer and harder parts of wood and know when to stop as the human hand can do.Hatsan knows what thrashing goes on in the firing cycle of this rifle and should make every effort to make sure that this beast stays together.

eat your Wheaties,,you'll need the extra strength,,this is a lot of fun to shoot and acquire some accuracy consistency,, lot harder to get that with this rifle than my pcps which are spot on out to 60 yards with out much effort. use some larger targets ,coffee cans ,frying pans,,1 gallon milk jugs and put em out and about at different distances far as ya can safely ,,have fun knocking em around. one more thing you well have to develop a safe cocking teckneak as it has a real strong spring ( compressed gas spring)

The dreams of it being a nice gun, the thoughts of a break barrel .30 cal midnight backyard skunk killer.

Quality Control, Better barrel manufacturing, get rid of the shroud, put a real barrel on it. Not layers of thin tin. I would rather have a 1 piece solid barrel than a fake, silenced (which does nothing), shrouded, thin layered barrel anyday. Wood finish is very delicate to chipping the clear coat. Very sloppy side to side movement in trigger and safety. The alignment of the weaver mount was offset to the side, front barrel sight not in alignment with breech block. Extremely heavy. Must've been a friday, at the end of day when this gun was built and supposedly inspected. This all changes my thoughts on future buys of Hatsan products, even PCP's. I've beaten a Gamo break barrel .22 to death and it's never failed me with hole in hole accuracy every time.

I've bought several guns and other items from PA, and will continue to., though now Hatsan break barrels are on the Do Not Buy list, moving back to PCP's. Received the .30 just under 30 days ago. Product box was nearly nonexistent. There was glue or gummy stuff all over the shroud and breach. After cleaning, i mounted the scope and that's where the fun became a dream.

Couldn't get any scope to sight in at any distance starting at 20 yards, shot about 2-3 feet too high, scope elevation maxed out, tried different rings, no go. It wasn't till today after wasting much of my time and getting very frustrated that i found the barrel to be bent up right at the breech block. I kick myself in the butt for not seeing this sooner so I could have returned it, but i have been way too busy. I am very disappointed in the product i received and regret ever buying it. $300 down the drain. In .22 or .25 the barrel is much thicker and stronger. Remember its bent UP! Never dropped by me.

The accuracy out of the box was really good and it is not even broke in yet. Nice open sights that adjust and work well. It was not as hard to cock as some have said, I am 5'10" and 200 lbs and have no issue cocking this air rifle using two hands, only one if I get the right angle. Very nice wood stock. Like the adjustments for the recoil pad, cheek piece, and trigger. Like the scope mounting rail it has the three options for mounting scopes. Rifle has a solid quality feel. Love the power of the .30 pellet and how it hits the target hard.

The safety works fine but seems cheap as it is plastic. The trigger guard is fine but would have liked it to be metal instead of plastic. The trigger works well but has a lot of sideways movement if you push on it, kind of like it is loose but it is not. The sling you can order seems cheap, a higher quality would be nice, especially where it attaches to the sling mounts. Pellets are nice but kind of expensive compared to .22 and .177, also limited to three choices right now.

It is a heavy air rifle, but if you add the sling it is easy to carry. My ,22 cal pellet trap will stop these pellets at 10 yards and beyond no problem, just makes a pretty good gong sound when it hits! It is a little louder than I expected, but maybe it will quiet down after it is broken in. Ordering and delivery went very smoothly, but the rifle was not boxed well and when it arrived the end of the shipping and rifle box was broken open and the barrel was sticking out. Luckily no damage to the rifle. that is why only a 4 star overall rating. All the other items, pellets, sling, etc., were packed very well.

Almost everything. Gun feels very solidly built, has a beautiful wood stock with adjustable cheek position which is a nice touch and adjustable trigger. I usually don't care for fiber optic sights but these work good and are very easy to see even with less than perfect eyesight. After zeroing the sights I took 10 shots at a coffee can 35 yards away and hit it every time with ease. The 30 caliber, 44 gr pellets leave large holes and will tear up a steel can in short order. Good value for the money.

I would change the trigger and safety. I don't care for gold colored triggers on any gun. The trigger flops around a bit and seems like a sloppy fit but it works well enough though. The safety works okay and is easy to operate but seems cheap compared with the rest of the gun which is built like a tank.

You probably won't be shooting this rifle all day. I fired about 40 shots today and was getting tired at the end. I need two hands to cock this rifle. I expected it to be stiff with the power this gun delivers but it's a bit harder than I expected.
This gun is louder than my other 2 nitro piston guns in 22 caliber but not too bad. It may quiet down some when it breaks in.

The sights were way off as delivered. I had to move the rear sight many clicks left before getting on target. Hatsan should take more care when centering the front sight.

I put 20 shots over the chony today and was very pleased. I fired the gun 10 times before checking muzzle velocity.
JSB Diabolo Exact 44.75 gr pellets averaged 541 fps with a velocity spread of 9 fps.
Predator Polymag 44.75 gr pellets averaged 544 fps with a velocity spread of only 7 fps.
The pellets entered the chamber easily and barrel lock up is tight and solid.

I really like this gun. Overall, I give it an A+ rating.

Its a .30!!! Whats not to like.

Weight. Maybe a synthetic stock option could help lighten up this monster. Rear sight has small side to side play even after tighten not really a issue if you're gonna mount a scope.

Make sure the scope you're gonna mount can handle the recoil of this beast.

Got my Hatsan 135 QE .30 caliber yesterday. Took it home/My ranch to shoot. I could not break the barrel so I emailed Pyramid and got THE answer to my problem; hit the barrel near the break and waala! It was ready to be broke open. Man that's a strain BUT well worth it. I put 15 of the JSB 44.75 grain though it and into a quart size plastic container (well 11 of them). Wow, what a rifle. This is a serious hunting rifle. I'm going to run the pellets through my chronograph and then get it targetted in this weekend with the end purpose of getting some of these West Texas hogs, jacks and coyotes. This rifle is heavy but I believe it's going to bring a lot fun in the field. Beautiful wood and the blueing isn't bad either.

At this point, nothing, but I'll know more after this weekend.

This is a hunting rifle not a plinker!

I bought the 135 Hatsan in .25 caliber over the .30 caliber for a couple of reasons. 1) Ammo is considerably cheaper so you can shoot more of it, not to mention there's more variety of pellets to shoot. 2) It reaches out futher with less bullet drop. The .30 caliber is great at 25 yards, but at 50 yards it drops 6 inches or more. Not so with the .25 cal. Can get clean kills out to 50 yards with much more predictable ballistics. Here's another reason to get the .25 caliber: bullet expansion! Using H & N Hollow Points it expanded to .40 caliber! Speed kills and does wicked things in regard to bullet deformation. Having said that, I also tried the 17 grain .25 cal GTO and got 100 feet per second more than the 750 fps advertised. It didn't expand much but penetration was far superior, plus you get more distance. Overall this is an impressive gun . . . very fun to shoot. I don't plan to scope it . . . open sights work great. I really love this gun.

Not much. The gun is a hefty beast but at least you can sling it. Carrying it on a hunt without a sling would be a buzz kill.

Wish I could show you pictures of the bullet expansion I got with the hollow points. When you shoot different types of ammo expect the point of aim to change. For instance, after sighting the gun in, the GTO pellets shot 1 inch lower than the H & N Hollow Points, but they all grouped well. The point is before going on a hunt, in deference to the animals you shoot, know where the particular pellets will group. I still haven't tried all the pellets I own, but the GTOs and H&N HP are my go-to bullets. There's no doubt in my mind a GTO bullet fired from this gun would take down a hog (hit behind the ear) or small deer inside of 30 yards. For a break barrel that's pretty exciting.

I bought this rifle after reading the reviews on this site and others and I am pleased to say that it meets all of my expectations. I bought the .25 cal version. It is a beautiful rifle and very well constructed. The weapon is accurate and was very easy to sight in using the standard fiber optic sights. I am going to put a scope on it but honestly the standard sights almost make that unnecessary. The rifle is heavy. I don't mind that a bit but then again I am shooting from my porch and not carrying the thing all day. As far as Pyramid goes this was my first purchase from them. They were prompt with the order and it was delivered accurately and quickly. I can't ask for much more. When I originally went to purchase this rifle it was back ordered. I chose to have Pyramid email me when it was in stock. They did and I purchased it.

Good looking hefty air rifle. Precise metal machining. Very easy cocking contrary to other reviews. The thing cocked with no resistance. The breech easily accepted the .30 pellet. The lockup was nice and tight. The automatic safety engaged and disengaged smartly. Very economical ammo and target consumption. Very quiet firing. Very accurate....pellet ended up in the same spot everytime!

This rifle managed to yield the velocity of 0.00 fps achieving 0.00 fpe consistently. Pulled the trigger and it went PFFFT!!! Opened the breech and the pellet was still there with a gob of grease. Didn't move at all. Removed pellet with a wood dowel and found no obstructions in the barrel. Tried firing again....PFFFT again!!!....And PFFFT for a third time.!!! There was no nitro in the nitro-piston!!! Just gobs of grease. No Vortex but lots of QE!!!

This Hatsan 135 is my first experience with a lemon break-barrel. Also my first experience with a gas piston. A springer would have probably been more reliable inspite of harsher firing behavior. So back in the box it went to fly off to Pyramyd Air Customer Service for an exchange for a better Hatsan 135 QE Vortex. Hatsan should know better to maintain quality control on their export guns. I'm sure Pyramyd will get on their case to send me a better air rifle. And so we shall see......and when they do send me a properly working product, I will write a better review of this airgun.

The rifle is well balanced and comfortable to shoot regardless of its weight. While the cocking effort may be considered "formidable", the integrated sound suppressor acts as a solid grip that allows for a firm and secure cocking action. There is also no doubt in my mind that this rifle was designed to be shot from the standing position and its overall ergonomics reflect that; which is nice! I appreciate the fact that Hatsan went with a wood stock over that of a synthetic one for this particular model. The added weight and balance go a long way and aid in the rifles handling. The adjustable cheek piece and shoulder pad are welcomed additions; though, I felt no need to adjust them differently from the way it arrived. Overall this thing screams "hunting rifle". It lacks all the frills associated with higher end models and ditches the lustrous style bluing for a more humble type finish. After all, intricate hand checkering and polished stocks don't bag any more game.

In the $300 category you get what you pay for. Some components of the rifle look and feel cheap. From the safety mechanism (that has considerable play/slop) to the inexpensive rear sight that leaves a lot to be desired (e.g. it is flimsy!). I'd easily pay an additional $50+ for better sights and components that are more solid/durable - Keep in mind that my prior air rifle was a Beeman Kodiak that cost considerably more than this thing but also had aesthetic qualities that were not necessary of a "hunting" rifle. Overall It just seems that too many corners had to be cut to reach the price point Hatsan was going for. While it is nice to be offered magnum class piston rifles in the sub $400 category, a little more can go a long way.

I'm actually writing this review in lieu of returning the product because it arrived defective. At less than 10 meters the rifle shot so far to the right that it could not be compensated for using it's open sights (I maxed out the windage adjustment and it would still not reach target center). Inspection of the muzzle crown revealed it was not completely circular and appeared to have suffered from an error in the machining process.

Aside from the barrel irregularity, part of the cocking mechanism would dig into the forend of the stock when it was cycled. This resulted in abrasions to the stock due to the arm that pushes back the piston digging/rubbing into the slit of the forend. I hope this is not do to Hatsan reacting poorly to the demand of this rifle. It is on constant back order and I fear that the condition it arrived in is an ode to that.

In .30 cal, I will admit, this rifle is more of a novelty than a necessity.

You can feel the power quite and very smooth to shoot some say the trigger is heavy but for this gun and hunting purposes it's good

Nothing

Jsb 44.75 very accurate out to 35 yards