Hatsan Hercules Bully .35 won't fill

[Thingamabob]

I hope this is the right forum...I have a few problems, and I don't think they are related. Maybe a bigger mind can help me out?

First, the gun won't fill past 50 bar. The gun came pre-charged to 250 bar. The run-down: I fired a couple of clips through it and felt blow-by on my arm. I drained the tank and checked to see if there was a seal missing but didn't notice anything and decided to find someone more knowledgeable with PCP to ask about this later since it seemed to be mostly working. Then I tried to refill from my small tank. You can hear the valve open and hear the air rush in but it won't go past 50 bar. I have a tiny 4500psi tank I use and there is a local a dive shop with a 4500psi fill station, so it should be high enough to fill but it just stops at 50 bar no matter what. The Bully is required to be fully cocked before you can even insert the fill probe, so that is hopefully eliminated. I can hear the valve open, the air rush in and the gauge move. I have re-drained the re-tried, I have fired at 50 bar and re-tried. I have yanked hard on the charge handle and re-tried. I can't seem to get the rifle to take a full fill.

Second, the charge handle is very hard to cock the gun with. I literally see the guide rail bow outward on each pull from the amount of pressure I have to pull on the handle. This really REALLY doesn't seem normal to me, but like I stated above; I think I should find a more knowledgeable person on this.

I have done multiple searches and attempted the easy stuff. There was also searches for local gunsmiths/air rifle shops without finding anyone willing or able to help.

I think this might not be the hobby for me.

 

[bandg]

"Tiny" 4500 psi tank and "so it should be high enough" might be your problem. I'd make certain that you have sufficient charging pressure as a first step. Could possibly be a gauge problem also. The cocking issue certainly doesn't sound normal, however. Quite possibly fewer Hatsan shooters on this forum than most brands so not sure how many will be able to help.

 

[Quad82]

Not sure about the fill issue. Does your fill tank have a low pressure valve on it. My Air Venturi tank has a 2800 psi fill pressure rate. 



As for the hard cocking and flexing of the cocking slide lever. Check the 2 screws that hold the pivot pin to the slide. The screws are crap and loosen up. I replaced mine with a 3mm by 50 pitch hardened ones from the hardware store. 

 

[bckyrdsnpr52]

The puff of air is coming from the vent on your shroud which is normal. I have 3 Hatsans and they have issues with the valve stem seating in the air cylinder causing the cylinder to drain..May be your problem as well.

 

[Thingamabob]

@bandg: I apologize for not clarifying better. I have a Ninja Air 90/4500 tank for filling. I have also attempted a direct fill from a 4500 PSI fill tank at the scuba shop. Neither of which seems to be enough. The gauge may not be accurate but it seems to be close as I can see/hear the fill stop abruptly at 50 bar and when I have test-drained it the drain was very brief compared to the original drain from ~220 bar. On another attempt I left the tank attached with valve open for 30 minutes without a fill or further drain. 

@Quad82: There are two rated blowout valves that I can see (7.2k max and 1.8k change rate), but there may be an internal low pressure control valve. I have also tested directly attached to a scuba fill tank at 4500 psi. Right now the gauge on the unit shows 50 bar (~725 psi), which is below all the known ratings for the tank, blowouts, and regulator that I know of.

@bckyrdsnpr52: That is both good and unfortunate to hear. I only have that leak when firing as far as I can tell with testing.

I tried contacting a few air rifle repair people/places near me but the 5 I found are all out of business or not responding. My tank is now lowish @3kpsi from all my attempts so I am at a stand still until I get a day off from work to get over for another fill.

Thank you all for answering, I appreciate the input. I think I am shelving this until I can get some air for the next round of testing.

 

[John "spysir" Blount]

A little confusing. If using a 4,500psi tank with NO reg it certainly should fill.

IF you "small" tank has an 1.8k burst disc it is NOT made for filling your rig but rather for running on a rifle or paintball.



John

 

[Thingamabob]

John,

After a bit more research you are right. It is a paintball tank and reg, only made for 800 psi delivery. I took some random person's word instead of research, completely my fault.

Although that accounts for the ~750 psi fill from the tank I still haven't figured out why it was doing the same thing from a 3k+ source directly.

I have finally found someone that can look it over in a couple of weeks. Hopefully with their help and the correct tank and regulator setup I will have this working for some range time next month. Just need to find the right tank and regulator now.

P.S. Anyone need a paintball tank and reg? (just kidding mods)