If I could start over from scratch what I'd get.....

[Goldwing]

Started off with the FX Maverick in 22 and many different moderators and different rest and bipods, but feel shooting off the Caldwell Stinger Shooting Rest is the best set up for me with no need for monopods or bipods

Also had a Ataman 16 22 pistol

After shooting 25 caliber the 22 just seems less effective and not as accurate as the 25 cal and 30 cal and up seemed less backyard friendly and more expensive for ammo

So if I could start over from scratch I'd get the FX Crown in synthetic because of the lightness and durability and less to fuss with adjustments in 25 caliber, 500mm barrel changing out the bottle to a 700cc with a Trijicon tenmile 5-50x56,10-infinity and a Hugged Snipe moderator and the Caldwell Stinger Shooting Rest, shooting the JSB Diabolo Exact King Heavy MKII .25 Cal, 33.95 gr and be done with it

Also like the Saber cassie with the Maestro Design butt stock and Accutach bipod

FX Crown 500mm barrel

700cc bottle

Trijicon tenmile 5-50x56, Trijicon 34mm Heavy Duty Rings Extra High

Hugged Snipe moderator

JSB Diabolo Exact King Heavy MKII .25 Cal, 33.95 gr

Plano Vertical Rifle Case (nice upright storage and can leave the moderator intake in storage)

Caldwell Stinger Shooting Rest or Accutach bipod for Saber setup and Maestro Design butt stock, Sabers butt stock sucks with no real adjustments to me

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

700 is a lot of cc's! For me, Personally, I don't like hunting with more than the 480 attached. Just too heavy for my taste. I have not tried the gun in 25 cal, though I do agree the 30 is a bit much. Those projectiles just keep trucking downrange. 500mm 22 cal with 21gr ldc slugs is my favorite setup, though I shoot more pellets (plinking) than anything. Much easier on air consumption, and more fun on inanimate targets.

Nice rigs

 

[Goldwing]

700 is a lot of cc's! For me, Personally, I don't like hunting with more than the 480 attached. Just too heavy for my taste. I have not tried the gun in 25 cal, though I do agree the 30 is a bit much. Those projectiles just keep trucking downrange. 500mm 22 cal with 21gr ldc slugs is my favorite setup, though I shoot more pellets (plinking) than anything. Much easier on air consumption, and more fun on inanimate targets.

Nice rigs

The 700cc is really no heaver at all, I can shoot a whole tin of 300 without a break!

I'll never go back

 

[Beanbagboys]

I have the crown too!

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

700 is a lot of cc's! For me, Personally, I don't like hunting with more than the 480 attached. Just too heavy for my taste. I have not tried the gun in 25 cal, though I do agree the 30 is a bit much. Those projectiles just keep trucking downrange. 500mm 22 cal with 21gr ldc slugs is my favorite setup, though I shoot more pellets (plinking) than anything. Much easier on air consumption, and more fun on inanimate targets.

Nice rigs

The 700cc is really no heaver at all, I can shoot a whole tin of 300 without a break!

I'll never go back

Hmmm maybe its a weight distribution thing. I have a 580, and it feels significantly heavier.... which honestly put me off from going any larger. 

I have the crown too!

They're really fantastic guns! I used to have a 2nd, but wound up needing to sell it. I've had to talk myself out of getting another one IDK how many times.
Here's mine. Definitely my favorite gun.

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

The synthetic stock is full of air bubbles. Which is what make it light. They are very small bubbles, but still... I had a MK1 continuum that came with the forward Pic rail on the stock. I'm pretty sure I cracked my stock (at the screw just behing the trigger guard) by loading it on a bipod. Others had the screws for the pic rail fail, and take pieces of the stock with it. They are tough, and I love the finish on them, but also be careful with them.

7lbs on the dot in this config 

 

[bamavet55]

...Daystate Regal XL .177 cal. This rifle is near perfection in an air gun. The accuracy, the stock ( Walnut, beautifully sculpted by Minelli). The rifle is light, ergonomic -- and shoulders great. The Harper "Slingshot hammer and valve set-up" negates the need for any regulator. I still get 70+ accurate shots when plinking and target shooting.

Took a squirrel with it minutes after unboxing (7 years ago?).

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

That is a beauty! In the back of my mind, I've always wanted one of these or the newer ones in .177. It seems like the perfect hunting rifle in my mind. At least in my region with lots of hills, trees, and little wind. But for some reason I have two bottle guns. Which might make me envy the slimmer profile even more.

(my other bottle rifle, nova star with .22 14.25" LW barrel, and soon to have a 24" hw100 .177 barrel as well)

What really makes the Crown stand out is it's very light hammer (think less momentum or ability to disrupt the shot cycle when the trigger is pulled), and semi-balanced valve. Which makes it quite powerful. Even the older crowns. My mk1 continuum with ported .22 500mm barrel outputs 50fpe at 150bar, slinging these 25gr bad boys @950fps with exteme precision. This is like a small bomb going off when it hits something. The excellent trajectory and precision make it extremely effective. That and the external adjustability is super nice. 2 dial twists and I am either shooting 16gr @ 650fps, or 960fps or anywhere inbetween with the 15" (380mm) barrel.

 

[Goldwing]

...Daystate Regal XL .177 cal. This rifle is near perfection in an air gun. The accuracy, the stock ( Walnut, beautifully sculpted by Minelli). The rifle is light, ergonomic -- and shoulders great. The Harper "Slingshot hammer and valve set-up" negates the need for any regulator. I still get 70+ accurate shots when plinking and target shooting.

Took a squirrel with it minutes after unboxing (7 years ago?).

How accurate is it after 75 yards, thanks everyone for taking the time to chime in, I wish I saw a thread like this before staring out on this expensive hobby journey

 

[Goldwing]

That is a beauty! In the back of my mind, I've always wanted one of these or the newer ones in .177. It seems like the perfect hunting rifle in my mind. At least in my region with lots of hills, trees, and little wind. But for some reason I have two bottle guns. Which might make me envy the slimmer profile even more.

(my other bottle rifle, nova star with .22 14.25" LW barrel, and soon to have a 24" hw100 .177 barrel as well)



What really makes the Crown stand out is it's very light hammer (think less momentum or ability to disrupt the shot cycle when the trigger is pulled), and semi-balanced valve. Which makes it quite powerful. Even the older crowns. My mk1 continuum with ported .22 500mm barrel outputs 50fpe at 150bar, slinging these 25gr bad boys @950fps with exteme precision. This is like a small bomb going off when it hits something. The excellent trajectory and precision make it extremely effective. That and the external adjustability is super nice. 2 dial twists and I am either shooting 16gr @ 650fps, or 960fps or anywhere inbetween with the 15" barrel.

Those slugs look deadly in foot pound impact

 

[Dairyboy]

If I had to restart I'd go with 

.22 Vixen w/ Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 2-12x42

.22 Uragan Standard w/ Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 4-20x50

And just cause why not

.30 EVOL Tac or Uragan Standard w/ Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 4-20x50

 

[Goldwing]

The FX Crown synthetic stock is the only light weight stock that feels good to me ~ not flimsy or cheap, lots of adjustment with the buttpad (cant, vertical) so it snugs into shoulder pocket and with butt pad lowered I naturally come into the scope. It’s easier to have a shorter LOP than one too long, the grip is accommodating, it’s 99% there as it is, excellent design.

Adding the chassis looks cool but 1. More complex, more to come loose or get twanged, caught or break. Not sure about weight? 2. Anything with a competition butt hook makes it impossible to stand the gun vertically without cause the hook to shift. 

By the time you add a chassis and 700cc bottle you’ve added $1000 to a gun that won’t have a proportionate resale. Usually best to find one built the way you want it brand new or with a warranty. 

Knowing what I know now I’d get the $4000 diving air compressor and a small CF bottle right out of the start even if means shooting a less expensive or older style airgun. I’ve already spent that much on large CF tanks and smaller compressors, give or take a springer or two!

If I sell the Saber Crown I'll sell it in pieces

 

[Goldwing]

If I had to restart I'd go with 

.22 Vixen w/ Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 2-12x42

.22 Uragan Standard w/ Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 4-20x50

And just cause why not

.30 EVOL Tac or Uragan Standard w/ Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 4-20x50

People really love the Athlon, the EVOL Tac looks interesting

 

[bamavet55]

"How accurate is it after 75 yards, thanks everyone for taking the time to chime in, I wish I saw a thread like this before staring out on this expensive hobby journey."

Ahh!

Maxing out at around 18 FPE pushing the JSB 10.34gr at ~885 fps, I never bother pushing her (the Regal .177 cal) beyond 50 yards, where she performs quite well. I hesitate to demand more from my tools than they were designed for. 

For long distance target shooting and plinking, I now go to this DW .22 cal pushing Zan 25.5 gr slugs at ~940 fps.:

 

[Goldwing]

"How accurate is it after 75 yards, thanks everyone for taking the time to chime in, I wish I saw a thread like this before staring out on this expensive hobby journey."

Ahh!

Maxing out at around 18 FPE pushing the JSB 10.34gr at ~885 fps, I never bother pushing her (the Regal .177 cal) beyond 50 yards, where she performs quite well. I hesitate to demand more from my tools than they were designed for. 

For long distance target shooting and plinking, I now go to this DW .22 cal pushing Zan 25.5 gr slugs at ~940 fps.

:

Wolf magic! 

 

[bamavet55]

That is a beauty! In the back of my mind, I've always wanted one of these or the newer ones in .177. It seems like the perfect hunting rifle in my mind. At least in my region with lots of hills, trees, and little wind. But for some reason I have two bottle guns. Which might make me envy the slimmer profile even more.

(my other bottle rifle, nova star with .22 14.25" LW barrel, and soon to have a 24" hw100 .177 barrel as well)

What really makes the Crown stand out is it's very light hammer (think less momentum or ability to disrupt the shot cycle when the trigger is pulled), and semi-balanced valve. Which makes it quite powerful. Even the older crowns. My mk1 continuum with ported .22 500mm barrel outputs 50fpe at 150bar, slinging these 25gr bad boys @950fps with exteme precision. This is like a small bomb going off when it hits something. The excellent trajectory and precision make it extremely effective. That and the external adjustability is super nice. 2 dial twists and I am either shooting 16gr @ 650fps, or 960fps or anywhere inbetween with the 15" (380mm) barrel.

That's a nice rifle.

I love the CF bottles because of the increased shot count they provide. Believe it or not, I have two 700cc carbon fiber bottles on my Impact m3, 25 cal. Shooting JSB Hades 26 gr. (?) with the regulator set at 115 bar, I have few recharging interruptions at the rifle range.

I tried to install a 580cc bottle on the DW to get the higher shot count vs 480cc bottle, but I could not get the valve off the OEM bottle.

Any idea where I can acquire the bottle valve for the DW?

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

Word of warning. The Nova star is not a nice rifle. What it has going for it... simplicity. The valve design is very good at self-regulating power output levels across a wide range of bottle pressure. And can output some serious power.... down side, the hammer is heavy, and utilizes some springloaded forks that halt it's rebound to prevent valve bounce... these forks get very easily damaged and usually fail... And can also do considerable damage to the hammer and then the tube, and whatever else steel shavings attack... Speakin of, I think I will put in an order for a new hammer. I had to get one for my sortie when I had it because the hammer actually broke.... Replacement was of stronger alloy and better made at least... maybe a new one will be better?

But Hatsans execution of their designs seem to often be extremely poor. Extremely cheap finish, and even worse machining. Gas block was off square, and I had to face it by hand to get the gun to go together straight. The receiver cutout for the mag was milled several millimeters too deep. Making it rather flimsy. I am acutally using my scope to help reinforce the receiver. The trigger group housing is also plastic.... making it a bit spongy.... ugh. Some day I may attempt to remedy this. Being un-regulated, the barrel needs to be tensioned to deal with the varying harmonics. And is from the factory, but their barrels are a genuine lottery as well. Just some words of caution. My nova star has had a lot of work done to it. I keep it as a backup, because of it's simplicity, and accuracy in it's current config. And I got it at %45 off. Knowing what I know now, I would not buy it at %75 off.

 

[bamavet55]

Word of warning. The Nova star is not a nice rifle. What it has going for it... simplicity. The valve design is very good at self-regulating power output levels across a wide range of bottle pressure. And can output some serious power.... down side, the hammer is heavy, and utilizes some springloaded forks that halt it's rebound to prevent valve bounce... these forks get very easily damaged and usually fail... And can also do considerable damage to the hammer and then the tube, and whatever else steel shavings attack... Speakin of, I think I will put in an order for a new hammer. I had to get one for my sortie when I had it because the hammer actually broke.... Replacement was of stronger alloy and better made at least... maybe a new one will be better?

But Hatsans execution of their designs seem to often be extremely poor. Extremely cheap finish, and even worse machining. Gas block was off square, and I had to face it by hand to get the gun to go together straight. The receiver cutout for the mag was milled several millimeters too deep. Making it rather flimsy. I am acutally using my scope to help reinforce the receiver. The trigger group housing is also plastic.... making it a bit spongy.... ugh. Some day I may attempt to remedy this. Being un-regulated, the barrel needs to be tensioned to deal with the varying harmonics. And is from the factory, but their barrels are a genuine lottery as well. Just some words of caution. My nova star has had a lot of work done to it. I keep it as a backup, because of it's simplicity, and accuracy in it's current config. And I got it at %45 off. Knowing what I know now, I would not buy it at %75 off.

Please allow me to rephrase: That's a nice LOOKING gun. 

I have seen other Hatsan rifles with beautiful wooden stocks, e.g. the Hatsan Neutron Star. I think the wood and stain is beautiful. The gun's stock and bottle remind me of the Daystate Wolverine. The Daystate Wolverine's Minelli stocks make them works art. The Wolverines are also very accurate and durable.

Never fear. I have never owned a Hatsan. And based on the reviews I've read, not to mention the size and weight of the guns, I don't envision ever owning any.

Sorry for the problems you've had with your Hatsan.

+1

 

[Pale_Rider]

Coincidentally, my first real pcp was a hatsan. If I had to do it again I would’ve started with the Sumatra. Looking back it trumps the hatsan in every way. Crazy how different I look at airguns after getting some experience with different guns and knowledge on the forums.


Even now, owning some of the most fun guns (huben and sk19); I still love those old, unregulated, Korean made cowboy lever actions. I own a career 707, career 201, and just picked up a career ultra. 

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

Hey, it's not our probelms that count so much as what we do with them. Here's what the original wood looked like 

After stripping, and much stain matching... as well as refinishing

I also shaved near an entire pound off of the barrel assembly, so it does feel proper now. Not heavy at all. 

I have always been super tempted to get a 707 as well. Something about the lever action is so appealing. I do believe my 14.25" barrel on the nova star should fit into a vectis..... And I've had to talk myself down from getting a lobo mustang as well, but the price on them now is MUCH steeper. But I'm honestly out of room for any more guns. I have enough trouble trying to put all of mine to use. (8 airguns total)







lobo mustang below... barrel under hpa tube