Which Springer?!?!

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shootermcgavin99

It's the battle of the Springer's, help me decide which to go with!

Ruger Air Magnum .22 Spring Piston OR Hatsan MOD 125 .22 Spring Piston

Thanks in advance!
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This is an extremely broad question. What are you trying to do? Hunt? Plink? Punch paper? What’s your practice range look like distance wise? Which features in a springer are must haves for you? Maybe tell us a little more about why you prefer springers. 
 
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Great follow up questions!

The chosen Springer will be for hunting, not backyard plinking. Looking for the best budget survivor SPRINGER air rifle & I've narrowed my research to these two (but open to other suggestions). 

My thought process is when all the traditional powder ammo is gone and you can't find compressed air or buy piston cylinders, the Springer's will survive and put food on the table...

Thanks again!
 
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I can get the Ruger Air Magnum .22 for $199 and the Hatsan MOD 125 for $199.

I'm really interested in hearing about the dependability, the bad if any about each model (if any) etc. Both models have extremely good reviews on YouTube. Again, open to other .22 Springer's but don't know much about them. Have also looked at the Hatsan MOD 95.

Max budget would be $250.00

Thanks
 
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Personally considering the picture you painted, budget aside, I’d be at least looking at a Beeman R7 and a minimum of two pair of maintenance components as soon as I could afford it. But I prefer the power produced by an R9. In the event that I suddenly found myself in the predicament you mentioned, I’d have to shoot what I have on hand and try to make the best of things. As for hunting with a .22 springer I don’t think I’d go for anything larger than a possum and I think that’s pushing it.

I honestly don’t know a lot about budget guns. Decades ago we got a relatively cheap (mid tier) Chinese springer and it still shoots. It’s got to be at least 25-30 years old. But I have no idea what condition the mainspring is in. It’s probably been bent for years. I’ll let the serious springer guys come with better suggestions. I’m not sure how to work with $250 for a dependable springer. I’m just not that knowledgeable in the area. 
 
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If you’re set on those two, I would go with the Hatsan over the Ruger. Beware, buying these brands you have a high chance of getting a lemon. Quality control, fit and finish is mediocre at best. 

However, if you’re open to buying a different brand that’s known for dependability I would go with a Weihrauch. You could go with a HW50 which will be powerful enough for most birds and rodents. It is $30 over your budget but you’re getting a German made product that will last a lifetime.

 
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If you're actually considering this to be a survival tool, I'd probably up the budget a little. Heading north will get you far more dependable options, and most probably improve your ability to shoot it well because of shot cycles, tolerances of manufacture, quality of trigger (which might often be an overlooked area to greatly improve accuracy) etc.



My .177 magnum has EASILY dispatched large sized raccoons. But an inaccurate .22 will just produce frustrations, injured wildlife and an empty stomach...
 
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See my response above. Normally I refrain from telling people to up the budget since I despise when it's done to me. Often I've set the top end because it's my absolute top end. In this circumstance, I think it should be upped. If you are seriously considering this to be a part of your SURVIVAL, then I'd head a little north. I started with your same idea and then found my Ruger, which was a tack driver, started to open up after a few thousand rounds and became a tin can pinker that I still enjoy, while my others (hw97, hw80, hw30, d48, r9, asp20) all stayed as accurate as they were, or improved accuracy over time spent shooting them.



My advice would be to get 2 items. One can pinker for cheap fun, and an "investment" in survival. To me, it's like having a small tarp as your tent in your survival pack....it may function but is it even worth the weight in the pack? I instead got a decent, tiny, insulated 4 season 2 person tent that weighs almost nothing. Sure it was more than the tarp (which has stayed in my trunk anyway because of its utility), but it is WAYYYYYY better for actual rubber meets the road survival.
 
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Great advice. Have been looking for an ASP20 but can't find it anywhere!
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Other than private owners wanting to sell, you aren't going to. Sig discontinued the rifle and while they'll still honor their warranty, you have to send them the rifle and that's probably only going to last until they run out of spare parts to fix them. They also won't sell you any of those parts, so you'd be on your own trying to figure out what already made after market parts will actually fit and work in it.

Hatsan Model 95 is a 17-19fpe rifle depending on caliber and pellets used and while no match build or quality wise to anything HW, they're still solidly built, have a better than average trigger with the Quattro in them and only suggestion there would be find a spring version vs the Vortex gas rammed version. Owned and still do several in both .22 and .25 and while harder to be accurate with than the HW's and Dianas I also own, they still can be with practice.

Hatsan 125 while more power, also has trade offs to get it. Heavier, harder cocking, harder recoil, harder to be accurate with so if you buy one, be ready to practice and a lot. Planning to scope it, be ready to deal with that too since they're well known to destroy even good springer rated scopes. Had it's cousin once in a Walther Talon Magnum and ended up giving it to a friend who likes those kinds of rifles. 
 
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I have a Hatsan 95 springer in .25. It’s heavy compared to my other springers & pumps, and takes quite a bit of effort to cock, but IMHO you won’t get more power at that price range. No issues, not picky with pellets. Nice wood stock. grooved receiver for optics.

I had a gas piston on order but after reading reviews & owners experiences I decided to change my order to a springer. Saw multiple complaints regarding the Hatsan gas pistons and replacements are $50, when you can find them.

Hatsan does a great job of managing recoil, barely feels like a springer. You can hear it, but barely feel the difference.

supposedly Hatsan has redesigned their gas pistons and eliminated the filler valve, so time will tell. 
 
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Forgot to add, I’m with the OP in the thought that a quality springer is your best bet for long term service with little to no maintenance. My dad has picked up cheap springers and pumpers off yard sales & flea markets over the years and last winter I got the bug to get back in to air guns. He swore every one would work but the only one that actually did was a late 80’s Gamo break barrel .177. 
since then most of the pumpers were resurrected with an oil or alcohol soak. But I gained an appreciation for the durability of springers.
 
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If those are his only chouces then neither, go without as you will be dissapointed in the long run!! With your budget, I would look for a used, better quality springer that common repair parts are readily availiable...over thevyears I have seen countless folks become discouraged by buying bargain springers, most end up sitting in a closet collecting dust.
 
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