Trail and target shooting with Hatsan Sniper 125 air rifle..

[fortyshooter]

Took my Sniper 125 break barrel air rifle in .25 caliber down to the range this afternoon for a little trail and target shooting.
Now this is a Magnum class springer and does pack some power with it's large piston power. Pellets used were the 26 gr. Predator Polymags for hard hitting penetration....a hunting pellet.
Picture is from some years ago when I put my Eotech sight on it but was using the factory sights today. Haven't shot this rifle in a long time and it was great to get it out again and the sights were still right on after some years sitting in a corner.

Takes a bit of muscle to cock it but not too bad. Follow along on the trail as I search out some targets! https://youtu.be/3pbgqifkfXY

[Sir Henry]

Great shooting Forty. I was hoping you might come across some game.

[fortyshooter]

Thanks! Yeah there is critters running around down there and you never know what might pop into the sights.
The plan was to take my Hatsan Carnivor 30 caliber today but after walking around with it in the backyard and cocking the thing it would be a labor of a shoot for me today. It is heavy and takes a good bunch of arm power to cock it for more than a few shots so I decided on the Sniper 125.
Might get that 30 cal beast down there one day.
Later my neighbor down there stopped by and I let him take a few shots. He shot at my 55 gal. burn barrel and was shocked at the sound and size of
dimple in the barrel as it almost went thru! Would be deadly shot on a squirrel or rabbit!

[BigAl52]

Nice shooting Forty. You got one on ole Hickok 45 never seen him with an air gun. What kind of velocity is that 25 kickin out have you ever checked it

[fortyshooter]

It's been some years ago that I checked the speeds and used to have them written down in a book. Thinking maybe in the 770 into the 800's I"ll see if I can find the numbers. Might even throw my Magna Speed on it and check. Have other type pellets too like the domed target type.
I do know it put a big wallop on my burn barrel and my neighbor was surprised by that! Made a good ring on the big gong from 40 yds too.

[North Country Gal]

Enjoyed the vid very much. Thank-you, forty. Well done. One questions though. Where's the snow?

That's some truly excellent springer shooting, all the more so given the power level of the Hatsan. I'm impressed. Not a springer for a beginner, that's for sure. Also love and appreciate the fact that you went with open sights. Oh, I know how much I advocate going scoped, but I still love shooting open sights.

That rifle is an excellent example of what you get for noise when you add a silencer to a spring piston rifle. You still hear the action noise, but the noise level is still greatly reduced. Remember, most spring piston guns do not come with a suppressor.

Hatsan lists the cocking effort at 50 pounds. That's as high a listing as I've ever seen for a springer. My most powerful springers are rated in the mid 30s. Given my age and gender, I cannot cock them from a standing position. I have to sit down on a bench, brace the butt of the gun on the bench, and use both hands to get it done. The only springer I can cock without sitting down is my lovely little HW30 with its 18 pounds of cocking effort. Even sitting down, the Hatsan would probably be a no go for me. I'd have to go PCP to handle that kind of power level.

Note that the roughly 30 fpe of that rifle is routinely used by hunters for animals the size of raccoons, ground hogs and even coyotes.

Again, thanks for a great post.

[fortyshooter]

Glad you enjoyed walking the trail NCG ! Snow...well we had a dusting around here first week of December but lately when a Southwest storm front comes thru it gets warmer. We had couple inches of rain on Christmas and this year we are 3rd wettest year on record and heading for number 2 with rain coming New Years Eve. Lots of soggy puddles around the range in low areas.
The cocking effort on the Sniper is about max for me for extended shooting sessions. Now my .30 cal Hatsan Carnivor rifle is in the 60's range and plus the extra weight of it is a bit much for walking/shooting along the trail. Those 50 grain pellets do make a thud when they hit!!

Going to try and get it out there one day!

[BobGinVA]

Thought I'd respond here...I've got an RWS Mdl 52 in .177, side lever. Rated at 1100fps. I've had it since the '80s....haven't shot it in over 10 years though. Depending on the "air", you can sometimes even here the sound barrier "crack". And yes, it takes a "bunch" of arm strength to cock it. Very accurate. I need to get it out.....BobG

[fortyshooter]

Thought I'd respond here...I've got an RWS Mdl 52 in .177, side lever. Rated at 1100fps. I've had it since the '80s....haven't shot it in over 10 years though. Depending on the "air", you can sometimes even here the sound barrier "crack". And yes, it takes a "bunch" of arm strength to cock it. Very accurate. I need to get it out.....BobG

Yes sir...get that thing out the closet and shoot some!

[North Country Gal]

For sure, that RWS 52 is a beast of a springer.