Please forgive the delay. My original AT44 QE was all set and ready to go, but then I got a call from American Airgunner that they needed it for the show. Reluctantly I agreed. The good news is that you’ll be able to see my review of the AT44 QE on this coming season of the show. They may even take it out for a hunt with Steve Criner. I wasn’t too upset because I knew I would be meeting with the CEO of Hatsan USA on my trip and he said he had another one ready for me to pick up.
Let’s make a long story short…
The short version is that the replacement QE, unknown to all involved, had been damaged in shipping. I found this out the hard way while I was setting up my Hawke scope. So, I’ve been waiting for a replacement which just showed up yesterday. Now we are ready to get our contender setup and ready to go toe to toe with the current champion, the Benjamin Marauder.
Hatsan AT44 QE on the bench getting readyBasic Performance
We’ve already looked at the aesthetics, now we’ll look at some basic performance to make sure that this AT44 QE is ready to go. In my experience, the Hatsan PCPs tend to have very skinny magazines. This really limits what pellets will work in them. Some of the most accurate pellets have always been the JSB. Something about the softer lead seems to agree with the Hatsan Barrels. My “go to” pellet for the AT44 has always been the 15.89 grain JSB which is pushing an average of 940 FPS across 20 shots with an extreme spread of 46 or so FPS. I may dial back the power just a hair so that I can get a few more shots and flatten out the shot curve a bit.
With regards to the skinny magazine, you want to really pay attention to what you use for pellets. Make sure that they fit flush and don’t protrude out the front or the back of the magazine. If they do, you will experience jams and possibly damage your gun. Pellets that are known to jam are the Baracuda Match, Beeman Kodiak, Predator Polymags, etc. Anything that sticks out either the front or the back of the mag is likely to give you a fit. So seriously, don’t try and use pellets that don’t fit correctly.
Hatsan Magazine – Baracuda Match on the left, JSB 15.89 on the rightTweaking the Quattro trigger
Most of the Hatsan PCP variants come with the trigger setup with a fairly stiff pull. Here’s an easy guide to making it a bit friendlier to shoot. The large rear allen screw is usually all you need to adjust. It handles the trigger tension. What I normally do is remove the air cylinder so that I’m not blowing air out while testing the trigger pull. Next I back out the rear screw until it’s fairly loose and then go back in a full turn. Now I cock the gun. If you back the screw out too far, the hammer will not catch on the sear. Simply screw the rear tension adjuster back in until the sear engages the hammer and the gun cocks normally. DON’T ADJUST IT TOO LIGHT. A hair trigger can be ok, but you DON’T want a “harry,” i.e. scary, trigger. Be smart as this is a safety issue. Leave enough tension on there so that it takes positive pressure to fire the gun. My trigger is currently set for around 12 ounces, (yes that not 1 pound 12 ounces, but just 12 ounces) and it could go lighter. Be smart about how far you adjust down the trigger tension.
Hatsan PCP Quattro Trigger – Rear Screw Trigger Tension AdjustmentThe two screws in the trigger blade adjust the positions of the first and the 2nd stage. I generally leave the front most screw flush with the blade. The middle screw adjusts the position of the 2nd stage break and sometimes I may want that a little more forward or backward depending on how it arrived from the factory. It only takes a fraction of a turn to change the angle. ***IMPORTANT*** Only make these adjustments if: 1, you really know what you are doing, or 2, you’re willing to, without question or complaint, send it in to the factory to have them reset the trigger. When I was doing service work full time, I was amazed at how many guns came back marked “defective, won’t cock” only to find the trigger way out of adjustment.
Hatsan PCP Quattro Trigger – 1st and 2nd Stage Position Adjustments.Time to head to the range…?
This is where I’m going to have to leave you for today. In order to really dial in our AT44 QE .22 we’ll need calm conditions. That certainly did not happen today. There is one bit of information that I will share as I wrap up Part 2 as it does not require a trip out to the desert. The old AT44 NON QE version topped out at over 105+/- DB outdoors. The new AT44 QE in .22 tickles the DB meter at around 83+/- DB, making it one of the quietest PCP airguns on the market, hands down.
So keep your eyes peeled for the next article that will give us some details on how our AT44 QE shoots. If all goes well, I’ll be heading out early tomorrow for the desert to do a little shooting. Until next time, do you have questions or comments? Please let us know in the comments section. We love to hear from all our readers!
