There’s a lot more to talk about when it comes to getting more accuracy from your airguns, and I’ll definitely get back to that series shortly. In the meantime, I want to talk about the new Hatsan 95 Vortex.
Hatsan Mod 95 Vortex .25 CaliberSkeptical…
When it comes to pound for pound, dollar for dollar, the spring version of the Hatsan Mod 95 may be impossible to beat. It’s got a beautiful Turkish Walnut stock, good trigger, above average power, and consistent accuracy. Bundle that with a price point of well under $200 and you’ve got a real winner.
I’ve done a lot of work with the standard spring powered Mod 95. When I heard Hatsan was going to offer it with the Vortex Gas Piston, I was a bit skeptical. I’m a purist and believe if it ain’t broke, don’t go trying to fix it. Using the Vortex Gas Piston vs the metal spring had better make a really big difference to the performance of one of my favorite rifles for me to buy into the idea.
Out of the gate…
I received my new mod 95 Vortex the other day. I purposefully requested it in .25 caliber, as I have some specific place for this airgun that I hope to share with you all a little down the road. Everything looked as it should. The nice wood stock was there, the great Quattro trigger was there. The only thing that really set this model apart was the addition of the “Vortex” graphics on the receiver.
Hatsan Mod 95 Vortex .25 Caliber – The only well to tell this is not the normal 95, without shooting it, is this Vortex graphic on the side.Then I fired it for the first time. Now, I’ve shot some very nicely tuned springers before. The kind that you barely feel when they go off, and the 95 Vortex was right there with them. It’s got more noise than I’d like, but the recoil felt simply like a shudder rather than a kick from a magnum breakbarrel airgun. Ok, maybe I need to give this “Vortex Powered” concept a little more attention. I’ve fired other Vortex equipped guns, i.e. the Mod 85 Sniper, but the 95, with the wood stock, feels totally different. Maybe it’s the weight and mass of the wood stock that adds the extra something special to the shooting cycle. I’m not sure what it is, but it works!
After taking that initial shot, I just had to put a few more pellets down range. The cocking stroke is very smooth and the shooting cycle is quick and precise. I haven’t changed a thing on this gun since taking it out of the box, as it’s simply a wonderful joy to shoot “as is.” Once I’m through the break in period, I’ll probably tweak the Quattro trigger just a bit, but that’s about all I plan to do.
Power to spare…
Hatsan airguns are known for their hunting power. That’s why you buy a Hatsan airgun. They produce the most power of just about any other spring or gas ram airgun in their relative classes across the board. They also test their FPS numbers with real lead pellets. This means you’ll get very close, if not more than what’s listed on the box. I’m using Hatsan’s Vortex .25 cal pellets that weigh in at 19.91 grains. They are giving me a consistent 635 to 640 FPS, which is only 10 FPS down from the 650 max velocity and I’m more than happy with that. This equates to over 17 foot pounds at the muzzle.
Hatsan Mod 95 Vortex .25 Caliber – notice the checkering in the wood…On target with authority…
I’m still proving the gun on my indoor range, which means that I’m shooting with open sights from a bench. So far I’m very impressed. I’m not very good with open sights given that I have a hard time just seeing the sights. But the Mod 95 seems to know where I want the pellet to go and just puts it there for me. You can tell when the pellet hits the trap that you’ve sent a big heavy pellet down range, as it hits with a loud “SMACK.” It sort of reminds me of the old Batman shows where they’d use cartoon bubbles for emphasis. Some of you may remember that!
What’s next…
I’ve got a bit more breaking in and proving to do. Then it will be time to find the best pellet and test performance and accuracy. There are not a lot of options in .25 caliber, so I’m not expecting it to take too long to get things dialed in. Definitely keep your eyes open for Part 2 of the new Hatsan Mod 95 Vortex in .25 caliber.
