This is Part 2 of our review of the Hatsan Striker 1000X Vortex airgun in .25 caliber. In this segment we’ll move past aesthetics and function and jump right into: Noise level Performance, Optics, Pellet Performance, Accuracy, and of course our Final Summary.
Hatsan Striker 1000x .25 CalNoise Level Performance
The Vortex equipped 1000x topped out at around 101 DB in my indoor testing. That may be a little loud for the backyard if you have really close neighbors. It’s always good to make sure to check your local ordinances relating to discharging an airgun and related noise ordinances before any type of airgun shooting, recreational or otherwise.
One thing to consider when determining the backyard friendliness of an airgun, is to monitor the sound of the pellet impact. For example, I use the champion rimfire bullet trap which is built from fairly heavy steel. It makes a very distinct ringing sound when impacted by a pellet. This sound can actually be louder than the gun itself. If I know that I’m going to be doing a lot of shooting in my backyard, I will do something to dampen the sound or I’ll use a silent pellet trap.
One quick and easy way to build a silent trap is to purchase the Stoeger airgun pellet trap and fill it with electricians putty available at most hardware stores. You’ll need about two and half pounds of putty to fill the trap. This will silence any impact and trap the pellet. There are targets available that fit right in the grooves of the trap making it a great way to get in some quiet trigger time in the backyard.
Optics, Pellet Velocity, & Accuracy Results
As mentioned previously, the Striker 1000 X ships with Hatsan’s standard 3-9×32 Optima scope. Unfortunately the scope and rings did not prove to be up to the task. The reticle in the scope begin to rotate and the rings did not sit straight on the rail. Not sitting correctly on the rail was not the fault of the rail or the manufacturing, but rather the light-duty rings that come bundled.
Considering the limited range I knew this rifle would have, I replaced the scope and rings with a Hawke 4x32AO Sport HD mill-dot scope and a set of heavy duty High Profile Hawke Match Grade 11mm rings. With the fixed magnification, mil-dot reticle, adjustable objective, and low price, this was the perfect scope bundle to put atop the Striker 1000x.
Hatsan Striker 1000x .25 Cal w/ Hawke 4×32 AO scope and ringsOn the box Hatsan claims their .25 caliber 1000x will hit 650 fps with lead pellets. Well, it did much better than that. Using the new Vortex Supreme 19.91 grain pellets developed specifically for Hatsan for their airguns, my test rifle averaged 665.3 fps. The new Vortex Supreme pellets shot above spec and were pretty accurate at 20 yards. I also shot the 25.4 grain JSB Exact Kings which averaged 591.6 fps with only an 8.9 fps spread, generating 19.74 fpe at the muzzle.
The next shot groups were shot at 20 yards. One was shot with the new Vortex Supreme 19.91 grain pellets, the other was shot with the 25.4 grain JSB Exact Kings. Can you tell the difference in accuracy?
Hatsan 1000x .25 cal 20 yards Vortex Supreme Pellets Hatsan 1000x .25 cal 20 yards JSB Exact King PelletsFinal Summary on Hatsan Striker 1000x .25 cal Vortex
No doubt the shooting experience is noticeably improved over the standard spring version. Even novice shooters blind testing each model at random commented on how much better the Vortex equipped Striker was to cock and shoot.
As with most products, things were not 100% perfect. Here are some things to consider when looking at the Hatsan Striker 1000x Vortex.
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The bundled scope and mounts were not really adequate for the recoil on this gun and failed pretty quickly.
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The position of the factory scope stop is completely unacceptable for achieving a comfortable eye relief. Fortunately the heavy duty Hawke mounts hold like iron without the need of the stop.
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The 2nd stage trigger pull is way too long making it harder than necessary to achieve consistent accuracy.
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I had to keep tightening the stock screws. That’s an easy fix with some blue loctite however.
Shooting the new Vortex equipped 1000x is very addictive. The fact of the matter is that this gun puts a big lead pellet smack on target at close range, exactly what it’s designed to do. I’m not concerned about it not shooting well past 35 yards much in the same way I’m not concerned about my 1911 .45 not grouping well at 100 yards. Having cleared tree rats in urban environments in the past, I can tell you that there’s a lot of merit to a hard hitting, close in airgun that can hit the target 10 out of 10 times. And the price point isn’t bad either, even when adding a decent scope, you can have a great bundle for under $300.00.
