HELP! My Airgun Is Not Working
If your airgun is not working properly, check these common problems that may get you back up and running before sending your gun in for service work:
- Always check your connecting/mounting hardware!
- Our plunger-driven airguns generate a lot of power and recoil, which can loosen stock bolts with use. ALWAYS check your stock bolts before and after each use to prevent damaging your airgun!
- The rear stock bolt is located at the back of the trigger guard.
- The front stock bolt is located at the fore end of the stock and is mounted horizontally with a locking screw to secure it (SAS equipped models).
- Striker, Edge, AirTact, SuperCharger and some other models have two front stock screws in the fore end of the stock.
- Our plunger-driven airguns generate a lot of power and recoil, which can loosen stock bolts with use. ALWAYS check your stock bolts before and after each use to prevent damaging your airgun!
- “My airgun is not accurate.”
- What pellets are you shooting?
- You must use quality, precision ammunition if you want to achieve quality, precision shot groups. Size, shape, and weight consistency are key to repeatable shots.
- Look closely at your pellets. Pellets with damaged skirts will fly off course, no matter how high their original manufacturing quality.
- Check your shooting technique. “Springers” are not accurate when shot off of rifle sleds or any kind of solid rest. We recommend learning and practicing the “artillery hold” for better results.
- Like any precision shooting, breathing and muscle training are important to achieving precise shot placement.
- Check your breech seal. A missing or damaged breech seal can cause pressure loss and will affect accuracy, as well as power output. If you need help replacing a breech seal, contact our Service Department.
- Make sure your scope is secure. Check that your scope mounts are tight on the gun, and that the rings are secure on the scope. Plunger-driven airguns should have a scope stop or be used with Weaver type mounts if possible.
- Check your scope. Are you shooting outside of the scope’s intended range? If you’re shooting too close, the scope’s parallax setting may be causing some error. Consider switching to a scope with an Adjustable Objective that will focus where you will be shooting.
- Only use scopes rated for airgun use!
- What pellets are you shooting?
- “My airgun does not cock.”
- Check your trigger adjustments. An out-of-adjustment trigger can prevent the sear from catching. See Understanding the Quattro Trigger for help making adjustments or contact our Service Department for more help.
- If you have an airgun with dovetail grooves cut into the receiver, check your scope stop screw(s). Using a scope stop screw with out the metal stop plate or using a screw that is too long can interfere with the plunger inside and stop the gun from cocking.
- If you made any adjustments/changes prior to trying to cock your rifle after the last time you used it, undo those adjustments/changes in a safe manner. Remove the pellet from the barrel with a cleaning rod if necessary.
- “My airgun will not fire.”
- Check your trigger adjustments. An out-of-adjustment trigger can prevent the sear from releasing. See Understanding the Quattro Trigger for help making adjustments or contact our Service Department for more help.
- If you made any adjustments/changes after cocking the gun, prior to trying to fire it, undo those adjustments/changes in a safe manner. Remove the pellet from the barrel with a cleaning rod if necessary.
- The safety is on. Many Hatsan models have an automatic safety feature that sets the safety every time the gun is cocked.
- Check your air pressure. Your PCP airgun may be out of air. Safely remove the pellet from your barrel, recharge the gun, and try again.
- Your Vortex gas piston may be empty or has failed. Contact our Service Department for more help.
- “My airgun is loud and/or smokes after firing.”
- New plunger-driven airguns may smoke or ‘diesel’ for a few shots when new as assembly lubricants wear off. Smoke may continue to occur up to 200 shots, depending on the particular gun and your environment. DO NOT PLACE ANY LUBRICANT INTO THE COMPRESSION CHAMBER!
- Your breech seal may be damaged or missing. Check the breech area of your gun for a rubber seal, and inspect it for wear/flatness or damage. If you are unsure where to look or what to look for, contact our Service Department for more help.
- Your pellets are traveling at supersonic velocities. Pellets traveling faster than ~1125 FPS will make an audible “crack” as they pass the sound barrier. This is not only loud, but will cause the pellet to become unstable and will dramatically affect precision/accuracy. Choose a heavier pellet or reduce the power output of your airgun if power adjustments are possible.
- “My PCP airgun will not cycle the magazine and/or jams when cycling.”
- Make sure that the magazine catch is in place so that the magazine can rotate around it.
- Check the pellets that you loaded and make sure they are not too long for the magazine. Pellets that are too long and/or protrude when seated will contact the receiver and cause jams.
- Check your breech seal. If it is missing, the groove can catch pellets and cause misalignment – leading to difficulty loading and/or jamming.
- NEVER force the magazine in or out of position, as this can damage the gun’s operating components. Contact our Service Department for assistance.
- “My airgun is difficult to cock.”
- Hatsan plunger-driven airguns are the most powerful in the industry, and may require higher than expected cocking efforts. Your airgun may require up to 50 pounds of force to cock.
- Some Hatsan PCP airguns have very strong/stiff hammer springs that must be set in order to cock. This is a necessary component in the gun’s high power output. Our BT65 Carnivore and Hercules .30, .35, and .45 caliber models will require more effort in order to cock the gun.
- If your gun has recently become more difficult to cock, check cocking linkages for binding. They may require lubrication.
- Check all hardware to make sure nothing has come loose. Loose hardware can cause difficulties cocking.
- If you suspect something may be wrong with your airgun, please contact our Service Department for more help.
- “My PCP airgun will not fill properly.”
- Make sure that your fill probe is attached correctly. Hatsan’s fill probe uses 1/8″ BSPP threads and must be connected to a matching port. Sealing washers are available from our Service Department if you did not receive one with your rifle.
- DO NOT connect your Hatsan fill probe to a 1/8″ NPT port! This will damage the threads and may cause a hazard to you or those around you.
- If your air cylinder/gun is empty, you will need to either cock your airgun or remove the air cylinder in order to begin the filling process. If the cylinder/gun has been stored empty for a prolonged period of time, it may require a ‘shock’ of air pressure in order to seat the valve so that the reservoir can be filled.
- Check your fill probe’s o-rings. Your Hatsan airgun ships with 4 spare o-rings in the box if you have damaged the originals on the probe.
- If you continue to damage fill probe o-rings, inspect the probe port for burrs.
- Also note that the fill port on our AT44/AT-P cylinder is not perfectly tangential to the cylinder. It is slightly angled to one side.
- Make sure that your fill probe is attached correctly. Hatsan’s fill probe uses 1/8″ BSPP threads and must be connected to a matching port. Sealing washers are available from our Service Department if you did not receive one with your rifle.