Hatsan Mod 130S Vortex QE, .30 Caliber

What an airgun! This will blast through the cardboard target and then through the 5/8 to 3/4 pine board. The vortex pellets are great, but the skirts are really big and too thick to mash them in flush with your fingers like a .177 or even some dead soft .22 pellets. Answer: I make a sizer from a 3/4" 2 inch bolt. Drill out to closest size without getting too large and lap this bolt with a dowel and wet and dry just till pellet fits in barrel perfectly, meaning it stops at the rifling. I do this with some of my favorite airguns and they all benefit. It may reduce the power, but I don't think so, it makes the pellets all fit the same, perfectly and flush with the metal of the breech, not just a bit lower than the breach seal. Seems Gamo likes that pressure build up for the initial snap.

Pros
Wow the power of .30 caliber. You know which way to put the pellet in, that's for sure. Dieseling still, easier to cock, I used two hands at first. Cleaned barrel with a dowel and paper towel piece for dozens, still oil and still diesels. When it does not diesel it is quieter. It's about as loud as any other springer, certainly not any louder. Trigger is perfect out of the box. A bit of a travel, then a tiny bit more of resistance, then the gun fires so that to me is great, it's repeatable. Mine has a scope rail with 20mm picatinny rail, combo11 mm dovetail rail. It is low to the breech and this creates a change where your cheek goes when your shoot. i don't intend to use this with a scope. I am planning to whittle with a belt sander, the cheekpiece to fit me. With a scope you may need the height of this factory cheekpiece as it is.

Cons
The adjustable cheekpiece and way too much oil in the chamber when new.

This is a awesome rifle, biggest and most powerful break barrel in the world, it’s extremely heavy build with very large internal parts. The stock is very comfortable and the polymer is thick, comes with stock adjustment key and trigger Allen wrench, cocking force is a lot at 60lbs, young, elderly people and women will also have a hard time to cock i and use it in general because of the size and weight. The recoil is heavy but fun, it feels like a real rifle. It’s expensive to shoot compared to a .22cal. You going to want a shock absorber scope mount otherwise you will risk breaking your scope. I broke a optima 3x9x40 so now I just run iron sights, they are very good and accurate, keep the rifle lighter and fit the range of this rifle at up to 30 yards with perfect flat trajectory, further than that you will get some pellet drop. The included sling mounts are great, I use a hatsan sling it fits perfect and is very comfortable.

Pros
Very powerful and well balanced, great quality polymer stock and sights, very quiet for its size, smooth and easy to adjust trigger, adjustable stock, sling mounts, soft butt pad.

Cons
You will need a shock absorber scope mount or it will break your scope. Pellets are not cheap.

This is a very well made rifle and no doubt will outlast me. The round nose pellets i am using do not get much penetration on the old catalogs I stuff my target with. I am sure some of the funny looking pointy pellets will do much better. I am sure these round nose pellets transfer a great deal of energy to the target.

Pros
This rifle has around the same weight and balance of the M14 I carried in basic training in the army. It looks good and I do like the pistol grip stock. The sights are not the best by far but very usable at least until I can get a set of true iron sights put on it. I have put around 25 monster size pellets down range with it and am impressed with group size. 10 clicks to the left and the zero stays right there. I am 72 years old and crippled up so I doubt i could ever get out and hunt with this beast but I do wish I had had it when I was 50 years younger. It really is very hard to cock, just like every review says. I can do it so anyone can who wants to.

Cons
There was a problem with cocking after four shots where it became almost impossible to move the barrel. Air gun depot said i should return it but i opted to get it repaired at a gunsmith a couple towns over. No idea what the problem was though, when i picked it up the person on the counter said he had no idea what was done to it. It worked fine so they can keep their secrets. Being old weak and crippled i have to put the rifle on the floor and half stand with both hands on barrel to cock it. I am sure this is not safe but is no doubt very humorous to observe. It gets the job done though.

If this country goes to hell, this gun is going with me to put food on the table.

Pros
This gun packs a serious punch. Preppers would have no trouble bringing this gun into their arsenal. I'm shooting the H&N Vortex Strike @ 48.50 grains with devastating results. This rifle is serious on squirrels, the slam is way more than you need. Rabbits, coyotes, even deer in a life or death situation (headshot). I have placed a 3x9x50 Bushnell on mine, just a lot easier on the eyes. Very well built, worth every penny.

Cons
It's surprising how hard it is to cock the first time and a noticeable heft to it. All that being said, you get used to it quickly and it doesn't bother you. I don't think cocking is getting easier, I think the shooter is getting stronger.

Pros
Plenty of punch, for a springer, decent price, well constructed. It's also surprisingly quiet.

Cons
Not very accurate past 50 yards or so. Also it's pretty heavy and might be hard to cock for smaller shooters. Limited ammo options.

Did a test shot on a button buck I harvested with my hunting rifle . So I tried the hatasan 135 .30 Diablo 54 grain pellet. Head shot between eyes saw .30 cal hole through stuck pencil inside It was inside brain cavity. So lead me to believe head shot is the way to go when shtf need meat to live and no bullets available. The hide neck area was to thick and tough acted like bullet proof vest pellet dropped down

Pros
Nice wooden stock. Heavy but you feel the power this rifle can have.

Cons
Cocking it is a bit tiresome shot after shot you get worn out.

Looking forward to this gun being broken in. After the first 100 or so shots I hear it gets easier to break. ... This is a serious air gun rifle. Seems well made. It is heavy and packs a wallop. I do recommend it.

Pros
A quality product.

Cons
It's a bear to break the barrel brand new.

Pre-CORONA, I had a cheap multipump .177 rifle (location: 2 decades unknown) and my dad's CO2 1950s era BB pistol. I started with getting my deceased paternal grandfather's .20 Sheridan fixed earlier this year. Now, I have .177 CO2 Peacemaker replica, two .22 rifles, and now this .30 bad boy. Tis the season, so it was quite impressive seeing what this 130s Vortex did to pumpkins compared to those other 4. She was on back order for a month or two; totally worth it!

Pros
I'm a fan of the sights on this model. I considered, and looked, at scopes, but now that I've had it in hand... I don't expect to add a scope or alter sights. I had some buyer's uncertainty regarding ease of breaking the barrel, but it is definitely reasonable. For your kid... no, but I doubt you want them to have this model anyway.

Cons
weight. It is what it is. Lighter would be nice (like always) but I do enjoy how solid/sturdy the build feels on this Hatsan. I need to order a sling though for when I'm Elmer Fudding after city rabbits.

I'm really happy with this air rifle, and it is priced nice too. I recommend it, especially for people that don't want to buy the cartridges, pump, air tank or compressor, but want a powerful air rifle.

Pros
The power of this breakbarrel is amazing! I put my paper targets onto 3/4'' plywood, and every shot blasts right through it. Its fiber optic sights are pretty accurate right out of the box. It's nice to have so much power without having to buy any air cartridges, pumps, tanks, or compressor. one pump and you're ready to shoot.

Cons
This gun is not for young shooters, it's pretty big and heavy. Some people say it is too hard to cock, to them I say... hit the gym. If it isn't hard, it's too easy. This is a man's gun and if you are not very strong, then it may not be for you.

Making the barrel short sometimes increases velocity, depending on the pellet, but it's a trade off with accuracy and cocking effort.

Pros
Good Value, Styling

Cons
The reason this gun is hard to cock is because the barrel is too short-- 10.6". And it doesn't help to have a sharp front sight right where leverage is best. My Hatsan Striker has an 18" barrel, and my HW 35 barrel is 19".