Best Scopes for Hatsan Air Rifles

Decide whether your Hatsan is a break-barrel (spring or gas-piston) or a PCP. Hatsan's gas-piston versions replace the coil spring with a gas ram, which gives a quicker, smoother cycle but still produces recoil in both directions. That is hard on scopes, and the bundled scope is often the first thing to fail. Check that your replacement is rated for spring or gas-ram air rifles. PCPs have a much lighter recoil, so a good standard air rifle scope will cope and you can think about optical quality and parallax instead.

Do not assume the bundled scope is the right scope. Package deals are good value for getting started, but the included optic is usually a basic scope with limited glass quality, and some have no parallax adjustment at all. If your target looks soft at 15 or 20 yards, or the reticle seems to move as you shift your head, you are seeing parallax. Replace it with a scope that has side focus or an adjustable objective down to about 10 yards, and your groups usually tighten straight away.

Pick the magnification for the quarry. A 3-9x or 3-12x covers rabbits, rats, pigeons and squirrels out to 40 yards, keeps a wide field of view for moving targets and copes with the long UK dusk better than a high-powered scope. A 4-16x with side focus is useful for target work or precise shots at known distances, but it narrows the view and exaggerates your hold. Make the ring height match the objective lens: a larger objective needs taller rings to clear the barrel and rail.

Check the rail. Many Hatsan air rifles have an 11 mm dovetail along the top of the receiver, and some models have a Picatinny or Weaver style rail instead, so identify which one you have before buying rings. Rings must match the rail type, and on springers or gas-piston rifles it is worth using a set with a recoil stop or a scope stop pin so the scope cannot creep back under recoil. If your Hatsan has fibre-optic open sights, check that the scope and rings clear them. Our guide to scope mounts, rings and rails for air rifles explains the sizes.

Watch the bundled extras. Some Hatsan kits come with a moderator, and fitting one changes how the rifle balances and can alter the point of impact, so zero after fitting it, not before. Keep the scope as light and compact as you reasonably can, particularly on a bullpup such as the Flashpup where eye relief and the length of the action matter. If you shoot a bullpup, our scope guide for bullpup air rifles is worth reading first.

Think about what you will carry. A hunting rifle spends hours in a sling or across your arm, and a large 50 mm objective with tall rings adds weight and bulk for very little gain at air rifle ranges. A 40 mm or 44 mm objective gives plenty of light for dusk and dawn rabbiting in the UK, sits lower on the rifle and keeps the cheek weld natural. Buy rings and a scope that let you keep your head on the stock without craning, because a good fit does more for your hit rate than extra magnification.

Zero it carefully. Bore-sight, shoot a group at 20 to 25 yards, adjust, then check at 10 and 40 yards to learn the trajectory. Recheck the rings after your first 100 shots, since new mounts settle. Our guide to zeroing an air rifle scope explains the process. Shoot only with permission and a safe backstop; in Scotland an Air Weapon Certificate is required for an air rifle, and a sub-12 ft-lb rifle needs no licence in England or Wales.