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Hatsan Escorts are they the Baikal of Semi-auto world?


squodged
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There's something I want to know, and maybe someone could tell me the real truth.

Are Hatsan Escort Semi Autos / Pumps any good?

I've read from many of the posts that have been put up that they have a tendancy to jam and not cycle certain sizes of cartridges?

Is this true or poppycock?

Or is it something that the you put up with just because they're cheap?

 

Could someone give us a true answer before I go and make a mistake if what I'm to believe buying one is?

Are they the Baikal of the Semi Auto world?

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To quote Spaniel:

 

"I have a SP3 and an Escort, SP3 cost £1200 Escort £350.

Guess which one I use out in the field for pigeon shooting.

 

Its cheap and I hit the pigeons , if it gets scratched so what, it only cost a few hundred pounds.

 

Is the Escort better then my Berretta....No, Is it better to take out in the field for a bit of rough shooting...Yes"

 

Perfectly usable, you wont worry about the occasional ding or scratch and it'll cycle all day long. Some of the smaller cartridges do jam on the 3rd cart, but feed it on the right diet and you'll never have an issue.

 

:good:

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Are they the Baikal of the Semi Auto world?

 

Well of course the Hatsan semi is in the same class as a Baikal, by which I mean if you turn up at a £250 per bird day, the guy next to you with his matched pair of guns, costing twice the price of my cottage isn't going to speak to you. BUT if you want a good, solid gun, not costing the earth then just like a BAIKAL, buy one.

IMHO Baikal offer extremely good guns, that will last a life time and are very good value for money, Hatsan IMHO are slightly less solid but never the less a brand new semi for under £300 with three years warrenty (?), can you reall complain.

 

John

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no matter how many people you ask you will always get the people who have never had any problems with the escort and then you get the ones who have. Be carefull if your looking at other options in a gun room say for instance a beretta 301 semi auto for the same price the shop owner will always push you towards the escort because of the commission/proffit they get. hope this helps

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no matter how many people you ask you will always get the people who have never had any problems with the escort and then you get the ones who have. Be carefull if your looking at other options in a gun room say for instance a beretta 301 semi auto for the same price the shop owner will always push you towards the escort because of the commission/proffit they get. hope this helps

 

I would argue against that last point, a gun shop owner will steer you towards the second hand gun, you make next to nothing on new guns.

 

If you wanted to choose between the Escort or the beretta, then go for the one which suits the shooting you want to do, but I have had no problems with the Escorts at all.

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I've owned Escorts in Wood, Grandwood and synthetic.

 

 

Both the wood and Grandwood (is it really wood at all??) had to go back to the shop with stock problems... Synthetic - however - was fine.

 

Cycles well with 28gram carts or above, and takes the huge 50gram carts too!

 

You get what you pay for, but beware any model that isn't synthetic.

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mines been a real good gun, had to change the trigger spring because that had always been weak from new and had the odd missifre, but now its perfect always cycles and never jams very light and the price is very good, mines for sale as ive got a 686, because i do more clay shooting than pigeon at the moment

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On the subject of Jams, i have just got back from John fosseys with my MD and he purchased a brand new (New Style - Recoil Butt Pad) Escort Semi Auto 30" Camo and this after we had been to Pantiles vintage Guns to sell back his Purdey Hammer SbS.

 

The guy in the shop mentioned that there were two springs for the gun. (One comes with it and the other is approx £10). One is for light loads 24-32g Clays/Rabbits/Pigeons and the other for 32g to 66g for Fowling. Needless to say he bought both. I was told that this would work with the original style Semi Auto's as well. For £10 it seems they may have solved the issue.

 

SS :good:

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got my escort from swillington in west yorks for £290 and its money well spent. never had it jam or misfire. had a word with the guy in the shop after wanting a webley after seeing a review which was nearly £500. he told me the escort was better value and that he hardly has any back under warranty compared with some more expensive one. only advice given was don't put too much load through it but i use clear pigeon 28g load in mine and its fine. also the synthetic is better for rough shooting as its very durable

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  • 4 years later...

i own both, a Hatsan semi auto 28 inch synthetic and a Baikal 27 E, both in my opinion offer excellent value and reliability.

 

with the Hatsans you can take this into account, they are steel shot proofed, you get 5 chokes and stock and neck spacers, they are chambered for a 3 inch cartridge ( a 3.5 version also exists), and you get a 3 year warranty from Edgar Brothers bought new.

 

they sre made to a price but the majority of people that own one use it as a work gun, rough gun, wildfowling gun or for clays.

 

I have cycled many rounds through an escort without issues, i even jazzed it up by putting 2.5 2/34 and 3inch in the chamber and mag simulatanously just to see if it would jam, it did not.

 

i work in the gun trade and we have sold a number of Escorts, only one coming back ( and that was purely down to user error).

 

i bought a Webley 812 ( mark 1) and was blighted by problems with the gun, especially the ridiculous loading and ejection process, it irritated me so much i sold it.

 

For £400 for the newest 2011 version and for around £250 - £300 second hand i think you would be hard pressed to find an ialternative, with excption of the Armsan models now appearing which are slightly better build quality.

 

By the way i think Baikals have unwarranted bad press, i own two and they have never let me down :good:

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  • 9 years later...
  • 4 weeks later...
On 17/07/2007 at 02:55, squodged said:

There's something I want to know, and maybe someone could tell me the real truth.

Are Hatsan Escort Semi Autos / Pumps any good?

I've read from many of the posts that have been put up that they have a tendancy to jam and not cycle certain sizes of cartridges?

Is this true or poppycock?

Or is it something that the you put up with just because they're cheap?

 

Could someone give us a true answer before I go and make a mistake if what I'm to believe buying one is?

Are they the Baikal of the Semi Auto world?

The one I've got I swear by it

never had a problem it eats everything I feed it and spits out the empties every time its never jammed on me 

cheap well yes i dont dispute that rubbish no I've put close to 4000 through mine in the 3 years I had it but maybe I.ve been lucky and got a good one god only knows lol 

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got a 12 G and a 20G youth hatsan here had issues with both but parts are cheap and easy to source so not a big deal.

end of the day they are cheap as chips if you want 100% reliable i have a remmington  versamax the action design is nothing short of  brilliant.

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I had a escort for 3 years had to go back under warranty once something broke. Had the fuw jams now and again but as said for just over £300 with a 3 year warranty do the job. Once warranty ran out a chopped it in for a beretta A400 xplor got £150 back  for the escort. Took the ten year beretta warranty out on the A400 More than likely when it’s warranty out will get traded in for a new one 

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The thread is many years old 😂, for anyone new looking at this topic. The Hats and do seem to have improved and also the Armsan A612 is another good budget semi auto.

As for the Baikal of the semi autos that would be the Baikal MP153 a real beater of a gun, paddle your bout with it, dig a hide hole with it, give a rinse in a puddle and shoot your supper with it. Plenty of videos out there on it being abused and taking it all in its stride. 

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