First showcased at the 2014 edition of the IWA expo in Nuremberg (Germany), the Escort Dynamic 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun is one of the most interesting, appealing and outright technically revolutionary models ever offered by the Turkish-based Hatsan Arms Company.
Months after its first official launch, the Hatsan Escort Dynamic autoloading shotgun is not yet available to civilian shooters in most Countries, outside of some selected markets in Europe.
Where it is available, however, it is being widely praised as a cost-effective, high-tech alternative to most of its direct competitors offered by Turkish, European, American or other international gunmakers.
Global distribution should however finally kick-off by 2015, so let's get a sneak peek at the Hatsan Escort Dynamic autoloading shotgun before it's on the shelves!
The Hatsan Escort Dynamic shotgun, conceived mainly for hunting and sports shooting, is an autoloading inertia-driven design, based upon a modified version of the kinetic system first conceived by Swedish engineer Carl Axel Theodor Sjögren in the early years of the 20th Century and later perfected and made famous by engineer Bruno Civolani at the Italian-based Benelli Armi company in the late 1960s.
What makes the Hatsan Escort Dynamic model different from the rest of the inertia-driven shotguns out there − most of which are Benelli design clones − is the plethora of outright innovative features it packs, and that make it a superb performer and incredibly easy to operate.
First things first: the construction. the Hatsan Escort Dynamic is composed of two assemblies: an ergonomic, DaSoft-finished black polymer stock, integrating the trigger group and the magazine tube, and the upper halve, which integrates most metal parts (frame and barrel). These two assemblies are held together by a quick-release latch system; this makes the Hatsan Escort Dynamic shotgun capable to field-strip in seconds and without tools, faster and easier than any other shotgun on the market. Cleaning and maintenance will be hassle-free, and reassembly will be just as quick and easy as field-stripping.
The Hatsan Escort Dynamic autoloading shotgun is available in two variants: the baseline model sports a 28"/71cm smoothbore barrel, while the Escort Dynamic-SLG comes with a 24"/61cm slug barrel.
In both cases, barrels are cold-hammer forged and black-chrome finished out of Ni-Cr-Mo steel, and proof-tested for energies up to 1200 kg/cm² (17160 lb. per square inch); the standard 28"/71cm barrel comes with a 7mm rib, while the slug barrel comes with standard metal sights with tritium inserts.
The Ni-Cr-Mo steel, black chrome-finished receiver comes with an 11mm interface for scope mounts, and integrates the second important innovation of the Hatsan Escort Dynamic design: the Shock Absorber Technology working system.
Basically, two notches linked to two twin springs protrude from the rear portion of the receiver and fit in two deep seats within the stock. When the Hatsan Escort Dynamic shotgun is fired, these springs absorb most of the recoil energies, and the notches recoil within the stock to dissipate them in a very effective way: the total recoil of a Hatsan Escort Dynamic shotgun using 12-gauge, 76mm/3" shotshells with 40g loads is measured in millimetres, and the system will reliably feed and fire any 12-gauge, 3"/76mm or 2.¾"/70mm shotshell in the 24g thru 57g load range.
The DynaPad system also contributes to the felt recoil reduction: the stock (which, by the way, comes with an adjustable cheek-riser!) fits a soft synthetic buttpad with V-shaped ventilation holes providing superior recoil absorption and shooting comfort. The same material is used in the manufacture of the three 5mm-wide stock spacers provided with each Hatsan Escort Dynamic shotgun.
The Hatsan Escort Dynamic autoloading shotgun sports an extendable magazine tube: its overall factory capacity can range from three to five shotshells, but capacity extensions for sports shooters may be available in the future.
The standard version of the Hatsan Escort Dynamic is sold with five interchangeable choke tubes, along with the proper replacement key, so to make it more versatile and adaptable to different loads used on the hunting field or at the shooting range; the Hatsan Escort Dynamic-SLG variant comes with a fixed cylinder choke instead.
As stated above, the Hatsan Escort Dynamic autoloading 12-gauge shotgun is already available in a handful of European Countries, at an average street price that doesn't exceed the 500€ threshold. Prospective buyers from the rest of the world should however be aware of the fact that prices can, and will, vary from Country to Country due to different local market policies, taxes, and so on; best thing would be to contact the Hatsan Arms Company directly and obtain informations about your Country's authorized importers: they are only ones who can answer your questions concerning local availability and pricing.
