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Hatsan Silver Select

Hatsan Silver Select

It didn’t take very long for Hatsan Escort semi-autos to make their mark amongst UK shooters looking for an all-rounder that was bang on target yet unbelievably kind to the wallet. Reliability combined with almost bargain basement prices was a combination no other manufacturer could come close to. So with the single-barrel market more or less cracked it now seems that Hatsan are turning their attentions to double-barrelled shooters and if their new Silver Select is anything to go by, they haven’t made a half bad job of it.

Keeping it Simple

Open the cardboard box and inside you’ll find everything you need to go clay shooting. A full set of flush – fit choke tubes, key and 12-bore shotgun. It may sound simple but if you think about it, that’s basically all you need apart from ammo. But hang on, the Silver Select looks remarkably like something else… The satin finished boxlock action decorated with two small panels of scroll, the hinges picked out by circular fans along with the machine finish around the 28” barrel’s 3” chambers and ejectors looks remarkably Italian. Add into this the stock’s deep inflexed, honeycombed recoil pad and you suddenly see the influence of a well known American brand. To say that copying is the sincerest form of flattery could do a degree be an understatement, although Hatsan’s reproduction of these two key elements is proof positive of just how well these two designs actually work.

In the White

Picked out with neat panels of chequering on either side of the Schnabel forend and gently curved pistol grip the basic furniture technically isn’t at all bad. However where it gives slight cause for concern is that it’s almost bereft of the supposed oiled finish. Yes, you could apply stock oil which would actually bring out the rather nice grain or seal it and go for a lacquer, either option more than acceptable. But should you have to consider how to finish off the woodwork on a new shotgun? No, so come on Hatsan, we all know you can do far better than this!

Visually feeding from heavily stippled fences the gloss blacked barrels are chrome lined and proofed for steel and come complete with a full set of flush-fit multi-chokes and vented side rib and a parallel 8mm cross-cut top rib complete with a high visibility green bead and small brass mid-rib bead. Echoing the action and barrels, the top-lever, safety and trigger-guard repeat the dark hue of the tubes whilst the silvered trigger-blade is the only piece of true bright work the Silver Select actually exhibits.

Flat Out

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Looks as we know ain’t everything and whilst the Silver Select may not look to be the most beautiful over-under out there, where it and all Hatsans deliver is in placing lead where it’s needed, aided in no small way by the user friendly dimensions. Weighing a well balanced 8lbs 6oz that pivots an inch in front of the hinges, the 14” length of pull combined with drops at comb and heel of a slightly flatter than usual 1 7/16” and 2 1/4” make for a 12 bore that mounts well, instantly comes onto target, swings easily and is flat in attitude, a characteristic I much prefer in a sporting or game orientated shotgun.

If there is a slight negative it is the trigger weight. Breaking the gauge at a consistent 7lbs 1oz, it could be described as a tad on the heavy side although you do get used to what at first seems to be something of an initial heave for the first few shots. However, trigger weight and woodwork aside the Silver Select acquits itself extremely well. Loaded up with 28g Express Supremes and the challenge of Bond & Bywater’s evening thirty birder the Silver Select was on target from the off. Similarly, as the loads were enlarged to access the effectiveness, the deep recoil pad just ironed out the effect - no matter how large the cartridges.

Choke wise, even on the longest birds nothing more than ½ was required, subsequent patterning revealing that all the chokes were more or less true to designation, whilst the resulting spreads were even and well distributed at thirty yards and well beyond. Where the Silver Select does win out is that although its format means it’s primarily a clay shooter’s shotgun it will look more than at home on game. Likewise, its forgiving handling means that as a walked-up or rough shooter’s companion, its hardy nature and ability to deliver means the cooking pot certainly won’t go short.       

Mixed Emotions

If it wasn’t for the VAT hike along with erratic exchange rates the £970 asking price of the Silver Select might have been able to be kept to a more appealing level. As it is at just short of a grand its bordering could sway the balance when compared to the immediate competition. Likewise my small concerns of a slightly heavy trigger and, if the review gun was representative of the Silver Selects’ as a whole, the rather obvious fact that the finish of the woodwork needs to be addressed before the majority of UK shooters will consider buying the gun.

It wouldn’t take a lot to achieve an attractive and durable appearance even if it meant a coat of lacquer or a good application of stock oil, but whichever route Hatsan takes it needs to be done relatively quickly. Apart from that there’s basically nothing at all wrong with this Hatsan, the manufacturer’s usual traits of dependability and durability shining through as always. It does everything it’s meant to do in a business like fashion, is comfortable, efficient and pleasant to shoot over extended periods whilst the honeycomb recoil pad eliminates recoil from even the most powerful loads.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Name     Hatsan Escort Silver Select
Type       Double – Barrel
Calibre     12 – bore / 3”  Chamber
Action     Boxlock
Barrels     28 – inch multi – choke
Price       £970 srp
Contact   Edgar Brothers;01625 – 613177; www.edgarbrothers.com

 

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