Hatsan Raider 24S1

When I was much younger and a devotee of PSG (practical shotgun) guns were pretty simple, just mainly sporting pump-actions and semiautos with extended magazines. Things did not get much more technical, though occasionally designs like Franchi’s SPAS 12 with its combined pump and semi action came along. Ammunition capacity would seem to be the main criteria in this high round count, action sport, but in truth it was more about how fast you could reload those big 10-round tube mags!

Flash in the pan

A survey showed that unless you were a fanatic topper up, the average hi-cap shotgun would have between 3 and 5 rounds in it at any one time. Tantalising reports indicated that detachable box magazines were going to be the next big thing. Well yes and no, Franchi’s SPAS 15 appeared running on 5-round mags, but they were expensive, not readily available and more of a curiosity! PSG settled down and top semi-auto guns were either Remy 1100 or 1187s with big mags or the Benelli M1, which was hi-cap as standard.

Probably the first successful production box mag gun was the Russian, Saiga 12; essentially a 12-bore AK47 followed by the more refined Molot Vipr. Then the damn burst with the introduction of the AKDAL 1919, which was configured like an AR15 though used a standard gas/piston action. Surprisingly cheap and reasonably reliable they were the well spring of a series of near identical guns all made in Turkey. And it seemed you couldn’t turn around without tripping over the latest AR15 12-bore.

 

Hatsan

So where was Hatsan in this mini arms race? This Turkish manufacturer was one of the first in the UK; imported then as now by Edgar Brothers. Their real claim to fame was the Escort semi-auto, based loosely on the old Beretta 300 series of guns. Well priced and reliable, they sold in droves and proved popular for sporting use and PSG with a bigger magazine.

Hatsan were also producing the Escort for police/military use too as the MPA and Edgar’s, seeing the opportunity, had them made with the mandatory, UK-legal 24” barrel and fixed butt for PSG-type shooting. The build was perfect with a synthetic pistol grip butt with space for storing two extra (JIC) shells and a long forend with Picatinny rail. Adjustable iron sight with dayglo inserts were fitted along with another Picatinny base for optical mounting. Mag capacity was 7+1 with a 3” Magnum chamber. The barrel came with a set of chokes, but you could also get a muzzle brake.

But Hatsan was missing out, as the wave of new box mag guns seemed to offer everything over the now more old-school tube mag systems. Late last year they announced their entry into this mini arms race with their Escort Raider.

 

Surprised

Given all the AR15 shotguns are Turkishmade, I was initially surprised that Hatsan did not offer their own contribution. Instead, they retained the Escort MPA layout but with a new receiver that incorporated a magazine well. However, this bold move does make the Raider stand out and gives another choice to those who don’t like the AR look; are they mad? Plus, pretty much everything else was standard MPA, so less development hassle.

Operation is by a gas/piston system with a self-regulating valve (smart valve piston) that allows the gun to function over a wide range of cartridge types. The return spring is wrapped around what would be the mag tube on the MPA, but simply acts as a guide rod for the operating system. Controls are a tad different and consist of the usual cross bolt safety at the rear of the trigger guard; push left to FIRE and reverse for SAFE.

Forward left on the receiver is the manual hold open/bolt release lever that pushes up and down, with the action automatically holding open after the last round has fired. On the right, at the front of the trigger guard, is the magazine release lever, which is nicely positioned for operation by the trigger finger. The cocking handle is large and extended, just what’s required on a practical gun! Forward right of the ejection port is a small catch that doesn’t seem to do anything, in fact it’s the release for the feed ramp. Pressing it in you can lift the ramp out of the way so you can remove/insert the bolt.

The black synthetic furniture is as the MPA, with a slim recoil pad and a rubber pistol grip, there are also shims included to adjust the butt angle as required. The forend is long, deep with a bit of belly and gripping slots and a Picatinny base at 6 o’clock. Annoyingly, there’s no way of fitting a sling, something I always considered an essential for a practical gun. The 24”, multi-choke barrel has a 3” chamber and is chrome-lined, 5-chokes are included. Sights consist of a ramped, red fibre optic-tipped, protected blade up front and an adjustable ghost ring at the rear with green inserts. The Picatinny base offers a 5 ½” rail and most unusual is a large, removable carry handle, which does look a bit odd.

 

Big boxer

The Raider is not overly heavy at 9 lbs unloaded and with most of the weight towards the rear it mounts and handles handily enough. It’s available in two calibres, the 12-gauge version on test (Escort Raider) and surprisingly a 20-gauge too (Escort Raider 20) which drops the weight to 8 lbs. Nice calibre, but price-wise the 12 works out cheaper on ammo. Though Hatsan’s’ website shows 2, 5, 7 and 10-round magazine options, Edgars are only bringing in the 5 and 10-shot clips, with 1x5-rounder coming with the gun.

Stripping is reasonably straight-forward: unscrew the end cap and pull the forend off, open the action a little until the piston clears the underside of the barrel, then pull it forward and off. Then remove the O-ring and piston off the tube. With the mag well uppermost, press the feed ramp catch and lift the block upwards until it stops. This will allow the bolt to move forward a bit; in this position, push it back a little until you can pull the cocking handle out. There’s a little key on the handle, which needs jiggling to get it in the right position. With that out, the bolt/carrier assembly and action rods pull out of the receiver. Please note, the feed ramp block must be in the open/UP position when stripping and assembling!

 

Load up

Unlike every other box mag gun, I have tested, the magazines fill easily to full capacity, not such a problem on the 5-rounder but always on the ten. This usually requires running the 10s at lower capacity until the spring eases up. However, the Raiders are good to go from the off! The five slips in and locks easily, but the larger ten needs a good smack on its butt to get it to engage fully. Equally, they both need pulling out when empty, but saying that, after a bit of use, these started to smooth up offering much easier insertion and removal.

In use, I did notice that when changing mags from a closed bolt position the compressed spring must be overcome to ensure full engagement and locking, as the top round is being resisted by the underside of the bolt carrier.

I ran a selection of rounds through the Raider, from light 28-gram clay busters to 35-gram heavy #4s, plus buckshot and S&B rifled slug. It proved a tad fussy with these last two, showing the occasional stove pipe and double feed, but ran fine with the smaller shot sizes. But for most PSG-type shooting the latter weights are ideal. But overall the gun is a good un’, it handles nicely, and controls are well to hand and well positioned, very much like an AR15’s, ably illustrated by the bolt release and mag lever.

 

On reflection

As an old PSG shooter, who retired long before the box mag guns came in, I do have some observations. Detachable magazine guns offer both good and bad points. Reloads are quicker, but you will need several spares for longer courses of fire. For example, a 50-target jungle run would need six 10-rounders to be safe, which translates into an out lay of around £300. Topping them up with loose ammo on a course of fire is not really an option either. Plus, they are big and heavy to carry and not to be lost. I also find the 10s overly long and cumbersome, though giving the firepower edge, I reckon a 7-shot strikes a better balance between weight and capacity!