Hatsan Escort Magnum - Confusing Takedown Instructions

[millemigliadave]

Hi. I have just bought a used Hatsan Escort Magnum Semi Auto Shotgun, with their smart piston system that is intended to allow the gun to cycle a wide variety of loads. It seems in pretty good condition and as usual with any gun new to me, I set about disassembling it to give it a good clean and make sure I understand the stripdown process. Hatsan have the manuals online so all good - however there is a difference between the manual and my gun. The manual refers to the removal of a Barrel Locking Nut, which the picture shows being removed with a special tool. As there is no such locking nut, nor any tool other than the choke key with the gun, I at first assumed there was a part missing, however I can see that there is no place to attach such a lock nut. Neither the barrel or the mag tube have any thread other than the one for the screwed on cap on the end of the fore-end.

The importer seems to be Sportsman Gun Centre so I tried to call them, but there is no option for technical support.

Can anyone help enlighten me please? I can supply pics if needed.

Thanks, Dave

[Mattnall]

Not sure what manual you have but the one I have states:

Disassemble the shotgun as follows:
• With the bolt in the forward position unscrew (counter-clockwise) the fore-end cap. Remove the
fore-end cap from the magazine tube. (4)
• Grasp the barrel and remove it from the stock-receiver-magazine tube assembly. (27)
• With your fingers compress the bolt to align the two notches on the bolt where the cocking handle is
attached. Then with your other hand pull the bolt cocking handle and remove it from the bolt. (28)
** Bolt cocking handle is secret coded to prevent falling risk of it.
• Remove the rubber ‘O’ ring and gas piston out of the magazine tube by sliding them. (29)
• Slide the bolt and the action bar forwards and remove them from the magazine tube-receiver assembly.
While doing this be careful since the bolt may fall from the action bar.
Therefore keep the bolt up during this operation. (30)
• To remove the trigger assembly, first punch the two pins out with a hammer. (31)
Press the carrier downwards until the trigger assembly moves downwards and then pull the trigger
assembly downwards by means of trigger guard to remove it completely. (32)

Manual

My gun didn't have this nut and only had the end cap to keep it all together.
The Escort Extreme Max manual shows a valve nut and wrench which may be the one you're looking at.

[millemigliadave]

Thanks Matt; it is that nut and wrench - does yours have their 'smart piston' thing? My barrel has two 'loops' that fit over the mag tube, which hold a spring arrangement that is supposed to bleed off excess gas from hotter loads.. it looks like this:



Interestingly this illustration also doesn't show the threaded nut.

[Mattnall]

Sorry Dave, I should have explained better.
I still have the manual but the gun went a while back, it kept breaking the action bar. But it was a while back and it didn't have the smart piston and only one band round the mag tube.

My manual is the same as the one in the link above, the one for your gun may be the one below:
ExtremeMax MANUAL

The ExtremeMax does look more like the diagram you posted above, it has two loops around the mag tube. It shows a wrench and nut in the parts diagram and in the instructions but I never had any of that.

Sorry, but I have no idea whether it needs one or not.

[millemigliadave]

Thanks Matt - I've searched YouTube for a video but none show the barrel arrangement that I have. I've emailed Hatsan with the serial number so hopefully they can advise. There's certainly no second thread on the mag tube, so I'm sure that I am not missing anything.

Cheers, Dave

[millemigliadave]

Quick update: finally had time to test fire the gun yesterday, all works perfectly as-is so I am guessing that this is simply product 'evolution' that has not been accomodated in the detail of the user guide. Gun cycles very well even light 27g Hull SuperFast

[bradaz11]

looking at the link Mattnal posted plus your picture, the barrel fixing nut is part of that bleed system. on the image you posted, it is the part the two right most arrows are just pointing to the right of. it looks like it is a locking collar on that 'piston' part, that is how you remove / fit the spring. the thread is on the rest of the 'piston' part and the tool used looks to be a c wrench on the end of the choke key.