I was looking for a new semi-auto shotgun recently and searched and researched for a little over a month. Looking at gas operated vs. recoil vs. inertia vs. hybrid.
Lot's of choices and I really didn't restrict myself to any one price range. If I found something that I thought would fit the desire and it cost $1000 I would take it and be happy. But I also didn't restrict myself in the opposite direction either. If the gun was low cost but fit the requirements I would buy it and be happy as well.
After a month of searching and deciding what I wanted. I decided to look for a hybrid system.
First because I didn't want a full gas system due to increased maintenance and likely needing to swap out gas seals for different level shotgun loads.
For example several semi-autos both big names and cheapies require that only High brass be used for a break-in period. Some even come with two different gas seals for use with different
loads. Etc...
Not that this is a bad thing, many very nice and very reliable guns come this way. And have served users for many years of trouble free service. But I didn't want a full gas gun.
Some would say, well then buy an inertia gun!
And that would be fine except for one tiny issue that all inertia guns tend to have, They don't tend to like and function well with light loads. They work great with standard or heavy loads but tend to have issues with light loads and particularly if you fire from the hip.
This is the exact reason that the US Marine corps rejected full inertia guns when choosing a shotgun a few years ago. They ultimately chose a hybrid system that uses a gas piston to unlock the action and inertia to reload. Their M4 by Benelli was the first hybrid inertia gun adopted by any armed forces.
With that in mind I went on a search for just such a hybrid system in a semi-auto shotgun.
And there are several of them out there. But they are either made by Benelli/Beretta/Stoeger or they are made in Turkey under brand names we are totally unfamiliar with.
By the way guns like I am describing with the hybrid action are pretty common in Europe. And are sold under a myriad of brand names. Mossberg International even sells several models. CZ, Wetherby, and several other brands that you might recognize sell some versions of these hybrid guns.
But I found one of those hidden "gems" in a showcase in the local WalMart. It is the Hatfield SAS-12. That was on sale recently for the grand price of $198.
Now this gun has been out for several years now. And most of the reviews you find on Youtube and in magazines deal with 1st generation versions of this gun. It had issues early on and it took a couple of years to get the issues fixed. But the ones in stores now are (4th.) generation. They have a non adjustable gas assist system which is actually and automatic self adjusting system. They have improved the forearm which early models had issues with cracking when fired with heavy loads.
And they have greatly improved the metal finish since the early models.
The Guns are made in Turkey by Hatsan. Which makes the Mossberg, the CZ, and the Weatherby guns being sold. And they are a modern well machined and well made guns.
They come with chrome-lined bores. Three choke tubes, (Beretta pattern choke tubes by the way) and they have very nice REAL Walnut stock and forearms. They can hold two rounds with the plug in place or four with it removed.
They chamber and fire 2 3/4 or 3" shells.
If you want to extend the magazine, you need only to buy an extension fr the Benelli M4 shotgun and it goes on the Hatfield and works perfectly.
Here is a picture from the internet;
I have had mine for a while now and it has performed perfectly. I have had no failures of any kind with loads from the lightest field loads to the heaviest Turkey and Buckshot loads.
It will cycle and fire 2 3/4 and 3" rounds like a champ.
But best of all, this gun will pattern with the full choke better than ANY shotgun I have ever owned. That includes everything from H&R single barrels to Browning Superposed. The Modified choke is closer to an Imp. Modified. And the Cyl. choke is about normal.
For just over $200 out the door, I am very satisfied with this shotgun.
Lot's of choices and I really didn't restrict myself to any one price range. If I found something that I thought would fit the desire and it cost $1000 I would take it and be happy. But I also didn't restrict myself in the opposite direction either. If the gun was low cost but fit the requirements I would buy it and be happy as well.
After a month of searching and deciding what I wanted. I decided to look for a hybrid system.
First because I didn't want a full gas system due to increased maintenance and likely needing to swap out gas seals for different level shotgun loads.
For example several semi-autos both big names and cheapies require that only High brass be used for a break-in period. Some even come with two different gas seals for use with different
loads. Etc...
Not that this is a bad thing, many very nice and very reliable guns come this way. And have served users for many years of trouble free service. But I didn't want a full gas gun.
Some would say, well then buy an inertia gun!
And that would be fine except for one tiny issue that all inertia guns tend to have, They don't tend to like and function well with light loads. They work great with standard or heavy loads but tend to have issues with light loads and particularly if you fire from the hip.
This is the exact reason that the US Marine corps rejected full inertia guns when choosing a shotgun a few years ago. They ultimately chose a hybrid system that uses a gas piston to unlock the action and inertia to reload. Their M4 by Benelli was the first hybrid inertia gun adopted by any armed forces.
With that in mind I went on a search for just such a hybrid system in a semi-auto shotgun.
And there are several of them out there. But they are either made by Benelli/Beretta/Stoeger or they are made in Turkey under brand names we are totally unfamiliar with.
By the way guns like I am describing with the hybrid action are pretty common in Europe. And are sold under a myriad of brand names. Mossberg International even sells several models. CZ, Wetherby, and several other brands that you might recognize sell some versions of these hybrid guns.
But I found one of those hidden "gems" in a showcase in the local WalMart. It is the Hatfield SAS-12. That was on sale recently for the grand price of $198.
Now this gun has been out for several years now. And most of the reviews you find on Youtube and in magazines deal with 1st generation versions of this gun. It had issues early on and it took a couple of years to get the issues fixed. But the ones in stores now are (4th.) generation. They have a non adjustable gas assist system which is actually and automatic self adjusting system. They have improved the forearm which early models had issues with cracking when fired with heavy loads.
And they have greatly improved the metal finish since the early models.
The Guns are made in Turkey by Hatsan. Which makes the Mossberg, the CZ, and the Weatherby guns being sold. And they are a modern well machined and well made guns.
They come with chrome-lined bores. Three choke tubes, (Beretta pattern choke tubes by the way) and they have very nice REAL Walnut stock and forearms. They can hold two rounds with the plug in place or four with it removed.
They chamber and fire 2 3/4 or 3" shells.
If you want to extend the magazine, you need only to buy an extension fr the Benelli M4 shotgun and it goes on the Hatfield and works perfectly.
Here is a picture from the internet;
I have had mine for a while now and it has performed perfectly. I have had no failures of any kind with loads from the lightest field loads to the heaviest Turkey and Buckshot loads.
It will cycle and fire 2 3/4 and 3" rounds like a champ.
But best of all, this gun will pattern with the full choke better than ANY shotgun I have ever owned. That includes everything from H&R single barrels to Browning Superposed. The Modified choke is closer to an Imp. Modified. And the Cyl. choke is about normal.
For just over $200 out the door, I am very satisfied with this shotgun.
