doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hatfield-Valier

Cruising the internet this morning I notice Cabelas has dropped the price on 20 bore Valiers a bunch.Then I ran onto the Hatfield site and guess what? The "London" looks like a Kimber Valier, but for even less money. Says "made in the same factory as Valier" AND! Has a link on the Hatfield site to Kimber??? Wassup with all that? Does any one know anyone who has actually boyght one these?

I believe there was a post last year by a fellow whose wife had bought him a new Kimber. There were several issues with the gun. I think it was sent back for repair. I can't remember how it turned out.

The original Hatfield company built some nice American boxlocks, and no longer exists.

This is a newer Hatfield company which is run by Neil Oldridge of Sagle, ID which builds their guns in Huglu, Turkey. Most of these are very high quality SXS 7-pin sidelocks, a batch of which were made-up about five years ago in 20 ga. to shop around on the market, and see what sort of partnerships could evolve for further production. Kimber bit, and became the principle US distributor of the guns, with their name added to these as well as now O/U and 12 ga. configurations.

Mr. Oldridge is quite a gentleman, knows his guns (did a prior career at Remington), and apparently has held on to some portion of the production for sale under solely the Hatfield name. There were also some 2000 vintage Hatfield-marked boxlocks also made in Turkey, which most resemble the current CZ Bobwhite line. These are somewhat entry grade guns, though sometimes fitted with fabulous Turkish wood... I formerly owned one in 28 ga.

I would like to own one of the SXS sidelocks someday. I've heard rumor that a handfull exist in 16 ga. That's the one I would buy!

Grouse Guy wrote "I've heard rumor that a handfull exist in 16 ga. That's the one I would buy!"

A local gunshop here had the sixteen ga. sidelock SxS and I really liked it. Crosnoe had the same gun (Hatfield 16ga SxS sidelock) a few weeks ago but when I got around to calling on it he had just sold it.

Best,

Mike

Grouse Guy, I've heard much the same story you posted. As for the drop in price on the Valiers, they simply haven't been selling. Why? Well, when the Turks haven't yet established a track record for guns in that price range, why would someone spend more on a Turkish sidelock than something like an AyA #2?

And the original Hatfield doubles weren't really American-made. They were built using Italian actions and barrels, then stocked with curly maple at the old Hatfield operation down in Missouri--same company that made black powder rifles.

Hatfield Rifle Works of St. Joseph Missouri!! Their long rifles, more like the typical Southern 'Poor Boys" rifle hit a market starved for muzzleloaders back in the late 70's and early 80's. Hatfield's signature was a premium curly maple stock stained a deep rich red. They imported the barrels, locks and triggers from an Italian firm, David Pedersoli, which were then stocked in their factory. In 1986, they imported parts for a double barreled boxlock in which they stocked in their signature deep red stained curly maple. It was unusual to see a double barrel stocked liked that and you see them sometimes on the internet sites selling for around $2,000.
Their long rifle design was flawed using two screws to bolt the barrel down as oppose to a wedge or pins, which is a much stronger design. But, people loved them and bought them up plus the Pedersoli barrels were excellent round ball shooters, a bit temperamental, but what rifle isn't!!!
Hatfield Rifle Works went out of business sometime in the 90's, and with it their shotgun and their rifle. This new company using the Hatfield name, I don't think Ted Hatfield is involved anymore, is importing a new shotgun how good or dependable it is I don't know.
All the best

The mouth of the horse says, The Hatfield SIDELOCK is the same gun as the Kimber Valier, and is NOT sold in the USof A. The few that are here, Crosnoe has a couple, are guns which were made for a European show and not taken over. Kimber has the exclusive on the Valier/Hatfield in this country. The horses mouth also said that a few have drifted in or have been sold as "Floor Samples"......

I don't think curly maple worked out too well on shotguns. I had a 20/28ga 2-barrel set, original Hatfield boxlock. Cracked behind the top tang. Sent it back. They fixed it, it cracked again. Don't know how it worked on black powder rifles.

I shot a Hatfield field grade heavily for about 10 years when I lived in South Texas and I put several thousand rounds of hunting loads through it. Fast and furious white wing and morning dove hunting, meant hot barrels on hot days. The shotgun never failed to function as it should. After about 5 years of heavy use my shotgun's tang chipped a small bit of wood out behind the top tang, I glued it back in and it went another 4 years or so, then I lost that bit and continued to shoot it some. Last year I gave that much used shotgun to my youngest daughter, so it is now on its second owner.

The hardware on this generation of Hatfield shotgun, as I understood it at the time, was made in Italy. I don't know who the "true manufacturer" was, but the final finishing and the wood was all done in St. Joe. Mo. (my home town). I think the wood was originally purchased to put on the Hatfield black powder rifles (where pressures were low) and was fairly highly graded maple and for some reason I think much of the wood may have been left over from the stock blanks that were used to make the black powder rifles (and simply too good to throw out).

The action on the field grade shotgun only improved with use (it was arguably too tight when new, but smoothed out to perfection and remains very tight to this day). But based on my experience, I do question the use of maple on a light 20ga.

Below are photos of a gun that has been in our family since new (late 1980s') and I decided to put in my rotation last year. These older guns have nothing in common with the new Turkish made shotguns.

Boy, that is sure a good looking gun !

Perhaps, no relation, but I recently purchased a new 12 ga. O/U Stevens 512 Gold Wing.....made by the Hatfield Gun Co., Torun, Turkey. It has proven to be a great shooter for Pheasants and Canada Geese here in Western Minnesota. I like it alot, however, a bit heavy @ 7-1/2 lbs. Hope it will work for skeet, also.
John