New shooter looking at buying a hatfield flintlock

[Wyomingmountainshooter]

so I have the opertunity to buy what the seller claims is an early curly maple hatfield 45 caliber flintlock. He also including a percussion lock. The flintlock is marked hatfield and the top of the barrel is marked hatfield. He says its an early one before they started using Italian parts. Is this a good rifle at 900 bucks. Im a 23 year old dad so money is not always there so I want to spend my money right. Ill be mostly target shooting at my muzzleloader club and maybe alittle reenacting and deer hunting

 

[Zonie]

That rifle has an interesting stock on it and it might be maple, but I don't think it is really curly maple.

Curly wood usually has pronounced stripes on it like these.

I seem to remember that finding parts for the older Hatfield rifle locks can be a problem. Maybe someone else can tell me if this is true?

 

[hawkeye2]

It looks like birdseye maple but the stain doesn't seem to highlight it well and the photos are a little out of focus.

 

[Wyomingmountainshooter]

That rifle has an interesting stock on it and it might be maple, but I don't think it is really curly maple.

Curly wood usually has pronounced stripes on it like these.

View attachment 43290

I seem to remember that finding parts for the older Hatfield rifle locks can be a problem. Maybe someone else can tell me if this is true?

I found that L&R makes a nice lock for these hatfields

 

[Semisane]

Wyomingmountainshooter, I'm fairly sure that one was made by Pedersoli using wood and some components supplied to them by the late Hatfield company.

I have two Hatfields, a .50 caplock made by the early Hatfield company and a .45 flintlock produced by Pedersoli. They are almost identical with a few telling differences. The early Hatfields don not have the "For Blackpowder Only" mark on the side of the barrel, and the sights on the early Hatfields are different from the ones used by Pedersoli.

On way to tell for sure is to ask the seller to send you a picture of the bottom barrel flat at the breech end. The Pedersoli model will have proof house stamps. The early Hatfields do not.

Here's a picture of the rear sight on my early Hatfield .50 caplock.

Here's the rear sight that was on the Pedersoli .45 flinter before I took it off to add a peep sight.

Here are some pictures of the .45 made by Pedersoli.

Regardless, the quality of my Pedersoli model is excellent. It's a great shooters and the lock is a very good sparker. So don't be turned off If the one you are looking at was made by Pedersoli. In my opinion that price is not out of line, especially since it comes with both a cap lock and a flint lock. I wouldn't let mine go for anything less than that (and it has only the flint lock).