Revived Frederick Hadfield Guns Pass Field Test with Custom Engraving

Simon Hadfield, formerly of Hadfield Guns and Lakeside Sporting, has revived the historic Frederick Hadfield name, a Birmingham gunmaking mark dating to 1853, with new guns built and hand-engraved in Italy's Brescia region.

Snapshot

Shooting UK's Matt Kidd tested the Dambuster and Battle of Britain over-and-unders, both built on a Boss-style action, on a live pigeon and corvid flightline. The guns combine Birmingham heritage with Italian craftsmanship, and Simon Hadfield offers deep customization, from steel-proofed chokes to bespoke engraving reflecting an owner's own story.

Key points

• Heritage revival: Simon Hadfield acquired the dormant Frederick Hadfield name in 2023 after fielding calls from American owners of original guns, with no family connection to the original Whittall Street firm.
• Field performance: Kidd found both test guns opened and closed with precision, had firm ejectors, well-placed safety catches, and a comfortable palm swell, calling the handling "addictive."
• Personal engraving: Simon Hadfield uses AI-generated mockups to test designs before hand engraving, with commissions including family names, a grandfather's fishing days, and a dairy farmer's prize bull on the sideplate.
• Steel shot ready: Every gun is built for non-toxic loads, with tighter steel-proofed chokes in development for Guns who want them.
• Range and pricing: Six models span 12-bore to .410, currently retailing around £15,000 and up, with a more affordable FH25 model in development, priced above a Beretta Silver Pigeon but below a DT11.

Quick take

For keepers or shoot owners considering a gun for life, Kidd's hands-on time suggests these aren't just showpieces: colleague Jack accounted for genuinely long birds with them. Kidd himself says he'd own one, drawn as much to the handling as to the chance of putting something personal into the engraving.

Read the full story: shootinguk.co.uk