Mike Hatfield uses his torch to solder a double barrel shotgun back together. Photo by Rhonda Newberry

Most days, you can find gunsmith Mike Hatfield honing his craft at Power and String Outfitters, a full-service firearm shop here in Wellington. He knows much more than your typical gunslinger, and he’s got the stories and experience to back it up.

From bluing a rifle to removing damaging rust, or completely fabricating new gun parts, Hatfield can do nearly anything that needs done to restore or repair any firearm.

“In my year and a half here, I’ve done more than 300 guns so far, about half of them being restorations,” said Hatfield. “Being able to work on one with no interruptions would be about a 30 day turnaround. With day to day operations and customers coming in, it takes longer.”

A graduate of Trinidad State College in Trinidad, Colorado, Hatfield has a degree of Applied Sciences in Gunsmithing. With less than six shops in the US doing similar work, he’s been kept busy since coming to Wellington.

To get a full restoration done on a firearm, you will need to get in line. Hatfield’s waiting list is currently about 5 months long. Doing high-quality, precision work like this takes time and he doesn’t cut corners. He is proud to present his customers with a “like-new” firearm once his work is done.

“He can do just about anything, really,” said Kip Etter, owner of Powder and String Outfitters. “You can bring in a rifle, shotgun, or handgun that’s sat in a closet or chicken coop and you want it operable again, he can do it.”

One of Hatfield’s latest projects is an 1863, 10-gauge Demascus barrel shotgun. A customer brought it in after another gunsmith rejected the task due to the amount of work it would take to repair it. Knowing Hatfield from gunsmithing school, that same gunsmith pointed the owner to Wellington in hopes that Hatfield could get it back to working condition.

This remarkable family heirloom can be traced back to an 1870 family photograph, putting decades of trust into Hatfield’s hands. “When it’s done, it’ll look brand new,” said Etter.

Already 150 hours into the project, Hatfield foresees putting in quite a few more hours. This particular challenge includes restoring a rotted stock, dealing with rusted solder, and repairing a broken trigger and hammer. Having been made in Belgium, there’s no finding spare parts for this firearm.

To address these issues, Hatfield is making all of the broken or missing parts himself. The stock will be crafted out of Missouri Black Walnut to replicate the original stock on the firearm.

When he’s finished, the 159 year old firearm will be operable again. Family members will be able to mark the occasion by posing for a new photo just as their ancestors did before them.

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