Dave-
Thanks for the kind words. As Americans, I think everyone of us wish the things we value were made here. If more of us were willing or able to express that desire at the cash register, I am sure we would find those things manufactured here.
While I can't speak to the new Hatfield/Kimber product, I can speak to the quality of the old, and I think it was very good. My field grade (now my 15 year old's shotgun) after nearly 20 years of use (and 10 years of heavy use) but no abuse has held up very well. The case colors and blue are still very much alive and well and the stock finish has held up very well. However, having shot nothing but heavy game loads through it, I did manage to chip a small bit of wood right behind the tang. Mechanically, it has been faultless.
As for the graded one, while it has been in our family for years since new (my father made a gift of that shotgun to me about six years ago), I have only recently put that into my rotation. For years it was stored as "too pretty to shoot" and it came to me unfired. However, four months ago I decided to use it (life is short and why keep it new for someone else to enjoy...it is my shotgun, at least for now, right?)
The old Hatfield product had a lot of work done in the US and I think done by Ted Hatfield.
Here is a 1990 magazine article on Ted Hatfield that dicusses those early guns and all the work that went into them(among other things you may find of interest):
http://www.inc.com/magazine/19901001/5391.html
