which gun? investarm hawken carbine?

i am looking to get my wife the smallest lightest percussion carbine type rifle i can find in at least 40 cal. what i found is an investarm hawken carbine in 45. it is 41 in. long with a 24in barrel at 7.1 pounds. does anyone have one of these rifles i can get some info on from your experience or know of a better one?

I don't think you'll go wrong with that gun.

olskool said:

i am looking to get my wife the smallest lightest percussion carbine type rifle i can find in at least 40 cal. what i found is an investarm hawken carbine in 45. it is 41 in. long with a 24in barrel at 7.1 pounds. does anyone have one of these rifles i can get some info on from your experience or know of a better one?

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I’ve got the Cabela’s version in 50 caliber. A little lighter than a 45 and it has a fast twist, but an easy to shoot gun. It was used as a ‘guest’ or spare gun for years.

Personally, prefer a TC White Mountain Carbine for a light easy to handle rifle in 50 caliber. If you are going for the lightest percussion carbine type gun in 45 caliber, consider a TC Cherokee.

Your main issue with any of the above guns may be their LOP, all being about 13-1/2”. You may want to figure out what size stock works first, then go from there.

My wife uses a traditions deerhunter in 50 and it weighs 6.3 pounds and is pretty short.
Has great sights a surprisingly good trigger and lock and shoots well.

I have an investarm Bridger Hawken, essentially the same as the carbine except it has a 28” barrel vs 24”. As far as the gun goes it’s great, very accurate and not powder picky. The 15/16” barrel is heavy in a 45. I have a 45 cal TC Cherokee that is very light and would probably suit a female great. It is also very accurate. It’s kinda small for me though, I’ve been thinking of letting it go.

Gtrubicon said:

I have an investarm Bridger Hawken, essentially the same as the carbine except it has a 28” barrel vs 24”. As far as the gun goes it’s great, very accurate and not powder picky. The 15/16” barrel is heavy in a 45. I have a 45 cal TC Cherokee that is very light and would probably suit a female great. It is also very accurate. It’s kinda small for me though, I’ve been thinking of letting it go.

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How do you think it would fit a 5’2” 100-105# female whose “fat” clothes are a size 4? She’s tiny, but wants to try a front stuffer. My smallest rifle is a TC Hawken .50, as factory issued. Kinda big for her…

SeaBee133 said:

How do you think it would fit a 5’2” 100-105# female whose “fat” clothes are a size 4? She’s tiny, but wants to try a front stuffer. My smallest rifle is a TC Hawken .50, as factory issued. Kinda big for her…

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How well a gun will fit someone, at least in my opinion, starts with the correct LOP (length of pull). Smaller stature folks (many women and younger people for example) typically need a shorter length of pull as they simply have shorter arms. TC (and others) made some smaller and lighter guns, but they were smaller and lighter guns made for the average adult male with a LOP around 13-1/2”.

For an approximation of what will fit, measure from the crook of arm (inside of the elbow) to the index or trigger finger while it is in the position to pull a trigger. If the a gun’s LOP is much longer than that distance, probably not a good fit, as many don’t care for having a long reach for the trigger. A little shorter LOP usually isn’t an issue. An extreme example would be a small child having to tuck the stock under their armpit because they can’t reach the trigger if the stock is positioned on their shoulder.

Might want to go to a gun store and see what fits and feels right.

Plus 3 on the Cherokee. Mine has a 28 inch .40 barrel in it and, I think, it is the lightest rifle I own. Deadly accurate and easy to carry all day. If you're into projects you can always make a mild custom rifle. Pick any rifle you want, adjust the LOP to the right length, and shorten the barrel too if ya want. Saw a guy on YouTube do this and he filed the barrel to round from the end of the forearm out. The channel is Ramshackle Homestead or something like that. Took a really inexpensive gun and made it a really nice looking youth/smaller folks gun. I've done several "custom" mods like that but have never made the barrel half round. That and taking a few inches off should get it really light. And all those production guns generally have enough extra fat to thin the wood out quite a bit as well. Just an idea...

SeaBee133 said:

How do you think it would fit a 5’2” 100-105# female whose “fat” clothes are a size 4? She’s tiny, but wants to try a front stuffer. My smallest rifle is a TC Hawken .50, as factory issued. Kinda big for her…

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I’d have to guess a Cherokee would fit her, especially if your hawken is to big for her. It just depends though, I know I’m picky about the feel of a rifle.

If you can find one, I recommend a Traditions Tennessee rifle. Comes in .50 cal. 24" barrel and only 6lbs. They are out of production but come up for sale every now and then.

Have you considered the Pedersoli Scout Carbine? The shortened down version of the Pedersoli Kentucky/Pennsylvania rifle. Think they are about 6-7 pounds.

olskool said:

i am looking to get my wife the smallest lightest percussion carbine type rifle i can find in at least 40 cal. what i found is an investarm hawken carbine in 45. it is 41 in. long with a 24in barrel at 7.1 pounds. does anyone have one of these rifles i can get some info on from your experience or know of a better one?

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go with a old CVA frontier or a traditions deer hunter in 50 cal all of my kids have shot multiple deer with them 70 grains of 3f 490 round ball dead deer out to 75-100 yards