It all depends on how the locks are made, but if he made them, he could control the tolerance for his inlet in the stock. Otherwise, he might have to open up the inlet in order to accommodate the variance in one lock to another.
Contacted Kibler about Hawkins rifle.
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Uncle Miltie
50 Cal.
Don't hold your breath waiting for a percussion kit from Mr. Kibler.....
Yall complaining about an extra two pounds making the rifle unusable are embarrassing to me as a shooter and a proponent of the hobby/sport.
And the Men that used and carried these guns across thousands of miles of wilderness averaged 5’10 and 170 pounds…at best. The Nancy’s complaining about the weight of an actual reproduction should maybe find another dress-up hobby like Cowboy Action Shooting.
Why buy the gun if it’s just another watered down, sort of looks like a historical gun? Just enjoy your TC “Hawkins” and call it a day.
And the Men that used and carried these guns across thousands of miles of wilderness averaged 5’10 and 170 pounds…at best. The Nancy’s complaining about the weight of an actual reproduction should maybe find another dress-up hobby like Cowboy Action Shooting.
Why buy the gun if it’s just another watered down, sort of looks like a historical gun? Just enjoy your TC “Hawkins” and call it a day.
That's funny, Kibler hates my bank account...
They also had a horse to ride on and rest the rifle on. So a heavy rifle would be easy to carry if you just hunt out of your 4W drive truck or sxs vehicle but F&G frowns on that today.
Banjoman
Hillbilly
I wondered about that myself. If I was gonna get an authentic reproduction of a Hawken, I’d want it to weigh as much as an original. I have a Thompson Center ‘Hawken’ and even though it’s a good gun, I always regretted that it’s not very authentic including being too light.
Well, $h!t fire and save the matches, why stop there? Add a few more on, Tarzan. 14-15 pounds sound good to you? 20 better? I'll bet you walk around squirrel hunting with a chunk gun, and eat 'em raw with the fur on 'em. Just kidding, don't get mad
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I still hump a Shiloh Sharps around at my age (74), but my truck is parked about 200 yards away in the brush.
My custom Hawken weighs 10 lbs.I can only dream about steel furniture, no fancy patchbox that would be a one of a kind in my area.
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Might cut against the grain for some, but a J&S fullstock would be a way to keep weight down a bit, and provide something unique in the marketplace. I have a Don Stith J&S parts set. I don’t believe it was copied fro a single rifle, but Don knew his stuff, so I believe it is good from a historical perspective.
The 36” 54 cal barrel is tapered from 1” to 7/8”. I still haven’t finished assembling it, but with the barrel in place, it feels nice and light (probably <9 lbs) with perfect balance. Though there are fewer around, theJ&S rifles weren’t standardized the way later halfstocks were, so Jim Kibler would have a bit more room for interpretation.
The 36” 54 cal barrel is tapered from 1” to 7/8”. I still haven’t finished assembling it, but with the barrel in place, it feels nice and light (probably <9 lbs) with perfect balance. Though there are fewer around, theJ&S rifles weren’t standardized the way later halfstocks were, so Jim Kibler would have a bit more room for interpretation.
What planet are you from??
Mike in FL
50 Cal.
When Jim offers a Hawken kit, you can bet it will be authentic in form and function and appearance. It will be percussion. The barrel will be at least 34" and at least 1" across the flats. It will not be like the lightweight easy-carrying rifles that is about all we've known since 1970. It will be HEAVY, 10 -14 pounds, maybe more. Mountain Men used round balls and they had to be pushed very hard by lots of powder. They were survivors more than hunters. The whitetail we take now need very little killing compared to muledeer, elk, and big bears. A real Hawken is a MAN'S rifle, and they were carried all day long by strong and determined men who didn't whine at a 15lb. rifle. We might buy the kit and produce some gorgeous big bore guns, nice to have and display and admire, but come deer season we will likely head out with a Woodsrunner the same caliber as the Kibler Hawken, or a T/C with a sling, or even a fouler loaded with ball, but not Jim's Hawken. We haven't lived outside for months at a time nor during a Rocky Mountain winter, working, moving across ridges carrying lots of gear plus a real Hawken. We might play at it with our trucks and chain saws and Gortex underwear, not handmade moccasin but instead waterproof boots made for comfort with soles for firm gripping. We can imagine trekking through the 17th and 18th Centuries, but we don't get too many steps away from our cellphones, GPS devices, canned and freeze dried nourishment, and prescription medicines. We ain't Jim Bridger ever going to do or face the trials he dealt with daily. Neither he nor anyone alive then ever thought of themselves as engaging in sports or hobbies. About all we have in common with those rugged hunters, scouts, and trappers is a love for the high mountains and all they contain.
BTW, all that from a bored fellow stuck in a wheel chair for a few more weeks, a disgruntled old coot who will miss hunting season altogether due to a spine out of kilter and pinched nerves screaming for relief. "Better days ahead," I hear from doctors and friends; so forgive my ramblings and scrambled thoughts as I gaze upon the ducks and waiting birds just outside my window and wish I could be one of them. At least until the first of the year.
BTW, all that from a bored fellow stuck in a wheel chair for a few more weeks, a disgruntled old coot who will miss hunting season altogether due to a spine out of kilter and pinched nerves screaming for relief. "Better days ahead," I hear from doctors and friends; so forgive my ramblings and scrambled thoughts as I gaze upon the ducks and waiting birds just outside my window and wish I could be one of them. At least until the first of the year.
Lots of men walked a long way carrying their rifles. It wasnt even uncommon for it to happen.
Who was it that walked, in the dead of winter, from Utah through South Pass and across the plains to St Louis?
They were better men than me. But I won’t live up to them by watering down the challenge.
Get well, Sir! Have someone drive you to where you can see those Shinin’ Mountains!
You're crazy to think I wouldn't drag that 10-15 pound rifle to the woods with me after paying that much $ and putting the time into finishing and assembling the thing! Said all in good fun, not being serious.
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Really?
Is it in your nature to be so rude?
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He would no doubt adjust his CNC cutting to match the available locks. He tweaks everything "his own self"!
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Didn't know he was making his own! Amazing engineer and craftsman! And, he's right here in good ol' USA!!
