Barrel Browning

Just saw your post. I don't know if you got any answer, but I have two books on the Hawken Rifle by a guy named Bar- something or other, I bought about 20 years ago. I will dig them out and see if they have any information.

From what I recall though, I thought there has been some controversy over whether or not early Hawken Riffles were flintlock, and I thought most early Hawkins were full-stock. I built a full-stock Hawkin flintlock, .54 caliber someyears ago with a curly maple stock. I recall though that most is not all Hawkens were stocked in walnut or plain grain maple. I browned the barrel.

 

[garypl]

I think you are thinking about John Baird - he used to publish a buckskinners magazine and published 2 books on Hawken rifles - "15 Years in the Hawken Lode" and another one that I have down in my bookcase but can't remember off the top of my head. They are good books for the Hawken Rifle enthusiast.

I have a question about a browning solution. I bought a bottle of Mike Tocci's "Best Brown" in late 1970's. I just used the last of it up building a rifle for my son. It does a great job of creating a deep brown finish. Does anyone know if this is still available anywhere? Mike Tocci was based out of Ohio when I bought the solution, but the phone number I have is disconnected. Appreciate any information you can provide.

 

[tg]

Unfortunately the Hawkin shop records were destroyed, when we talk of "Hawkins" we must recall that the family had several gun makers from the 1770's onward from Maryland to St. Louis and the half stock gun was well established rather early in the 19th century, (1803 Harpers Ferry rifle) I think there are few absolutes we can claim do to lack of records of the fur trade era Hawkin guns out of St. Louis.

 

[Randy]

FYI
The other book by John Baird is "Hawken Rifles,The Mountainman's Choice" For a look at what is left of the Hawken Shoppe records get your hands on Charles Hanson jr's book " The Hawken Rifle: It's Place in History" They didn't make many flintlock or fullstock rifles, but some do still exist.

Horse Dr.