Big game rifle, Hawken style

[dwarvenchef]

I'm going to be building a large bore big game rifle to fill out my hunting arms. It will be based on a pre 1840's Hawken with ether a 58 or 62 bore. As much as I really want to make this in a 62 I'm worried about supply in an emergency. From what I have seen 58 is WAY more common than the 62, but how much really when you think on it. Are shops carrying 58 at all or just as few as would carry 62?

I plan on moving back to AK... never wanted to leave the last time I lived there I really don't want to face a bull moose with a border line caliber :shocked2: Not to mention comming across a brown bear, happend once and we where lucky it was bored and left.

I'd love to hear from hunts that used these two cals and how they felt about the performance.

 

[nchawkeye]

Buy a mold...I haven't bought store bought balls in over 25 years or so, just no need...

Pre-1840, are you going with a flinter???

I'd also look at the Mark Silver that Jim Chambers offers...

 

[dwarvenchef]

No this one will be a perc, my squirrel rifle is going to be a flinty. I have another 45 that may just get converted to flinty, the barrel and hammer just don't line up at all, have to get messurments to see if I can go that way

I plan to get molds in all my Calibers. Have 6 molds so far but nothing that big lol.

 

[BrownBear]

I was perfectly content with my spread of 58's until I dropped in on a friend. He's building a 36" fullstock 62 cal flinter. Ah man, there goes my budget. I have no qualms about 58 doing anything it's needed for, but that 62 is just sweeter than sweet. I've got a GRRW 36" halfstock capper in 58, and it's sweeter than sweet, too, but...........

Fact of life on supplies, you'll be making your own in either caliber. Last time I looked, .570 balls up here were $19.95 for a box of 50. And it's a rare store that has them. Coincidentally that's what a LEE mold costs. No 62 balls in any store I've stopped in on the whole west coast, except The Gun Works in Oregon. You'll be ordering online or casting your own. No sweat.

 

[larry wv]

I have 3 58s and my next biggy size will be a .62. Very little around here for anything over .54. Have most things mailed in. Living in Alaska it would be the .62 for sure. Larry Wv

 

[BS]

DwarvenChef,

Bigger is Better!

Several suggestions!

Use less curve in the butt plate, and make it wider than the ones that come with kits. Also cheat a little bit on the drop of the heel. Use less drop.

I always wanted a big bore Hawken, till I found an English Sporting Rifle. Big wide butt plate, straight stock [2 1/2"s of drop] and they where made in larger bores, 14ga [.690] being very common.

I have always thought that a big game rifle should have a least a 400 grain ball.....

My 73 cal shoots a 550 grain round ball and weights 8#s. I prefer a lighter gun for hunting. They are carried way more than shot.

....and learn to cast your own balls. With Forsythe [narrow lands, wide groves]style rifling you can shoot hardened scrap lead.

Also try some Tapered Paper Patched Balls for super fast reloads. [hard or soft]

.....WIDE butt plate, LESS Curve.

Good Luck and Straight Shooting.

Bruce

Alaska is so Beautiful!

 

[dwarvenchef]

Thanks for the pointers My wife will kill me but I'm also going to assemble an outfit for it But that will have to wait till I am almost done putting it together.

I also started looking at other Hawken sets being made Saw this one and wondered if it may be a better next step up (kit wise) than a TotW kit. I've done many low end kits and this Hawken will be my first real rifle build.

Any thoughts on these two Hawken part guns?