cabela's traditional hawken percussion rifle

[ginoe]

cabela's traditional hawken percussion rifle - right hand
Item:UJ-210042
$369.99

online order for in-store pickup at the nearest cableas, which is a 266mi/5hr round-trip drive.

picked up the rifle today only to be disappointed, the escutcheon wedge was missing from the package. cabelas could not help me.

i was lucky to know dixon's muzzleloading shop was only 15mi/20min away, they had the missing part i needed.

otherwise it is a beautiful rifle, wood stock, wooden rod & the cleaning jag was inside the patch box. i can't wait to take it to the range to sight it in.

two questions:

1: what size #11 nipple? - i bought a .75mm knight red hot stainless nipple but am afraid to wrench it down.

2: rear tang peep site - who makes one for this rifle?

---
t/c encore 209/50
cabelas hawken 50cal percussion

 

[bucketthompson]

I'm wondering about the peep sight too. If the Lyman 57 will fit these I'm buying the same rifle.
Ryan

 

[silverfox]

Check with Brownbear our Alaskan neighbor. I think I remember him posting that one of the T/C tang peeps would fit. Don't know for sure but if it will it would be a lot cheaper than a Lyman 57 and smaller to. Hope he will chime in here and tell me it will fit. No holes to drill just fits the tang holes.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[cowpoke1955]

The nipple is a #11 and the thread is 6 X .75mm. I have a dumb question. Did you look in the cap box for the wedge pin? Just a thought.

 

[bioprof]

Too bad you live so far away. I've found that Cabelas has an excellent, no questions asked, return policy. I bought a Pietta BP revolver from them once and I couldn't get the cylinder pin out after the first time I used it. I tried getting it out by pounding it with a wooden dowl and the wedge on the end of the pin broke. I went back to the store to see if they could order a new part for me, and they said just bring it back and they would give me a new one.

Another alternative would be to just make one out of mild steel. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to make a new one. Just cut it out the right thickness and width, heat the end to red hot, and flatten out the end with a hammer.

 

[BrownBear]

Check with Brownbear our Alaskan neighbor. I think I remember him posting that one of the T/C tang peeps would fit. Don't know for sure but if it will it would be a lot cheaper than a Lyman 57 and smaller to. Hope he will chime in here and tell me it will fit. No holes to drill just fits the tang holes.
Fox :thumbsup:

I haven't tried it on the Cabelas Hawken, but since it's made by Investarms as are Lymans, there's hope. Using a tape measure rather than a mike, the center-to-center hole spacing is around 1.25" on the TC #7194 Hunting Style Tang Peep Sight. If your tang screws have the same spacing, it should drop right on. About the best price I've found for them is at Midsouth Shooters Supply at $45.22. They're a really nice little sight and a whole lot less bulky than the Lyman. I've changed out all my Lymans for them.

 

[bucketthompson]

Bear, How does the sight adjust? The reason I've wanted the 57 was the click adjust. I have a Williams on my Hawken and its the loosen the set screw and tap it back and forth type, not very precise.
Ryan

 

[ginoe]

many folks say the trade rifle is similar so i went the lyman/investarms path. i put an order in at midsouth for the LYMAN 57SML - i'll post results when it arrives.

 

[cowpoke1955]

A lot of people are happy with the Lyman Trade Rifle. I think you will be too :thumbsup: .

 

[BrownBear]

Bear, How does the sight adjust? The reason I've wanted the 57 was the click adjust. I have a Williams on my Hawken and its the loosen the set screw and tap it back and forth type, not very precise.
Ryan

There's an allen screw you turn to change elevation. It's precise, but there's wiggle in the post while you're adjusting if you loosen the separate lock screw too much. Windage is a simple slide with a lock screw, though there are lots of fine index marks to make it easy.

If you're going to be changing your sight settings often, then definitely go with the Lyman. I'm not, and it's a set-and-forget operation for me with the TC.

 

[bucketthompson]

Hi Bear,I've been using the search feature a bunch and it has to be the Thompson. I'm a lefty shooting righty rifles and the Lyman will be in the way when cocking. On a side note some time ago somebody told you about a supplier that sells the Thompson for less than Midway, do you remember who they were?
Thanks,
Ryan

 

[BrownBear]

Yeah. I'm using the TC specifically because of the bulk of the Lyman. I'm a lefty too, shooting righties. I started looking for something smaller after handling lefty Lyman flinters and cappers. You just think the Lyman is in your way on a righty! Wait till you try one on a lefty.

Midsouth (rather than Midway) is the cheapest I've found. That's the link I provided. More expensive including the front sight, but this one from Midway has had my attention for a while. It looks like it would be even less bulky than the TC.

 

[bucketthompson]

Bear, I found it. In a July thread Thompson peep $37.48 from http://www.dnrsports.com/acatalog/D___R_Catalog_Sights_781.html
Ryan

 

[BrownBear]

That's a good price, but the site doesn't say anything about availability. I'd check on that first, rather than getting stuck in backorder hell.

 

[JackAubrey]

This was the first ML I ever had.I bought the kit and built it.Still have her and she's a shooter.The trigger was a clanker and Cabelas sent me a new one no questions asked,I was quite impressed.Best regards,J.A.

 

[ginoe]

waiting for the peep site, i took the rifle out on the range sunday morning to setup the iron sights. dud - did not fire. i think i didn't clean out all the oil in the breach/nipple area.

i've read that the regular cci #11 caps are too weak to ignite the powder so i went to the local shop & picked up a tin of cci MAGNUM #11 caps this time. also got some of that aerosol spray gun cleaner. kinda smelly, dries fast & turns stuff white (like acetone). used that to clean out the gunk by the breech/nipple, it's squeaky clean/dry now.

btw - i put a bright led white light in the nipple hole & tried to peer down the muzzle to see if i could see light coming through, i didn't - but i know the area is clean & clear of obstruction.

i keep reading on the internet that the investarms should take the .75mm nipple. i have a knight red hot 75mm nipple but the threads really don't look like the original nipple threads...the knight .75mm nipple starts to thread on tight, i will not try to force/wrench it down further.

.50cal ball - investarms nipple - knight .75 nipple - t/c 10-31 ramrod ball puller

here are the threads up close: investarms nipple - knight .75 nipple

just for kicks, i tried to see if the t/c 10-31 ramrod ball puller thread would fit but it's too small/narrow & it just drops right into the hole

what size would the original nipple be? the investarms manual does not say but the lyman's trade rifle manual does say .75mm...that original nipple is not .75mm (don't look like it to me anyways)?

 

[bucketthompson]

Ginoe, Do not force it the threads are wrong. Stop off at a parts house or hardware store and find a nut that threads on and you'll know what you have.
Ryan

.75 is the pitch not diameter

 

[BrownBear]

The right size is 6 x .75. That original nipple looks fine, but the Knight looks too course by comparison. It really looks like their 1/4 x 28. I've bought and used the Knights on my Lymans, so I'm wondering if you got a pack that was mis-labeled or you mis-read it.

I just went downstairs and grabbed a Knight 1/4 x 28 and a Knight 6 x .75. The 1/4 x 28 is showing four threads just like yours, while the 6 x .75 is showing five thread running up a little closer to the base of the nipple, just like your original.

Sumpin's fishy here.

BTW- Before loading your gun, put a cap on the nipple, then put the muzzle right up against something like a blade of grass. Pop the cap. The blade of grass or whatever should jump if there's no obstruction. I always do this a couple of times to make sure everything is clear and get rid of any last film of oil. No misfires that way.

 

[mykeal]

Yep. The one on the left is probably a M6x0.75, while the other is probably 1/4x28. Here's the most popular nipple thread sizes being made today:

 

[oldfrank]

Hi, I am new here, don't want to jump in without saying hello.

I have had my Cabela's hawken for about ten years and it has been a good gun.I also wanted to add a peep as my old eyes have a hard time with the original sights on this gun.
I liked the compactness of the T/C peep but assumed an extra hole would have to be drilled. My friend had a Lyman sight he wasn't using so I made a good trade with him and he took my rifles tang and the sight to work with him and they drilled and tapped the extra needed hole.
The sight is a little bulky but it works very well.