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GRRW
- Thread starter R Jones
- Start date
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Goldhunter
54 Cal.
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OK, I'll say it.
This post is worthless without pics!!! :grin: :rotf:
I know, I know, monday....
This post is worthless without pics!!! :grin: :rotf:
I know, I know, monday....
shooyer_250
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Goldhunter
54 Cal.
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Is this the one you were talking about in a previous thread??
shooyer_250
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alright DAGNABIT,,,yer killin me...what did ya git?,,,no kidding, i wanna know, i'm getting that itch agin...tell me, please...Lee
shooyer_250
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gun teaser
All right Boys!! The barrel is 35 inches long,1 inch across the flats. The # 474 is on the stock below the barrel.This # also appears approx. 1 inch from the hooked breech along with .54 below that. There is a mark that looks like a W in a circle that is set in a square. Makers mark??? Approx. 7 1/2 inches from the breech It is stamped GRRW With Roosevelt,Utah below the GRRW. The # 474 appears again on the rib where the ramrod goes. The rear sights are adjustable Buckhorn while the front sight is a steel blade. The stock is fine Tiger stripe with a few use marks, and great wood to metal fit. The gun is iron mounted. The duel set triggers are adjustable, and I would guess at less than 2 lbs. pull. OK pards,tell me bout' this gun!!!! :bow:
Capt. Fred
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Oh for crying out loud will ya find some 8 year old in the neighborhood to post some pics for you! This is way too big a tease. :v
blackpowder shooter
40 Cal.
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I would think that your rifle was not one made by GRRW. Just the barrel . I have three GRRW rifles. All three have single triggers. Seems like Long made the lock. Also although GRRW works made some fancy stocked rifles, most were plain janes. All three of my rifles do not have adjustable sights. GRRW barrels are great shooters. Good luck.
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From what I understand they made quite a few trade rifles with single triggers. All the GRRW Hawkens I've seen had double triggers. My own GRRW Hawken (36" tapered 58 cal barrel) has double set triggers and about as fancy wood as a guy could ever expect to find, even on a custom gun. The other GRRW Hawkens I've seen fit the same description, so I'm betting R Jones has the Hawken model while you've got the plain jane trade rifles.
There's also the possibility of kits. I don't know enough about them to tell the difference, except in workmanship. Mine and the others I've seen have wood to metal fit that will match custom guns, too.
There's also the possibility of kits. I don't know enough about them to tell the difference, except in workmanship. Mine and the others I've seen have wood to metal fit that will match custom guns, too.
plmeek
40 Cal.
I apologize in advance. I don't seem to be able to get the photos to post.
R Jones, your description sounds like a factory made GRRW Hawken to me. The barrel markings are from GRRW's early period. Later made barrels were stamped with a GRRW in an arch over the Roosevelt, Utah. Kits and single barrels were typically stamped with GRRW only, no Roosevelt, Utah.
If the picture comes through, below is the barrel stamp on an early GRRW Hawken I have. The original owner couldn't remember exactly when he purchased the rifle from GRRW, but thought it was in '72 or '73. The serial number is H-112. It is stamped on all of the same locations as yours.
file:/mnt/dos/Pictures/GRRW Hawken 006s.jpg
This next picture is of a rifle sold on TOTW several years ago. Its serial number is H-053.
file:/home/plmeek/Hawkens/Early_GRRW_Hawken.aspx_files/p42_1.jpg
I've been told that these early rifles were made before GRRW started making their own barrels. They used Douglas barrels on these early rifles with Cherry Corners breech and tang, some times Cherry Corners triggers and some times Ron Long's triggers. My triggers are not stamped, but they look like Long's pattern. The earliest locks were like this picture.
file:/home/plmeek/Hawkens/Early_GRRW_Hawken.aspx_files/p42_5.jpg
They are usually stamped with a W.M. on the inside of the plate. Not sure who the maker is. Have seen them attributed to a William Morgan on some occasions and a William Moore on another. Maybe some of the other members have more info on the maker. Some old Dixie catalogs I have show a kit for this lock, but I've never seen a source for a complete lock. I don't know when GRRW started using Ron Long's locks.
The best way to tell if your barrel is a Douglas barrel or one of GRRW's own is to count the number of grooves. The Douglas barrels have eight grooves while GRRW made their own with seven grooves. My rifle has eight grooves.
R Jones, your description sounds like a factory made GRRW Hawken to me. The barrel markings are from GRRW's early period. Later made barrels were stamped with a GRRW in an arch over the Roosevelt, Utah. Kits and single barrels were typically stamped with GRRW only, no Roosevelt, Utah.
If the picture comes through, below is the barrel stamp on an early GRRW Hawken I have. The original owner couldn't remember exactly when he purchased the rifle from GRRW, but thought it was in '72 or '73. The serial number is H-112. It is stamped on all of the same locations as yours.
file:/mnt/dos/Pictures/GRRW Hawken 006s.jpg
This next picture is of a rifle sold on TOTW several years ago. Its serial number is H-053.
file:/home/plmeek/Hawkens/Early_GRRW_Hawken.aspx_files/p42_1.jpg
I've been told that these early rifles were made before GRRW started making their own barrels. They used Douglas barrels on these early rifles with Cherry Corners breech and tang, some times Cherry Corners triggers and some times Ron Long's triggers. My triggers are not stamped, but they look like Long's pattern. The earliest locks were like this picture.
file:/home/plmeek/Hawkens/Early_GRRW_Hawken.aspx_files/p42_5.jpg
They are usually stamped with a W.M. on the inside of the plate. Not sure who the maker is. Have seen them attributed to a William Morgan on some occasions and a William Moore on another. Maybe some of the other members have more info on the maker. Some old Dixie catalogs I have show a kit for this lock, but I've never seen a source for a complete lock. I don't know when GRRW started using Ron Long's locks.
The best way to tell if your barrel is a Douglas barrel or one of GRRW's own is to count the number of grooves. The Douglas barrels have eight grooves while GRRW made their own with seven grooves. My rifle has eight grooves.
plmeek
40 Cal.
Here is another attempt to load pictures.
Meek, That looks like the gun I have, except mine has GRRW on the barrel, and the wood is really nice striped maple. As stated the wood to metal fit is as good, or better then some customs I have seen. A friend in El Paso says it could have been custom made by GRRW. Any links to this company would be much appreciated. I am unable to find much about them.
OK....I hunted in my "stuff" that I have squirreled away :grin: and found it. A sales brochure from GRRW, 1977, that gives photos and descriptions of the rifles available at that time. Also a price list from 1980. The rifles pictured are: percussion Hawken halfstock rifle, also available in flint; flint Hawken fullstock rifle, also available in percussion; percussion Leman Indian Rifle; percussion Leman Trade Rifle, also available in flint; percussion Poor Boy rifle, also available in flint. Not shown is the Little Leman rifle.
They also offered drop-in barrels for T/C, and re-barreling services for many other makes.
The information is quite extensive..if anyone wants further descriptions/details, just let me know.
David
They also offered drop-in barrels for T/C, and re-barreling services for many other makes.
The information is quite extensive..if anyone wants further descriptions/details, just let me know.
David
Herb
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I just phoned Neill Fields, who started at GRRW making barrels and then went on to build rifles. And to Pat Lakin, who also worked there then. Neill said the GRRW-Roosevelt, Utah stamp was on the top flat and the maker's mark is on the quarter flat. He did not recognize the W in the circle in the square touch mark. He'll check his records and get back to me tomorrow as to the approximate date the rifle was made based on the serial number. I built a GRRW Leman Trade rifle in a class in their shop in 1978, but they went out of business due to a fire a year or two later. Dr. Gary White owned the business, and he has a web site, though I don't have the name to hand. I also have the company brochures from 1978.
plmeek
40 Cal.
Jones, I guess I didn't read your description close enough the first time because your clearly said it had the GRRW stamp. Here is a pic of another GRRW Hawken I have that has the later stamp like yours. Note the serial number on this one is 619. The serial number is also on the stock in the barrel channel.
A couple more pics of the rifle:
This rifle has a Ron Long lock and triggers. This lock is hand engraved while the engraving on the earlier rifle was part of the casting. The barrel is 36" long and 1-1/8" across the flats, no taper. Makes for a heavy rifle. The barrel on the earlier GRRW Hawken is a little over 32" long and 1" across the flats and about 2 lbs lighter. It will be my hunting rifle.
Factory made GRRW rifles could be called semi-custom. Their patterns appear to have changed some over time, but you could order an early J&S Hawken style or a later S Hawken style, in half-stock or full-stock. In fact, you could special order different locks such as Long's or Griffith Tool Co. and fancy wood, thus offering several custom features.
As Powderburner said, they also made half-stock and full-stock Leman's and a Poor Boy. Most of their guns were also available in kits.
Here are some pics from a 1978 vintage brochure and a 1980 brochure.
1980
I ordered three kits from them between 1978 and 1980. One kit, a full-stock Leman, I finished back then, the other two, a full-stock flinter Hawken and a half-stock Hawken, I'm still working on. The Leman full-stock is a handy rifle with a 30" barrel. I used it for hunting last year, and it was a pleasure to carry. It lives up to the accuracy reputation of the GRRW barrels, too.
A couple more pics of the rifle:
This rifle has a Ron Long lock and triggers. This lock is hand engraved while the engraving on the earlier rifle was part of the casting. The barrel is 36" long and 1-1/8" across the flats, no taper. Makes for a heavy rifle. The barrel on the earlier GRRW Hawken is a little over 32" long and 1" across the flats and about 2 lbs lighter. It will be my hunting rifle.
Factory made GRRW rifles could be called semi-custom. Their patterns appear to have changed some over time, but you could order an early J&S Hawken style or a later S Hawken style, in half-stock or full-stock. In fact, you could special order different locks such as Long's or Griffith Tool Co. and fancy wood, thus offering several custom features.
As Powderburner said, they also made half-stock and full-stock Leman's and a Poor Boy. Most of their guns were also available in kits.
Here are some pics from a 1978 vintage brochure and a 1980 brochure.
1980
I ordered three kits from them between 1978 and 1980. One kit, a full-stock Leman, I finished back then, the other two, a full-stock flinter Hawken and a half-stock Hawken, I'm still working on. The Leman full-stock is a handy rifle with a 30" barrel. I used it for hunting last year, and it was a pleasure to carry. It lives up to the accuracy reputation of the GRRW barrels, too.
