Hawken book

[Kentuckywindage]

i picked up the book, Hawken Rifles " The mountain mans choice" By John D. Baird

Anyone ever read this?

It covers everything from the first built hawken all the way up to when hawken started making the Spencer/Hawken conversions. Also covers the loads that these rifles shot the best with and butt plate / locks / stock designed used.

Jim bridger and kit carsons hawken for example were built right around 1860.

Shoot after turning a couple pages, i see a template of the hawken trigger/bolt assembly and how it increased the strength of the wrist area of the stock.

Also talks about what appears "funneling" of the muzzle of the barrel.

 

[Snakebite]

Hey Kentuck,
It's been around for a long time. If you like the book, there's another by John Baird titled "15 Years in the Hawken Lode". There's some controversy about the books I won't go in to here, but I have both and like them. :thumbsup:

 

Here's another book for you:
http://furtrade.org/estore/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=55

All three of these books should be read with a grain of salt because they were all written more than 20 years ago and a lot of info has come to light on the subject. It would be nice if we could talk Don Stith into writing a book on Hawkens one of these days.

Sean

 

[T.C.Albert]

What Sean said..
TCA

 

[Joe Wolf]

Take a look at Garavaglia and Worman's "Firearms of the American West 1803-1865". It's a great 2 volume set of reference books.

The taper in the bore at the muzzle is called crowning.

re: later post; Mariano Medina's Hawken has a german silver plaque on the cheekpiece that reads "St. Louis 1833".

 

[TGeorge]

Do you know where one might acquire this book?

 

[Grenadier1758]

I have both of Baird's books. they are worth it for a good study of Hawken Rifles.

Also talks about what appears "funneling" of the muzzle of the barrel.

The moderate rounding of the bore at the muzzle is called crowning and will protect the bore at the exit of the ball from the barrel. The other term. This funneling of the muzzle is also called coning. Like crowning this is partly to protect the muzzle but it also eases the loading of the patched ball. It provides and easy entry and tapers to the bore. According to some it allows for a smoother transition to the rifling and you don't need a short starter to load.

Do a search of the topics and you will find a lot of information on coning.

 

[dodgecummins01]

Where would one find info and pics on the Hawken built for Moses White. That rifle has all silver furniture, and inlays, the real stuff not German silver, from what I've been told.

 

[LaBonte]

re: Moses White - who was he? does the gun still exist? if so where? Where did you get what info you have?
Answer those and I might be able to help or point the way.....

 

[Claude Mathis]

Do you know where one might acquire this book?

Enter "Firearms of the American West" into the Amazon search at the bottom of this page.

 

[dodgecummins01]

The only picture that I know exists is on the Hawken Shop web site.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I'd call the Hawken Shop for starters. Are you certain that the rifle is mounted in silver as opposed to German silver? Otherwise it's a nice J & S Hawken rifle that number of fine builders could make for you.

Talking to Don Stith at St. Louis Plains Rifle Co. would be of great value to you.

 

[LaBonte]

What Russ said.......since it is marked J & S Hawken it would have been made pre-mid 1849 (when Jake died) although it may be sloghtly later as there could have been some carry over of earlier parts. Stylistically it is of the late 1830's and early 1840's.

While the most common "silver" mounts of that period were German Silver (an alloy of nickel and copper) real silver was used by the Brothers - here's a pic of one....

A color closeup of the patchbox.....

This one was written up in Muzzleblasts some time ago.......

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Now that's really something, isn't it? I'll admit up front that I believe the Hawken is the finest percussion rifle ever made here and the handsomest, too! I usually prefer the plain versions, but that is one lovely patchbox.

 

[ADK Ephraim]

Hi Normie - The 'Moses White' coin silver Hawken rifle was, indeed, owned by Art Ressel of Hawken Shop fame. At the 1980 Western National rendezvous (where Charlton Heston tried to premier "The Mountain Men" movie, Art had the Moses White on display and I was allowed to handle it! I have a pic of me with the gun that I need to scan so I can post it later today. According to Art, it's a J.& S. Hawken half-stock 'presentation' rifle, .54 cal/38in barrel, and all parts - i.e. butt plate, toeplate, patchbox, trigger guard, key escutcheons, nosecap/entry cap, barrel wedding bands and front sight were of 'coin' silver. Even with the long barrel, it balanced well and shouldered superbly. Way back then, holding the Moses White was quite the thrill!!! Heard in subsequent conversations at Dixon's that the Ressel Hawken collection was eventually broken up following his passing and I've no idea where the Moses White Hawken rests today. mjw

 

[J.D.]

What Russ said.......since it is marked J & S Hawken it would have been made pre-mid 1849 (when Jake died) although it may be sloghtly later as there could have been some carry over of earlier parts. Stylistically it is of the late 1830's and early 1840's.

While the most common "silver" mounts of that period were German Silver (an alloy of nickel and copper) real silver was used by the Brothers - here's a pic of one....

A color closeup of the patchbox.....

This one was written up in Muzzleblasts some time ago.......

Generally, I don't like silver on rifles, but this one is pretty. :wink:

God bless,

 

[ADK Ephraim]

Here's a pic of the gun at the 1980 Western National Rendezvous in La Veta, CO, Again all the silver was made from coin silver, i.e. fine silver quality as found in mid-Nineteenth Century coins. mjw

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I think the age mellowing and patination make it especially attractive.

 

[dodgecummins01]

WOW!! That is truly a nice gun. Thanks for the pic and the info. Does the check side have lots of silver also? Again thank you for posting. And I thank everybody else for the posts!!!

 

[ADK Ephraim]

Normie - Although I have no pics of the cheek side, as I recall, the cheek piece had a slightly elliptical oval coin silver inlay, upon which was the dedication to Moses White. The patchbox wasn't so much a Pennsylvania style, as the other gun pic on this posting, but it was like a silver Tryon styled box, with some hints of the Hawken pineapple box that the Hawken Shop used and Art Ressel offered to modern fancy Hawken rifle re-creators. mjw