Hawken Rifle questions

[Cherokee]

IM thinking of building a Hawken in the next year or so.
I was wondering about flintlocks and percussion versions.
I really like flinters was it commen to see flintlock equiped hawkens? Just trying to get an idea of whats what. The Hawken Shop has some info and pics. I want a big bore caliber like 58 cal.
I cant afford $1100 kit from the Hawken Shop so I might buy a piece here or there like TOTW or MLBS.
I might sell my Lyman to help start this off.

 

[Mike Brooks]

was it commen to see flintlock equiped hawkens

Nope, in fact there are no known existing filnt guns built in the St Louis shop that are still in existance today. They must have existed ,but we have no idea what they may have looked like.

 

[crockett]

That's my impression- no Hawken flinters. There are-I am told- some Hawken rifles with a plain drum and the argument is that these were flints that got convervted but if true, the profile of the lock plate would usually have a gap. I would recommend a percussion. I beleive Leman made a lot of flints so that would be a PC option as well as a Henry Lancaster or English model flint. Others probably have better data.

 

[Desert Ratxx]

Wasn't there fullstock Hawkens in flint? Maybe those weren't built in St. Louis.

:shocked2: Another myth busted?????

 

Some of the earlier fullstock Hawkens still in existance have brazed on breeches that MAY have been altered to percussion. They all have a solid long tang and are not hooked breech. (Flint?) I say MAY because we really don't know for sure. The Late Hawken known as the Smithsonian Hawken (1855) has been altered to percussion from original flint. The hook breech has a drum and nipple arrangement and the lock plate still has the flash fence on it. Poor job of conversion but it is what it is. Still a real neat thing. I am talking iron mounted St. Louis Hawkens here. The pre-St.Louis flint Hawkens are basically brass mounted long rifles similar to what the other guys were building in Ohio and Maryland at the time.
Don

 

[boar]

Cherokee I have a iron mounted hawken 54 flinter made by Orark Mnt. Arms. Curly maple green Mt barrel,L&R lock,and trigger.Two wedge pins half stock.1-70 twist.Have shot a kitchen match with it at shoots.34 inch barrel about 9lbs.Has the best sights of all.Has a real good rust brown finish. They said it was copy of a original? Best gun that I own. I got it 20 yrs ago It cost 750.00 I don't know if they are still in business. You could buy it in the white for 600.00 Dilly

 

[talbert]

A quick inquiry to Don at
"The St.Louis Plains Rifle Company"
would be worth your while...
I think he knows alot about
this question ....and has a
fantastic kit for about the
most authentic Hawken available..
IMHO...

Talbert

 

[faw3]

As Cooner 54 said of the 1855, but it still is a great looking rifle warts and all! Fred :hatsoff:

 

[Poor Boy]

I've got a JB Mountain Rifle, it's supposed to be the most authentic to a Hawkin rifle that was factory made.Track has enough parts for you to build a mighty nice Hawkin.........OLSON

 

[faw3]

You might want to ck out the perc site a few months back about "Brownning Rockey Mountain rifle" I think it was, the jest of it is ..it was a copy of the Brow copy of a Hawken not a good copy of a Hawken, such as Ithaca,Navy Arms Hawken, Or the Santa Fe. FRED :hatsoff:

 

[MikeChapin]

As has been mentioned before, no flint plains Hawkens have been found though some looked like they have been converted.

My own opinion is that if you want a flint Hawken go ahead and build one. I did that last summer. It is a fullstock flint Hawken in .58 with an L&R Manton lock. I knew at the time that there were no original flint Hawkens around but I just built what I thought one would look like. It came out nice and shoots very well. Someone might whine about it at a juried event but I don't go to those anyway.

 

[Swampman]

I agree, I owned 2 of them and they were't physically or historically accurate. They do bring good money, and you could buy something nice.

 

[Cherokee]

Thanks for all your replies. I need to do some figuring and such, let it simmer and make a plan.