Hawken stock

[Runner]

The precarve I have has the wedge type cheekpiece that a lot of long rifles have. The Hawkens I am familiar with and all of the repro's use a modern style low cheekpiece. Which halfstock rifles used the wedge type cheekpiece? Is it ok to use that type of stock to redo a factory Hawken or Mountain rifle? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

 

[bioprof]

Runner,

I believe the early Hawkens rifles had the wedge-type cheek rest. TOW uses this type of cheek rest on their early fullstock Hawkens precarve stock. I don't know the time period when these were used.

 

[Runner]

Thanks for the info. I have been looking at a few precarves in the last 24 hours. All of the Hawken wood I have looked at has been half stock. It has all had the modern cheekpiece. The Leman stocks are the wedge type tho. I believe the Mountain rifle is closer to a Leman halfstock plains rifle anyway. If so, then the Wedge type stock I have would be appropriate on it. If so, then this piece of wood will not work for that job. It is completely plain and when I do the Mountain rifle stock, that has to be nice wood. I may use it on the Hawken and cut a wider buttplate for the gun so I can keep the butt a little wider than it was on the orioginal stock. Actually, I am leaning towards inletting the octagon to round fifty barrel I have and just making a hunting rifle out of it. Anyway, thanks for the response and any help you can offer!

 

[Packdog]

Runner,
I hesitated answering because I only have second hand info but I beleive some of the J&S Hawkens used the rectangular cheek piece. Latter J&S and S Hawkens used the beavertail rounded. You are correct the Leman rifles I have seen where rectanglar. Check the sites below if yo havn't already seen them.

web page

web page


Good luck with the project.
PD

 

[Runner]

Thanks for the help!

Ok, so far it seems that the Hawken halfstocks used a beavertail cheekpiece and the end cap was poured in place with the ramrod channel exposed for the first inch or two. The Hawken Shop website sells two end caps with one acting as entry ferrule it seems, so there may not be a fixed pattern for this.
The Dimick guns used no cheekpiece and mostly a full sized end cap that acted as an entry ferrule for the ramrod. It is hard to tell if the Dimick guns used under barrel ribs or not from the pictures I have seen.
Apparently, a lot of the Hawkens did not use a patchbox at all. The Leman's did.
The Lemans apparently used the older cheekpiece, a patchbox, and both types of end caps over time.
Apparently steel furniture was the norm for all of them, and that includes the Mountain rifle.
The old original CVA Mountain rifle has the beavertail cheekpiece, a patchbox designed like the Leman guns, Steel furniture, and a full sized pewter end cap that acts as the entry ferrule. The stock is more like the Lemans than a Hawken.
Where to find more information on the Leman rifles? That seems to be the next step. The stock I have is not heavy enough thru the wrist for a Hawken really. It is perfert for the Leman's I have seen.

 

[Packdog]

web page

Pay attention to the dates given for flintlock production. Leman produced them, well after other makers had swapped to percussion guns.

 

[rich pierce]

You can get a look at the Leman kit offered by "the footprint of the large wild canine" (not allowed to say their name). This is only ONE of many Leman models. Many were brass mounted. Typically a batch was made to order and the customers (often traders) wanted different features they knew would appeal to the locals.

 

[Runner]

The stock in that kit could easily be the one I have here. It is not good enough for the Mountain rifle tho. The barrel on the Hawken is pretty short for use with it at 28 inches. The octagon to round 50 barrel is about 30 inches. Remember from our earlier conversation that this is basically a learning project. I would like to end up with a decent looking gun when I get done, but learning what I need to do the Mountain rifle right is my primary goal. I already learned the start with cheap wood first and then work with the good wood lesson on another project! The octagon to round barrel is easy enough to use, but would require making a new lock plate to fit it's breech arraingement. I can do that, but it would be a lot of work to do for a one of a kind. I can't find a half stock plains type gun with an octagon to round barrel except cut down military guns. They do not appeal to me at all at this time. I may have to break down and actually buy a barrel for this project. It is that or cut this stock back to a one wedge length and use it to replace the damaged Hawken stock I have. That would kill two birds with one stone, but it would leave a single wedge, 28 inch barreled, fifty percussion rifle with the old style cheekpiece. Was there a short Leman halfstock percussion gun? If so, I would like to find some info on it.