Hawkens on television

[Enfield1]

I was flipping through the channels the other day. I came across an old episode of "Little House on the Prarie". The character played by the late Michael Landon was going hunting and was using a Hawken-style plains rifle. I also remember that in "Dances with Wolves", the man who drove Costner out to the abandoned fort had a plains rifle with him next to his leg while driving the team of horses. Anybody else spot any Hawkens or other front loaders on T.V. when you weren't really looking for one?

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Actually, I remember that mule skinner as having a percussion double shotgun, guess I'll have to watch it again. How about that line from Jeramiah Johnson, "he wanted a .50 caliber or better, settled for a .30, but Dang, it was a real Hawken". Yeah, right.

 

[MikeChapin]

Hsd not seen that one. The one I did notice was said to be a smoothbore. It looked like military surplus that was rebored to a 24 gauge. A bunch of these were sold after the civil war. Not many survived because most were used to death. I thought at the time that that was a lot more authentic than having a farmer traipse around with a Hawken or carved Lancaster.

 

[boar]

I beleive your right. Don't think I would like to go up against a Grizzly with a pea shooter. I think they made a 3 out of the 5 as the way they printed back then,probly script writing, not like todays writing.I am just guessing. Dilly

 

[faw3]

I dont remember also, but remember it didnt do him any good, seems to have beena problem with hide hunters new to the work or slipped up would shoot up all the ammo and have a good 1000 yds or more back to camp and they would be picked off trying to get back by waiting NDN's watching the food store be shot to hell and back by skin hunters. Fred :hatsoff: "the man who drove Costner out to the abandoned fort had a plains rifle with him next to his leg while driving the team of horses."

 

[Brasilikilt]

How about that line from Jeramiah Johnson, "he wanted a .50 caliber or better, settled for a .30, but Dang, it was a real Hawken". Yeah, right.

When I watched the movie the first time at the age of 11, that sounded reasonable enough.
But now, after being around so many Hawken and plains style rifles....I have never even HEARD of any being as small as .30 cal

 

[fluggies4]

In the old "Dukes of Hazzard" shows, there was always a muzzleloader of some kind hanging over the kitchen door at the Duke's home. We never got a close look at it though, so not sure just what it was.(maybe we were too busy looking at Daisy ):winking:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

How about that line from Jeramiah Johnson, "he wanted a .50 caliber or better, settled for a .30, but Dang, it was a real Hawken". Yeah, right.

When I watched the movie the first time at the age of 11, that sounded reasonable enough.
But now, after being around so many Hawken and plains style rifles....I have never even HEARD of any being as small as .30 cal

When the bottom fell out of the fur trade, the Hawken shop had to make ends meet by nook or crook, so they also made economically priced low end rifles and such for settled farmers and towns people. Many of them were of small caliber. But .30, no, I haven't heard of one either.

The rifle many associate with Hawken really came into vogue with the western expansion by settlers and the 49'rs. Prior to Jake dying of Cholera in 1849, the guns were marked J&S, the S. Hawken copied today are post 1850 and later era. So in reality, they are not appropriate for the pre 1840 mountain man craze so many of us underwent in the 1970's.

 

[rebel727]

In the old "Dukes of Hazzard" shows, there was always a muzzleloader of some kind hanging over the kitchen door at the Duke's home. We never got a close look at it though, so not sure just what it was.(maybe we were too busy looking at Daisy ):winking:

Thought it was a hammered double. :hmm:

 

[CrackStock]

Well, wasn't a Hawken, but the Beverly Hillbillys had a Tennessee caplock when they were shot in black and white, but went to a flintlock when they were filmed in color.

I guess they did the same that most of us have done.

CS

 

[Pork Chop]

In at least one early black and white Beverly Hillbillies, Jed was cleaning a break barrel shotgun...

 

[grant]

Since it's Halloween time check out "Sleepy Hollow" with Johnny Dep. There's a lot of rifles and the son of the richest man in town has a really cool long rifle with optic sights.

 

[No Deer]

In the old "Dukes of Hazzard" shows, there was always a muzzleloader of some kind hanging over the kitchen door at the Duke's home. We never got a close look at it though, so not sure just what it was.(maybe we were too busy looking at Daisy ):winking:

There was a rifle??? :rotf: :hmm:

 

Actually, I remember that mule skinner as having a percussion double shotgun, guess I'll have to watch it again. How about that line from Jeramiah Johnson, "he wanted a .50 caliber or better, settled for a .30, but Dang, it was a real Hawken". Yeah, right.

I believe this quote was a mistaken reference to a 30 bore (30 balls to the pound) which would have been a .54 Hawken--more like it!

 

[Maynerd62411]

In the old "Dukes of Hazzard" shows, there was always a muzzleloader of some kind hanging over the kitchen door at the Duke's home. We never got a close look at it though, so not sure just what it was.(maybe we were too busy looking at Daisy ):winking:

I remember "double barrels" but it had nothing to do with any sort of shooting iron. :shocked2:

 

[flintlockmdj]

I seem to remember "Granny" Clampet alwayse having a break action double barrel.

 

[Pork Chop]

That she did. I recall one episode where Jed and Jethro are shooting across the front yard lighting strike anywhere matches positioned at the front wall - well over 100 yards away. They were shooting smoke poles iirc.