Help for next Hawkens purchase

[Bobby James]

Help for my next Hawken purchase please.

I just bought a Pedersoli Hawken in .54 cal from Cabela's for dirt cheap and am now looking for a rifle for my 18 year old son.

I want something in .54 cal so we can share the same equipment.

I want a Hawken rifle and I want it in Maple.

First is it cheaper to buy one part at a time from places like Track of the Wolf and build my own rifle or buy a factory rifle already built. I don not have the patience or tools to build a kit.

I like this one..... http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Cate...JIM-BRIDGER-HAWKEN-RIFLE-PARTS-LIST/KIT-JB-18

Is brass or Iron parts nicer? To me the iron parts look nicer. Do they cause the rifle to weigh too much? would the originals have brass or iron furniture?

Is this a good price or can I find it a lot cheaper else where?

Do you believe this one is as good of quality as the one from Track of the wolf? http://www.cabelas.com/product/Sho...=SBC;MMcat104792580;cat104701680;cat104641380

Where am I going to find the best deal on a good quality Maple stock Hawken in .54 cal?

Thanks for your input.

 

[necchi]

Wow.
A "Hawken" rifle is/was made by the Hawken brothers (OK?) the term used by all these modern reproduction companies is today largely generic for what even Pedersoli calls a half stock plains rifle.
So using the proper name for the type of rifle you want will open your choices a little bit.

If you don't have the "patience or tools" to build a kit, well then I guess you can just remove a kit gun from the list too, :idunno:
The Hawken build is one of the more advanced builds, not suited or recommended for a beginner

Brass or Iron? There is darn little difference to the weight either adds to a rifle, they're really close to the same.
Did originals use Brass or Iron? Yes.

Having a $1000 to spend on a rifle gives you a lot of options.
The Pedersoli is a good rifle, but I would not pay $1000 for it.

 

[Zonie]

You have a real problem if you want a maple stocked rifle and no time or skill to build your own.

As was mentioned, the Hawken kits from the various small companies like Track of the Wolf, Pecatonica River, Chambers etc are all difficult to build and just the parts can cost over $700.
They will easily take over 120 hours of actual work to finish and the final product will depend on your level of skill.

Yah, for an arm and a leg you could probably find one to buy but that is an expensive way to go for a rifle for your child.

I suggest that you should look around for a used Lyman Great Plains Rifle. .54 is a common caliber for these guns and they can be found for $350-$400.

These Lyman GPR's are a rather good representation of the Plains Rifles that were common during the age of the Mountain Man (even if they aren't an exact copy of a true Hawken).

 

[Electric Miner]

Wow.
A "Hawken" rifle is/was made by the Hawken brothers (OK?) the term used by all these modern reproduction companies is today largely generic for what even Pedersoli calls a half stock plains rifle.

That was a little harsh, wasn't it?

For the record, just visited the Pedersoli site and didn't see the term "half stock plains rifle" anywhere on it.

 

[necchi]

http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/tipologia-prodotti.asp/l_en/idt_34/rifles-hawken.html

I added the half stock because I sure don't see any full stock "Hawken" rifles offered by Pedrsoli.

Bobby James say's this;

I want a Hawken rifle and I want it in Maple.

I want?

 

[Electric Miner]

I have no problem with that.

 

[gard72977]

I was really leaning toward the Pedersoli but I wanted a gun with a plain maple stock. Something about paying a grand for a Pedersoli is just hard for me to do. I ended up a with a 70's Uberti Sante Fe Hawken in 53 cal. The gun looks unfired. I will take the money I saved and build a Flint full stock. (may have to add a few dollars).

 

[Bobby James]

http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/tipologia-prodotti.asp/l_en/idt_34/rifles-hawken.html

I added the half stock because I sure don't see any full stock "Hawken" rifles offered by Pedrsoli.

Bobby James say's this;

I want a Hawken rifle and I want it in Maple.

I want?

I want means I desire something. Look at Cabelas site and you will see stuff that is not on Pedersoli's page.

I do not understand your language but thanks for the reply.

 

[Bobby James]

I get it, I was using the wrong terms. True I should try to build a kit gun but if I am buying one part at a time I am actually building a kit...lol.

So I actually should not say Hawken unless it was made by the Hawken brothers? I did not know it was called a plains rifle. Now I do and that is what I will call them, thanks for letting me know.

Is using the word maple wrong when it comes to a plains rifle?

 

[Zonie]

necchi has his shorts in a knot for some reason tonight, I don't know why.

As you say, there is nothing wrong with someone saying, "I want..."

As for a Plains rifles stock there is nothing I know of that is wrong with using maple.
It's a good very strong wood and one of the primary features of a Plains rifle is that it needed to be strong.
I don't know if the Hawken's used maple for any of their stocks but it wouldn't surprise me if they did on some of them.

As for using the word "Hawken", IMO there is nothing wrong with that either but there are some that think the word should be reserved for a rifle that looks exactly like one of the existing rifles that was built by the Hawken family.

There are many others who know the name has been overused by the big factories to make their guns sound more historic even though their guns only resemblance to a real Hawken rifle is it is a half stock side lock muzzleloader.

These "others" (including me) don't mind someone using the term to describe such a half stock side lock muzzleloader and know what someone means when they are talking about their gun.

It's kinda like Kraft Foods getting upset when someone says the want a bowl of Jello as they point at a gelatin desert made by some other company.

 

[Bobby James]

All is good here, thanks for the reply. I think I will look long and hard before getting one for my kid.

 

[Spikebuck]

A couple of comments.

I'm sure the Track of the Wolf Kit would build a very nice Hawken replica in the hands of a skilled builder. But, the one pictured appears to have been built with a fully figured piece of maple. If you look at the details of the kit for the base price, it's a plain maple stock with very little figure. The price goes up for higher figured stocks. By the time you added a fully figured stock, you'd have close to the same cost in a bunch of unfinished parts as that finished Pedersoli Rocky Mtn. But, if you don't want to build a kit, then it's a moot point anyway.

The Pedersoli Maple Rocky Mountain Hawken rifles I have seen all seem to come with an absolutely beautiful fully figured stock. They are a tad "shiney" from the finish used, but if you want to, a little light buffing with steel wool would take that shine off. I left mine the way it came and in the sunlight the figure in the stock is almost iridescent with great depth.

Some would not pay $1000, but $999 is relatively low for that rifle in recent history. I picked mine up not too long after they first came out for $799 on sale and that was the lowest I've ever seen them new, probably due mostly to the value of the dollar vs the Euro at the time. Compared to $1500 to $2000 for a custom, I think the Rocky Mtn is a pretty good value. They look and shoot great.

One thing a custom gun would get you is the option to have a tapered barrel and get a little better balance and take some weight off.

Half the fun is looking around. Enjoy!

 

[gard72977]

My comment may have came out wrong. If I was going to spend 999 (1016 shipped) for a Pedersoli I think I would rather save a few more dollars and go with a custom gun. I have made my purchase and will stick with it. I still think about how much better the pedersoli would have looked. Who knows I may end up with one. I really like the 34 inch bbl.