Well, I used to be into real Hawken rifles. Back when I was a teenager and all the club guys had their Thompson Center-fire Hawken rifles, I wanted the real deal. Obvious difference. Tastes change. Back then, I was this punk kid with a flintlock… the only one in town then.
I finally got a 1979 Lyman Great Plains. Is close as I need. No, I don’t care that it has a coil spring. It also doesn’t have the ugly roll engraving on the lock. It’s heavy though and only a .50 cal.
Anyway, plenty of mountain men carried other guns than a Hawken. Plenty. They were crazy priced then. Anyway, they aren’t as sleek and pretty as a Pennsylvania rifle or a southern gun. We all have our preferences. I’d rather a Kibler Long Land Brown Bess.
Also, as has been mentioned, The Hawken Shop makes a great repro, but it’s a kit. Not a snap together kit. Some of the resident problem children already have problems with one of Herrn Kibler’s guns, so that would cause them to cry here and need to take mydol. And numerous posts how it’s not their fault and such.