My Rare Hawken Rifle?

[Alden]

So, I have this Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken Rifle. It's a maple-stocked gun, and has a 32-5/16" barrel, but I recently realized something...

I understand it's a little narrow but .50 is kinda my go-to caliber which, it appears from their main website, Pedersoli only offers in the 30" Missouri River Hawken model these days. Yes, mine is indeed an S. 295 Rocky Mountain model with a hefty 3/8"-at-the-flats straight octagonal barrel. They seem to now only offer this as a 34"/.54 gun on that main site today. However, I see what I think was the fairly common 32-5/16" .54's around here in the U.S. still (available). That said, Cabela's seems to have only 34" Rocky Mountain models including maple in both .54 and .50 (on sale for $300-off right now by the way) when the latter, again, isn't even listed on the Pedersoli site. This all to differentiate these more from the shorter .45 and .50 Missouri River Hawkens as well as the 28-3/8" Traditional Hawken rifles perhaps?

That's about it I guess; Pedersoli seems to have phased out the 32-5/16" guns altogether and few have had my specific gun for some time, or am I missing something?

While I love Pedersoli products I'm not an expert on the firm's offerings and I don't follow their press releases. But someone here has some info I'll bet...

Thoughts (other than "it's not a Hawken")!?

 

[F.G. Ford]

Nice looking rifle!
Not a dead on copy of a Sam or Jake, but who cares.
The fit and finish of your gun rivals the best.
Also great photos!
Thank you.
Fred

 

[ZUG]

Nice rifle - a bit "showie" but nice.

 

[hanshi]

You certainly got a beautiful rifle; that's for sure.

 

[Okie Hog]

That is a gorgeous rifle.

 

[FishDFly]

Why is it rare, they are still made?

 

[MSW]

nice looking rifle - good figure, great wood to metal fit, and a nice finish ... I like it!

 

[tenngun]

You can't make a Hawken on a commercial basis. One at a time makers at best can copy one rifle, but no two were the same. Any one who could nit pick that rifle needs to get a life. Anyone could be proud of that gun.

 

[Chevythunderman]

Exactly!!

 

[Dewey]

If I were ever to get another caplock (unlikely), that is what I would get. My first muzzleloader was a GPR 30 years ago, and as nice as it was, that rifle puts it to shame.

 

[USMA65]

Beautiful gun, anyone would be proud to have that one

 

[RonRC]

The fit and finish looks excellent from the photos!
Pedersoli really does a good job on their rifles.

I've lusted for that model, and there was a beautiful used one for sale, but cash flow and availability of the rifle did not coincide.

Enjoy!
Ron

 

[Alden]

Thanks folks.

Why is it rare, they are still made?

Rich, that's just it, I'm not sure they are making exactly this one anymore. Pedersoli seems to be shifting from 32-5/16"-barreled .54's with some .50's like mine, to 34" .54's only if their website is to be relied upon.

Tenn knows I have said here for years now that there is no "the" Hawken rifle to copy because the originals are all custom; there are only original Hawken rifles, plural (and by the way, I won't say how many of those I own). That said, I think the apparently new-length Pedersoli in its caliber is an appropriate improvement on average. But I still like my slightly shorter .50

 

[FishDFly]

Guess I need to do some studying, seems I am missing something, which happens at times.

My rifle was in the first container that was shipped into the U.S., it came from Flintlocks Etc. It was pre-ordered and I had to wait for it to be built.

Actually Richard at Flintlocks Etc. is the best source to find out if something from Pedersoli is rare or not. Speculation does not make things factual.

Hawken, seems everyone has made a rifle with that name since 1960.


Thanks

r

 

[Captjoel]

I really dislike the term rare unless I am ordering a good thick steak. Just because a company added a couple of inches to a barrel and continues with production, I would call the earlier short models "discontinued". I guess you would consider the Thompson Center "Hawken" rifle rare because it is no longer made?? I once took in on a trade a rifle made by Pedersoli. I only owned it for one afternoon, before I traded it away so please forgive my short memory. This one I might (maybe) call rare because I have never seen or even ever heard of another. It was a 38 caliber halfstock I think in flintlock, but not sure. It was very petite with a BRASS under rib and very fine quality fit and finish stock. I cannot even remember what I traded it away for, but wish I would have kept it. By the way, that is a very nice looking rifle you have Alden.

 

[M. De Land]

I like every thing I can see about the gun except the lousy shape and short length of the set trigger!
Also I believe most Hawken's were furnished in iron instead of brass or is that iron , it looks like brass in some of the pictures on my puter.

 

[Spikebuck]

Also I believe most Hawken's were furnished in iron instead of brass or is that iron , it looks like brass in some of the pictures on my puter.

The RMH hardware is finished almost entirely in Color Case Hardening. I have seen some with quite striking color, others more muted.

The only percussion gun I have left is my .54 Rocky Mountain Hawken (34" barrel). I cannot see that I will ever part with it. A superb shooter with PRB or Conicals even with the slow 1-65 Twist. IMO, Pedersoli hit a home run with this gun.

 

[tenngun]

Also I believe most Hawken's were furnished in iron instead of brass or is that iron , it looks like brass in some of the pictures on my puter. [/quote]

Many of the know Hawkins were brass and a few silver mounted. Some were mixed. Some of the best known were all Aron or iron with the wedge plates silver.

 

[Alden]

Correct Spike, and if I primarily hunted, especially deer and BIGGER, that'd be more likely than the little-shorter .50 (which I don't think are prevalent albeit not actually "rare") above my mantle too.

 

[RonRC]

I've been looking at my photos taken at the Cody Museum and it looks like most of the original Hawken rifles from several of the Hawken family members, including Gemmer, are iron. It is hard to tell in the lighting.

Ron