Dan, it was a very well made rifle. Like I said, I was not going to be satisfied, though, until I got a Hawken that was as an exact a replica as I could find. I actually sent pictures of it to the Museum of the Fur Trade in Chadron, NE to get an evaluation. They emailed back and said they'd never seen that crescent cut on the comb of the stock on other Hawkens. That, combined with what I thought was rather slender dimensions, made me want to look for something else.
This spring I ordered a J&S Hawken kit from Don Stith and had it sent to John Bergmann to build. I talked for quite awhile with Don, and he'll no doubt talk your ear off with his knowledge of the Hawken. He's a hell of a nice guy, too. Anyway, he said he was involved in the design of that Hastings Hawken, but Cabela's would not implement his recommendations in making it more authentic, especially regarding the stock and buttplate. I guess they didn't want to hear an expert's opinion. Anyway, I got my kit at what I thought was a reasonable price, and had it built by a very experienced, well-regarded builder for a very reasonable price. I went though the Hastings Hawken, a Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken - both very nice rifles - until I came to my Stith/Bergmann J&S Hawken and I could not be happier now.
