Project Advice

[tsuppa]

I would like to build a muzzleloader. This would not be my first build. I built a T/C Hawken about 20 years ago. I am considering the following:

T/C Hawken
Lyman GPR
Cabelas Traditional Hawken

Which is the better quality kit and potentially most accurate?

 

First off welcome to the Forum. If yer looking for a true Hawken. none of those three fit the bill. If you want a nice plains rifle then I would recomend the Lyman as the best bang for the buck, and the closest to a good plains rifle. If you do a search on the GPR you will get tons of info on them. A few guys have just recently finished some kits and there are some pics as well. If you want a true Hawken, then Don Stith is the guy to check with and his St Louis Plains rifle Co. I think hes listed in the links section. Be forwarned though that a true Hawken is one of the harder guns to build. That being said this is the place for answers, and problem solving. If you run into a snagg, an answer is just a post away, along with some good natured humor. and more advice and helpful hints than you can use in a month of Sundays. Check out some of the supply houses on line, get a couple of books, and yer good to go. Since yer here we know yer infected with the bug. There's no cure. :haha: Welcome
Bill

Aspire to Inspire before you Expire.

 

[rich pierce]

If you are limited to those 3 choices, I'd go with the Lyman GPR.

But for many of us, the reason to build a gun is to make something a little different from everything else out there. So you may want to cast your net a bit wider and consider other options. All 3 of those are simple kits to assemble.

 

[George F.]

Building a gun depends on you level of skill. both knowledge and skill level with mostly hand tools. Track of the Wolf Sells "kits" ( although they don't call them that) in the Hawken style. I believe Muzzleloaders Builders Supply also sells Hawken syles also. Probably more than you want to spend. For a beginner the price can scare and intimadate you. A good building book should also be purchased. Besides the rather large oulay for the "Kit" there also is a pretty good amount of tools that most people don't have. But if you build one, I'm sure the "Bug" will bite you and you'll be planning your next one before you finish the first one. The more exposure you have to good examples, the better the chance of you turning out a satisfactory product that will make you and your family proud...."MY dad ,or Grandpa made that".... George F. .......Good luck!

 

[Old40Rod]

Will you be using the finished rifle mainly for hunting, BP events, target shooting or merely bragging? All three are good solid shooters. The TC Hawken and Cabela's Hawken look and function are very similar. The GPR is longer and has a more "plains rifle" look. Some folks I know prefer the TC or Cabela's for hunting due to the shorter barrel, 1:48 twist and bit more modern sights than come with the GPR. I have a .50 GPR I put together from a kit and 2 .54 Cabela's Hawkens. All three shoot with better accuracy than I can handle from 75 yards in.

 

[Zonie]

First off, welcome to the Forum. You've come to the right place for any information you might need with your building project.

As for the kits you mentioned, the "best" one for you depends on what you want to use the gun for.
If you just want a rifle to hunt with, the Cabela's or TC is probably a good choice because they are lighter than the Great Plains Rifle.
Most folks find the GPR shoots roundballs better because of the depth of the rifleing grooves and the twist rate.
The Cabela's and TC both have a faster twist that is more suitable for slugs but they will shoot roundballs well too.
Oh, while I'm mentioning it, there is also a Great Plains Hunter, but it has a fast twist that is not suited for roundball shooting at all.

Of course, all three of these are basically production rifles which were left unfinished. There is some sanding and finishing required but most of the hard work is already done for you.

If you buy one of these and want anything in the way of help, or just to answer any questions you might have, post them here and you will recieve more help than you ever dreamed of.

A word about the "kits" from places like Track of the Wolf, Pecatonica River and Muzzleloaders Builders Supply:
These are more of a box of rough parts than a factory kit. Nothing is finished except the lock and even it requires locating, drilling and tapping the holes for the lock screws.
I don't mean to say these aren't quality parts, and they will make excellent rifles but there is a lot of work and knowledge envolved.
For example, one of the three kits mentioned as possible candidates would take about 10-30 hours of work (depending on how slowly you go) to finish.
A kit from TOTW, PR or MLB can easily take 160 hours or more to build.
The Hawken from one of these companys is amoung the hardest to build correctly.

Let us know what you decide and keep us posted on your guns progress.

zonie

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Since I just built a GPR, I would lean toward that one. I was a complete novice when I started, and while the Lyman kit was an easy build, it was far from just an assemble and go shoot. There was enough left to do in the build that I was able to customize the rifle and make it distinctly my own. I also got a lot of good advice from this forum. Good luck on whatever you choose to build and keep us posted.
Scott

 

[Old40Rod]

Oh... another minor difference is the curvature of the buttplate on the GPR... its a bit more severe than the TC or Cabelas. I don't notice it at all, but some forum members seem to find it uncomfortable. The good thing is that all three of these rifles are relatively common, so you should be able to find some finished guns to heft and compare.

 

[captgary]

If you decide on the GPR check out DNRSPORTS Link

 

[BrownBear]

I looked over all three of those kits firsthand before buying. I already own a factory made Lyman and have handle the others, so I had lots of info for the choice. I settled on the Lyman because the TC has always felt thick and "clunky" through the wrist.

Another big factor for me was the extra wood on the cheekpiece and on both sides of the lock on the Lyman. It was enough to let me shape them to my own tastes.

As others have said, lots of good advice and photos on the Lyman here, too. Can't beat that kind of help!

 

Zonie, mentioned that the kits from Track, and MBS are just a collection of parts. I would also add that they don't come with any direction, or instruction,they are just a pile of parts, so as has been mentioned already, it would be helpful to get a building book. Even if you have a kit that has instructions, the building books will be of great help. Both Track and MBS sell them. Alexander's The Gunsmith of Grenville County ismy favorite, but any one of them will do, and I would recomend it before you buy a kit. Get one of them and read it.

Bill

Aspire to Inspire before you Expire

 

[renovato]

All three of them are high quality guns. Which one do you like the best? The Cabelas Hawken is built by Investarms, the same folks who build the Lyman. It's a fantastic gun and one of my favorites. You can get them a little cheaper at Dixie Gunworks and the Dixie guns don't have the Cabelas literature stamped into them.

If you plan to shoot round ball only, the Lyman with it's slow twist is the perfect gun. The T/C and Investarms 1:48 twist is a compromise twist that'll let you shoot round ball or the lighter conicals but they seem to be pickier on the load. At least my Investarms Hawken is.