The Phantom

[Jim Wag]

Morning all

I've read some,
heard a little,
know nothing about,
and am completely intrigued by the
California Hawken

Tell me everything you know about this
Phantom

What is the California Hawken?

Jim in La Luz

 

[Zonie]

To begin with, there is no such thing as a "California Hawken" because the Hawken company of St. Louis, never existed in California.
There were a lot of half stock rifles built in California in the 1850-1870 time period though.

I made the post in the following link some time ago. It is mainly aimed at the critics of the newly made half stock reproduction rifles that are being made in Italy and Spain but, it does contain quite a bit about the California guns.
A lot of this information came from the book entitled, "California Gunsmiths 1846-1900", by Lawrence P. Shelton.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/the-modern-sidelocks-place-in-pre-1870-history.58617/

 

[Jim Wag]

To begin with, there is no such thing as a "California Hawken" because the Hawken company of St. Louis, never existed in California.
There were a lot of half stock rifles built in California in the 1850-1870 time period though.

I made the post in the following link some time ago. It is mainly aimed at the critics of the newly made half stock reproduction rifles that are being made in Italy and Spain but, it does contain quite a bit about the California guns.
A lot of this information came from the book entitled, "California Gunsmiths 1846-1900", by Lawrence P. Shelton.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/the-modern-sidelocks-place-in-pre-1870-history.58617/

Thanks Zonie

William S. Hawken & Tristian Cambell
Advertised a California Hawken
For sale in 1856
Made by them in St. Louis
It existed
At least in St. Louis

That is 'the Phantom' I am looking for

I've even heard that copies of the original
California Hawken exist now!

I'm waiting for delivery of my copy of the
California Gunsmiths book
Can't wait

Jim in La Luz

 

[plmeek]

Jim,

There is not a lot more than what I posted here. They were mentioned in the advertisements of the mid-1850's. I showed pictures in that post of a S. Hawken marked rifle that I submit might be an example.

Other gun makers at the time were calling some of their rifles "California" rifles. They seemed to be trying to link to the Western Migration as a marketing ploy. Similar type rifles were being made in St. Louis by Horace Dimick in competition to the traditional Hawken rifle. They were also being made back east, and as Zonie pointed out, in California itself.

What a Hawken "California" rifle looked like is still speculation until one shows up that is marked with both "S. Hawken" and "California Rifle".

Lilke with a lot of guns, it's hard to match what we see in period documents with surviving rifles today. The Fusil de Chasse, the Carolina trade gun, and the fur trade records that mention Hawken rifles are all examples of this.