TOW Hawken full stock plains rifle

[longcruise]

Nice inletting. Shows patience and care.

 

[54ball]

I was wondering if anyone has built or owns one of these rifles in a flint. Im really considering this as the first rifle build I take on.

I would like to hear any and all advice on this rifle if anyone has any real hands on experience or any comment on the subject

Thank u

I have had some experience with a true Hawken parts set.

I cannot think of a worse first rifle or in other words, a Hawken is not a good starter rifle for a novice builder.

A Leman or Lancaster type long rifle is a much simpler build for a new builder.

 

[reddogge]

That's a good looking rifle, Tom A. Hawk.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

That's a good looking rifle, Tom A. Hawk.

Thank you. This rifle turned out quite well. Its a good shooter but it took me a long time to determine what load it likes best. Now I get excellent results with a .526 ball, .015" patch and 120 grains of FF Swiss. Its a heavy gun so the recoil is not too bad. Now, if I could only find somebody to carry it for me in the field...

The build was not significantly any more demanding than any other flinter I have made.

This percussion Hawken was my first and most challenging.

 

[Mulemauler]

This is an "American" or Lancaster style J. Henry trade rifle I built for a customer a year or so ago. It is historically correct for the early fur trade period.

 

[Mulemauler]

A real favorite of mine is the J. Henry "British " style. Put this one together with correct lock from "The Rifle Shoppe"

 

[Grenadier1758]

The Henry or Lehman English scroll guard in flint would be typical for the fur trade Era. The full stock flint Hawken can be an excellent rifle. I've seen a few. Several Henry and Lehman scroll guard rifles are described and patterned in Hanson's "Rifles of the Fur Trade Sketchbook".

 

[Clark Badgett]

A real favorite of mine is the J. Henry "British " style. Put this one together with correct lock from "The Rifle Shoppe"

That’s a good looking rifle.

 

[longcruise]

This is an "American" or Lancaster style J. Henry trade rifle I built for a customer a year or so ago. It is historically correct for the early fur trade period.

Hey, are those "correct" with a hooked breech or..??

 

[Grenadier1758]

The Lancaster styled rifles are correct with the fixed breech. My Derringer rifle has a fixed breech with wedges holding the barrel to the stock. Remove the tang bolt, the rear lock bolt, the ramrod and the wedges and the barrel is easily removed. My 1803 has the same breech and barrel arrangement.

 

[reddogge]

This is the rifle I built for my son in 1980, a J. Henry trade rifle copy. I was limited by the free stock blank I was given. OK, it cost $5.

 

[waksupi]

Hawkens are the most difficult rifle to build correctly, depending on how close a kit is cut. Not to mention they are a heavy ol' pig if done like an original. I had told my brothers I would build them a rifle at cost. My younger brother wanted a Hawken, and I refused to build one for him. So, he found someone else to do it. He now knows I knew what I was talking about when it comes to weight, and regrets having went down that path.

 

[MosesWhite]

Even the full stock Hawken they found in the river was percussion. In 1980 I built my son a scaled down replica of this J.J. Henry trade rifle, full stock and flintlock. It would be a good rifle to copy for a full stock rifle and be absolutely correct for the period.View attachment 282479View attachment 282477

Is this fullstock Hawken rifle in a museum or ? I'm writing a book on Hawken rifles and I'd like to have this one in it if possible. 573-201-1459. Thanks !

 

[MosesWhite]

Is this fullstock Hawken rifle in a museum or ? I'm writing a book on Hawken rifles and I'd like to have this one in it if possible. 573-201-1459. Thanks !

 

[reddogge]

I don't know where it is. Here is the thread I got the picture from.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/mountain-man-rifle.89613/