Your hc/pc Hawkens and photos, please.

[captvonbek]

Hi Folks,

I have am new to the forum and have been back and forth through the threads here and have learned a great deal. I've also enjoyed many of the photos of the rifles that have been built, cap and flint, particularly from scratch and part sets. I'd truly enjoy seeing some Hawkens or other half-stock rifles that you have made. At this stage of my life I have more of an interest in these rifles that are hc/pc and, of course, with whatever touches you added to make this rifle your own.

I love these rifles and would also appreciate hearing a little either about your build and/or the furniture and, perhaps what inspired you do to build it the way you did.

Thanks a bunch. :thumbsup:

captvonbek

 

[Zonie]

Welcome to the forum.

All of my halfstocks except one are factory made guns so I don't have any Hawken pictures to show but I'm sure someone will post a picture or two. :grin:

 

[Vaino]

Here's a photo of a lefty Stith "S. Hawken".
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v354/flehto/HawkenCombL.jpg

 

[captvonbek]

That is a beautiful Stith S. Hawken there, Fred.I really love the way you applied the color to that sweet, curly maple and the way it compliments the nicely aged metal. Neithor too dark nor to light anywhere. Thanks a bunch for sharing it here with us. :wink:

Zonie, thanks for the warm welcome. I'd read a few hundred threads and many of yours in there. I particularly appreciated the comprehensive post on properly applying alcohol based stains. Gorgeous rifles there. :thumbsup:

Regards,
capt

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

If you go to www.msnusers.com/fotosbyruss there's a shot of my Hawken. It's almost 40 years old now and is a late period Sam Hawken rifle in .54 caliber. I don't know who made it, but I would like to--he builds a fine gun.

 

[BrownBear]

Here's a photo of a lefty Stith "S. Hawken".
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v354/flehto/HawkenCombL.jpg[/quote]

I'm a lefty too, and can really appreciate the fine rifle Flehto. A couple of quick questions, though.

Do the purists give you grief about the sling swivel studs? I don't give two cents to their brand of grief, but I'm curious how the studs are located. It looks like the rear one passed through the toe plate. True?

And how's that upper one rigged to the barrel?

Long as I'm asking, what's the caliber on that great piece?

Those aren't idle questions, cuzz I've got a really nice GRRW Hawken (58 cal) with a lefty stock and righty lock. I'm zeroing in on making a "replacement" just so I can cut down on wear and tear from hunts with the GRRW.

 

Nice job, Fred!

Capt,

You'll find a few Hawken aficionados on here, and some like Fred who make a fine Hawken. Most of those guys will tell you that Don Stith's stuff is the way to go if you're gonna build one. Don's a very knowledgeable Hawken collector and his castings are taken from original pieces. However, they'll also tell you they are not 'kits' per se, but parts sets that require some skill to turn into a fine gun.

Maybe some of the other guys will show some of their stuff here, but also check out some of the original pieces. Look at the Cody Firearms Museum. They have high resolution pictures of a few Hawkens ranging from a neat, very early J&S piece to late Sam guns. They are on the web at:
http://www.bbhc.org/firearms/collections.cfm

Sean

 

[Vaino]

Thanks for the kind words. The rear sling stud is riveted to a 1/8" thick toe plate and the front sling attachment is a piece of coat hanger shaped into sort of a triangle and is retained by a groove in the bbl rib. The loop falls on the RR pipe so as to not interfere w/ the RR. It's a .54 cal., the tapered bbl is 36" lg plus the hooked breech and the balance is superb. The owner uses it for elk and requested permanent sling attachments. Yes...Don Stith's parts sets require some knowhow for a successful result but he's more than willing to help out.....Fred

 

[BrownBear]

Sounds great!

My GRRW is a 58 cal with a 36" barrel tapered 1 1/8" to 1", and I'm a fan of tapers now for balance.

Another 58 I have is a custom, but includes swivel studs. Unfortunately there's no toe plate and the stud is drilled right into the stock. I've been contemplating adding the toe plate and attaching the stud there, but hadn't considered a rivet. Good idea.

You might be interested in how the front stud is attached. A short piece of tubing (think of it as a short RR pipe) has been attached to the under rib the same as a RR pipe, and the stud is welded to it. Not the best job of welding, and I've thought of doing much the same on my build, but with a decent job of silver soldering.

Truth be known, all these are purely hunting features. If I was doing juried events, I'd just make up two toe plates (with and without studs) and SS the front stud to a spare RR pipe. Just swap them out when around folks whose opinion matters at the moment, then return to practical function for hunts.

 

[Vaino]

The mainly triangular front sling attachment is a very trim affair for a 1" wide carrying strap. The rear sling stud has a smaller dia. that is riveted to the toe plate and there's not a separate rivet. The 1/8" thick toe plate has 3 longer than normal screws, 2 of which are on either side of the stud. The taper on this bbl is 1" to 7/8" which not only contrbutes to a lighter rifle but also one w/ excellent balance. Good luck on your search for an ideal hunting rifle...Fred

 

[BrownBear]

That's useful detail on the toe plate. Thanks!

As for the perfect hunting rifle, I hope there's no such thing. How else would I justify the next one with all the others in the rack? :grin:

 

[captvonbek]

Russ, that there is a really sweet looking rifle. I love it. Appreciate the other BP arms there, too. Thanks for the photos.
:hatsoff:

Brown Bear, I've seen a bunch of GRRW Hawkens and I like them as well. TOTW had a beauty, but it's sold. From what I've gathered, they go real fast.
:bow:

Sean. Thanks a bunch for the link to the Cody. Been there before and need to subscribe though. Maybe down the road. Yes, I've spoken with Don and I know he has some really sweet part sets patterned after originals. His committment to aftersale help and assistance is invaluable.:wink:

Regarding the building of one of these fine hc/pc rifles, which is what I may very well do, I've learned over the years that it takes practice to gain skill and there're no real substitutes. This is for anyone who may chime in to offer unsolicited advice. I am interested in what I've clearly expressed an appreciation for here. :v

Thanks indeed to those who have already shared photos of their hc/pc builds. I appreciate it a great deal. :thumbsup:

Best Wishes,
capt

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I've been around muzzleloaders for almost my entire life (since the first Davy Crockett film with Fess Parker and The Big Sky) and I have never found a percussion rifle finer than a Hawken. They are perfection, whether full stock or half stock. :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

Turns out I have only one pic of my GRRW, and that's the butt stock only. Camera is off to Nikon for repair, so it will be a while for more. Here 'tis:

I've been in contact with the GRRW gunsmith who built my particular rifle. Here's what he had to say about them:

"I can tell you that the secret to the accurate barrel is the way they were bored and rifled.
They were first drilled as usual. But what is unusual is that they were never reamed as most if not all barrel makers do now - and did then. We first cut the lands and then cut the grooves depending on the bore size. It's been a long time but as I recall the big bores had the grooves cut first. This made for tool marks that ran the whole length of the barrel on both lands and grooves in the direction of the bullet travel. Also, as the cutter head advanced towards the muzzle oil pressure and some cuttings put a minute amount of pressure on the cutter and you ended up with a sort of choke near the muzzle. This was accidental and was discovered while "slugging" a barrel to check for rough spots. Once found on a test barrel we noted it on all of them and theorized the above means by which it occurred. The result was a barrel that needed just about zero break in and was wonderfully accurate as you have discovered. To the best of my knowledge no one is producing barrels in this manner. So you have a real prize there...."

 

[doulos]

I have a Don Stith S.Hawken in .58 caliber on the way in the white, If i can figure out how to post pictures Iwill when its finished.

 

[grey8833]

Here are some pictures of mine. A Track Jim Bridger with a Goodoien 60 cal barrel. Link to the photos:
Link

Mike F

 

[captvonbek]

BrownBear, thanks for the new photo. I love that rifle! :wink:

Mike, that's a really sweet looking Jim Bridger. Great job on building it - I don't believe I've seen one as pretty. Thanks a bunch for sharing it here. :thumbsup:

By the way, Hawken enthusiasts, I've not seen or read anything about underribs for tapered barrels for these beauties. Are Hawkens with tapered barrels built with straight underribs? Thanks indeed everyone.

Regards,
capt

 

[billk]

Hello Fred.

That is a beautiful rifle you have there. Can you tell us how much it weights? Can you please post some more pictures of it?
Thank you.
Billk

 

[Vaino]

Thanks for the compliments. The rifle weighs a little over 8 lbs and this is due to the 1" to 7/8" tapered bbl which is 36" lg. The underrib was straight and was filed to match the bbl taper. Sorry...didn't take any more pics and the owner lives too far away....Fred

 

[BrownBear]

The underrib on my GRRW is tapered too. Though with its 1 1/8" x 1" x 36" barrel the rifle is over 11 pounds! It's a joy to shoot because it hangs well on target yet balances well due to the taper, but it's a tank to carry all day on a hunt. I'd much rather be carrying Flehto's 8 pounder!!!!!

Edit-

I've got a custom 58 cal barrel on a TC that's 1 1/8" x 15/16" x 26". The rib is tapered on that one too, and the weight is down to around 9 pounds. It balances like a nice double barrel shotgun in spite of the weight. Doesn't "hang" on target, but it sure swings and mounts fast. It's my choice for quick shooting in close quarters.