Oh boyoboyoboyboy!

It came today! I now have a 54 cal. Sharon fullstock Hawken kit in my hot and sweaty hands. The bore is absolutely cherry and all the parts look to be in perfect condition despite being however many years old. (Not sure when manufacturing stopped on these.) The only things that I'm missing are the screws and (possibly) wedgeplates. Any recommendations for the best source? I see that Track of the Wolf and Dixie both carry them. I also see that the fullstock in the TOW catalog doesn't have wedgeplates. Is this correct? And one more question regarding screws (specifically the heads)...brown 'em? leave them in the white? blue?

I hope y'all don't mind, but I'll be bugging you for as long as it takes me to finish this rifle. :blah: :grin: I want it to look as close to something that might have rolled out of the original Hawkens' shop as possible. I may not get everything 100%, but it is my hope that I can at least end up with something that will get some oohs and ahhs when I pull it out of its blanket scabbard. I have been following the other Hawken threads and already gleaned some great information from them, so thanks are already in order.

:thumbsup:

is this your first build?

Nice! Hope you have fun with it.

Noah, yer right, the fullstock Hawkins were generally pinned. Congrats on getting that kit. She should be a beaut when built. I would go with track, or MBS, suzie's fantastic to deal with. Bill

How do, Oldarmy. I built a Lyman GPR last year and that was my first build. This one promises to be much more difficult, but I plan to go slowly and make sure everything gets done the right way.

Thanks, Cherokee...I know I'll enjoy building it as well as shooting it. This gun will be my last caplock, though...next one will be a rock locker.

Bill, this thing came with solid wedge keys and solder-on barrel underlugs. The TOW fullstock comes with slotted keys and staples. I'm wondering which is correct. Guess that's one more thing for me to research and learn... :grin: And by "MBS" I'm assuming you mean the Muzzleloader's Builders Supply. (I know I shouldn't assume, but...)

Thanks for the replies, fellas.

:thumbsup:

I guess ya can do it either way. Maybe keys if perc., and pins if flint. Either way go for it. Yeah i was refering to Muzzleloaders Builders supply. Suzie will give you the straight skinny. Her catalog has a couple of nice color pics. bill

Noah, Fullstock Hawkens use wedges just like the halfstocks. Most fullstocks didn't use the wedge plates, though some did. Look at Baird's books on Hawken rifles if you don't have any original Hawkens handy. I brown all the parts including screws. Keep us posted on your progress. Here is a photo of the Smithsonian Hawken for some eye candy. Nothe this one has wedge plates AND wedges.

Noah Mercy said:

How do, Oldarmy. I built a Lyman GPR last year and that was my first build. This one promises to be much more difficult, but I plan to go slowly and make sure everything gets done the right way.

Thanks, Cherokee...I know I'll enjoy building it as well as shooting it. This gun will be my last caplock, though...next one will be a rock locker.

Bill, this thing came with solid wedge keys and solder-on barrel underlugs. The TOW fullstock comes with slotted keys and staples. I'm wondering which is correct. Guess that's one more thing for me to research and learn... :grin: And by "MBS" I'm assuming you mean the Muzzleloader's Builders Supply. (I know I shouldn't assume, but...)

Thanks for the replies, fellas.

:thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Slotted keys and stamples for Hawken rifles. :thumbsup:
Don

Here is the near side of the Kennet Hawken.

The off side....



Hope these help some.
Don

The Kennett rifle is in the Museum of the Ozarks and the wedge plates are shaped like scrolls reversed on each other. The pics are not clear but this rifle does have wedges and plates. Most fullstocks didn't have wedgeplates but DID have wedges.
Don

I have seen a lot of fullstock Hawkens with no wedgeplates. When I built mine I put wedgeplates on because I screwed up the slot for the rear wedge and the plate covered up the boo-boo. I used staples because that's what I generally use on all my rifles.

Wish I had had it last Sunday. It would have bucked the wind a lot better than the 50 I was using.

For screw heads, I generally heat blue them. Just put them in the propane flame until they turn blue. It generally just takes a few moments.

For the screw set for the rifle, I just ordered the Tennesse screw set and used that.

Thanks for the replies and pics, Cooner! It looks like TOW uses the proper small-headed slotted wedges. And I like the fact that if I do booger up a wedge-hole in the stock I can cover up my "oops" without being non-PC! :rotf:

Mike, I like the idea of fire bluing the screw heads. That would offer a nice contrast to the browned parts...I'm gonna' keep that in mind.

As to bucking the wind better last weekend...I couldn't hold the rifle steady enough to reap the benefit of less wind drift from my 54's projectile! All I could do was poke the barrel vaguely in the direction of the target and jab wildly at the trigger as the sights blew by the black!

:thumbsup:

If you remove the heat just before they turn blue, you get better results.

Noah Mercy said:

As to bucking the wind better last weekend...I couldn't hold the rifle steady enough to reap the benefit of less wind drift from my 54's projectile! All I could do was poke the barrel vaguely in the direction of the target and jab wildly at the trigger as the sights blew by the black!

:thumbsup:

Click to expand...

I doubt if I could blame the wind pushing the ball much. Most of it was the wind pushing me. One gust caught me and pushed the rifle three targets over. Another time the wind stopped just as I squeezed and I shot left by 5 inches. My Hawken is a .58 and weighs 10.5 - 11 lbs. I could have used the extra weight as an anchor. :grin:

You are a lucky man!!

I have a 54 Sharon 1/2 stock. Took my first buck with it. Won a lot of blanket prizes too!

I built the first part of it and had a friend finish it for me. If I didn't have a son I'd take it with me when I go {even if has a nipple}.

Most of my later guns are flint but I do like to shoot that Sharon. If anyone finds another kit like this I'll take it. Especially a full stock 58 or bigger {?}.

Would this "Kennett" Hawken have any connection to Luther Kennett, a St. Louis mayor in the mid 1800's?

Ferdinand Kennett- owned a lead refinery and shot tower near what is now Kennett, Mo. I examined this rifle as closely as possible with it being inside a glass case a few years ago. Took some snapshots of it. If memory serves, I beleive that rifle is 42 caliber.
Bill

That is the reason I asked, Kennett Mo is named after Luther Kennett. For his constant promotions of the railroads, he was known as the railroad man in MO.

I never knew (a lot of things I never knew) of any lead refinery or shot tower ever existing anywhere around Kennett.

The information that I have on the Kennett Hawken is that it is a .50 caliber rifle. The Smithsonian Hawken is .435 caliber. The oval cheek inlay of silver is engraved,"Made for Col. Ferd. Kennett by Saml. Hawken St. Louis Mo". Also more info on Col. Kennett is he acquired the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Mexican War and he later was active in the lead mining and smelting business at Selma, Missouri and later purchased a shot tower and smelter at Herculaneum about 40 miles south of St. Louis on the Mississippi River. This info is in an article written by Lt. Col. Vaughn Goodin in Muzzle Blasts Magazine in the May 1978 issue. The article is called, "The Quandry of the Fraternal Twins." It is a study comparing the Smithsonian Hawken and the Kennett Hawken.
Don