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Hawken Facts:
There are a multitude of sizes and styles of "Hawken" rifles - almost as varied as the men who carried them Therefore, when we talk about "Hawken” rifles in this catalog we are referring specifically to the "Classic" half stock, iron mounted, big bore, "Plains" rifle. This rifle is steeped in history and linked with the opening of the West; a rugged and manly, yet beautifully graceful piece of working hardware. Now, just what is it that makes a "Classic" Hawken Plains Rifle? The criteria are listed as follows: a bare minimum bore size of .50 caliber (most average .54), patent hooked breech, all iron furniture (including nosecap), hourglass tang, long bar double set triggers with scroll iron guard attached, 2 keys with iron oval escutcheons held to stock by two screws each, copper based German silver blade front sight, and plain maple stock. Variations accepted as original are: one or two piece braised butt-plate, one piece poured pewter, or two piece braised nosecap, flat sided snail of J & S period or S. Hawken full scoop on patent breech, straight breech or slanted, 1 1/8" barrel straight or tapered or 1" straight octagonal barrel, and occasionally fancy wood and patchbox. Other things about Hawken rifles in general which might be of some interest to you are:
A. There is nearly a 1/4" taper from front to rear of the lock plate area side to side.
B. There is usually a very slight belly to the forestock, the buttstock, and the comb to buttplate area.
C. Heel of buttplate always touches ground first when barrel is held vertical to ground. The toe is off the ground from 1/4" to 3/4"
D. The forward sweep of the beaver tail cheek piece forms a continuing line with top edge of flat opposite lockplate, interrupted at wrist, it disappears.
E. Vast majority of stocks are plain maple.
F. Underrib usually affixed to barrel with screws; sometimes filed off and peened flat to under radius.
G. Soft solder half moon fill visible at muzzle end of underrib.
H. Slotted cross keys.
These features are among those most commonly encountered, but as mentioned before not always. One or more may be lacking on a specific rifle since each gun was hand crafted and later alteration may have been undertaken for various reasons--The Hawken Shop website.
These "facts" are attributes of most Hawken rifles. You need to know the Hawken history though as Hawken started out with full stock rifles just before 1830. As popularity grew they began making the more expensive half stock for the mountain and plains use. There are not many records of flintlocks being made by Hawken. A few are known but were not common. The 1830 to 1849 was the J&S Hawken era, which was the classic Hawken rifles (1-1/8" tapered barrel and tapered lock panels on the stock). When Jake died from cholera in 1849, Sam continued with S Hawken rifles from 1850 to the late 1860's. Those rifles were different architecture (Straight 1" barrel and straight lock panels on the stock along with an oval trigger guard) and were lighter rifles than the J&S rifles. So, you see, it depends on what era you wish to accurately represent.
There are a multitude of sizes and styles of "Hawken" rifles - almost as varied as the men who carried them Therefore, when we talk about "Hawken” rifles in this catalog we are referring specifically to the "Classic" half stock, iron mounted, big bore, "Plains" rifle. This rifle is steeped in history and linked with the opening of the West; a rugged and manly, yet beautifully graceful piece of working hardware. Now, just what is it that makes a "Classic" Hawken Plains Rifle? The criteria are listed as follows: a bare minimum bore size of .50 caliber (most average .54), patent hooked breech, all iron furniture (including nosecap), hourglass tang, long bar double set triggers with scroll iron guard attached, 2 keys with iron oval escutcheons held to stock by two screws each, copper based German silver blade front sight, and plain maple stock. Variations accepted as original are: one or two piece braised butt-plate, one piece poured pewter, or two piece braised nosecap, flat sided snail of J & S period or S. Hawken full scoop on patent breech, straight breech or slanted, 1 1/8" barrel straight or tapered or 1" straight octagonal barrel, and occasionally fancy wood and patchbox. Other things about Hawken rifles in general which might be of some interest to you are:
A. There is nearly a 1/4" taper from front to rear of the lock plate area side to side.
B. There is usually a very slight belly to the forestock, the buttstock, and the comb to buttplate area.
C. Heel of buttplate always touches ground first when barrel is held vertical to ground. The toe is off the ground from 1/4" to 3/4"
D. The forward sweep of the beaver tail cheek piece forms a continuing line with top edge of flat opposite lockplate, interrupted at wrist, it disappears.
E. Vast majority of stocks are plain maple.
F. Underrib usually affixed to barrel with screws; sometimes filed off and peened flat to under radius.
G. Soft solder half moon fill visible at muzzle end of underrib.
H. Slotted cross keys.
These features are among those most commonly encountered, but as mentioned before not always. One or more may be lacking on a specific rifle since each gun was hand crafted and later alteration may have been undertaken for various reasons--The Hawken Shop website.
These "facts" are attributes of most Hawken rifles. You need to know the Hawken history though as Hawken started out with full stock rifles just before 1830. As popularity grew they began making the more expensive half stock for the mountain and plains use. There are not many records of flintlocks being made by Hawken. A few are known but were not common. The 1830 to 1849 was the J&S Hawken era, which was the classic Hawken rifles (1-1/8" tapered barrel and tapered lock panels on the stock). When Jake died from cholera in 1849, Sam continued with S Hawken rifles from 1850 to the late 1860's. Those rifles were different architecture (Straight 1" barrel and straight lock panels on the stock along with an oval trigger guard) and were lighter rifles than the J&S rifles. So, you see, it depends on what era you wish to accurately represent.