Well... My Honda will take me anywhere the other fellow's Mercedes will go, and it will get me there just as fast and comfortably. However, he would rather drive a Mercedes. I don't think that makes him an idiot. He just has different taste and the money to indulge it.
I'm on the River Junction mailing list and got email notification of that rifle this afternoon. River Junction handles a lot of antique guns, along with other odds and ends. Most of the guns they sell are "old west" type cartridge guns, but they do have some nice muzzleloaders now and then. In my opinion, River Junction tends to overprice things, but they do consider reasonable offers. I've never bought an antique gun from them, if you are wondering. Like most of us here, I'm just not in a position to be doing that, which is one reason I drive a Honda.
So, I would agree that the subject rifle is overpriced, and there is no way I would consider buying it. It is a very nice rifle, though, and I would say worth considerably more than the average custom build.
First of all, Jim Parker (the builder) is pretty well known and respected in the world of custom muzzleloaders. I think just his name on a rifle would run the pricetag up some. The reason for that is his workmanship, which really shines on this piece.
Wood to metal and metal to metal fit are really good. Somebody commented on the stock. That's actually a pretty good piece of maple, with really nice figure in it from nosecap to buttplate. I did not see that the barrel maker was named, which is unfortunate, but the other components (Davis lock, L&R triggers) are excellent quality. Authenticity probably figured into this rifle's design. I think most of the originals were stocked in maple, a few with really nice figure, and some original Hawkens were made with American walnut. I've never heard of one with Turkish walnut...
Then there's the finish. We have talked ourselves into believing that original Hawkens were browned, but that is not necessarily true. Many were blued, and this rifle is hot rust blued. The dark finish on the wood is authentic, also. In one of the late Doc White's Hawken articles, he indicated a lot of the originals were almost black. Then, there is the engraving, the cap box, and the finely checkered wrist. These are all authentic features of the best grade of rifles to come out of the Hawken shop. The subject rifle looks like a J&S rifle to me, maybe of a type that would have been turned out shortly before Jacob's death in 1849. The rectangular-headed wedges and two pins in the entry pipe suggest an earlier style than the classic Sam Hawken type to me. The "flat-to-wrist" triggerguard rail is not
necessarily a really early feature, but I would not expect to see one on a late-era Sam Hawken original.
In many respects, this Jim Parker Hawken reminds me of the pristine J&S Hawken that was written up by George Shumway in his
Longrifles of Note series, which have been collected in book form. The J&S Hawken is in Volume II:
Note the checkered wrist, and Shumway's comments about the charcoal blue finish.
The Jim Parker Hawken offered by River Junction is way out of my price range, and I would even say I think it is overpriced. However, this is one of the better custom Hawkens and it is worth a lot more than average. I understand Brant Selb is now getting about $5K for his standard Hawkens, if you can get him to build one. There are people out there who have done well for themselves and have more disposable income than a lot of us here, people who don't mind dropping $10K on a really nice rifle. There are breechloading side-by-side express rifles being bought and sold that make this Hawken look like a bargain.
I think the Jim Parker Hawken which is under discussion here is an outstanding rifle, and Jim Boeke, the proprietor of River Junction, makes that clear. I'll never own this rifle, but I hope it finds a good home, with a new owner who appreciates it.
Just my opinion, respectfully submitted.
Notchy Bob
