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Saturday, I received my copy of The Hawken Rifle, It’s Evolution from 1820 – 1870, by Bob Woodfill.

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Walaw171, I get exactly what you driving at. I while not an art historian I was a working artist all my professional life. A man of leisure now, I love building muzzleloaders. I too have ordered something that I hope to turn into my grand opus. While not a hawken, it is a Colonial from Kibler, I opted for the extra fancy maple stock and plan on trying relief and incise work in the Recoco style. I also want to try my hand at brass inletting, and maybe steel engraving.
But like you, I want to be period correctish. I know that Bella, that will be her name will not be a160 year old Colonial flintlock, but with any luck, I will build a gun for the ages! Still doing my research while I wait for my 50cal canvas to arrive 😃
 
Saturday, I received my copy of The Hawken Rifle, It’s Evolution from 1820 – 1870, by Bob Woodfill. It is a beautiful book, well written and well laid out. It gave me pause for thought about the rifle I will assemble if it ever gets here from Italy.

I was trained and worked as an art historian for fifteen years, and I tend to think about history, art, and artifacts within their context. I was taught to see art as a social document, and I am beginning to see 18th and 19th -century muzzleloaders along those lines. As an art historian, I also know that myths grow around art and its place in history. The more deeply I research the History of the Mountain/plains rifles and the mountain men, the more apparent it becomes that the entire subject is clouded in myth and that historical facts warrant care in our conversations about these rifles. While I await my rifle kit, the research has posed a few questions for me.

Do I want to build a museum-quality replica, or do I want to develop a rifle in the style of a Hawken? If the former, then there will be a great deal I need to do to replace pieces of furniture and replicate the methods of staining, etc. On the other hand, building in the style of a Hawken allows me more freedom to create a new personal and unique piece. These are legitimate questions I mull over. Either way, I will never really build a Hawken; after all, my name is not Hawken. I also know that the Mountain/Plains rifle concept was not unique to the Hawken Brothers, and they created their guns from those they learned their craft upon before moving to St Louis. That is how we make progress. Despite what the “woke” say -everything, in the end, is cultural appropriation.

I know that I have no intention of being a historical re-enactor; I neither have the time nor the inclination to spend the money to create a historically accurate “kit” – clothes, etc. And I also know as a historian that such re-enactment requires hours, nay years of library research to accomplish. I spent far too much of my life in libraries and museums to want to do that again. Nor do I want to do some half-assed kind of re-enactment. Yeah, I love the period’s clothes, but that is not my purpose in doing this. I want to build a rifle and maybe a couple of pistols. I chose muzzle-loading because I have lived in a world of auto-loading modern weapons in my short time as a Deputy sheriff, and I know I never enjoyed modern gun culture – too much consumerism, too fast a pace, and too much narcissism.

In the end, I realized I wanted to create a work of art, a thing of beauty, and to do that requires I slow down and smell the wood, the metal, the stain, and the oils.

I do not want to purchase an original Hawken or Long rifle. Those are museum-quality, and I would never shoot it. I want something that I have invested time in and, in this case, follows a Hawken style – but I know it will never be a Hawken. My goal is to turn out a thing of beauty that is also a joy to use. I once had the pleasure of shooting a Holland and Holland over and under, and not only was it sweet to shoot, the care and handcraftsmanship that went into its manufacture made it feel like holding my first sweetheart in High school. It was a bit dizzying and awe-inspiring to feel the energy and warmth of hand craftsmanship.

Having said that. I have also spent a great deal of time reading online forums and watching what videos I can find. I noticed a pattern in the online media. One, in particular, struck me as it was about all the historical mistakes in the movie Jeremiah Johnson. I returned to the film over the weekend and have to say this. The movie is a narrative, a work of fiction that never gave the idea that it was 100 percent historically accurate. That was never its intention. It is a story that appeals to us because of the human quality – the friendships, the love, and the aspect of revenge in a man trying to escape the very thing he became, a violent man. After I rewatched the movie, I went back to the forum where the film was so soundly critiqued for its “inaccuracies” and realized there is a perfect 19th-century word to describe these critics. ‘Pettifoggers.” You know, as in petty meaning small-minded and foggers meaning one who creates something difficult to see through.

That these forums would be full of pettifoggers comes as no surprise, life is full of pettifoggers who can only find importance in tearing something or someone down.

I watched a video by Ethan of “I love muzzleloading.” He talked about the number one obstacle to the growth of muzzleloading for the beginner. To summarize, he boiled it down to too many in the muzzleloading community being a jerk. I guess that is a concise 21st century way to say pettifogger, but somehow, I think pettifogger is much more elegant and descriptive. As I read through the Jeremiah Johnson forum, I found myself thinking, “Boy, who wants to deal with pettifoggers, i.e., jerks like that? What are they trying to prove?” But being old and contrary and hopefully not a pettifogger, I realized that we all need support and conversation and a kind exchange of ideas, so I reach out here in chat well, at least what a conversation is in a blog thread. I hope over time that as I begin the careful process of creating a half-stock Rocky Mountain rifle from a Hawken-style kit.

I look forward to user feedback, but not the jerkiness and pettifogging of what I have seen in many forums and even some threads here.

I can say that I have had a 99.9 percent positive interaction with respondents in my previous posts. I am happy about that. I hope to create some cross-country friendships with men of shared interests and values and get good feedback and advice as I go forward with this project. I have enjoyed seeing several good gunsmithing and finishing videos on YouTube and have found many ideas to ponder moving forward.

Now I wish the darn kit would get here. I am ready to embrace it like a man embraces a lovely woman once he is past the foolishness of adolescence.

Again, this is offered in the spirit of a bunch of old fogies sitting around and having coffee and maybe a platter of bacon and eggs while they share their life experiences.

No arguments and no pettifogging. After three years of the nonsense of legacy corporate media, the govt, and public health, I am ready for some kindness and normalcy. The idiots only win if you become like them.
Hey, Great! I got my copy just a few days ago, and really enjoy leafing through. The author is really educated and has been studying and referencing other collectors and researchers for some time, so it's a bargain at $50 plus shipping which was about 11 bucks or so. Postage is expensive anymore!
 
Hey, Great! I got my copy just a few days ago, and really enjoy leafing through. The author is really educated and has been studying and referencing other collectors and researchers for some time, so it's a bargain at $50 plus shipping which was about 11 bucks or so. Postage is expensive anymore!
I know there are some custom makers re-creating Hawkens to authentic pattern, and if I was younger, I'd probably invest in one but now that I'm retired I'm happy to read and study a bit and follow a couple local gun auctions. They were a rifle that really filled the bill for those going out West before it was at all tamed!
 
Saturday, I received my copy of The Hawken Rifle, It’s Evolution from 1820 – 1870, by Bob Woodfill. It is a beautiful book, well written and well laid out. It gave me pause for thought about the rifle I will assemble if it ever gets here from Italy.

I was trained and worked as an art historian for fifteen years, and I tend to think about history, art, and artifacts within their context. I was taught to see art as a social document, and I am beginning to see 18th and 19th -century muzzleloaders along those lines. As an art historian, I also know that myths grow around art and its place in history. The more deeply I research the History of the Mountain/plains rifles and the mountain men, the more apparent it becomes that the entire subject is clouded in myth and that historical facts warrant care in our conversations about these rifles. While I await my rifle kit, the research has posed a few questions for me.

Do I want to build a museum-quality replica, or do I want to develop a rifle in the style of a Hawken? If the former, then there will be a great deal I need to do to replace pieces of furniture and replicate the methods of staining, etc. On the other hand, building in the style of a Hawken allows me more freedom to create a new personal and unique piece. These are legitimate questions I mull over. Either way, I will never really build a Hawken; after all, my name is not Hawken. I also know that the Mountain/Plains rifle concept was not unique to the Hawken Brothers, and they created their guns from those they learned their craft upon before moving to St Louis. That is how we make progress. Despite what the “woke” say -everything, in the end, is cultural appropriation.

I know that I have no intention of being a historical re-enactor; I neither have the time nor the inclination to spend the money to create a historically accurate “kit” – clothes, etc. And I also know as a historian that such re-enactment requires hours, nay years of library research to accomplish. I spent far too much of my life in libraries and museums to want to do that again. Nor do I want to do some half-assed kind of re-enactment. Yeah, I love the period’s clothes, but that is not my purpose in doing this. I want to build a rifle and maybe a couple of pistols. I chose muzzle-loading because I have lived in a world of auto-loading modern weapons in my short time as a Deputy sheriff, and I know I never enjoyed modern gun culture – too much consumerism, too fast a pace, and too much narcissism.

In the end, I realized I wanted to create a work of art, a thing of beauty, and to do that requires I slow down and smell the wood, the metal, the stain, and the oils.

I do not want to purchase an original Hawken or Long rifle. Those are museum-quality, and I would never shoot it. I want something that I have invested time in and, in this case, follows a Hawken style – but I know it will never be a Hawken. My goal is to turn out a thing of beauty that is also a joy to use. I once had the pleasure of shooting a Holland and Holland over and under, and not only was it sweet to shoot, the care and handcraftsmanship that went into its manufacture made it feel like holding my first sweetheart in High school. It was a bit dizzying and awe-inspiring to feel the energy and warmth of hand craftsmanship.

Having said that. I have also spent a great deal of time reading online forums and watching what videos I can find. I noticed a pattern in the online media. One, in particular, struck me as it was about all the historical mistakes in the movie Jeremiah Johnson. I returned to the film over the weekend and have to say this. The movie is a narrative, a work of fiction that never gave the idea that it was 100 percent historically accurate. That was never its intention. It is a story that appeals to us because of the human quality – the friendships, the love, and the aspect of revenge in a man trying to escape the very thing he became, a violent man. After I rewatched the movie, I went back to the forum where the film was so soundly critiqued for its “inaccuracies” and realized there is a perfect 19th-century word to describe these critics. ‘Pettifoggers.” You know, as in petty meaning small-minded and foggers meaning one who creates something difficult to see through.

That these forums would be full of pettifoggers comes as no surprise, life is full of pettifoggers who can only find importance in tearing something or someone down.

I watched a video by Ethan of “I love muzzleloading.” He talked about the number one obstacle to the growth of muzzleloading for the beginner. To summarize, he boiled it down to too many in the muzzleloading community being a jerk. I guess that is a concise 21st century way to say pettifogger, but somehow, I think pettifogger is much more elegant and descriptive. As I read through the Jeremiah Johnson forum, I found myself thinking, “Boy, who wants to deal with pettifoggers, i.e., jerks like that? What are they trying to prove?” But being old and contrary and hopefully not a pettifogger, I realized that we all need support and conversation and a kind exchange of ideas, so I reach out here in chat well, at least what a conversation is in a blog thread. I hope over time that as I begin the careful process of creating a half-stock Rocky Mountain rifle from a Hawken-style kit.

I look forward to user feedback, but not the jerkiness and pettifogging of what I have seen in many forums and even some threads here.

I can say that I have had a 99.9 percent positive interaction with respondents in my previous posts. I am happy about that. I hope to create some cross-country friendships with men of shared interests and values and get good feedback and advice as I go forward with this project. I have enjoyed seeing several good gunsmithing and finishing videos on YouTube and have found many ideas to ponder moving forward.

Now I wish the darn kit would get here. I am ready to embrace it like a man embraces a lovely woman once he is past the foolishness of adolescence.

Again, this is offered in the spirit of a bunch of old fogies sitting around and having coffee and maybe a platter of bacon and eggs while they share their life experiences.

No arguments and no pettifogging. After three years of the nonsense of legacy corporate media, the govt, and public health, I am ready for some kindness and normalcy. The idiots only win if you become like them.
I got that book, knowing it will no doubt be sought after in the future. I've loved this forum, and haven't detected too many "jerks"; I guess the subject matter is too dense for them in general!
 
Concerning that book: when I ordered it, the cost came up as $100 dollars! But, upon subsequent checking, it seems someone had maybe "hacked" the ad, and I got it for the actual-and-always price of $50...so be careful, all! It's well worth the money and should be in any general muzzleloader's shelf!
 
Saturday, I received my copy of The Hawken Rifle, It’s Evolution from 1820 – 1870, by Bob Woodfill. It is a beautiful book, well written and well laid out. It gave me pause for thought about the rifle I will assemble if it ever gets here from Italy.

I was trained and worked as an art historian for fifteen years, and I tend to think about history, art, and artifacts within their context. I was taught to see art as a social document, and I am beginning to see 18th and 19th -century muzzleloaders along those lines. As an art historian, I also know that myths grow around art and its place in history. The more deeply I research the History of the Mountain/plains rifles and the mountain men, the more apparent it becomes that the entire subject is clouded in myth and that historical facts warrant care in our conversations about these rifles. While I await my rifle kit, the research has posed a few questions for me.

Do I want to build a museum-quality replica, or do I want to develop a rifle in the style of a Hawken? If the former, then there will be a great deal I need to do to replace pieces of furniture and replicate the methods of staining, etc. On the other hand, building in the style of a Hawken allows me more freedom to create a new personal and unique piece. These are legitimate questions I mull over. Either way, I will never really build a Hawken; after all, my name is not Hawken. I also know that the Mountain/Plains rifle concept was not unique to the Hawken Brothers, and they created their guns from those they learned their craft upon before moving to St Louis. That is how we make progress. Despite what the “woke” say -everything, in the end, is cultural appropriation.

I know that I have no intention of being a historical re-enactor; I neither have the time nor the inclination to spend the money to create a historically accurate “kit” – clothes, etc. And I also know as a historian that such re-enactment requires hours, nay years of library research to accomplish. I spent far too much of my life in libraries and museums to want to do that again. Nor do I want to do some half-assed kind of re-enactment. Yeah, I love the period’s clothes, but that is not my purpose in doing this. I want to build a rifle and maybe a couple of pistols. I chose muzzle-loading because I have lived in a world of auto-loading modern weapons in my short time as a Deputy sheriff, and I know I never enjoyed modern gun culture – too much consumerism, too fast a pace, and too much narcissism.

In the end, I realized I wanted to create a work of art, a thing of beauty, and to do that requires I slow down and smell the wood, the metal, the stain, and the oils.

I do not want to purchase an original Hawken or Long rifle. Those are museum-quality, and I would never shoot it. I want something that I have invested time in and, in this case, follows a Hawken style – but I know it will never be a Hawken. My goal is to turn out a thing of beauty that is also a joy to use. I once had the pleasure of shooting a Holland and Holland over and under, and not only was it sweet to shoot, the care and handcraftsmanship that went into its manufacture made it feel like holding my first sweetheart in High school. It was a bit dizzying and awe-inspiring to feel the energy and warmth of hand craftsmanship.

Having said that. I have also spent a great deal of time reading online forums and watching what videos I can find. I noticed a pattern in the online media. One, in particular, struck me as it was about all the historical mistakes in the movie Jeremiah Johnson. I returned to the film over the weekend and have to say this. The movie is a narrative, a work of fiction that never gave the idea that it was 100 percent historically accurate. That was never its intention. It is a story that appeals to us because of the human quality – the friendships, the love, and the aspect of revenge in a man trying to escape the very thing he became, a violent man. After I rewatched the movie, I went back to the forum where the film was so soundly critiqued for its “inaccuracies” and realized there is a perfect 19th-century word to describe these critics. ‘Pettifoggers.” You know, as in petty meaning small-minded and foggers meaning one who creates something difficult to see through.

That these forums would be full of pettifoggers comes as no surprise, life is full of pettifoggers who can only find importance in tearing something or someone down.

I watched a video by Ethan of “I love muzzleloading.” He talked about the number one obstacle to the growth of muzzleloading for the beginner. To summarize, he boiled it down to too many in the muzzleloading community being a jerk. I guess that is a concise 21st century way to say pettifogger, but somehow, I think pettifogger is much more elegant and descriptive. As I read through the Jeremiah Johnson forum, I found myself thinking, “Boy, who wants to deal with pettifoggers, i.e., jerks like that? What are they trying to prove?” But being old and contrary and hopefully not a pettifogger, I realized that we all need support and conversation and a kind exchange of ideas, so I reach out here in chat well, at least what a conversation is in a blog thread. I hope over time that as I begin the careful process of creating a half-stock Rocky Mountain rifle from a Hawken-style kit.

I look forward to user feedback, but not the jerkiness and pettifogging of what I have seen in many forums and even some threads here.

I can say that I have had a 99.9 percent positive interaction with respondents in my previous posts. I am happy about that. I hope to create some cross-country friendships with men of shared interests and values and get good feedback and advice as I go forward with this project. I have enjoyed seeing several good gunsmithing and finishing videos on YouTube and have found many ideas to ponder moving forward.

Now I wish the darn kit would get here. I am ready to embrace it like a man embraces a lovely woman once he is past the foolishness of adolescence.

Again, this is offered in the spirit of a bunch of old fogies sitting around and having coffee and maybe a platter of bacon and eggs while they share their life experiences.

No arguments and no pettifogging. After three years of the nonsense of legacy corporate media, the govt, and public health, I am ready for some kindness and normalcy. The idiots only win if you become like them.
I've been on other forums where the posters are MUCH more aggressive/intolerant/arrogant. This one seems to be populated by folks who might well disagree with you and with each other, for that matter, but they are polite about it. I often feel like I am in a discussion with someone like former President Obama; while I might disagree with the man on just about every political topic in which he holds an opinion, at least he would most likely be eloquent and knowledgeable about the subject matter and probably would not start calling me nasty names.
 
Saturday, I received my copy of The Hawken Rifle, It’s Evolution from 1820 – 1870, by Bob Woodfill. It is a beautiful book, well written and well laid out. It gave me pause for thought about the rifle I will assemble if it ever gets here from Italy.

I was trained and worked as an art historian for fifteen years, and I tend to think about history, art, and artifacts within their context. I was taught to see art as a social document, and I am beginning to see 18th and 19th -century muzzleloaders along those lines. As an art historian, I also know that myths grow around art and its place in history. The more deeply I research the History of the Mountain/plains rifles and the mountain men, the more apparent it becomes that the entire subject is clouded in myth and that historical facts warrant care in our conversations about these rifles. While I await my rifle kit, the research has posed a few questions for me.

Do I want to build a museum-quality replica, or do I want to develop a rifle in the style of a Hawken? If the former, then there will be a great deal I need to do to replace pieces of furniture and replicate the methods of staining, etc. On the other hand, building in the style of a Hawken allows me more freedom to create a new personal and unique piece. These are legitimate questions I mull over. Either way, I will never really build a Hawken; after all, my name is not Hawken. I also know that the Mountain/Plains rifle concept was not unique to the Hawken Brothers, and they created their guns from those they learned their craft upon before moving to St Louis. That is how we make progress. Despite what the “woke” say -everything, in the end, is cultural appropriation.

I know that I have no intention of being a historical re-enactor; I neither have the time nor the inclination to spend the money to create a historically accurate “kit” – clothes, etc. And I also know as a historian that such re-enactment requires hours, nay years of library research to accomplish. I spent far too much of my life in libraries and museums to want to do that again. Nor do I want to do some half-assed kind of re-enactment. Yeah, I love the period’s clothes, but that is not my purpose in doing this. I want to build a rifle and maybe a couple of pistols. I chose muzzle-loading because I have lived in a world of auto-loading modern weapons in my short time as a Deputy sheriff, and I know I never enjoyed modern gun culture – too much consumerism, too fast a pace, and too much narcissism.

In the end, I realized I wanted to create a work of art, a thing of beauty, and to do that requires I slow down and smell the wood, the metal, the stain, and the oils.

I do not want to purchase an original Hawken or Long rifle. Those are museum-quality, and I would never shoot it. I want something that I have invested time in and, in this case, follows a Hawken style – but I know it will never be a Hawken. My goal is to turn out a thing of beauty that is also a joy to use. I once had the pleasure of shooting a Holland and Holland over and under, and not only was it sweet to shoot, the care and handcraftsmanship that went into its manufacture made it feel like holding my first sweetheart in High school. It was a bit dizzying and awe-inspiring to feel the energy and warmth of hand craftsmanship.

Having said that. I have also spent a great deal of time reading online forums and watching what videos I can find. I noticed a pattern in the online media. One, in particular, struck me as it was about all the historical mistakes in the movie Jeremiah Johnson. I returned to the film over the weekend and have to say this. The movie is a narrative, a work of fiction that never gave the idea that it was 100 percent historically accurate. That was never its intention. It is a story that appeals to us because of the human quality – the friendships, the love, and the aspect of revenge in a man trying to escape the very thing he became, a violent man. After I rewatched the movie, I went back to the forum where the film was so soundly critiqued for its “inaccuracies” and realized there is a perfect 19th-century word to describe these critics. ‘Pettifoggers.” You know, as in petty meaning small-minded and foggers meaning one who creates something difficult to see through.

That these forums would be full of pettifoggers comes as no surprise, life is full of pettifoggers who can only find importance in tearing something or someone down.

I watched a video by Ethan of “I love muzzleloading.” He talked about the number one obstacle to the growth of muzzleloading for the beginner. To summarize, he boiled it down to too many in the muzzleloading community being a jerk. I guess that is a concise 21st century way to say pettifogger, but somehow, I think pettifogger is much more elegant and descriptive. As I read through the Jeremiah Johnson forum, I found myself thinking, “Boy, who wants to deal with pettifoggers, i.e., jerks like that? What are they trying to prove?” But being old and contrary and hopefully not a pettifogger, I realized that we all need support and conversation and a kind exchange of ideas, so I reach out here in chat well, at least what a conversation is in a blog thread. I hope over time that as I begin the careful process of creating a half-stock Rocky Mountain rifle from a Hawken-style kit.

I look forward to user feedback, but not the jerkiness and pettifogging of what I have seen in many forums and even some threads here.

I can say that I have had a 99.9 percent positive interaction with respondents in my previous posts. I am happy about that. I hope to create some cross-country friendships with men of shared interests and values and get good feedback and advice as I go forward with this project. I have enjoyed seeing several good gunsmithing and finishing videos on YouTube and have found many ideas to ponder moving forward.

Now I wish the darn kit would get here. I am ready to embrace it like a man embraces a lovely woman once he is past the foolishness of adolescence.

Again, this is offered in the spirit of a bunch of old fogies sitting around and having coffee and maybe a platter of bacon and eggs while they share their life experiences.

No arguments and no pettifogging. After three years of the nonsense of legacy corporate media, the govt, and public health, I am ready for some kindness and normalcy. The idiots only win if you become like them.
Interesting post! I got my copy of Woodfill a few months back. Initially, someone had "hijacked" the site and the book was at $100!! I checked later and it was on the legitimate site at the real price of $50. Hope no one got jacked! I've often commented how the Art World, like Craft Shows, etc., never pay any attention to our type of rifles because they're afraid of anything gun-related. But the craftsmanship shown in the old guns is amazing; wood and metal work, folk objects with a true purpose, (like hunting for food, they're not mostly for combat!). I've enjoyed this site ever since joining a couple years ago; the level of comraderie and thoughtfulness is high. Only a couple times has someone posted angry or un-informed posts. BTW, the chief-of-staff of the President is leaving soon, and his replacement is the guy who was the Covid Czar! Keep your eyes peeled for THAT guy!
 
Re-read what I said, Rick; I do not find informed discussion an issue; I find "pettifogging" narcissism that misses the point annoying. Historical research and presenting a case appropriately is not a problem. Still, as in the example I gave - missing the entire point of Jeremiah Johnson and measuring by a standard that is irrelevant to prove how smart one thinks one is quite annoying.
Wow, I doubt you'll be happy on any forum.
 
So Walaw717 is there an update forthcoming….?
I too wiggled through the mind boggles of western lore myth and legends especially concerning the Hawken rifles…so it is with great interest that I wish to see what path(s) you choose according to your original post.

My Hawken research had me handling and viewing in person every Hawken rifle that I could…no two are alike…but clearly Sam had a stylistic difference with his brother…I personally favor the architecture style of the earliest guns…(greater drop at the heel, “Roman nose” curved comb with flutes, thicker tapering wrists, tennessee style cheek rest)
AB301983-CCE0-4CF1-89A5-B0EE421F7DEF.jpeg
5C9F0B1C-676D-4F9D-9953-1E1CA74CDFB0.jpeg
So the several scratch guns I’ve built look more like these rather than the Sam Hawken (Kit Carson style) gun…

Anyway just curious what you decided.
 
Curious what Mr. Woodfill brings to the Hawken discussion that Baird, Hanson and others have not.
Woodfill, in my humble opinion, brings no new discoveries or revelations. Woodfill does bring glossy sharp photographs….he meekly and mildly questions Baird’s speculative musings on the importance of Hawken products.
(John Baird obsessively sought that 1820s fur trade flintlock fullstock to no avail)
Woodfill, to my mild disappointment, mostly showcased his personal rifle builds and commented on what is known and been said.
I enjoy the book nonetheless.
 
I have the book and enjoyed it. Any original Hawken will always be out of my pay grade, I am a shooter and would have to shoot it if I owned it. Having said that I like the Plains/Hawken style and appreciate his repros of them. I have a GRRW 54 that is the most accurate ML I own and a full stock flint Hawken style in 58 that is almost as accurate. I believe the 58 is a JP kit from Arizona (?). Have not been able to identify it yet. Might take it apart and post pics here.

Back to the book, I like his guns and would shoot all of them. The fact that they are not exact replicas doesn't bother me because the experts argue over all the Hawken details anyhow.

My $.02.

Don
 
Guess he never finished his kit or there was just too much pettifogging going on here. Whatever in hell thats supposed to mean.
I would sure like to see what the OP built or is building….he did craft that fancy “pettifogger” word….and then dropped it smack dab in the middle of the most contentiously beaten dead horse discussion ever discussed, the Hawken Rifle…. I’m thinking it‘s time for an update from the OP with pictures.
 
I have the book and enjoyed it. Any original Hawken will always be out of my pay grade, I am a shooter and would have to shoot it if I owned it. Having said that I like the Plains/Hawken style and appreciate his repros of them. I have a GRRW 54 that is the most accurate ML I own and a full stock flint Hawken style in 58 that is almost as accurate. I believe the 58 is a JP kit from Arizona (?). Have not been able to identify it yet. Might take it apart and post pics here.

Back to the book, I like his guns and would shoot all of them. The fact that they are not exact replicas doesn't bother me because the experts argue over all the Hawken details anyhow.

My $.02.

Don
I too have 2 GRRW kits …at 50 yds every shot cuts the hole of a previous shot.
Arguing the details of Hawken architecture, fittings and furniture, breeches, dating guns etc is exactly what John Baird, Ed Webber, Bill Large and several others did in the 1970s “Elite Hawken Club”….

Bairds club basically “laid down the Hawken law” as to which gun features fit which era and what was authentic when and what a Hawken was and is.

My 50 year Hawken investigations concluded that there is no Hawken law to be laid down ….guns were made with mixed breeches, furniture, stock styles, repairs, upgrades, repaired repairs and varying intended uses and end costumers…Sam hammed it up to the Denver newspaper ”won the west rhetoric”….but each Hawken gun is it’s own “animal“ …some are gracefully executed but many more are somewhat clunky utilitarian pieces built using what ever parts and wood we available that particular week in their shop.
Apparently, these guys did their share of blacksmith work too.
 
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One thing I have come to realize, no two Hawkens are exactly alike. The wood structure alone sets them apart.
So many manufactures have failed at what they call Hawken rifles. Many bare no resemblance of one, and those
are misleading at best. Some are pretty close however, and some manufactures are heading the call.

In my recent build I tried to include certain aspects that originals had. I had no plans and just went off of pictures of the originals.
I kept thinking I needed exact measurements in order to make it "correct". I was gonna order a 100.00 set of plans, and said
heck with it, just do it by eye. There is mistakes and most guns have them

IMG_3928.JPG

IMG_3962.JPG
 
One thing I have come to realize, no two Hawkens are exactly alike. The wood structure alone sets them apart.
So many manufactures have failed at what they call Hawken rifles. Many bare no resemblance of one, and those
are misleading at best. Some are pretty close however, and some manufactures are heading the call.

In my recent build I tried to include certain aspects that originals had. I had no plans and just went off of pictures of the originals.
I kept thinking I needed exact measurements in order to make it "correct". I was gonna order a 100.00 set of plans, and said
heck with it, just do it by eye. There is mistakes and most guns have them.
I think you did a great job replicating the latest iteration of a S Hawken halfstock….stock furniture and overall architecture look like what I’ve seen on Sam made guns…. I read your commentary on your stock finish on another thread … apparently you already know.

I’ve observed (from viewing, handling and pictures) that “no two guns are alike”. The “Sam” pattern, like yours, held a style and set of furniture that repeated on a lot of the surviving rifles…thus the ”classic“ Hawken look.

But the early J. Hawken and J&S Hawken rifles vary widely in stock style, furniture and degrees of repair and upgrades….and (subjectively) varying degrees of artistry and graceful execution of a particular rifle.

So if your’e replicating a Hawken, there is enormous room for some personal preferences in stockwood, stock design, trigger guard style, straight breech, slant breech etc….
210C5AC4-3A30-4AA0-A72F-575E9445356E.jpeg
my lastest attempt …it has the only two piece brass brazed butt plate I could ever find…I wish I had bought 10 when they were available.
 
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I think you did a great job replicating the latest iteration of a S Hawken halfstock….stock furniture and overall architecture look like what I’ve seen on Sam made guns…. I read your commentary on your stock finish on another thread … apparently you already know.

I’ve observed (from viewing, handling and pictures) that “no two guns are alike”. The “Sam” pattern, like yours, held a style and set of furniture that repeated on a lot of the surviving rifles…thus the ”classic“ Hawken look.

But the early J. Hawken and J&S Hawken rifles vary widely in stock style, furniture and degrees of repair and upgrades….and (subjectively) varying degrees of artistry and graceful execution of a particular rifle.

So if your’e replicating a Hawken, there is enormous room for some personal preferences in stockwood, stock design, trigger guard style, straight breech, slant breech etc….View attachment 203975my lastest attempt …it has the only two piece brass brazed butt plate I could ever find…I wish I had bought 10 when they were available.


More pics please....I love it.

Don
 

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