...12 years later!

[boydusmx]

I haven't posted much of anything lately, so I'm making up for lost time now! I purchased a Pecatonica lefthand Hawken kit 12 years ago and realized quickly I did not possess the skill to put it together. I somehow thought I was a great builder when I had never built anything like a muzzleloader before this. After ruining a few parts I stuffed it all back into a box and continued shooting my Lymans. After reading many books and watching Bill Raby on youtube for a while, I finally learned some patience and got the courage to finish it! I spent about 2 months, start to finish, but worked a couple hours every day. The wood on this was grade 3 CM. The sights have been aligned and laser bore sighted. It's a .58 cal GM barrel with 1:70 twist. I left a lot of wood on this stock to handle the recoil A large portion of the toe of the butt was red heartwood and I thought it might not look good when finished. Turned out, it lost it's red color and the grain pattern just gave it some more character. Overall, I'm very pleased with the quality of parts from Pecatonica, but I did replace the sheet metal fore-end cap with a cast version from TOW. The sights are far from period correct, but I must compete against tang verniers and I thought this was a better looking alternative to those.

 

[tgfrench]

personally i'm not that big of fan of the yellow look, yet the gun overall is a beauty. Nice Job. I hear you about the sights. I'm fighting the same battle in my local club. But i'm taking pleasure when I beat those pricey guns and sights with my CVA kentucky kit with open sights.

 

[1BadDart]

Wow, what a beautiful rifle! Nice job.

 

[boydusmx]

I used 2 applications of tannic acid and iron nitrate for the stain. Came out black as coal and was very difficult to see the blushing action when heated, so I made sure I covered it thoroughly with the heat gun. Rubbed it back with Tried and True oil and let it dry for a week. Then 3 coats of Jim Chambers oil finish. I think the camera is adding some yellow, but it still looks a bit wild with the contrast of the stripes. I wanted something different than every other Hawken I see on the line and boy did I get different. I've never used AF before, so you do kinda just get what you get! I'm very pleased, even though I should have gone more traditional with the shape of the lock molding and pointed it a bit more, especially in the back. Everything fits snug on this rifle, so I hope that translates to accuracy. I find out tomorrow! GM says 120 FF is max for their .58 barrel. Should I stick to the recommend max for proof testing? Seems like proof testing is a good idea for a freshly built gun, but I have no experience with this whatsoever.

 

[TDM]

It looks great! And congratulations for getting it done. Better late than never!

 

[Trapper Scott]

WOW! Now that's a build to be proud of. Nice job!

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

Great job man, she's a beauty. Those sights are pure class.

 

[Gtrubicon]

I think it’s incredibl!

 

[billraby]

It looks great. Building guns is not so hard if you just take your time and pay attention to what you are doing. You need to start watching the videos on Rumble. Gun building videos are harmful to the community if you see them on You Tube.

 

[1950DAVE]

Regardless of the time element you now have a beautiful eyes rifle. Excellent work.

 

[deerstalkert]

despite the lock being on the wrong side, that is awesome!
i have tried to achieve that color and just never could get it!

 

[Bighilt]

Absolutely beautiful!

 

[KC Clem]

Awesome job. I've got a 1793 Herman Rupp kit I got from Muzzleloader Builder's Supply several years ago and am in the same boat. I hope when I feel up to it, mine turns out as well as yours did.

 

[Josephg]

Very nice! I like it a lot! Really stands out. Okay I'm talking about the wood. I should go back now and look at the rest of it.

 

[45man]

FANTASTIC, that wood is a dream come true.

 

[boydusmx]

Thanks for all the support guys. I learned so much from your contributions on this website and a special thanks to billraby for endless hours and detail he put into his videos. I have watched bill on youtube and now on Rumble. My confidence in building has improved 10-fold after watching those videos. I have a new Late Lancaster kit from Pecatonica that I will start on immediately.

I took the beast out to the range today and I have one thing to say. This is a big gun built for a big man! I started with 80gr of FF Old Eynsford powder and had no desire to up the charge. I shoot 80 grs in my .54 without any drama, but wow can you feel the difference with a .58! It was however very accurate with 60 and 80 grains of powder. The first 2 shots were low, then added 4 clicks elevation and that was it. I shot the photos below in natural light to better show the true colors of the stock.

 

[Rudyard]

"Tiger Tiger burning bright in the forest of the night" "Oh what dreadfull hand Or eye can match thy fearsome symmetry ? "

Or something close to that . But no reflection on your skill just the sharp contrasting effect is very different and minded me of that bit of verse '. Regards Rudyard

 

[springfield art]

I haven't posted much of anything lately, so I'm making up for lost time now! I purchased a Pecatonica lefthand Hawken kit 12 years ago and realized quickly I did not possess the skill to put it together. I somehow thought I was a great builder when I had never built anything like a muzzleloader before this. After ruining a few parts I stuffed it all back into a box and continued shooting my Lymans. After reading many books and watching Bill Raby on youtube for a while, I finally learned some patience and got the courage to finish it! I spent about 2 months, start to finish, but worked a couple hours every day. The wood on this was grade 3 CM. The sights have been aligned and laser bore sighted. It's a .58 cal GM barrel with 1:70 twist. I left a lot of wood on this stock to handle the recoil A large portion of the toe of the butt was red heartwood and I thought it might not look good when finished. Turned out, it lost it's red color and the grain pattern just gave it some more character. Overall, I'm very pleased with the quality of parts from Pecatonica, but I did replace the sheet metal fore-end cap with a cast version from TOW. The sights are far from period correct, but I must compete against tang verniers and I thought this was a better looking alternative to those.

Very nice! I'm a lefty also but can shoot all kinds of stuff OK as I learned how to work many types of toy guns as a kid! I shoot from left shoulder using left eye, but don't worry about the lockwork as long as I have glasses on. Your striping reminds me of the Tiger that was in the cartoon Calvin & Hobbes.

 

[woodsnwater]

When you say you rubbed it back with tried and true, did you use steel wool or some other abrasive to take the black off?

 

[boydusmx]

woodsnwater, I used a grey ultra-fine Scotch-Brite pad. I have also used 0000 steel wool and it does the same job. You have to be a little more careful on edges with the steel wool. I actually used the steel wool to dull and cut back the finish between coats of the Jim Chambers oil.

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