• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades
  • Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.

    We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.

    Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103

.45 Flintlock "Target Rifle" - Identify Style of Stock

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Sep 2, 2011
Messages
1,255
Reaction score
1,303
Location
Golden, CO
I purchased a very nice flintlock "Target Rifle" from the site classified. I am pleased with the rifle.
My question is what style or period does the rifle represent. To my meagerly trained eye (read "untrained eye"), the stock conformation and shape looks modern.
I'd like to know what all your expert eyes say about the stock and overall rifle configuration. Thanks.
45 Target Flintlock whole left2sm.jpg

45 Target Flintlock lock area closersm.jpg

45 Target Flintlockforearm and locksm.jpg

45 cal target flintlock Beard (17)mdsm.JPG

45 Target Flintlock left side plate areasm.jpg

45 Target Flintlock whole leftsm.jpg

Thank you,
Ron
 

Attachments

  • 45 Target Flintlock lock area closersm.jpg
    45 Target Flintlock lock area closersm.jpg
    40 KB · Views: 0
Looks like a Hawkins-Hiemer.
Yup! It looks as much like a Hawken as many of the commercial percussion and flintlocks look like "Hawken."
Would it be reasonable to call it a generic Plains Rifle? A one-off target rifle made with no attempt to duplicate a Hawken or Plains rifle?
If I take it to a serious Rendezvous, with they throw me and the rifle off the grounds, along with my Davey Crockett nylon coonskin cap?
Regardless of the style, it is a nice rifle.
 
Looks like a fair rifle for the range but that rear sight is going to catch hell from the flash. It won’t break it but will take extra care to clean the sight.
 
Yup! It looks as much like a Hawken as many of the commercial percussion and flintlocks look like "Hawken."
Would it be reasonable to call it a generic Plains Rifle? A one-off target rifle made with no attempt to duplicate a Hawken or Plains rifle?
If I take it to a serious Rendezvous, with they throw me and the rifle off the grounds, along with my Davey Crockett nylon coonskin cap?
Regardless of the style, it is a nice rifle.
Your rifle falls into the category of a 1970's fantasy Hawken being a half stock scroll guard flint lock. That rear sight will require frequent cleaning to keep the sight visible. Being an adjustable sight, it may not be allowed at some Rendezvous that require a fixed sight. The architecture would likely get by and a drop of whiteout on the adjustment screw of the sight that would prevent any adjustments while shooting might get you past the fixed sight rule.

It appears to be a well-built rifle. Do you know who made the barrel, the lock, and the triggers?

I would expect it to be a very accurate on target rifle.
 
Despite whatever type of rifle it represents it is a very attractive one. Yes I do see "hints" of a Hawken but it's certainly not a "bench Hawken". There's no doubt that is beautifully finished and very well fitted. It needs to be shot, Ron, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace that rear with a fixed sight a little closer to the front. Good luck ad have fun!
 
Thank you for the additional inputs.
I could not locate a name on the barrel or the lock. The rifle is heavy! I'll need a fork lift to bring it from the loading table to the firing line.;)
Grenadier 1758 suggests that it might be a "fantasy" Hawken. That is OK with me as I am a "fantasy" mountain man. Heck, I am so inexperienced that, at my first Rendezvous, I didn't tie my sash properly and it came undone. That dumped my breechclout on the ground. To avoid shock and awe to the attendees, I had on Spandex bike shorts. The site of me in Spandex was enough shock to those around me.
I shot it at an outdoor range at 50 yards while sitting at a bench with my elbows resting on the bench . I no longer can stand and shoot. This is the first target after sighting in. It is a sheet of 8.5 x 11 letter.
50 yds 45 Target rifle black powder.jpg

This is another target, 5 inches in diameter (I'm not showing some of the worst of the targets):
50 yds 45 Target rifle black powder2.jpg


There was one flash in the pan, probably due to the poor location of the powder in the pan.
Given my almost 76 years old eyes, this was about the best I could do at 50 yards.
Ron
 
Back
Top