hawken barrel length

[doulos]

Ive been talking to Don Stith about some of his kits and have decided to order his S. Hawken in .58. I'm having him do the plug and rib etc. My question is this -- I am mainly interested in this for a hunting rifle so I don't want it to be too heavy. Don felt a .58 with a 34 inch barrel would be under 10 lbs or close to 10. I thought a tapered barrel in that caliber would be a good fit for both overall weight and powder burn. Whats your thoughts?

 

[F.G. Ford]

A tapered barrel will shift the balance point back, towards the tang of the rifle, hence making the rifle seem lighter, especially during aiming.
Also it will give the rifle more pleasing lines, as well as lighten the rifle ( marginally )
I've and handled several rifles with tapered barrels, and they are much more pleasing to work with.
Best Regards
Old Ford

 

[doulos]

I talked to Don this morning and we're going to go with the 34 inch.

 

[Swampman]

The tapered barrel will also make it more authentic.

 

[smokehouseman]

For myself it would have to be way under 10 lbs., anything 10 lbs. or more would be strickly for road hunting.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

They carry much nicer too. My 9.9 pound Hawken is a great woods gun with its 33" tapered barrel putting the balance point well back at the rear key. Makes the rifle seem much lighter than it really is--though ten pounds isn't all that heavy. Except by modern rifle standards of course.

 

[1eyemountainmen]

My Hawkens is a .58 cal. made by John Bregmann. It is a great rifle but, it has a 36 inch long barrel that is 1 1/8 across the flats. It weights in at 14 lbs. Go with the shorter barrel. Tapered would also be a great choice.

 

[Vaino]

Two years ago I "built" a Stith lefty, .54 cal. "S.Hawken" which can only be had w/ a 1" to 7/8" tapered bbl x 36" lg and didn't shorten it. The balance and weight even w/ a solid under rib are excellent and it has gone elk hunting w/ the happy customer a number of times. Too bad Don doesn't offer a right handed "S.Hawken" w/ this same bbl. The recoil w/ 110 grs. ffg and a PRB isn't bad at all and the "look" IMO is much better w/ the longer bbl......Fred

 

[doulos]

Well, when I called Don to confirm my money order had arrived we talked a little more. He said he likes the barrels in the 34-36 inch range because he likes that length of sight radius. And again he told me with this caliber the gun should be around 9.5lbs. I m not sure what my 32 inch green mountain in TC stock weighs. I dont feel its heavy to carry but I think I'll like the tapered barrel for off hand shooting better.

 

[reddogge]

So it will weigh what a typical military rifle would like an M1 or Enfield. Those got carried plenty so you shouldn't have too much of a problem. I even made a slip fit leather sling to slip on mine to put it over my shoulder on hikes in and out.

 

[doulos]

I have a slip on leather sling too. But I bought mine at the Possible Shop. It worked well last season. I figure 9.5 or 10 lbs isnt too bad. I know some fellas that hunt with heavy barreled Sharps rifles that weigh over 12-13 lbs. A sling makes a world of difference.

 

[Robert Egler]

For myself it would have to be way under 10 lbs., anything 10 lbs. or more would be strickly for road hunting.

Road hunting? Never hunted a road. Easy enough to find one, but I don't think they taste very good. :rotf:

 

I agree with Don Stith.
Go for it unless you need a longer sight radius for some reason.

 

[doulos]

Don is a wealth of knowledge and a pleasure to talk to and just seems like a genuine nice guy. I thought the 34 incher in.58 would be about right for weight and efficient powder burn for hunting charges in the 110gr area and he agreed. Although his preference is for a .54 cal.

He knows Im not a gunbuilder but was very encouraging about going ahead and giving it a shot and just to approach it one task at a time and go slow.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I would agree that .54 caliber is generally best. Unless you are going after something really big or that is likely to bite back. Then I would go with a .62 caliber and up. Otherwise, the .54 is a flat shooting and potent companion.

 

[doulos]

Russ,
While I couldnt argue how potent the .54 is and im sure its plenty for deer ( Ive only killed 2 deer with it.) My reasoning for choosing the .58 is for pentration only. With every projectile I ever used for hunting I allways opted for a heavier one including when using archery tackle.. Im a big fan of pass throughs for good blood trails. Ive never believed or relied on knockdown or shock. Not at these velocities. I learned the hard way handgun hunting with lighter bullets in a 44mag.

I only opted for the .58 because I think it affords more of a chance at a pass through if a shoulder is hit even at the outside of my shooting range of about 100 yards. Im not trying to make up for poor shooting I just think heavier projectiles usually dictate a more predictable outcome when confronted with variables out in the field.

Maybe my reasoning is faulty but Im probably not near as experienced with roundball hunting as many of you here. But I feel a little more comfortable with sending a little heavier pill downrange.

Whats your experience with pass throughs on game with the .54 at 75 -100yards?

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

At those ranges, the .54 will get pass throughs most every time with a good hit. But a good hit will put the animal down anyway. The .58 does have mass on its side in this equation no doubt about it. And the somewhat larger wound channel will leave a better blood trail making tracking easier.

 

[Vaino]

Shot 2 elk broadside w/ my .54 using a PRB and neither shot "passed through" but both "balls" were recovered just under the skin of the opposite shoulder. I say "balls" because they were more like thick quarters....the expansion was unbelievable. Never shot a deer w/ it, but can't imagine how that ball wouldn't pass through on a broadside hit seeing even a large deer is much thinner through both ribs. I chose the .54 because of good trajectory out to 100 yds {mid-range height is approx. 3"} and sufficient energy to stop an elk. It's a personal opinion, but I don't really see the need for a .58 on deer but some like bigger calibers....I know some guys that deer hunt w/ a .458 Weatherby and a .458 Win. and if it pleases them, so be it. When you have questions just call Don and he'll give you good advice.....Good luck.....Fred

 

[Donny]

I'm guessing Don did not try to change your mind about the cal.? ?, because if you don't like it, it was your call. He will advise on the bbl length once you decide on the cal.?

 

[doulos]

No, Don didn't try to change my mind on the caliber. I was pretty set on that anyway. He just gave me his suggestion on barrel length for which I had allready expressed interest in a 34inch. I allready have a TC with both .50 and .58 barrels and a Traditions with a .54. Im just adding to the collection and wanted something special to hunt with. Ive allready been thinking about adding another high quality .50 for target work only.