Hawken Rifles

[Jay Gardner]

Having watched Jerimah Johnson for the ??? time this afternoon I started to wonder what an original 50 cal. half stock Hawken weighed and how long they were. Any body know or want to guess?

Thanks.

 

[roundball]

Not that TC's Hawkens are meant as a replica of an original Hawken, but for FYI, a TC Hawken
weighs 8.5lbs

 

[Jay Gardner]

My custom .50 Cal Hawken is 52" long and weights every bit of 13 lbs. Think that is pretty representative of the original?

 

[roundball]

Wow, that's almost twice the weight of a TC Hawken...I assume the barrel is around 32"?
Where is all that weight?

 

[Jay Gardner]

Nope. 35-1/2" to the breech plug and 1" accross the flats.

 

[roundball]

"The Hawken Shop" (see URL below) lists various Hawken replica configurations including their weights...looks like 10.5lbs is the ballpark weight for the half stock

http://www.thehawkenshop.com/default.htm

 

[Zonie]

Yep, the Hawken were a mite heavy. Course ye understand the Mountain Man didn't walk a whole bunch, he rode so the weight wasn't a real problem fer him. A've even read some o them guns had a metal shield on the bottom of the forarm which rested aginst the pommel an kept the saddle from a warin the wood in that spot.
Ah'm also thinnen that these men warn't weak. The bever traps weighed bout 10 pounds each too, course the pack horse got to carry them 'round fer the trapper.

Part o the weight comes just from the fact that the stocks were stout! They didn't want a gun whats gonna turn into splinters when it'd dropped offen thar horse down a gulley. At's also why the trigger plate often extended back under the wrist o the stock.
One of the uni-que things bout the gun was that it had a fairly thick wrist, butt and forend but at the same time it doesn't look thick and clunkey.

 

[musketman]

J & S Hawken .56 Caliber Half Stock Percussion Rifle, c. 1825-45. Weight, 10 3/4 pounds. In the Cody Firearms Museum...

The rifle's weight will very between calibers a bit due to the bore sizes, if two rifles are 1" accross the flats and one is a .56 caliber while the other is a .50 caliber, the larger bore will be a tad lighter due to more metal removed.

The S. Hawken half stock Plains Rifle in .53 caliber weights 12 pounds.

 

[Doc Contender]

I watched Jerimah Johnson Satuday for the ??? too. Ever wonder why the grizzy bear chasing the old guy just didn't knock him down and eat him.
Just the movies I guess. Still I would like to see the bear win just once. It cold outside! Not going out much. I'm getting cabin fever. Is there a doctor on the forum? Run faster bear.

 

[musketman]

quote:Originally posted by Doc Contender:
I watched Jerimah Johnson Satuday for the ??? too. Ever wonder why the grizzy bear chasing the old guy just didn't knock him down and eat him.Lucky for him it wasn't mating season!!!

 

[Doc Contender]

Musketman. that's the other movie, the mountain men. That one mountain man clains is daddy was a bore gizzly. I watched that movie right after the Johnson one. Run faster bear, run faster

 

[musketman]

Another good movie is Winterhawk...

It has Dawn Wells (Mary Ann of Gilligan's Island fame) in it...

It's about the Blackfeet Indians and their struggle with small pox, and how they were cheated by a few trappers...

 

[LRB]

Watch for the jet airliner going overhead in one scene and power lines in another.

 

[Jay Gardner]

quote:Originally posted by musketman:

J & S Hawken .56 Caliber Half Stock Percussion Rifle, c. 1825-45. Weight, 10 3/4 pounds. In the Cody Firearms Museum...

The rifle's weight will very between calibers a bit due to the bore sizes, if two rifles are 1" accross the flats and one is a .56 caliber while the other is a .50 caliber, the larger bore will be a tad lighter due to more metal removed.

The S. Hawken half stock Plains Rifle in .53 caliber weights 12 pounds. So 13+ lbs sounds about right to me for a .50 cal.
Any idea how long that Hawken is?

 

[musketman]

quote:Originally posted by Doublegun:

Originally posted by musketman:

The rifle featured here has a 33

 

[Goeb1133]

If you are ever in Cody. the Buffalo Bill Center is a must see. When you enter the Win. Fireams wing, there are about 10-15 Hawkens arranged in a semi-circle on display. They were indeed, very beefy weapons for the most part. Goeb

 

[Goeb1133]

The Lyman is very close to the Hawken, if only they'd brown the steel.

 

[lonewolf5347]

I know my GPR by lyman say 9 lbs. 32 inch barrel feels more like 10 lbs ,compare to my t/c hawken the lyman is a heavy rifle ,on the other hand has more of the traditional look.

 

[Haggis]

I understand that more than a few folks clean the blue off with some steel wool and then just brown the barrel to look a bit more traditional.

Anyway, it's something to do on a Saturday.

 

I cannot, for the life of me, remember the name of the product or who makes it but there is a "wipe on" something that takes off blueing. Birchwood Casey perhaps? Be a lot easier than steel wool!

Vic