Just wondered how difficult it is to put a kit together. If you have built one, please let me know how it went for you. I have had some bad experience with a gun builder, who has not come through with the gun after several years of promises. Maybe I will build my own gun.
-
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
The Hawken Shop rifle kit
- Thread starter 54Rndball
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2016
- Messages
- 3,515
- Reaction score
- 3,799
Several years? If you haven't paid for anything yet find another builder. Or, better yet, pick up a used gun in the classifieds and you'll be shootin' next week!
willfish4fud
40 Cal
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2019
- Messages
- 208
- Reaction score
- 132
There are some good builders out there. I wouldn’t give up on them due to one guy. Sent you a PM
The NMLRA has a video series of building a Traditions hawken kit on YouTube. You could watch that series and decide for yourself if it is something you can do on your own. It didn’t look like to hard of a project to me. Depends on how far Down the rabbit hole you want to go. The beauty of it that I see is that you can make your rifle as basic or fine as you
Want.
Want.
The current issue (January 2022) of True West magazine has a paragraph about the Hawken Shop kit, listing it as their "Best Firearm Kit Gun" of 2021. They describe it as "95% finished." I think that is misleading. I have not personally handled a Hawken Shop kit, but from what I have heard about them, you need some well-developed gun building skills as well as a reasonably well equipped shop to assemble one.
The Hawken Shop website has a very straightforward description of the kit and the assembly procedure on one of their "info" pages. Respectfully, this is not a Traditions kit.
I think you would be well advised to call the Hawken Shop and discuss this with them. It is my understanding that their kit is based off an original, and properly assembled and finished, it will make about the most authentic Hawken you can get. The website also indicates that the Hawken Shop has approved builders who can put the rifle together and finish it for you.
I would recommend that your questions be presented directly to the Hawken Shop.
Best regards,
Notchy Bob
The Hawken Shop website has a very straightforward description of the kit and the assembly procedure on one of their "info" pages. Respectfully, this is not a Traditions kit.
I think you would be well advised to call the Hawken Shop and discuss this with them. It is my understanding that their kit is based off an original, and properly assembled and finished, it will make about the most authentic Hawken you can get. The website also indicates that the Hawken Shop has approved builders who can put the rifle together and finish it for you.
I would recommend that your questions be presented directly to the Hawken Shop.
Best regards,
Notchy Bob
This looks to be about the same amount of work as the TOTW kits and it is not recommended as a first build kit. I would agree with this as I did a TOTW Kit Carson Hawken kit last year. Although it was not the first kit I ever did it was the first high end kit for me. I admit at times it was a bit challenging for me and I made some mistakes along the way but was able to correct them to my satisfaction. You will really need the proper tools, i.e. a good drill press and wood chisels. You don't want to spent $1000 + on a kit and end up with a $400 rifle. Just my two cents worth.
My thought was, I have been waiting so long for this rifle that I could have learned everything needed to build a really nice gun. But I am looking for a finished rifle. There was a great exhibit of original PA long rifles at a museum near Lancaster, PA a few years ago. That inspired me to go for one of that type. Now I will have to see if this guy is able to produce the goods. I did put down a deposit for the stock, barrel, lock, etc.
Sixgun_Symphony
40 Cal
- Joined
- May 28, 2019
- Messages
- 171
- Reaction score
- 188
My advise is to learn on a cheap kit from Traditions then upgrade to a better quality kit as you will have acquired skills. You don't want to make mistakes while learning on an expensive kit.
You can always gift that entry level Traditions rifle to someone that needs a deer rifle, ideally a youth because we need more young people in the sport.
You can always gift that entry level Traditions rifle to someone that needs a deer rifle, ideally a youth because we need more young people in the sport.
Last edited:
I'll be taking delivery of a Hawken Shop kit in a month or so and will provide my initial reaction as to quality and what it will take to complete.
Excellent advice!
I used a kit purchased for my Dad 20 years ago. I inlet the barrel, lock, trigger plate and guard, shaped and finished the stock and browned the barrel. Now this is a smaller scale, but the tasks are the same. If I can suggest one book, The Gunsmith of Grenville County by Peter Alexander is a wonderful reference.
Headed to the range today to see how it shoots. If it is accurate, I'll spend some more time fitting to my hand and refine the lines around the lock. If not, it was a great experience.
Finally, sharp tools, sneak up on the lines and take your time. A boatbuilder I knew always had a "worry chair" in his shop. So, you can sit down and figure out what to do next, instead of rushing.
I used a kit purchased for my Dad 20 years ago. I inlet the barrel, lock, trigger plate and guard, shaped and finished the stock and browned the barrel. Now this is a smaller scale, but the tasks are the same. If I can suggest one book, The Gunsmith of Grenville County by Peter Alexander is a wonderful reference.
Headed to the range today to see how it shoots. If it is accurate, I'll spend some more time fitting to my hand and refine the lines around the lock. If not, it was a great experience.
Finally, sharp tools, sneak up on the lines and take your time. A boatbuilder I knew always had a "worry chair" in his shop. So, you can sit down and figure out what to do next, instead of rushing.
Well, back from the range. Off a rest, at 50' it was not a group, more of a cylinder choke pattern. It was so bad, I had to aim at a twig on the snowbank so I could see where the ball was hitting. No exaggeration, the shots were at least 3' from one another, same hold. One "feature" of the rifling is a 1/8" wide circumferential cut at groove depth about 1" from the muzzle.
Certainly it was time well spent, just not a shooter.
Certainly it was time well spent, just not a shooter.
Sixgun_Symphony
40 Cal
- Joined
- May 28, 2019
- Messages
- 171
- Reaction score
- 188
I am forgetting a word to describe opening up the bore for about an inch from the muzzle to aid loading.
Maybe doing that will fix the problem?
Bighorserider
40 Cal
It's called coning. Tools to do it are available from a member here.
LOL! He is not the only one, It’s the easiest way to back off and think about it all.
RM
The question that needs to answered here is are there any mistakes or poor workmanship in the kit as it's received? Things like large wood to metal gaps or parts just not lining up. Some of the kits from the past were pretty bad in this respect. I went to building from a blank for that very reason. It's better to have to do a little more work removing wood to get things to fit than it is to figure out how to replace wood that shouldn't have been removed in the machining. From what I've seen from Kibler and heard about Chambers things have gotten way way better.
Good evening,
First, thanks to all for their input.
In order:
Six Gun, great recommendation, but after inspection with a strong light, no borescope available, the bore is terrible. Spiraling tool marks along the major diameter the entire length, burrs and generally poor work (see Crisco comment below).
Bighorse, correct. With the condition of the bore, not happening. Nice horse!
Rod Man. We all need a worry chair sometimes.
Crisco. That is exactly my intent. I plan on providing delivery time, actual inlet width for barrel as compared to the actual barrel width, fit of the stripped lock plate to the lock inlet area, same for butt plate, tang and trigger group. I looked across the web for reviews of the kit and found none. I was surprised to say the least as this is obviously a high-end kit. After wrestling with the old Spanish kit mentioned above.........
Greg has been most helpful, the instructions thorough (and with the forum as a sounding board) and I am quite confident.
As the Zen Master said, "We'll see".
Frosty
First, thanks to all for their input.
In order:
Six Gun, great recommendation, but after inspection with a strong light, no borescope available, the bore is terrible. Spiraling tool marks along the major diameter the entire length, burrs and generally poor work (see Crisco comment below).
Bighorse, correct. With the condition of the bore, not happening. Nice horse!
Rod Man. We all need a worry chair sometimes.
Crisco. That is exactly my intent. I plan on providing delivery time, actual inlet width for barrel as compared to the actual barrel width, fit of the stripped lock plate to the lock inlet area, same for butt plate, tang and trigger group. I looked across the web for reviews of the kit and found none. I was surprised to say the least as this is obviously a high-end kit. After wrestling with the old Spanish kit mentioned above.........
Greg has been most helpful, the instructions thorough (and with the forum as a sounding board) and I am quite confident.
As the Zen Master said, "We'll see".
Frosty
Before starting on an actual expensive stock, I suggest practicing some inletting on something else. Maybe a bit of relief carving as well. Some kits require only a little tweeking. Others ...well....let's just say some of us have learned lessons the hard way.
"Someday" I'd like to take one of the in-person building classes offered. In the long run, it'd been less expensive and the result more pleasing.
"Someday" I'd like to take one of the in-person building classes offered. In the long run, it'd been less expensive and the result more pleasing.
Good Morning,
I did just that, with an old flintlock pistol kit purchased for my Dad. One of the references used was a John Bivins article in an old Rifle, Issue38. I have a lot of maple scraps from furniture building, and plan to inlet the lock in one of those as a warmup. But first, sharpen chisels.
Thanks for the suggestions,
Frosty
I did just that, with an old flintlock pistol kit purchased for my Dad. One of the references used was a John Bivins article in an old Rifle, Issue38. I have a lot of maple scraps from furniture building, and plan to inlet the lock in one of those as a warmup. But first, sharpen chisels.
Thanks for the suggestions,
Frosty
Sixgun_Symphony
40 Cal
- Joined
- May 28, 2019
- Messages
- 171
- Reaction score
- 188
Lapping the barrel will remove the tool marks and burrs. Cone the barrel to that 1" depth from the muzzle and I think you can make this kit gun into a decent shooter for the field.
Also check the crown. You might need to recrown the muzzle.
