Was there many hawken style rifle's floating around in the 1860's

[murph]

Do any of you think there were many percution style hawken rifles caried buy civilans during or around the civil war era.I have a couple of 1860 army's and I would like to have a percution rifle to go with them,and I realy like the hawken style rifle.What was the common BP rifle caried by hunters,plainsmen,ext.Thanks,murf :thumbsup:

 

Heavy halfstock percussion rifles were very popular during that time frame out west by several makers. Dimmick, Beuvais, the Hawkens, Tryon, Henry, etc... Don't forget many fullstock rifles that were still in production at the same time. Lemans for instance. These heavy plains or Hawken style rifles were used by civilians almost exclusively. None were used by the military as far as I know. Trappers, market hunters, hide hunters, cattlemen, gold seekers, scouts, plainsmen of all trades used them extensively. Go for it. Cap and ball revolvers are contemporary side arms of these rifles.

 

[murph]

Cooner54,thanks for the reply.I guess I new the ansure to this one but I wanted some confermation.I love my 1860 revolvers and I was thinking a hawken style rifle might go well with them.I just like the halfstocks better than the military style rifles.Not that they arn't nice too.It's a very interesting time the 1860's lot's off diffrent style percution rifles,cap&ball revolvers and the cartrige guns too.Thanks for the help,Murf :hatsoff:

 

[Zonie]

murf: As I'm sure you've learned around this forum, most of the modern "hawken style" rifles aren't very much like the real Hawken which perhaps explains why people seem to like them.

Noting that the people who actually used the heavy plains rifles, typified by the Hawken all rode horses, they weren't very concerned with weight and a true plains rifle usually weighed over 10 pounds. Even a 15 pound plains rifle wasn't unknown.

Perhaps the current commercial rifle that comes closest to being similar to a real plains rifle is the Great Plains Rifle imported by Lyman.
Not only are they excellent shooters that look kinda right but the prices being asked for them is still within many peoples budget.
Not only that, but they aren't as heavy as a real plains rifle so a person can carry them long distances before their arms fall off. :grin:

zonie

 

Tom Tobin was one frontiersman who carried a Hawken and a M1860 Army - he packed the latter in a Slim Jim holster - got picture of both some where - I'll try and dig them up if you like?
Jim Bridger was packing a Hawken as a scout during the 1860's (sold it to Pierre Chien in 1865). Being a seasoned old timer he most likely packed a revolver or two as well and most likely a M1860.
Even the famed Bill Hickok carried 1860's (and early on a plains rifle) when working as a scout - he understood the value of the bigger bore hand guns in that venue.
While a lot of the frontiersman had given up their muzzle loaders by the 1860's in favor of the faster loading and/or fire power of such long arms as the Sharps, Spencer, and Henry, many continued to carry the long arms they were used to and which normally had more range....

 

[murph]

You guys made my day.Gray wolf if it's not to much trouble I would love to see a couple of pictures.Thanks for all the help fella's,murf :hatsoff:
p.s.Makes me want to put on my buckskin britches and head out the door.

 

I'll see what I can do - I've got upwards of 15,000 images saved and it's not always easy to find what I want LOL!

 

[shmrck1]

Gray Wolf,
Not easy has not stopped you before!
I know you will come thru:wink:
snake-eyes:hmm:

 

[Blizzard of '93]

from what I've read the front-stuffers were the most powerful thing around until the .45-70 became available, and even then the .50 muzzleloader had the edge with a heavy charge of powder. the real big-bores (54-58and bigger) had it over even the 50-110 lever guns. so they were common until 1880 or so.
heck the bunch I've bear hunted with here in Carolina still carry BP guns. 2 carry Muzzleload long guns (one .45 and one 12 ga. SXS) and 2 (including me) carry BP revolvers, .45's. others carry anything from .22 mag to 30-30.

 

[Dphar]

Actually the ML plains rifle hung on pretty well until the advent of cartridges such as the 44-77 Sharps and Remington and the 50-70 in the late 60s. Until the advent of the 1876 Winchester and the 45-75 the large bore MLs were a better hunting arm than the repeaters. Even the 44-40 is not much for this purpose. The Spencer had better power than the 44 henry but was not necessarily a better hunting arm than the ML.

Dan

 

[BrownBear]

I agree with Zonie on his points about the Lyman. If you get a kit, there's plenty of wood to allow you to adjust styling details to suit yourself, then you can go wild with the options for wood and metal finish. I've seen some homemade Lymans that you wouls swear were 150 years old. They shoot like crazy, too. From the bench it's not uncommon for shots to touch each other at 50 yards, and best of all the rifle really "hangs" well for offhand shooting. When everything goes right, I can sometimes shoot about as well offhand as I can from a bench. I only wish "sometimes" happened a little more often!

 

[J.D.]

IMHO, the best source of correct Hawken rifles is the ST. Louis Rifle Company
[url] http://www.donstith.com/muzzle_loading_rifles.html[/url]

Don has had access to a large number of original Hawkens over the years and his parts sets relfect his intimate knowledge of Hawken rifles.

Don's parts sets and finished rifles don't reflect bargain basement pricing, but they aren't bargain basement quality either.

 

[faw3]

As Cooner, Zonie, and Gray Wolf said.. Gray Wolf ck the pic in Tom Tobin Frontiersman..maybe thats one your writeing about, that fig 29 from 1893 is something THAT Hawken looks all of 25 pounds at least! :shocked2: along with "he is carrying a Colt Navy 36 cal revolver in a holster made from a buffalo tail." It seems to me from all Ive been forced to read the plains rifle like the flintlock hung on a long time if for no other reason than some people didnt like new things , they didnt have the power and COUL'NT afford the newst gimmick.. :rotf: The Lyman is good I've seen some old rifles that made is t across to Calif hat look a bunch like the CVA Mountain rifle. Guess a bunch of thigs got dragged out back then.And as Dan said about the repeaters they just didnt have the whomp of the bigger rifles and just werent trusted for a while. Fred :hatsoff:

 

[Rat Trapper]

I must have missed something, all I ever read about wild Bill was that he carried a pair of 1851 Navy 36 cal Colts.

 

[faw3]

I'll help ya out with that one from Gray Wolf...the answer is when working as a scout - he understood the value of the bigger bore hand guns in that venue.
as a scout, shooting Buffs ect. Fred :hatsoff:

 

[grant]

See my post in the photo section.

 

[faw3]

You need to ck out the Calif (since I see your posting from that state) made rifles that crossed the USA about that time nice looking rifle's, and fits in with your question. Fred :hatsoff: