My Dear Lord MacKenzie
"Disapproved List:
Rifles: Any of the so called Hawken Rifles by TC, Dixie, Traditions, Lyman Trade/Deerstalker Rifle, et al."
" unless modified to appear more correct to the period."
Why?
firstly, there were not that many Hawkens really used throughout the Great Plains and Rockies.
secondly, note the "so-called" hawkens. None of those are really a Hawkens. just a modernisch half-stock cobbled up and so named.
The Lyman Great Plains is the closest thing to a factory made Hawkens, and you see not it is on the "disapproved" list.
other valid rifles would be
Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken .54
Browning Mountain rifle
CVA Mountain Rifle
there is a nice discourse over here
https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,56614.msg681359.html#msg681359and over here
https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,54543.msg660421.html#msg660421 in reference to a CVA Mountain Rifle
Major said
"Generally, two barrel wedge , iron furniture, maybe pewter nose cap...
I checked a photo of the CVA Mountain Rifle see below ... seems to qualify "
Dave has said ,
"I'll agree with the Major here Quick Fire. I have always been a purist who pushes only custom guns but yours does appear to have had the effort put in to look correct for the period so you're good.
There are a lot of brands out there that are so badly made that we make an effort to filter them out. I normally get wary anytime I hear "CVA" but personal prejudices aside, they are pretty good starter guns.
where I babble incessantly , please allow me to offer some snips:
generally speaking , the "Hawken" plains rifle gets the most "press" probably due to the various movies such as
"Jeremiah Johnson", "The Mountain Men", etc etc
The reality is that the "J.S. Hawken" shop did not make that many rifles, and additionally they made a number of styles over the course
of the years, from a flintlock fullstock up to the "ultimate" large-bore caplock half-stock rifles.
Hawken was not the only maker, there were numerous makers of "plains rifles", so one may want to cogitate upon what
one actually desires, and for what time period. It is important to remember that one should pick hardware that would be "generally available" by the desired year, but it can still be in use long afterwards. Many frugal or crotchety individuals refuse to upgrade from "perfectly good" hardware unless there was a very legitimate reason - going to war, for example...
I myself decided on 4 distinct long-guns for my spread across the "pre-cartridge" time periods:
1) a generic flintlock trade musket in ~20 ga which covers from F&IW period thru civil war - the most common are the French Fusils
2) a Lehman Trade fullstock flint rifle in .50 which covers the height of the fur trade period
3) a caplock plains halfstock in .54 which covers from ~ 1835 past the civil war
4) a Sharps 1863 paper-cutter in .54 which covers from 1863 up well into the cartridge era
Since I have settled on caplock revolvers, my colt 1851's can be mixed with the caplock half-stock or the Sharps,
as can the Remington New Model Army's . I am still building a caplock side-by-side shotgun which can also be used anytime from
~ 1830 forward.
When playing CAS, I use remington cartridge conversions with my 1866 yellowboy and an old original belgian 12 ga....
ah, if only I could find an affordable, functioning 12 ga pinfire double!
But I digress....
if one decides, that one *must* have a J.S. Hawken over an alternate half-stock plains rifle, it would behoove one to do a bit of
homework . Rather than re-type an encyclopedia, allow me to refer your to these excellent websites:
wikipedia only skims the very surface, but does provide some names and dates
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawken_rifle"Mountain Men" gives us a tisch more on the plain rifle
http://www.mman.us/plainsrifle.htmthe NRA museum gets us deeper, and shows us a variation from the 'standard" iron trigger guard
http://www.nramuseum.com/the-museum/the-galleries/the-prospering-new-republic/case-29-the-rifle-shop-and-the-plains-rifle/samuel-hawken-plains-rifle.aspxthe Hawken Shop gives us more specific details of features
https://www.thehawkenshop.com/hawken_rifles.htmIt is good enough, please allow me to quote them:
snip---------------------------------------
Hawken Facts:
There are a multitude of sizes and styles of "Hawken" rifles - almost as varied as the men who carried them
Therefore, when we talk about "Hawkens" rifles in this catalog we are referring specifically to the "Classic"
half stock, iron mounted, big bore, "Plains" rifle. This rifle is steeped in history and linked with the opening of the West;
a rugged and manly, yet beautifully graceful piece of working hardware.
Now, just what is it that makes a "Classic" Hawken Plains Rifle? The criteria are listed as follows:
- a bare minimum bore size of .50 caliber (most average .54),
- patent hooked breech,
- all iron furniture (including nosecap),
- hourglass tang,
- long bar double set triggers
- scroll iron guard attached,
- 2 keys with iron oval escutcheons held to stock by two screws each,
- copper based German silver blade front sight,
- and plain maple stock.
Variations accepted as original are:
- one or two piece braised butt-plate,
- one piece poured pewter, or two piece braised nosecap,
- flat sided snail of J & S period or S. Hawken full scoop on patent breech,
- straight breech or slanted,
- 1 1/8" barrel straight or tapered or 1" straight octagonal barrel,
- and occasionally fancy wood and patchbox.
Other things about Hawken rifles in general which might be of some interest to you are:
A. There is nearly a 1/4" taper from front to rear of the lock plate area side to side.
B. There is usually a very slight belly to the forestock, the buttstock, and the comb to buttplate area.
C. Heel of buttplate always touches ground first when barrel is held vertical to ground. The toe is off the ground from 1/4" to 3/4"
D. The forward sweep of the beaver tail cheek piece forms a continuing line with top edge of flat opposite lockplate, interrupted at wrist, it disappears.
E. Vast majority of stocks are plain maple.
F. Underrib usually affixed to barrel with screws; sometimes filed off and peened flat to under radius.
G. Soft solder half moon fill visible at muzzle end of underrib.
H. Slotted cross keys.
These features are among those most commonly encountered, but as mentioned before not always. One or more may be lacking on a specific rifle since each gun was hand crafted and later alteration may have been undertaken for various reasons. This classic rifle is once again available through "The Hawken Shop"
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