J & S Hawken

[DaveM]

This is not my sort of thing but for those of you interested here is another one for sale. 

http://ambroseantiques.com/plongarms/hawken.htm

[rich pierce]

Looks like one of their local rifles. I love the slight fish belly buttstock.

[Majorjoel]

Thank you Dave for showing us this rifle!

My curiosity about it being a "type I" has me scratching my head.  Never heard of Hawken rifle's being called anything but half stock plains rifle's or full stocked version's??

About all I can say is that that signature stamping sure makes a Midwestern rifle worth much more than the multitude of unsigned specimens.

[rich pierce]

A signature worth about $25k give or take.

[louieparker]

Yes, but what we must remember, a barrel stamp can be had for about $200.    LP

[rich pierce]

Still, there's nothing against it being a J&S Hawken except healthy skepticism, right?

[louieparker]

Rich I guess that sums it up.   LP

[PPatch]

That stock does not say Hawken to me, although whomever did that "Type 1" writeup was trying very hard to convince otherwise. Perhaps the Hawken shop's only dealing with it involved simply installing a barrel in it for a customer needing a replacement. I would liked to have seen the tang.

dave

[Eric Kettenburg]

...although whomever did that "Type 1" writeup was trying very hard to convince otherwise...

Paul's write-ups are ALL usually very... interesting... 

[Hungry Horse]

I think the "plains rifle" designation might be a stretch. The gun has a simple trigger, brass furniture, no patent breech, and is not as robust in its stock dementions as I would expect for a plains rifle. I think it is likely a rifle made for the local trade. This is the second "Hawken" rifle that has come to light lately with this oddly finished barrel. It looks like either the barrel was originally left in the bright, or somebody scrubbed all the finish off, and then let it rust. And once again the barrel stamping are very fresh and sharp. I would be suspicious.

  Hungry Horse

[Tanselman]

If you ignore the "Hawken" name and look at the gun as a stand-alone piece, it looks a lot like a mid-1840's cherry stocked New England rifle, right down to the long cheekpiece, guard style, slight fish-belly, small oval lock washer sitting below the bolt, and single trigger.  Shelby Gallien