Mr. Selb, I have bookmarked your site. Your work is fantastic and I am a huge fan of Hawken rifles. I may be contacting you regarding a "Squirrel" rifle one day!
Best regards, Skychief.
The Buffalo Bill Historical Society Firearms Museum has an extensive collection of Hawkens. If you can possibly get there its worth the trip for the Hawkens alone.
Some are viewable on line like these of the rifle Taylor furnished pictures of.
http://old.bbhc.org/collections/bbhc/CFM_ObjectPage.cfm?museum=CFM&VarObjectKey=38459This page allows zooming into the photos of the S Hawken FS.
There is a page with a J&S FS rifle but the photos are actually of 2 different rifles. Neither being a "classic" Hawken as we expect both being more like Heavy kentuckies and on is probably what would be called and "over the chunk" rifle today.
Search page
http://old.bbhc.org/collections/bbhc/Search_cfm.cfm?method=byMakeWhile the dimensions were often larger the J&S and S Hawken rifles were very carefully shaped and contoured. They really have no excess wood on them. But the barrels are generally heavier having less taper than the swamped barrel and the rods are larger so the stock must be too.
There are some areas that could be tweeked to improve the rifle you have pictured. As Taylor has stated please take this as intended, as constructive criticism. Your workmanship is excellent. But as with a Kentucky the LINES are everything and its the SUBTLETIES that really make a difference.
The photos above will allow zooming to points of interest on the FS rifle though the photos sometimes still lack detail the contours of the forend can be seen.
I feel entry pipe and the transition from ramrod groove to fore end cap are a little too abrupt on your rifle.
The photos below are from the "Bridger" Hawken in Helena Montana.
While this is an S Hawken HS rifle the transition at the rod pipe is very much like the FS rifle on page 27 of Baird's "Hawken Rifle, The Mountainman's Choice".
The first FS Hawken I built was in 1968 or so and I eventually dismantled it and burnt the stock.
This is the muzzle end of a FS "Hawken" I built in the early 1990s.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i199/DPhariss/ML%20Guns/Perchawken003.jpgThere are things I would do different on this rifle today INCLUDING the entry pipe.
The making of the "American Rifle", which the Hawken is a version of, is an ongoing learning experience.
If the builder is REALLY lucky he has someone around to tell him now and then that he has a lump or corner that needs to be changed. I took a "shaped" rifle over to a friend about 3-4 years ago and when I came in the door from across the room he told me the buttstock below the comb needed more wood removed. He was right of course I simply had missed it.
Dan
