Hawken Barrel Length

[jsdyer]

Hail and well met:
I am building a Hawken half stock in 54 calibre and am wondering about the period correct barrel length.  I want the barrel as long as reasonable without being too muzzle heavy.  It seems that 32" from breech to muzzle is about right, but how long can it be?   Can I get some advice here? Thanks.
Jeff

[Sean]

Pretty variable, but up to say 39 or 40" is not out of reason.  The Tobin S. Hawken has a 39" barrel.  The Peterson J&S gun is about 33".  The Kollar J&S gun was about 38".  The Atchison J&S gun is 37"  There are probably more Hawken guns out there that are 36" or greater than less than 36".

Sean

[Sean]

After looking back at the Peterson gun I think I agree with a friend of mine that it was probably shortened.  My friend thinks it might have originally a full stock, but I'm not convinced on that.

You can see that one at:

http://www.bbhc.org/collections/BBHC/CFM_ObjectPage.cfm?museum=CFM&VarObjectKey=22284

'Tis a fine Hawken likely of mid-1830's vintage.

Sean

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

As far as repro Hawken rifles go, the difference in barrel length will depend upon whether you are using a parallel or tapered barrel.  You can get away with a lot more length in a tapered barrel than one that is parallel.  
For a straight parallel barrel (of coarse it was straight!) the very nicest shouldering Hawken I ever saw has a 28" x .54 cal x 1 1/8" barrel, and the stock has a 13 1/2" pull.  I'm 6' 2" tall with long arms, but this rifle really felt wonderful.
I have a friend in Ft. St. John BC who has a .54 x 36" tapered barrel, and that rifle is a killer (pun intended) too.  That rifle has a 14" pull I think.  He's hard to beat with that rifle.
So, I'd build what you can comfortably shoot and carry.  A heavy rifle wears you down shooting offhand over a fifty target trail, but for those first difficult shots, the extra muzzle weight sure gives a steady hold.  

[Dphariss]

Hail and well met:
I am building a Hawken half stock in 54 calibre and am wondering about the period correct barrel length.  I want the barrel as long as reasonable without being too muzzle heavy.  It seems that 32" from breech to muzzle is about right, but how long can it be?   Can I get some advice here? Thanks.
Jeff

"Typical" is 36" +- a little.
32" would not be wrong neither would 42". It would not surprise me if one turned up with a 30 or even a little shorter.
See the Hoffman and Campbell in Baird's "Hawken Rifles". Its 43". I suspect the Petersen rifle may have been of similar length.

Dan

[rsells]

The folks who have already responded are correct.  The barrel lengths ran from short to quite long.  I am an old Hawken advocate and the rifles I have built have run from 36 inches to 30 inches in barrel length.  I think the length I like the most in both the straight and straight tapered barrel is 34 inches.   It seems to feel better to hold.  I have used this length on both straight and tapered barrels.  The last one I finished for a customer was built with a straight tapered 36 inch barrel.  It looked great, felt good, shot great, but I kept wanting to cut it back to 34 inch.  I have yet to build a full stock Hawken, but I think I would go with a 36 inch on that type of rifle.
                                                                                      Roger Sells 

[Dphariss]

The folks who have already responded are correct.  The barrel lengths ran from short to quite long.  I am an old Hawken advocate and the rifles I have built have run from 36 inches to 30 inches in barrel length.  I think the length I like the most in both the straight and straight tapered barrel is 34 inches.   It seems to feel better to hold.  I have used this length on both straight and tapered barrels.  The last one I finished for a customer was built with a straight tapered 36 inch barrel.  It looked great, felt good, shot great, but I kept wanting to cut it back to 34 inch.  I have yet to build a full stock Hawken, but I think I would go with a 36 inch on that type of rifle.
                                                                                      Roger Sells 

This rifle by Don King has a 38"


IIRC this is a 34" I built it some years back and still keep poor records.

Dan

[Sean]

Nice gun, Dan.

Sean

[jsdyer]

Thanks gentlemen,  I appreciate the information.
Regards, Jeff

[David Rase]

The barrel on the Hershel House Hawkin is 36" long not counting the breech plug which is a slant breech.  The barrel is .54 caliber tapered from 1 1/8" to 1".  The gun is slightly muzzle heavy for me.
DMR

[Levy]

Some years ago, I built two Hawken type rifles with straight 1" .54 cal. barrels.  One of them was 32" in barrel length and the other was 36".  Of the two I liked the shorter one the best because it wasn't so barrel heavy.

James Levy

[northmn]

I have a 42" 54 tapered from 1" to 7/8" that holds well, never measured it at 32 inches.  There are two types of "authenticity".  One is how they were built when they left the shop and another is how they were later altered when in use.  Consider those of use getting a little grey (actually I am snow white at a premature age).  We modify our working guns to accomodate our life changes.  Great grandad was not stupid and more frugal likely did the same. A half stock can be altered such that you would have to look very close to see any alteration as the solder for the ribs can be polished off.  Also, variations existed as to who ordered the guns.  Barrel length is personal in a lot of ways and what was pleasant at 45 years of age may not be at 60 or for that matter at 25 may not be at 45.  Do not get so hung up on "authenticity" that you build something that is no fun to shoot.  I will say that tapered barrels feel different than straight ones.  While I far prefer them, my next gun is going to be a shorter straight barrelled gun as at 30-32" I do not think it will make as much difference.

DP

[hawknknife]

  I have a late period S. Hawken built by John Baird with a Bill Large Barrel.  It is .50 Cal., 38 inches, a little over 1 1/8 at breech, tapers to slightly under 1 inch at the muzzle.  The beast weighs slightly over 13 pounds and is muzzle heavy, shoots very nice with no recoil.  John told me before he passed it was very close to size and style of an original S. Hawken.  He was assisted by T. K. Dawson in the build who knew his stuff when it came to Hawnen rifles...