Jim Bridger Hawken in Helena Museum

[Herb]

Smokey, the Bridger, W.S. Hawken, Liver Eating Johnson, Pistol Grip and Carson all have inside diameter rod pipes about  .480 to .535, by actual measurement.  The entry pipes are .510, .5?, .480, .480, .490 (Carson) and .330 for the capbox Hawken, a .50 caliber, page 388 of Gordon's book.  Nelson Museum of the West in Cheyenne, S. Hawken .500 inside and .475 entry pipe inside.  Lincoln, NE ("Robidoux") Hawken .515 ID and entry pipe .485, my measurements.

The finish is probably a varnish with a dark brown color added.

Dan, I agree.  There is very little damage to Bridger's stock, except the front of the left lock panel is worn off, probably saddle wear.  I recently discovered that the toe had been broken off, accounting for the toe plate and butt plate being pinned together.  The toe is set forward, giving less pitch down to the muzzle.

[John Shaw]

I suspect the reason there is no crown on the Hawken rifles is that they were coned. At least according to what I've read.
Nice copy by the way, and great pictures.

[Daryl]

Herb- did you get a really close look at the muzzle. I know you got a close-up picture. What I am referring to, was the muzzle filed out like on most Jaeger rifles?
The bottom groove and one at 8 & 9 o'clock appear to be filed larger, but not sure. It kinda looks that way and would make sense.

[Herb]

No, I didn't examine the bore.  Wish I had.  The J&S Hawken at Helena has the same kind of muzzle treatment, and my photo of it shows more detail.  When GRRW had the Bridger rifle at their shop and Greg Roberts made a detailed drawing of it, he noted "muzzle not filed square", or about that.  You can see that the bottom half of the muzzle is shiney and the top half darker, indicating that the top half slopes backward.  But the muzzle is filed with the lands lower and then the grooves filed back in lower yet, for only maybe 3/8" at a guess.  The J&S shows this.

[Taylorz1]

Herb,

Thank you very much for your time and attention to detail on this post. Fantastic all around. I would be very interested in how you finished and aged the wood and metal to get such a close look. Thank you again

Zack t

[Smokey Plainsman]

What is a "soft oil brown varnish" and how might one go about recreating it on a rifle?

[Mtn Meek]

He's probably referring to a traditional oil varnish with some color added.  You can read more about it here.

https://www.muzzleblasts.com/MBO.Library/MBO.V5N2/MBO.V5N2A1.shtml

[moseswhite]

Good job Herb !!

[Herb]

Here is the Kit Carson Hawken muzzle as photographed by my friend Kevin Meyer.

[Smokey Plainsman]

Here is the Kit Carson Hawken muzzle as photographed by my friend Kevin Meyer.

VERY deep grooves! Nice!

[58viktor]

The Bridger butt plate and cheek piece.  The toe plate is riveted to the butt plate.  My question is did only Hawken do this rivet?

[Daryl]

Thanks Herb, that is what I thought I was seeing.

[Herb]

The Bridger butt plate and cheek piece.  The toe plate is riveted to the butt plate.  My question is did only Hawken do this rivet?

  It is a repair, the only one I've seen.  Any gunsmith could make this repair, it is not a Hawken feature.  The Hawken copy I show here, I made this rivet repair, too.

Here are photos of the Bridger butt plate and the effect it had on muzzle pitch.




Here is Track's Bridger buttplate showing the difference in the curve.  The TOW is correctly shaped except the corner has to be filed back and the edge thinned a lot.



Six and a half inches pitch at the muzzle.

The Kit Carson Hawken

Only 2 3/4 inch pitch at the muzzle.