Hawken Wood

[A. Cooper]

Most Hawkens I've seen have fairly plain wood. Is this typically walnut or maple? With the stain, acid or age induced oxidation, I can't tell. Thanks, Arlin

[omark]

More often than not, walnut, I believe.     Mark

[Forrest]

From what i understand straight grain maple was their First choice with straight grain walnut was next, the   reason for straight grain was for strength.

Ps As for stain usually none as for finish, spar varnish.

[omark]

Can I stand corrected if I'm sitting?      Mark

[galamb]

If you have a read on whites muzzle loading website under Doc's ramblings, Doc White has a good piece or two on original Hawken's - and he has probably handled as many as just about anyone out there.

He makes a comment along the lines of - most rifles were plain maple and stained a very dark, almost black.

"But if I built them that way they wouldn't sell." (you almost detect contempt that he has to build them with fancy maple)

I have heard of Walnut stocks but have never seen a picture/description of one (that I can recall right off). I have pics of maybe two dozen originals, and save one that has "painted stripes" (somewhat like found on some Leman's and unknown when they were put on/by whom), all of the others are very plain wood.

[smylee grouch]

There is alot of variation in Hawken wood but most that I have seen have been maple stained lighter or dark. Dr. Ken Leonard was a member of a Gun Collector group that I was also in and he had a very large collection of Hawken rifles that had alot of different variables as far as Hawkens go. Alot of his Hawken's ended up in the Cody Museum. Jim Gordon also has a very large assortment of Hawken's you can view in his books or at his museum.

[Bible Totin Gun Slinger]

If,,,,IF ,,,,It all comes together, I will be building an extra long Hawken out of a cherry tree,,,I guess it wont be a Hawken, it will have 44 1/2" bbl and a Flint Lock,,,with a Poly Ramrod,,,,Don't laugh,,,I knew a truck drive loaded his little Hawken with an old CB antenna for a ramrod.

[Dphariss]

Wood used for original Hawken rifle varies widely. The finish was likely the shop made brown varnish used on many firearms of the time, though I suspect the curly maple rifles may have been stained.  Spar Varnish as we know it today did not exist. In looking on the WWW I found a lot of contradictory stuff on Spar Varnish. We have to remember that back in the day anything that was put on wood and dried to a shine was "varnish" either oil or spirit. The varnished used in gun making are "fat" varnishes and had softer, cheaper resins than furniture finishes or those used on musical instruments. But the requirements were a lot different. The solvent used, if any, was turpentine I suspect.
The black finish seen on many original rifles is a linseed oil varnish that has been exposed to sulfur in the air, invariably from burning coal, that blackens the oil.
The harder varnishes used on violins and such used higher temp, harder resins that cost more and were more difficult to incorporate into the oil.
Most of this is from research by Mad Monk.

Dan

[Dave Dolliver]

There was at least one walnut stocked Hawken rifle.  Bill Holm wrote an article about it in "Muzzle Blasts".  It was a presentation piece dated on a silver cheek piece inlay "1836", if I remember correctly.  It had a single set trigger that I copied and made a few of.  I think the gun wound up in the museum in Chadron.

Dave Dolliver

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I think the Modena Hawken is of walnut.

[Chuck Burrows]

Dave - that's the silver mounted Atcheson Hawken and yes it is in walnut. Currently it's stored at he Buffalo Bill Center in Cody, WY

Taylor is correct - the Medina Hawken is also in walnut

[Dphariss]

There are a number stocked in walnut. Either wood is correct for any Hawken.

The Atchinson Hawken is interesting since its not what people expect in a 1/2 stocked St Louis Hawken and its dated.
Dan