Picked up another Hawken builder

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

So far I've built 2 .58cal cva hawken rifles, one for myself and another for an online buddy that wanted a big bang.

I just bought another one for a great price and of course, it needs refinishing like always. The only problem now is what barrel do I slap on? It has a 50cal which is ok. Lately I take the cva mountain rifles and swap them out due to the longer barrel length, bigger caliber and the slow twist rifling.

I've been thinking about the .45cal mountain rifle barrel OR the .32cal squirrel barrel! I have to do some calling to see if the place has a .32 in stock but man, this is hard to decide which one would be cool to have and play with.

thoughts?

[gunmaker]

Hooked breech ?  Have as many barrels as you want  ........Tom, And a smooth one too.

[PPatch]

Compromise in the middle and do a 36? I have one and it is for sure fun to shoot.

dp

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

well I have a 40cal, just dont know if it will fire or not since its from aroundthe 1850s LOL.

It will be a hooked breech. I only use the factory cva barrels and just recut the dovetail for the barrel tenons. Im not talented enough to do a custom barrel yet.

[ken]

Do the cva,s that you are finding have a hooked breech or one that has a round hook type of breech plug. I have a 54 new barrel  with the round and am trying to figure out what to do with it. I cannot find a tang for it     ken

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

I have a round tang if you want to pick it up for the price of a $6 flat rate box. Its in the white so you'd have to blue or brown it.

[Hungry Horse]

 I don't understand the attachment for the CVA Hawken. It is a poor copy, of an unauthentic design (T/C's), built on the cheap. IMO the Mountain Rifles were a lot better gun.

                 Hungry Horse

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

HH:  you've hit upon a pet 'peeve' of mine.  Calling these reproduction rifles Hawken(s) is like saying it's alright for (insert car manufacturer's name here) to name their new production vehicle a Lincoln, when it is based upon the Lada.

That rifles are being made cheaply and engaging a lot of new shooters who otherwise would not be able to afford a good rifle, is a good thing I guess.  But I have issues with the marketing hype and deliberate plagiarism of a respected top end name from the recent past.

I started my muzzle loading experience with a T/C "Hawken" rifle, and was very pleased with it at the time.  But it didn't take long for me to learn enough to be able to know the difference.  OK...I'm stepping off my soap box now!

[louieparker]

Taylor
 I certainly agree with your statement... If Sam or Jake could see one of those rifles and hear it called Hawken I doubt they would be flattered.    LP

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

Not quite sure what this all has to do with my post?

 The mountain rifles are nice, i've had plenty but the Hawken style stock makes for a better building platform.

I certainly enjoy the Hawken I built out of a kit and added my own personal touches. Does it look like a real day hawken? No, but it @!*% sure shoots better than one in the day!

150 yards 4 shots. 3 inch orange bulls eye



Not bad for a cheaply made rip off eh?

A replica hawken is still a rip off either way you look at it. If you want the macho bragging rights, best get you a REAL hawken 

[ken]

Nice shooting, I would be interested in what your charge and ball patch combo was!! Yes I would like the tang I am sending you my email address. I am headed to the South Eastern tomorrow and will be gone for a bit. Send Info and I will get the funds out to you  Thanks  ken   

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Your shooting is remarkable...very nicely done indeed!  I have seen very few muzzle loading rifles shoot that well.  You have both a good one, and a gift for doing it.
What you are shooting is a half stocked sporting rifle...a Hawken it is not.  ...not my fault.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

Shes my huntin rifle, she just happens to be able to shoot a flea off a ticks rear end is all. But all good hunting rifles should be accurate shooters in my book.

As for the other build thats coming in friday, I may be going with the .45cal 32" barrel for it. NOT 100% certain though.

[Hadden West]

The way I see it, if you just say Hawken........then you're referring to a real Hawken. However, if you say TC Hawken or CVA Hawken, then anyone should understand that it's not a Jake or Sam Hawken. But, what else are you going to call them. They are what they are. A real Hawken, would cost a small farm, even if you could find one for sale. Most of the custom one's have the same barrel as some of the drop in's for the TC's. How would Jake or Sam react to a GM barrel. Who cares. Their names lives on, and the argument does too. Not all plastic bowls are Tuperware, and not all adjustable wrenches are Crescent,........we get it.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

I bedded the tang and trigger plate a couple days ago. Casted a couple dozen .490" round balls and took it out this evening to see how that 1:48 twist barrel does. I really am considering leaving this barrel on it.

70gr 2f Goex
.020" patches with Mr.Flintlocks lube
.490" home cast round ball
50 yards
First 2 shots at the top. Next 4 were with adjustment.



First shot out of the barrel.

[nosrettap1958]

"I certainly enjoy the Hawken I built out of a kit and added my own personal touches. Does it look like a real day hawken? No, but it @!*% sure shoots better than one in the day!"

She's a keeper!!! And rather a fine lookin rifle I may add and you did a real nice job bringing that rifle to life. 

Frontier, is that the original barrel on that rifle pictured? And how old are those CVA Hawken rifles?  I thought the very old CVA rifles used Green Mountain barrels but I think that goes way back to the 60's if I recall correctly.

[J Henry]

  FM don't care what name you put on it,,I'd call it a real shooter...  Spend as much as you want on a Custom Made rifle and it might not shoot any better,!!!! and if it does shoot better  what did you prove,, if you get ready to part with it let me know,,I'll put it with my other, not real, old ugly,propellant buring things, taking up room in my closet,  That I bought at Wal Mart or Flea Markets of were "on the prairie" one was a rifle then a lamp and now a rifle again,,, on the prairie it was,,,,, Made a real pigs ear out of a silk purse ha ha ha
   
shooting that good,,you might be able to win a " real" authentic rifle at some shoot,,
           just toe the line and let it fall where it will!!!! Worse you could do is Lose that fake and go buy a real one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (TIC) HA HA HA HA

[Daryl]

150 yards 4 shots. 3 inch orange bulls eye

Nice shooting.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

"I certainly enjoy the Hawken I built out of a kit and added my own personal touches. Does it look like a real day hawken? No, but it @!*% sure shoots better than one in the day!"

She's a keeper!!! And rather a fine lookin rifle I may add and you did a real nice job bringing that rifle to life. 

Frontier, is that the original barrel on that rifle pictured? And how old are those CVA Hawken rifles?  I thought the very old CVA rifles used Green Mountain barrels but I think that goes way back to the 60's if I recall correctly.

You are thinking Douglas barrels. They only made them on the mountain rifles for 2 -3 years before switching over to the made in spain barrel which still shot like a dream.

I've actually added the MR barrel to my hawken. Mine was originally a 50cal 1:48 twist but I wanted a big bore long distance shooter and so I ordered a new 32" deer creek .58cal 1:66 twist barrel for it. Just had to cut a new dovetail so it would work with the hawken wedge key placement.

Age wise its hard to tell. Some of the real earlier models had sharp point lock panels where the later 80's models had rounded lock panels.