$@#! Hawkens and their %$@! butt plates

[Iktomi]

For a number of years I shot crescent butt plate rifles but NEVER from prone
and always between the shoulder and bicep.There is a reason the Brits made shotgun
style rifle stocks and it's called COMMON SENSE.Easy to manage even with heavy loads and
way better looking. The last crescent butt plate gun I made was a breech loader made to
look like a Carlos Gove which was styled like a muzzle loader.40-90-420 Ballard.

Bob Roller

  It's my limited understanding that "Hawken" type-rifles were an American evolution, (or devolution ) of European/English sporters? I want a larger bore flinter for elk, so I'm going with something that has a more sensible buttplate. Don't get me wrong, I like this GPR that I currently have, it's a fine shooter and I've managed to kill a few critters with it.

[Natureboy]

  I've recently had the same experience shooting my "Hawken" at the local range.  Those narrow, curved buttplates concentrate the recoil in a very small area, while the wide ones on other guns tend to spread it over a larger area of the shoulder.  At the afore-mentioned range session, that plains rifle beat me up pretty good, and I don't bruise easily. I much prefer my firelock, for that and the usual aesthetic reasons.

[Bob Roller]

I love 'em...and wouldn't trade for a blue-nosed mule!!

Muzzle Loading Rifles by Sharps Man, on Flickr

Neither of these have the deep crescent buttplate so would be
much more pleasanat to shoot.I am a bit surprised that so many
seen to think the rifle must be fired from the shoulder with such
a sharp top cap as the deep crescents have.

Bob Roller

[smokinbuck]

Took my Hawken to a chunk match many years ago and learned very quickly that crescent butt plates and chunk, or bench, shooting don't mix well. Have used shotgun type butts plates ever since.
Mark

[dogcreek]

This might sound simplistic, but try folding up a bath towel several times and placing it between your shoulder and the buttplate when shooting. It works with heavy-kicking shotguns shooting slugs and sabots.

[Joe S.]

My apologies,I seemed to have accidentally walked into the ladies room

[crankshaft]

  Arthritis in shoulder.  .   I am building a "Hawken" with a flattish BPCR buttplate.   Still A Hawken ? ? 
Anyway.... Hawken furniture and stock design.

[Kelley]

An oversized slip on butt pad pops on and off easily . 

[Iktomi]

My apologies,I seemed to have accidentally walked into the ladies room

I can assure you this isn't the case

[Joe S.]

Just funnin with everybody

[Bob Roller]

  Arthritis in shoulder.  .   I am building a "Hawken" with a flattish BPCR buttplate.   Still A Hawken ? ? 
Anyway.... Hawken furniture and stock design.

Some time ago I posted about an old friend who built a Hawken copy using the Robideaux drawings
and copied it to fine dimensions.He shot it and called me and said my muzzle crowning was a bad
job and all he could get was a 3 leaf clover group at a measured 150 yards.It was an 1 and 1/8"
Douglas barrel. His father shot it and said the crescent butt plate was an abomination and had his
son,Sid Estep make one with a shotgun butt stock and it looked great and was easier to shoot and
the accuracy ws equal. Sid made locks for a while and they were good ones but he didn't have name
recognition and decided to quit lock making and never made another one.This was over 40 years ago.

Bob Roller

[Gunnermike]

That's not a bruise, this is a bruise....

[Iktomi]

That's not a bruise, this is a bruise....

 Mine is indeed a bruise. Yours is a bigger bruise. How'd that happen?

[Daryl]

Just funnin with everybody

My little English lady would like you to shoot her, Joe.

The wide flat butt plate usually leaves no marks - just a slight inner ache in the chest bones.
Naaaa - just kidding - actually it's a easy shooting gun, unless you want to shoot past 100yards, then she speaks as below.

[Daryl]

That's not a bruise, this is a bruise....

 Mine is indeed a bruise. Yours is a bigger bruise. How'd that happen?

I've seen a lot of marks on my boys after a riot-squad session on multiple called targets shot from behind a barricade.  As they move around the edge of the barricade, the butt
moves further and further out their arm while shooting buck shot loads.  The result is exactly what this photo shows- usually more yellow & browns included- kinda like colour case hardening of the arm -  .  That looks REALLY tender.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

That kind of wound only hurts til the pain goes away.

[Joe S.]

Just funnin with everybody

My little English lady would like you to shoot her, Joe.

The wide flat butt plate usually leaves no marks - just a slight inner ache in the chest bones.
Naaaa - just kidding - actually it's a easy shooting gun, unless you want to shoot past 100yards, then she speaks as below.

I'm not scared but I bet your little lady there might not act so lady like shooting those hot loads off a bench,bet she speaks loud and clear

[little joe]

Getting a little reckless boys. Whats wrong with a English style rifle or a Lancaster style to help absorbe  some of the recoil. Had a couple Hawken,s many years ago and learned my lesson the hard way.

[Darkhorse]

I'm with you Little Joe. I've shot several rifles with different buttplates and drop and learned my lesson. It's the Lancaster type stock for me. This design really minimizes recoil for me.

[oldtravler61]

  Since I don't care for heavy kicking guns. I decided to be a better hunter an get as close as possible. Before I shoot.  An Joe I'm still laughing...! Oldtravler

[Iktomi]

That kind of wound only hurts til the pain goes away.

 That's a cousin of the axiom: "All bleeding eventually stops."

[alacran]

I have had a few Hawkens. Flavored from .45 to .58. Have shot all of them off cross ticks as well as bench. Only shot them prone on the rifle frolic. Loads as high as135g 2f on the .58. Never have come home with any kind of trauma to my bicep. By the way I'm not a big guy

[Iktomi]

I have had a few Hawkens. Flavored from .45 to .58. Have shot all of them off cross ticks as well as bench. Only shot them prone on the rifle frolic. Loads as high as135g 2f on the .58. Never have come home with any kind of trauma to my bicep. By the way I'm not a big guy

 This is the first and only time this ever happened, and I've shot this gun quite a bit.

[Hungry Horse]

Man, this thread is startin’ to look like the slow learners department. I had a light Navy Arms shotgun years ago that beat my cheek black, and blue, at a BP trap shoot, once. The key word here is “ONCE”. I sold it the next day, to a guy who’s physiology allowed him to shoot it without getting marked up.

  Hungry Horse

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

There has to be something wrong with the way you are mounting the rifle.  My Hawken rifle is a .62 cal. with the pointy Bridger butt plate.  I shoot balls @ 350 gr. over 127 gr. of FFg GOEX all day long, and don't even get a yellow blush.  I did have the unhappy occasion to shoot prone over a chunk with such a rifle in 1975, but have never done it since...that was brutal.  But offhand, no problem.
Bench shooting:  I only fire enough shots off a bench to test for group size and adjust sights to centre.  After that, I sight in offhand.
Alacran:  nice rifles.