Considering that Alexander Forsyth had the first patent for a percussion cap in 1807 and J Hawken opened his shop in 1815 how long would it take for percussion to be prevalent in the west? It would be a pretty good assumption that Hawken may have built flintlock rifles. Considering how these rifles were used and how few were made overall its not surprising that there are no surviving Hawken flintlocks.
Rob
Forsyth patented a percussion system that used a powdered fulminate, not a percussion cap. Forsyth's percussion system on longarms and pistols is referred to as the "scent-bottle" system because of the shape of the magazine that held the powder.
After Forsyth's invention, there was a lot of experimentation of different types of percussion systems in Europe and England. Besides the loose fulminating powder like Forsyth's, people tried fulminate in flat paper patches similar to those used in modern cap guns, fulminate in pellets, and fulminate in metal tubes. Some English inventors and gun makers also experimented with fulminate in metallic caps. Forsyth successfully defended his patent in court. Once his patent expired in 1821, the field was open to gun makers.
Joshua Shaw, an Englishman who immigrated to America in 1817, claimed to have invented the copper percussion cap in 1814, but didn't patent it in England--likely becuase of the Forsyth patent was still in force. He did apply for and receive a US patent in 1822.
The mid-1820s saw a lot of activity in England and the US in the development of arms using copper percussion caps. In the US, Henry Deringer was making percussion pistols as early as 1826. By 1830, arms using percussion caps were predominate in England and on the East Coast of the US. They also became readily available in St. Louis in that year, according to newspaper advertisements.
The Hawken bro's, especially Jake, were building rifles for the western trade during the flint era, so it is unlikely that they never built flint rifles. Sadly, none have survived.
Just to build on what Sapergia says, Rich Pierce has posted some photos of what may turn out to be a flint J&S Hawken. It hasn't been written up yet and if someone is working on its provenance, that hasn't been published yet, either. Knowing Rich is a scientist, he might say it hasn't been "peer reviewed". There was another candidate for a flint Hawken presented in a
Buckskin Report article back in October 1979 by Edward S. Kollar. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in a house fire before it could be examined by experts and is still a big question mark today.
We do have some period documents that provide some evidence, though. While Jack B Tykal was doing research on a book about the mountain man Etienne Provost, he discovered a letter written by Kenneth McKenzie of Fort Tecumseh to Pierre Choteau, Jr. in St. Louis and dated January 2, 1829, requesting Chouteau to include in the spring shipment "two rifles similar in all respects to the one made by Hawkins for Provost" (
Museum of the Fur Trade Quarterly, Summer 1983, pg 2 and
Etienne Provost: Man of the Mountains by Jack B Tykal, 1989, pg 87).
Kenneth McKenzie probably saw Etienne Provost with his Hawken rifle sometime in the fall or winter of 1828 and possibly earlier. Backtracking Provost's activities, he had been in St. Louis for the last half of 1827, and gone up the Missouri River in employ of McKenzie's Upper Missouri Outfit early in 1828. There is some evidence that McKenzie sent Provost on to the 1828 Rendezvous to encourage the independent mountain men to come to the new Fort Floyd (later to be called Fort Union) to trade their furs. Provost then headed for the Crows to encourage them to come to the new fort to trade and to conduct his fall and winter hunt in Crow country. In the spring of 1829, Provost was headed back down the Missouri to St. Louis where he arrived in late July.
Etienne Provost probably acquired his Hawken rifle in St. Louis sometime in the last half of 1827, though there is no record of the purchase. Considering the time frame, it was in all likelihood a flintlock.
In August 1829, Provost outfitted for another trapping excursion in the mountains. This time in partnership with the American Fur Company. Among the various items necessary for a trapping/trading venture for he and three men in his employ, he purchased "2 rifles, Hawkins & Co., $50.00" from the company. These were probably flintlock rifles, too, and based on the price of $25 each, were full stock rifles.
So we do have documented evidence of J&S Hawken rifles going to the mountains prior to 1830. The time frame and price would indicate that they were full stock, flintlock rifles.
