In used condition, this nice left handed Hawken rifle is signed by contemporary maker John F. Bergmann on the top flat of the barrel. The percussion half stock rifle is stocked with a lovely piece of curly maple and has been trimmed in iron furniture, all of which has a dark brown finish to match the barrel and lock. The rifle has a well used appearance with scattered handling marks on the stock and and wear on the brown finish on areas that are frequently handled during loading and cleaning. Weighing in at 9.6 pounds, the rifle has a trigger reach of 14" making it well suited for today's average size shooters.
The heart of the rifle is its .50 caliber straight octagon barrel. Measuring 33 in overall length excluding the breech plug, the barrel is 1" across the octagon flats. Cut rifled with eight narrow lands and wide grooves with a 1 in 70" twist for patched round balls, the bore is bright with two small speckles visible behind the muzzle. Green Mountain barrels are machined from high quality American made bar stock, A.I.S.I. 1137 modified, stress relieved, annealed, certified rifle barrel quality steel. All barrels are drilled from solid stock, reamed to a high degree of smoothness, then optically checked for straightness. The external finish is a dark brown, though the corners of the octagon flats do show wear from handling. The snail bolster also displays wear in the brown finish around the nipple. A nickel silver blade front sight is fitted behind the muzzle. A Modena style semi-buckhorn rear sight is 9" ahead of the breech and tang.
Stocked in curly maple the stock is stained to best display the contrasting stripes of figure and finished to with a semi-gloss finish. The stock does have a greenish tint.. The buttstock is fitted with a crescent steel buttplate in mid-19th century Plains rifle fashion. The buttplate finish displays typical heel wear from being placed on the ground during loading and cleaning. A browned steel cap box fitted with fire blued screws is neatly inleted into the stock. The wood carries a variety of small handling marks acquired from years of normal use. The wrist is dominated by the long tang of the hooked breech. Two bolts pass through the tang and wrist to engage the triggerplate below, helping to strengthen the wrist. Ahead of the tang is the hooked breech of the octagon barrel. Combined with the wedge keys in the forearm, the hooked breech holds the barrel in place but also allows for fast and easy removal when it comes time to clean the piece. To dismount the barrel, put the lock on half cock, withdraw the ramrod, drift the keys past the underlugs, and the barrel can be lifted from the barrel channel for ease of cleaning. The keys are marked front and rear. Return them to the correct position when reassembling the rifle. Remove the 1/4-28 nipple and place the breech end of the barrel in a bucket of soapy water. Run a wet patch down and up the bore, the pumping action will flush all the fouling from the barrel. Once the bore is clean, run a dry patch down the bore to pick up any moisture followed by a oily patch. Dry and oil the exterior then reassemble the rifle.
From below the long iron toeplate, triggerplate, and triggerguard can be seen. All three iron pieces have been browned a dark brown. The toeplate serves to protect this area while loading and cleaning the gun. The long triggerplate is engaged by the pair of tang bolts coming down from above, this design helps to reinforce the wrist by sandwiching the wood between the two metal features. A strong wrist was a key feature on the Hawken rifles as they made their way onto the Great Plains and into the Rocky Mountains. The muzzle end of the rib has a filled solder area in antique fashion, a very nice detail. The 7/16" diameter ramrod is fitted with a brass tip with 10-32 threads for loading and cleaning accessories. The side panel is fitted with a browned steel tear drop sideplate. Further back on the rifle the classic beaver tail style cheek can be seen, designed to transmit felt recoil away from the shooters face, the cheek is a comfortable platform from which to align the sights.
Ignition for the rifle is provided by this Ron Long designed percussion lock. Expertly tuned and assembled the lock has strong internals and a heavy mainspring, ensuring fast and reliable lock times. The breech is fitted with a 1/4-28 threaded steel nipple. Below the lock a set of double lever, double set triggers has been used on the rifle. Properly tuned the triggers can be set and fired in any sequence.
If you are a left handed shooter in the market for a well made percussion rifle, then consider this nice half stock Hawken today. The rifle has a well used appearance with wear in the finish and scattered handling mark. The .50 caliber bore is bright and ready to shoot. The rifle will make a good addition to any black powder collection or will be come a fine primary hunting piece for someone so interested.
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.490" round balls, pure lead, Hornady, per 100
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Track's best Black Powder BORE CLEAN Solvent, with flip-top spout
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Ball puller, steel screw, .50 caliber brass collar, 10-32 thread
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Bore brush, bronze, for .50 caliber, 10-32 thread
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Brass Capper, for No. 11 caps, straight line, made in the USA, by Tedd Cash
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Fouling Scraper, flat face, brass, .50 caliber, 10-32 thread
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Jag, jagged cleaning tip, brass, .50 caliber, 7/16" rod, 10-32 thread
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Powder measure, brass, adjustable 0 to 120 grains, with spout
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Trapper's MINK OIL TALLOW,
patch grease,
for match shooting & cold weather hunting,
one 8 oz. tin
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Nipple Wrench for Rifles & Shotguns,
slotted end for #11 nipple
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Shooting patches, .015" cotton, .50 - .59 caliber, per 100, dry
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Cleaning Patches, 2-1/2" diameter, bag of 100, pure cotton flannel, for .45 to .58 caliber
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Ramrod, 7/16" hickory, 48" long, brass tip, 10-32 thread
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Short Starter, patch & ball starter, 7/16" hickory rod for .50 caliber.
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Patch puller, corkscrew worm, steel, brass base, 10-32 thread
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