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Very cool photos! Especially the one of that very decorated veteran who made your rifle. I also find it interesting the very different shapes that are made into the rear portion of the stocks. Can you tell from these designs who the makers was, or at least origin area?
Do you think the lightning struck tree wood being used helps with adding any power to your shots? Like the bat "Wonderboy" in The Natural...
Thank you...:D
I was very honored to have Doc Brown as a friend...he was a great guy..and very much missed.

So...
Stock shape and butt plate design can at times denote a particular maker ...or in the case of the American Long Rifle...
A specific maker or region where the rifle was made.
This is especially true in colonial times up to about the 1830's...in some cases this individualistic styling held on much longer ...
As in certain regions of the American south.
Many rifles of this time were indeed hand built by the rifle maker ...Lock , Stock and barrel , as the old saying goes.

However...
Even in colonial times...many gun parts were made overseas and imported into the US.
Often firearms were made to general pattern...and sold to be used by the masses.
Or to be used by a gun maker for the making of a gun.
With the advent of interchangeable parts , this became more wide spread.

In the case of those rifles shown....
Most of the butt plates were cast and sold to a rifle maker....and then made into a rifle that was then in style / vogue / or marketable.
The rifles shown are of the "Trade Rifle" type...a rifle made for use in the fur trade , either by a Indian or a trapper / trader / hunter.
( The first three in the upper photo..circa 1800 - 1840 )
The fourth one in the upper photo and the next two in the lower photo are "Plains / Mountain " rifles of the 1840's - 1860's period.

Getting back to the Hawken Rifle...
These rifles were made according to a general pattern...with many out sourced parts , like locks , butt plates , barrels...
And made in house by workers for Sam or Jake.....I have no doubt that Sam or Jake also built or helped in building said rifles.


Sorry for the long answer.
You asked and excellent question ...a decent answer requires details.
Andy

Edit to add :
Many locks and barrels are marked with a name or company.
It is wise to look at the whole firearm and not just the barrel or lock to determine who made the gun.

Jacob Dicket was a noted American Long Rifle maker....he made many rifles.
However...he also sold lots of barrels that he made or had his name stamped on.
Goulcher is a very common name on percussion locks....they made locks by the thousands....but not a whole rifle.
 
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@Andy54Hawken

Thank you for taking the time to provide a response! I'd imagine this could be quite the "rabbit hole" to go down. I'd also venture a guess that your friend Doc Brown was a great source for many military stories. While I have some really cool older rifles (no black powder), knowing any of their history details would certainly add to their character. I've also noticed that all of your rifles (at least that I've seen photos of) have some really great looking wood on them (not necessarily pointing to great figured wood patterns but to how you've spruced them up with either oil/varnish/stain), so my greatest complements on that.
 
@Andy54Hawken

Thank you for taking the time to provide a response! I'd imagine this could be quite the "rabbit hole" to go down. I'd also venture a guess that your friend Doc Brown was a great source for many military stories. While I have some really cool older rifles (no black powder), knowing any of their history details would certainly add to their character. I've also noticed that all of your rifles (at least that I've seen photos of) have some really great looking wood on them (not necessarily pointing to great figured wood patterns but to how you've spruced them up with either oil/varnish/stain), so my greatest complements on that.
Thank you again.
Doc was quite the man for sure.

Rabbit hole....yes indeed
The nuances with things like stock design...or inlays could eat a lot of cyber space , fill books or bore listeners when presenting a display...:D

As far as stock finish goes...
Many original guns had stocks which were finished with Nitric Acid...this gives them a distinct look .
I use a mixture of bear grease , deer tallow and a small amount of CLP to keep 'em lookin' good.
This mixture also does wonders to keep rain damage away.
Andy
 
Very few Hawken marked pistols have come to light.
So...
Not being super rich and wanting a historically correct pistol to match my Hawken Rifle...I made one.
Made this pistol out of spare parts I had in the shop.

Hand carved maple stock...
Old rifle barrel that was cut down to pistol size...
L&R flintlock ...I converted it to percussion....
The hammer and side plate are antique...
Trigger guard was the only item purchased...
Andy
 
Details for my rifle :
36 inch barrel , by Orion , 1-72 twist...
Walnut stock , made from a local tree that was struck by lightning....
Pewter nose cap....
Silver front sight with a copper base...
Two wedge pins...
Double set triggers...
Flat to the wrist trigger guard...
Ron Long percussion lock...
Weight is 10 pounds.....

I bought this rifle from the maker in 1997...been shooting it ever since.
Many rifle shooting matches...as well as hunting.
Grouse..
Coyote...
Antelope...
Deer...
Elk ...
And Bear have been taken with this rifle.

My standard load for all my shooting and hunting is :
80 grains of 2F
A .15 Patch...
And a .530 lead round ball.
I have upped the charge to 90 - 100 grains at times...but not very often.
All round ball has been a pass through with the game mentioned above....all were also one shot kills.
( Luck . patience and practice here )

All in all....
My rifle is pretty damn close to a Hawken Rifle of the 1840's and later era.
Andy

Edit to add...Loren "Doc" Brown...the maker of my rifle.
I personally knew Doc Brown back in the '70s & '80s. Great guy.
 
I count myself both lucky and honored to have called him a friend.
Andy
I did a fair amount of shooting/ reloading back in the '80s and knew alot of these guys. I then put everything away to start my business and get married. I started again about 5 years ago and now it seems they are either dead or in their '90s. I feel like I missed out on a whole lot of knowledge, it's hard to find local guys knowledgeable on the older guns.
 
I did a fair amount of shooting/ reloading back in the '80s and knew alot of these guys. I then put everything away to start my business and get married. I started again about 5 years ago and now it seems they are either dead or in their '90s. I feel like I missed out on a whole lot of knowledge, it's hard to find local guys knowledgeable on the older guns.
In 1977 I was working in a local Texaco gas station and Doc was helping the owner build a rifle. One day a young lady came in and bought $1.00 of gas and paid with 10 silver dimes. Several of those dimes were melted down and ended up in the rifle.
 
In 1977 I was working in a local Texaco gas station and Doc was helping the owner build a rifle. One day a young lady came in and bought $1.00 of gas and paid with 10 silver dimes. Several of those dimes were melted down and ended up in the rifle.
Old silver coins make for an excellent source of inlay material or a front sight.
The front sight of my Hawken is from an old silver coin.
Andy
 
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