Gun Stories - The Hawken Rifle

Joe Mantegna explores the Hawken rifle. Developed in the 1820s, it became synonymous with the "plains rifle", the buffalo gun, and the fur trapper's gun.

[@Bayan1905]

Sadly, most of the guns sold today as Hawkens are not in fact Hawken copies. Original Hawkens almost always had two barrel wedges for their half stock guns (they did make full sock versions) and the barrels were usually 32 inches and longer and they weighed 10 pounds or better. The copies like those from Thompson Center, CVa and Traditions are based on the guns made by Horace Dimick, who sold a short barreled, single barrel wedge gun with double set triggers and brass hardware to the 66th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War. The other gun that was almost like what the new Hawkens are copied from is the Henry Leman Indian Trade rifle. CVA's Mountain Rifle (which is closer to a real Hawken than their own Hawken is), then the Traditions Mountain Rifle which is just the same gun CVA used to sell. The Investarms Gemmer Hawken, Pedersoli's Rocky Mountain Hawken and the Lyman Great Plains rifle were all copies of that the real Hawken design looked like.

[@jackdundon2261]

Hey there, I met a gun smith the other day, who claimed to have a REAL HAWKEN. (I took photos - not sure hoto post). But, I thought I saw "Bond Brothers" on the barrel. (I WILL go back and "TRY" to get more photos). But it's a LONG full stock. He told me he has been told the experts can't put a value on it. Does Bond brothers make any since???

[@Bayan1905]

@@jackdundon2261 there were full stocked Hawken rifles, and they are rare. The Hawken brothers and their family made those rifles from roughly the late 1820's until 1860 when Hawken was bought out by a man named Gemmer. Gemmer made guns until around 1874 or so before production was done, so you're talking roughly 50 years of production, which is something to say when guns were made one at a time, no mass production then.

[@wolfmaan]

Joe Mantegna is such a bad ass

[@danrozanski6130]

He's a national treasure

[@createdeccentricities6620]

I was gifted a genuine .36 cal. Hawkins Plains Rifle. It is rather beat up, but I'm hoping it can be restored to firing condition. The bloody thing weighs in at FIFTEEN pounds.

[@joeybobbie1]

Kinda short, but nice Video.

[@110665]

too bad they couldnt get a hawken for their show..

[@JRTRAPP1]

I am not positive but the color of the smoke in some of those shots makes me think they were using fake gunpowder.

[@Joe3pops]

Kind of surprised they didn't locate the Browning reproduction of the Hawken. Or the Western Arms, Santa Fe Jedidiah Smith variant.

[@buckandahalfoutdoors]

I hope this just an intro to a longer video. There is not even a mention of Samuel or Jacob . And they used that investarms on video. There are better representations. Should have grabbed the pedersoli Rocky Mountain hawken in .54 cal with curly maple stock. You could literally do a whole series on the hawken guns.

[@user-ft1xf8wk9m]

thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@4570duplex]

Why produce a video extolling the virtues of the Hawken rifle, but put less than zero effort into procuring an appropriate example? The rifle on display in this video isn't even close. With so much information so readily available regarding these rifles, there really is no excuse for such laziness and inattention.

[@milo8425]

Unspecific hyperbole and shots of non-Hawken. Good job, I've learned less than nothing.

[@markoharoldoronearmedpoohb7816]

It’s sad to talk Hawken, yet use a example of nothing close to a Hawken!