Truly a unique and one of a kind Hawken Rifle. This custom Rifle is .54 Cal. It was custom build for Douglas Fowler. Doug has always been a truly discerning collector of quality frontier era firearms and knives. As he and I both age he has been kind enough to allow me to purchase a few such items from him and I have offered them here on my website and on other forums. Custom built for and to Doug's discerning tastes and instructions by James Parker of "Calvary Longrifles LLC" of Warrior Alabama.
Here are the spec's of this rifle. It has a 31" barrel, tapered 1" to 7/8" across the flats, with coned muzzle, and hot rust blued. A Davis Lock, L&R Triggers, and 20 year aged Maple stock. The LOP is 14" with 1/4" cast off, with an overall length of 48" and weighs 8 pounds.
This rifle has been test fired only. It is in excellent condition. All wood to metal fittings are superb.
Included with this rifle are the special instructions for the rifle maker and his replies witch will supply many more details.
This is truly a Gentlemen's rifle.
Jacob Hawken, a gunsmith, arrived in St. Louis Missouri in 1807, opened his own shop on Main Street in 1815 and by 1819 had partnered with James Lakenan. By 1825, Jake’s younger brother Samuel had joined him, resulting in the J. & S. Hawken partnership, which lasted for 24 years.
The timing and location was perfect, since their business coincided with the beginnings of the Santa Fe trading and the founding of the major fur companies Ashley & Henry Fur Company, the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, the American Fur Company and others. The brothers kept busy working on individual customers’ rifles. They’d shorten and strengthen their older rifles to hold up to the hard usage in the West. The brothers began supplying their own modified rifles to the large outfits, as well as individual “free” trappers. Although these “Hawkins” were not necessarily better than other rifles of the era, their ruggedness, workmanship and performance earned the brothers a reputation as makers of fine “mountain rifles.” The Hawken rifle became the un-questionable favorite of frontiersmen, Mountain men, scouts and traders.
Other items are not included.
