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View Full Version : New kit hawken on the way!



FrontierMuzzleloading
11-03-2016, 11:38 AM
Well, I got her ordered today and the guy on the phone said it'll go out on the truck today!


Ended up with a tradition st.louis Hawken .50cal kit in percussion!


Looked all over the place for the best prices and went cross eyed as most places were asking MORE for the kits than the factory built rifles!



$8 shipping was to hard to pass up as well lol.



I'll be doing a build along on this one showing how I do my stocks and barrels, all my lil tune up tricks, etc.


I'll be replacing the front and rear sight with traditional blade front sight and a mountain rifle style rear sight for a more traditional look. Trigger polishing, bedding, you name it, I am going to have it fully covered!


Yes, that brass WILL get aged. I am not a big fan of brass.



What do you guys think? Take her dark or brownish red fire?
https://www.muzzle-loaders.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/1200x/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/s/t/st-louis-hawken-rifle-kit-main.jpg

izzyjoe
11-03-2016, 08:48 PM
I picked up an older cva hawken kit from an old gunsmith, it was fun to build, and turned out great! I did all the things you are talking about, and I even browned the metal. Mine shoots great with goex 2f, and a .490 RB. I've killed several deer with it, and I couldn't be happier. But now for the sad part my eyesight isn't as good as day's gone by, so I may have to get an inline, just so I can have a scope. I'm sure you'll enjoy the build, and don't rush it, just have fun with it!

725
11-03-2016, 09:23 PM
Take your time with the build. You'll have fun. For what it's worth, I did a CVA "Hawkin" with brass furniture and finished it with Sedona Red stain. At first blush it was bold, but time is making it more mellow and I like the look. As the brass turns and the red deepens toward brown it works well together.

michael.birdsley
11-04-2016, 12:20 AM
I want to do a kit someday. Looks fun as close as I am going to get to building a rifle from the ground up with out doing the machining of everything


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OnHoPr
11-04-2016, 02:47 AM
I picked up an older cva hawken kit from an old gunsmith, it was fun to build, and turned out great! I did all the things you are talking about, and I even browned the metal. Mine shoots great with goex 2f, and a .490 RB. I've killed several deer with it, and I couldn't be happier. But now for the sad part my eyesight isn't as good as day's gone by, so I may have to get an inline, just so I can have a scope. I'm sure you'll enjoy the build, and don't rush it, just have fun with it!


Back in the 80s they used to have a extruded aluminum mount that would pressure clamp fit with screws to mount a scope on the cap locks. It was high enough to not have to bend the hammer. You ordered it depending on the width of the flats, 15/16 or 1". Or, you could bend the hammer and have it D&T for scope mounts. It worked pretty good for 90 grs and less where the recoil was sorta minimal. Though, you may need to make a leather cheek piece to raise the comb to be more comfortable in shooting position.

dagger dog
11-04-2016, 06:32 AM
I used Birchwood Casey cold blue cream on the brass it turned some of the brass a dark black and others a mottled grey black. You might want to try on the back sides of the furniture first.

Morgan61
11-04-2016, 08:18 AM
Cool!
I'm planning on getting the same exact kit for a winter project once the hunting season is over.
Keep us posted on your build, I'll be watching with great interest.
I'll be topping mine off with a civil war era reproduction scope to help my aging eyes.

Electric88
11-04-2016, 08:50 AM
Building one of these is on my list of things to do one day. Perhaps when life slows down a bit

izzyjoe
11-04-2016, 09:19 PM
I had thought about adding a scope, but don't personally like the looks of a scope on a traditional type rifle. And it also gives an excuse to buy a new rifle!

Col4570
11-05-2016, 12:03 PM
http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s452/livebattery/001_2.jpg (http://s1052.photobucket.com/user/livebattery/media/001_2.jpg.html)
This is a CVA Long Rifle Kit,one of these could be converted to 1/2 Stock easily.

Col4570
11-05-2016, 12:05 PM
http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s452/livebattery/002_7.jpg (http://s1052.photobucket.com/user/livebattery/media/002_7.jpg.html)
During Construction.

Flintlock1812
11-05-2016, 01:46 PM
I think Brownish red would look great. Of course pics must follow when your finished.:mrgreen:

oldracer
11-05-2016, 04:39 PM
I only advice I would give would be to put it all together and take it to the range and fire it a few times to make sure everything functions as it should. Especially the area around the lock and trigger openings as they can have some rubbing some times. It will also let you make sure the length of the pull is okay so no trimming would be required. Kits are fun!!!

FrontierMuzzleloading
11-05-2016, 09:56 PM
LOP is perfect. I have the hawken woodsman flinter as well but factory. I wanted to go the kit route so I could control what the final product looks like, along with a little polishing here and there. Overall, they are excellent shooters. I prefer to keep mine patched round ball shooters but conicals now and then can be fun as well.

Pumpkinheaver
11-05-2016, 10:07 PM
Man I need to get one of those kits. I built one as a kid and it come out okay but I know a lot more now then I did then and would like to do another.

725
11-05-2016, 10:24 PM
Almost forgot. Did one of those two piece stocks for a friends son. Used cordovan shoe dye & Japan Drier mix to stain the stock (made it real dark) and -now I forget- something to blacken the brass. Had a new touch hole added and the thing shot like a center fire. With that reddish dark color and blackened brass, man, that thing looked rich.

oldracer
11-06-2016, 07:37 PM
I noticed my brass fittings on the Pennsylvania muzzle loader I made 5 or 6 years ago had really gotten a weird color almost like naval brass in contact with sea water? If you don't want the shine type of finish you could try some salt water or mix some black powder with water and coat the brass to make a dull finish. At Industrial Metal Supply in San Diego CA they have liquids that will make most any metal color into any way you wish.

FrontierMuzzleloading
11-06-2016, 08:09 PM
I plan on using birchwood casey brass black to black it out and then rub it back for an aged look.

smoked turkey
11-06-2016, 11:30 PM
Many years ago I purchased a TC Hawken kit and it moved with me a couple of times. When I did get around to building it, my grandson was about 10 to 12 years old. He draw filed on it and sanded on the stock. He did put quite a bit of labor into it. We both thoroughly enjoyed the process. I later on gave him the rifle. I wouldn't trade that time he and I spent together during the build. I know you will enjoy the build as well. I will look forward to tracking your project with you.