Happy 50th Jeremiah Johnson

[toot]

help. in what movie did CHARLTON HESTON star in with his son, I beleave his son,& and I remember the seen when he shot a charging INDIAN with his ramrod. didn't have time to finish reloading. I thought that was a real scenario that could have taken place. good thing it was a wooden one & not metal.

[sharps4590]

toot, that was "The Mountain Men" and Brian Keith co-starred with Heston. Heston's son, Fraser, was the director and as far as I know didn't act in the movie. Was a pretty good movie except for some of the language.

[Beerd]

Don't know if I'd of headed into the mountains armed with a 30 hawkens.

In the 1800's, a muzzleloading "30 bore" rifle is the same as today's .54 caliber - certainly good enough to ride the river with.

I always wondered about that - thanks

'cept in the Hollywood version is was a 30 caliber .

and after moving up to a 50 caliber the recoil always put Mr. Redford on his butt when taking a shot
..

[centershot]

How does one derive .54 caliber from "30 bore"?

[Beerd]

30 roundballs from one pound of lead or 7000grains/30 = 233 grains each
a 54 caliber rifle might use a .535" roundball which is 230 grains

close enough for government work.
..

[fastdadio]

30 roundballs from one pound of lead or 7000grains/30 = 233 grains each
a 54 caliber rifle might use a .535" roundball which is 230 grains

close enough for government work.
..

Yup, I used to load my .58 with 20 gauge shot cups. So, a 20 bore she'd be..... Oh, and I just loaded Jeremiah Johnson on the Roku. Got my .58 Hawken out to fondle. Going to watch it soon. Maybe I'll stoke the old boy up with a heavy blank and make some noise tonight. Happy new year folks!

[country gent]

He acquired Hatchet Jacks 50 hawken when he found him dead.
Hatchet Jacks letter stated, I Hatchet Jack being of sound mind and broke legs hoped this was found by a white man and it was a good rifle that killed the bear that killed him. The 30 was a hawken that he brought with him.

What Im really curious about if the hawken company ever made a 30 cal or that was movie privilege

[MUSTANG]

"His name was Jeremiah Johnson, and they say he wanted to be a mountain man. The story goes that he was a man of proper wit and adventurous spirit, suited to the mountains. Nobody knows whereabouts he come from and don’t seem to matter much. He was a young man and ghosty stories about the tall hills didn’t scare him none. He was looking for a Hawken gun, .50 caliber or better. He settled for a .30, but damn, it was a genuine Hawken, and you couldn’t go no better."

I was unable to find any historical references to a .30 Hawken; all I found was they custom made to order rifles in 50's, 58's and other "Heavy" bullets.

I did find this from 1962:

Attachment 293865

http://grrw.org/the-heyday-of-the-hawken/
As for me - Mine is an honest to gosh HAWKEN in 50 caliber; hand made (correctly stated hand fitted, polished, stained, shellacked, browned, and assembled by me from a kit).

[centershot]

30 roundballs from one pound of lead or 7000grains/30 = 233 grains each
a 54 caliber rifle might use a .535" roundball which is 230 grains

close enough for government work.
..

DUH! The shotgun "gauge" methodology never occurred to me!

[sharps4590]

In the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, Wyoming, there is supposedly a Hawken that belonged to Bridger. IF I remember correctly, it is a small bore rifle and I want to remember 36 cal. The Hawken brothers DID make more than just their celebrated Plains rifle. Remember, during their hey day they were located in St. Louis and there was a sizably greater local market than the one for the rifle that made them famous.

[barnabus]

Strange coincidence.
After 20 years our 32 inch TV bit the dust. Been watching it black and white for 2 months. We went out shopping yesterday and came home last night with a 43 inch flat screen. Told the wife we should put the Jeremiah Johnson DVD in and got the stink eye look. Got it set up and watched a few episodes of Forged in Fire. Wife feel asleep about 11:00 pm so I started channel surfing. Was working my way up to the 300's where our movie channels are. Got to 299 Reelz channel and there it was Jeremiah Johnson about an hour into the movie.

yep i saw it and watched it again too.

[Deadeye Bly]

I've watched it many times. It's all a Hollywood version of a small part of Jeremiah Johnson's life but I still enjoy it. It's hard to imagine the old mountain man as Grampa on the Waltons. I'll watch it again if I see it on TV.

[astrawn]

Always a good one to see. If you like this genre you might try the book “Mountain Man” by Vardis Fisher. Also, his cabin (Johnston) is available for viewing in Red Lodge, Montana, which happens to be at one end of the best driving trail in America, the Beartooth highway. I highly recommend both. Several regular mountain man gatherings to go to every year as well.

Have fun, and maybe see you there!

Drew

[toot]

sharps4590, I don't know what you mean about the language? cursing? thanking you for the reply.

[John Taylor]

Great movie, watch it at least once a year. Don't know if I'd of headed into the mountains armed with a 30 hawkens. Good thing Hatchet Jack met that bear.

There were probably more small calibers than large. Lead and powder did not come easy.
The book "Crow Killer" is about liver eating Johnson .

[poorman]

The book "Crow Killer"

https://archive.org/details/crow-killer

[trapper9260]

The one that taught Robert Redford how to live the way he did in the movie ,to make it look real , I got that guys book of how to live like that. I got it many years ago when I was small. It was interesting for what is all in it, I watch the movie and have it on VHS . I know Hollywood at time dramatized. It still was a interesting movie .

[ScrapMetal]

The book "Crow Killer"

https://archive.org/details/crow-killer

Thanks for the link. I'll have some reading for my "spare time" this week.

-Ron

[trebor44]

"Crow Killer", "The saga of Liver-Eating Johnson". Raymond W. Thorp & Robert Bunker, ISBN 0-253-11425-N, Indiana University Press. A entertaining read, one of several books on the subject. Definitely a rabbit hole....

[725]

Just bought a copy.