I learned something....

[Kurt]

Rick.

Here is the last Hawken I build or started to build back in the I think mid 80's and it still aint done
It started out being a early Hawken with a full stock but I got in a hurry and was hogging out the barrel channel using a router with a 45 degree bit. Dust got in my nose and I sneezed, well it ended out as a 1/2 stock. Got the Maple plank from a saw mill out east.
The wood I used muriatic acid and fire stained it and let it work for a long time till it darkened to what you see now to make it look old. Turned out very good. The barrel is a Green Mountain 1-1/8 across the flats in a .58 caliber. I wanted something a little heavier then the normal .50 or .54's for Buffalo and Elk hunts, bit it has never been used for that.
The Barrel when I got it looked like the grooves where cut using a garden hoe. It needed a lot of work. It pulled lint off cleaning patches. I spent several days lapping it with lead slugs.
The rifle is getting a little heavy for me to hold well lately, these last two years with the problem I had I lost a lot of my upper body strength making it hard to hold off hand, but man does it shoot from a rest.
We are going to have to get together some tile and do some old time shooting. Driving spikes through fence boards and split balls off ax heads maybe we can get old Bill to pull one of his stuffers out and join us
Be worth the two day trip down your way.

Kurt