Hawken kit

S

SuperJohn

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Napanee
Hello all, I've been thinking about a hawken rifle kit, the sort where you finish the stock, blue the metal and assemble it yourself. The only problem is I can't find one for sale in Canada. Does anyone know of a dealer that has these? Thanks.
 
Never found one in Canada in the past number of years - market is too small for most places to stock them, although I have never asked about kits from Pedersoli - I know they have a few, just not sure about a Hawken kit - might try a Pedersoli dealer - worth an ask.

The importers that I source our black powder guns from (sell guns at work) doesn't even list the kits as available. They may special order one in if asked. Last year they wouldn't bring in (finished) Lyman's for me (Great Plains and Trade Rifles) because I was the only dealer in the country that asked so it wasn't worth bringing in the few that I was after.

I have been able to get Traditions "traditional" rifles from one of the importers - did take months though to get ahold of them (assume Cabela's imports their own and doesn't use one of the wholesalers) - you could ask there, they do sell them at Cabela's in the US so "maybe".

Myself, I wouldn't stock them either - just no one ever asks for them. Builders kits are available from a few sources in the US and they will ship them up without any issue. But those are not the "sand a little, finish the stock and the barrel and off you go" kind of kits - get a box of parts and a "somewhat shaped/inlet" piece of wood.
 
Try Track of the Wolf. As long as the smoke pole is a flinter you can import said rifle. With the demise of the gun registry you may be able to import a cap lock kit as well. I ordered a Lyman 54 Hawken flintlock kit from Track. Great shooten rifle goes bang every time if I fix the flint in the lock properly
 
I built a Thompson Centre Hawken from a kit in the late 80's at a Mom and Pop gun shop. They where quite common then and found in many gun shops and mail order stores like SIR. Seems to me they started to disappear about the same time the long gun registry came to be. I would try checking with the few Mom and Pop gun stores that are still around, perhaps they have some old stock hiding an a back room somewhere.
 
I dont think T/C makes the Hawken kit anymore.
I didnt see it listed in their website.
I bought a .45 cal one that someone else had built many years ago.
It worked well.
 
As eaglenest said, if you order a flintlock it is not considered a firearm and can be delivered to you from the States.

I ordered a Lymans Great Plains kit some time ago and it was delivered with no hassle. I learned a lot putting it together. Nice looking rifle and very accurate.
 
I think these kits are well out of my price range, I was hoping to do this for about $400. It's not looking like that's realistic. They're Hawken kits are over $800.
 
Track of the wolf has 50 and 54 cal Lyman great plains in stock at around $650 canadian but that changes with the exchange rate. They do ship these to Canada as I understand it.
 
Track of the Wolf has Brown Bess kit, $1,050 USD and to your door for $1,600 Canadian total. Stock alone will be $590.
A Hawken at 480 US will be about $800 Canadian to your door.( 480+50shipx1.35exchange+13 percentduty+10 fee.)
 
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I completed a kit years ago, very rewarding but a lot of work with just a few hand tools and a box of superfine emery cloth ( spent a lot of hrs just sitting in front of the TV filing or polishing metal or wood).

I bought mine at an auction for , if I remember right, $ 45, no box or directions, just a bunch of rough sand cast pieces and a oct. barrel with all the mill marks still on it (stock as well, just rough inletted) in a bag. Not in a million years would I consider one now at the prices offered here...especially when I can go to any gunshow and buy a perfectly working gun already finished for $300 or so.

Buy a gunshow piece and then "customize" it to fit your taste...lot of easily done options...refinish the stock to a color that suits you ( you can even very easily "torch burn" a little imitation "tiger striping" into it) or change the sights ect. ect.
 
Maybe if you organize a few nutz it would be more attractive for someone to bring them in. I wojld be i for a percussion kit if it was reasonably priced, ie LESS then a complete rifle
T
 
How did it turn out?
fingers284 said:
I completed a kit years ago, very rewarding but a lot of work with just a few hand tools and a box of superfine emery cloth ( spent a lot of hrs just sitting in front of the TV filing or polishing metal or wood).

I bought mine at an auction for , if I remember right, $ 45, no box or directions, just a bunch of rough sand cast pieces and a oct. barrel with all the mill marks still on it (stock as well, just rough inletted) in a bag. Not in a million years would I consider one now at the prices offered here...especially when I can go to any gunshow and buy a perfectly working gun already finished for $300 or so.

Buy a gunshow piece and then "customize" it to fit your taste...lot of easily done options...refinish the stock to a color that suits you ( you can even very easily "torch burn" a little imitation "tiger striping" into it) or change the sights ect. ect.
Click to expand...
 
My first BP rifle was a home-built kit gun, purchased and completed when I was still in my teens; a CVA .45-cal Kentucky-style flintlock. It was much more work than I had expected when I bought it, but the sense of accomplishment the first time I pulled the trigger (with my own finger, as opposed to using a string to yank the trgger on the tied-down gun while I cowered behind the corner of the garage :)) was terrific. Finishing the inletting, staining and finishing the woodwork, and (best of all!) browning the barrel with Birchwood Casey Plum Brown were all wonderful learning experiences. The gun shot very well, made all the appropriate noise and smoke, and hooked me on BP for life.

As I recall, the kit wasn't all that much cheaper than a finished gun; sounds like the same still holds true today. IMHO, this isn't a project to undertake because you think you'll save a few bucks. If you factor in your time as having any value, there is no cost saving whatsoever. It's something you do for fun and experience and the satisfaction of owning and shooting a gun that you "built" yourself...maybe not from scratch, but certainly more meaningfully than the typical home rifle "builder" today, who bolts on a scope mount, an aftermarket stock and maybe a bipod and then crows about his gunsmithing skills.:)
 
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