Robinson - Prince George 54 caplock
- Thread starter Karl
- Start date
Sounds like your Dad ordered the perfect rifle......the choice of a rifleman.....
Wow, congratulations! A cap lock .50 by same would be my dream.......!
In reality, I would happy with any Fraser River/Sapergia combo, rock or perc, .45 to .58
- Location
- East of Home, West of the Rest
He did. And he is. Has been shooting his entire adult life and got me shooting early.
- Location
- Quebec city
Hi
This one is No 90. It is a Robinson 54 Cal from Prince George.
I am thinking to sell it ... I am in long range BPCR shooting and I do not have time for this beautiful lady ...
Here are the infos I got at the time I bought this very nice gun:
Sharon:
It has been nearly 20 years ago, that the old Sharon Rifle Company, then working as the Montana
Barrel CO., conducted an extensive destructive test series. This was done under supervision of Jerry
Cunningham, of Orion Barrels, some of the best thousand yard barrels on the market now.
source: http://www.gunloads.com/castboolits/showthread.php?t=23107 #5
_______________________________________________________________
Info from the shooter from whom I bought:
54 Cal Robinson half stock Hawken, Sharron barrel (slow twist) L&R loch, double set triggers,
California matched sights . I am the 2nd owner, bought it from a reknown BC shooter who won many 1st
places with it.
This one # 90 was built by Taylor Sapergia when he worked for Don Robinson.
To buy a new one from Taylor would run about $2500 I believe.
Hi Gerald, you have good taste.The Robinsons are sought after and collected by those that know them,
when someone sees you with them first question is "What's the serial # ?" I believe only 200 were
made.
What do you need for accessories ? I have a bunch of stuff.The rifle likes a .535 ball, and 017"
patch, 55grains of FFg out to 75 yds, and 80 grains for 100yds for the flattest trajectory. I have a
recipe for the "best" patch lube, which i would include.Plus some of the concentrate to make it.
___________________________________________________________________
Holy S--t Bill...........do you know what you have? Something that is very hard to come by and very
special. J.Hall Sharon was 79 years old when he died in January of 2002. He made great barrels and
here is some information about him.
Sharon was a native of Falmouth, KY. He lived in Sonora, CA for 22 years. He was a machinist and had
worked at Cincinnati Milling Machine Co. from 1947-53, and Hughes Aircraft in Culver City from 1953
-60.
He owned Sharon Rifle Barrel Co. in Kalispell, Mont., from 1960-70. He was a nationally known
gunsmith and barrel maker. He manufactured a black powder rifle marked as Sharon Hawken Kit, which
was used at black powder shoots nationwide. His barrels were well-known in the United States and 25
percent went to foreign countries, including one rifle to the King and Queen of England. In 1981, a
Pennsylvania-style traditional flintlock with a Sharon Barrel was presented to President Ronald
Reagan.
He was a member of Sierra Bible Church, Promise Keepers, member of the National Rifle Association
and he was a World War II Navy veteran.
Bear.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I finally got to shoot My Sharon and of course it happened to be during a match. I started out with
pathed ball, 70 gr of 3f w/ .18 patch. At 50 yards I was hitting paper without adjusting sights. The
first match I didn't do well, shooting at the bear target. Good enough to take a deer but not good
enough to win. The second match was a 100 yd bulls eye at 50 yds off hand. I decided to try some T/C
maxi hunters 435 gr lubed with natural lube over 50 gr of 3f. The first 2 shots were wide. The lube
was old and cracking. I took it all off and relubed with wonder lube. My third shot hit dead on. I
held low thinking it would be hi. It hit low as aimed. My next 2 rounds hit the bull. Again not good
enough to place.
The next match was a crow target at 25 yds I again used the maxi hunters and put four hits into the
crow. I pulled the last shot. But it was good enough for 2nd place.
W Provence
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just as a FYI, many of the older Thompson Center rifles (Hawken & Renegade) did not have the roll
mark of this name on the barrel. Thompson Center just put their roll mark with the caliber.
These are the Thompson Center rifles I like to find. I was told many years ago that Sharon and
Douglas had made barrels for Thompson Center.
I pulled out one of my first muzzleloaders which is a Thompson Center Hawken, which does not have
the Hawken roll mark. Also you will see that this barrel has cut rifling and not the button rifling
that was used on most of their rifles. On the underneath of this barrel is stamped a star.
This rifle has taken (16) deer with eight bucks for the tacks and eight does for the notches. She
sits in the corner of my office as a trusted old friend.
Bear
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sept. 27, 1922 - Jan. 28, 2002
J. Hall Sharon, 79, of Sonora died Monday at Tuolumne General Hospital.
Mr. Sharon was a native of Falmouth, Ky. He lived in Sonora 22 years. He was a machinist and had
worked at Cincinnati Milling Machine Co. from 1947-53, and Hughes Aircraft in Culver City from 1953
-60. He owned Sharon Rifle Barrel Co. in Kalispell, Mont., from 1960-70. He was a nationally known
gunsmith and barrel maker. He manufactured a black powder rifle marked as Sharon Hawken Kit, which
was used at black powder shoots nationwide. His barrels were well-known in the United States and 25
percent went to foreign countries, including one rifle to the king and queen of England. In 1981, a
Pennsylvania-style traditional flintlock with a Sharon Barrel was presented to President Ronald
Reagan.
He was a member of Sierra Bible Church and Promise Keepers. He was a member of the National Rifle
Association. He was a World War II Navy veteran.
He is survived by his wife, Anna Sharon of Sonora; and children, Dennis Sharon of Mi-Wuk Village and
Steven Sharon of Sonora.
A funeral will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Terzich & Wilson Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Mountain
Shadow Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday at the chapel.
SOURCE: http://www.rootsweb.com/~kypendle/obituaries_national.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
paulvallandigham :
Here's is the company founder, J. Hall Sharon's Obituary.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kypendle/obituaries_national.htm
He operated his Sharon Rifle Barrel co, in Kalispell, Mountana from 1960-1970. He made a Hawken kit,
and sold barrels to other gunbuilders.
I have never heard a criticism of the barrels or guns he made. I believe he went out of business
because he could not reduce his costs of production to make a profit in the competitive market where
both T/C, and CVA were selling thousands of similar rifles for much less money. The buying public
just was not interested enough in authentic replica rifles if they could buy a similar " looking "
piece for much less.
Source: http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/228033/post/new/#NEW
___________________________________________________________
Gerald
Québec city
This one is No 90. It is a Robinson 54 Cal from Prince George.
I am thinking to sell it ... I am in long range BPCR shooting and I do not have time for this beautiful lady ...
Here are the infos I got at the time I bought this very nice gun:
Sharon:
It has been nearly 20 years ago, that the old Sharon Rifle Company, then working as the Montana
Barrel CO., conducted an extensive destructive test series. This was done under supervision of Jerry
Cunningham, of Orion Barrels, some of the best thousand yard barrels on the market now.
source: http://www.gunloads.com/castboolits/showthread.php?t=23107 #5
_______________________________________________________________
Info from the shooter from whom I bought:
54 Cal Robinson half stock Hawken, Sharron barrel (slow twist) L&R loch, double set triggers,
California matched sights . I am the 2nd owner, bought it from a reknown BC shooter who won many 1st
places with it.
This one # 90 was built by Taylor Sapergia when he worked for Don Robinson.
To buy a new one from Taylor would run about $2500 I believe.
Hi Gerald, you have good taste.The Robinsons are sought after and collected by those that know them,
when someone sees you with them first question is "What's the serial # ?" I believe only 200 were
made.
What do you need for accessories ? I have a bunch of stuff.The rifle likes a .535 ball, and 017"
patch, 55grains of FFg out to 75 yds, and 80 grains for 100yds for the flattest trajectory. I have a
recipe for the "best" patch lube, which i would include.Plus some of the concentrate to make it.
___________________________________________________________________
Holy S--t Bill...........do you know what you have? Something that is very hard to come by and very
special. J.Hall Sharon was 79 years old when he died in January of 2002. He made great barrels and
here is some information about him.
Sharon was a native of Falmouth, KY. He lived in Sonora, CA for 22 years. He was a machinist and had
worked at Cincinnati Milling Machine Co. from 1947-53, and Hughes Aircraft in Culver City from 1953
-60.
He owned Sharon Rifle Barrel Co. in Kalispell, Mont., from 1960-70. He was a nationally known
gunsmith and barrel maker. He manufactured a black powder rifle marked as Sharon Hawken Kit, which
was used at black powder shoots nationwide. His barrels were well-known in the United States and 25
percent went to foreign countries, including one rifle to the King and Queen of England. In 1981, a
Pennsylvania-style traditional flintlock with a Sharon Barrel was presented to President Ronald
Reagan.
He was a member of Sierra Bible Church, Promise Keepers, member of the National Rifle Association
and he was a World War II Navy veteran.
Bear.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I finally got to shoot My Sharon and of course it happened to be during a match. I started out with
pathed ball, 70 gr of 3f w/ .18 patch. At 50 yards I was hitting paper without adjusting sights. The
first match I didn't do well, shooting at the bear target. Good enough to take a deer but not good
enough to win. The second match was a 100 yd bulls eye at 50 yds off hand. I decided to try some T/C
maxi hunters 435 gr lubed with natural lube over 50 gr of 3f. The first 2 shots were wide. The lube
was old and cracking. I took it all off and relubed with wonder lube. My third shot hit dead on. I
held low thinking it would be hi. It hit low as aimed. My next 2 rounds hit the bull. Again not good
enough to place.
The next match was a crow target at 25 yds I again used the maxi hunters and put four hits into the
crow. I pulled the last shot. But it was good enough for 2nd place.
W Provence
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just as a FYI, many of the older Thompson Center rifles (Hawken & Renegade) did not have the roll
mark of this name on the barrel. Thompson Center just put their roll mark with the caliber.
These are the Thompson Center rifles I like to find. I was told many years ago that Sharon and
Douglas had made barrels for Thompson Center.
I pulled out one of my first muzzleloaders which is a Thompson Center Hawken, which does not have
the Hawken roll mark. Also you will see that this barrel has cut rifling and not the button rifling
that was used on most of their rifles. On the underneath of this barrel is stamped a star.
This rifle has taken (16) deer with eight bucks for the tacks and eight does for the notches. She
sits in the corner of my office as a trusted old friend.
Bear
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sept. 27, 1922 - Jan. 28, 2002
J. Hall Sharon, 79, of Sonora died Monday at Tuolumne General Hospital.
Mr. Sharon was a native of Falmouth, Ky. He lived in Sonora 22 years. He was a machinist and had
worked at Cincinnati Milling Machine Co. from 1947-53, and Hughes Aircraft in Culver City from 1953
-60. He owned Sharon Rifle Barrel Co. in Kalispell, Mont., from 1960-70. He was a nationally known
gunsmith and barrel maker. He manufactured a black powder rifle marked as Sharon Hawken Kit, which
was used at black powder shoots nationwide. His barrels were well-known in the United States and 25
percent went to foreign countries, including one rifle to the king and queen of England. In 1981, a
Pennsylvania-style traditional flintlock with a Sharon Barrel was presented to President Ronald
Reagan.
He was a member of Sierra Bible Church and Promise Keepers. He was a member of the National Rifle
Association. He was a World War II Navy veteran.
He is survived by his wife, Anna Sharon of Sonora; and children, Dennis Sharon of Mi-Wuk Village and
Steven Sharon of Sonora.
A funeral will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Terzich & Wilson Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Mountain
Shadow Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday at the chapel.
SOURCE: http://www.rootsweb.com/~kypendle/obituaries_national.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
paulvallandigham :
Here's is the company founder, J. Hall Sharon's Obituary.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kypendle/obituaries_national.htm
He operated his Sharon Rifle Barrel co, in Kalispell, Mountana from 1960-1970. He made a Hawken kit,
and sold barrels to other gunbuilders.
I have never heard a criticism of the barrels or guns he made. I believe he went out of business
because he could not reduce his costs of production to make a profit in the competitive market where
both T/C, and CVA were selling thousands of similar rifles for much less money. The buying public
just was not interested enough in authentic replica rifles if they could buy a similar " looking "
piece for much less.
Source: http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/228033/post/new/#NEW
___________________________________________________________
Gerald
Québec city
Here is the one I own since a few years: 54 cal round ball serial Under 100.
I was told that only a few hundreds were made.
Here is the one I own since a few years: 54 cal round ball serial Under 100.
I was told that only a few hundreds were made.
Gerald
Last edited:
- Location
- Quebec city
And here some informations I retrieved from my pc at the time I bought this gun.
Forum answered by D. Taylor Sapergia
"Between 1979 and 1982 inclusive, I was employed by Robinson Firearms Mfg. Ltd., here in Prince George BC. Don Robinson saw an opportunity to make some money with the recent love affair with Hawken rifles, so he asked me to come to work and design the rifle. I built a prototype rifle from the parts that he had accumulated, and to separate it from all the other "Hawken" rifles that were coming out, we called it the Fraser River Hawken. Using the prototype for a pattern, Don copied the stock on his Solstrome (sp?) twelve spindle carving machine. The first ten serial numbers were reserved for other prototype guns and some personal ones that employees made for themselves. Robinson # 5 was my personal rifle and it is now owned by the coach of the Finnish National Shooting Team. We made a total of 185 rifles if my memory serves me, and these included some scaled down Hawken styled rifled for women and a shorter barreled hunter with one key and a 15/16" bbl instead of the 1" on the big rifle. We made fullstocked rifles and pistols too. Over the three years of my time there, we used parts from a number of manufacturers. Barrels included Douglas, GRRW, Sharon, and GM. All the locks and triggers were L & R's and I think the hardware came from Pete Allen.
In the summer of '79 Dave "Black Dog" Cunningham, the other 'smith, and I went to the joint NAPR / NMLRA rendezvous in Montana, and took along tow of these rifles. We shot them well and won many prizes, but the most notable critique came from a guy who claimed to know everything. He said the rifle was "all wrong". I think it might have been Peter Alexander. He may be right.
These rifles have enjoyed a long and popular career, and they surface from time to time. I didn't make them all, though I had a hand in almost all of them. We had a number of other assemblers come and go. In the end, a recession killed the project. People's money dried up, and we closed the muzzle loading part of the business. I bought all of Don's inventory, and made a few more rifles over the years. Hatchet jack's flint Hawken is one of those.
Almost all the Hawkens had steel hardware - only a few have brass. Most of the stocks were Claro or Bastone walnut, and some had wonderful colour and figure. If there's anything you need to know about the rifle, just ask.
(...)
D. Taylor Sapergia wrote:
I shot with Ron Keegan many times during the early '80s. In 1984 Ron and I attended the Canadian National Championships in Galt Ontario. Using these Robinson rifles, he and I won practically every competition in Formal and Primitive.
At the time, I was a proponent of lots of powder shooting 120 grains of FFg in both .50 and.54 cal rifles. Ron on the other hand thought I was nuts, and used only 65 grains at the same ranges. I won both the Formal and Primitive aggregate trophies but Ron was always right behind me for score. He is a great guy and a wonderful shot. I haven't seen him since then. Interesting observation - I now shoot 65 grains of FFg in my .50's, and the guy's and gals who beat me often use less !
My brother Daryl may have some more information on Hall Sharon. Just between us here on the forum, the Sharon Hawken doesn't hold a candle to the Fraser River Hawken from Prince George. Now I get my Hawken stuff from Don Stith - top shelf!!"
Gerald Bergeron m.d.
Forum answered by D. Taylor Sapergia
"Between 1979 and 1982 inclusive, I was employed by Robinson Firearms Mfg. Ltd., here in Prince George BC. Don Robinson saw an opportunity to make some money with the recent love affair with Hawken rifles, so he asked me to come to work and design the rifle. I built a prototype rifle from the parts that he had accumulated, and to separate it from all the other "Hawken" rifles that were coming out, we called it the Fraser River Hawken. Using the prototype for a pattern, Don copied the stock on his Solstrome (sp?) twelve spindle carving machine. The first ten serial numbers were reserved for other prototype guns and some personal ones that employees made for themselves. Robinson # 5 was my personal rifle and it is now owned by the coach of the Finnish National Shooting Team. We made a total of 185 rifles if my memory serves me, and these included some scaled down Hawken styled rifled for women and a shorter barreled hunter with one key and a 15/16" bbl instead of the 1" on the big rifle. We made fullstocked rifles and pistols too. Over the three years of my time there, we used parts from a number of manufacturers. Barrels included Douglas, GRRW, Sharon, and GM. All the locks and triggers were L & R's and I think the hardware came from Pete Allen.
In the summer of '79 Dave "Black Dog" Cunningham, the other 'smith, and I went to the joint NAPR / NMLRA rendezvous in Montana, and took along tow of these rifles. We shot them well and won many prizes, but the most notable critique came from a guy who claimed to know everything. He said the rifle was "all wrong". I think it might have been Peter Alexander. He may be right.
These rifles have enjoyed a long and popular career, and they surface from time to time. I didn't make them all, though I had a hand in almost all of them. We had a number of other assemblers come and go. In the end, a recession killed the project. People's money dried up, and we closed the muzzle loading part of the business. I bought all of Don's inventory, and made a few more rifles over the years. Hatchet jack's flint Hawken is one of those.
Almost all the Hawkens had steel hardware - only a few have brass. Most of the stocks were Claro or Bastone walnut, and some had wonderful colour and figure. If there's anything you need to know about the rifle, just ask.
(...)
D. Taylor Sapergia wrote:
I shot with Ron Keegan many times during the early '80s. In 1984 Ron and I attended the Canadian National Championships in Galt Ontario. Using these Robinson rifles, he and I won practically every competition in Formal and Primitive.
At the time, I was a proponent of lots of powder shooting 120 grains of FFg in both .50 and.54 cal rifles. Ron on the other hand thought I was nuts, and used only 65 grains at the same ranges. I won both the Formal and Primitive aggregate trophies but Ron was always right behind me for score. He is a great guy and a wonderful shot. I haven't seen him since then. Interesting observation - I now shoot 65 grains of FFg in my .50's, and the guy's and gals who beat me often use less !
My brother Daryl may have some more information on Hall Sharon. Just between us here on the forum, the Sharon Hawken doesn't hold a candle to the Fraser River Hawken from Prince George. Now I get my Hawken stuff from Don Stith - top shelf!!"
Gerald Bergeron m.d.
- Location
- East of Home, West of the Rest
Cool update. I'll forward it to my dad and see what he can add. He and Taylor know each other well. My dad was president of the PG Rod and Gun club back in the 80s. I think I have a pic of the cannons a group of them built too somewhere.
And for those who figure you can't hunt moose with anything less than a 300 mag, here is a pic (from last year) of Taylor himself after taking down the moose in the pic with one of his (self built) 62 cal Hawken rifles (shot broadside at 92 yards).
So if you have one of his 50's or 54's, it's suitable for just about any North American game if you do your part.
So if you have one of his 50's or 54's, it's suitable for just about any North American game if you do your part.
Taylor did not have his hand in all the guns that were built in Robinson's shop. Remove the barrel and see what initials are on the underside or the side near or on the breach plug. This will tell you who made the rifle. I believe Taylor told me last fall the last rifle that he had a part of at Robinson's shop was #176 in 1982. So any Robinson rifle #177 and onward would not have had a Taylor working on it. There was also a CB (Colin Bright) that worked there who now has or works in a shop in Prince Rupert I believe.
I am very fortunate in that I have a Taylor made - Fraser River Hawken as well as a Fraser River Hawken Pistol.....
Exert from an old email from Taylor - A .54 should like 70 - 90 grains of FFg GOEX (black powder), a .530 or .535" diameter pure lead ball, and a .018" - .024" thick denim patch. Patch should be soaked to dripping with lube - either spit for trail walks, or Lehigh Vally Lube or equivalent for hunting.
I am very fortunate in that I have a Taylor made - Fraser River Hawken as well as a Fraser River Hawken Pistol.....
Exert from an old email from Taylor - A .54 should like 70 - 90 grains of FFg GOEX (black powder), a .530 or .535" diameter pure lead ball, and a .018" - .024" thick denim patch. Patch should be soaked to dripping with lube - either spit for trail walks, or Lehigh Vally Lube or equivalent for hunting.
Last edited:
- Location
- Quebec city
buy iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttt !!!
stevejones
Regular
- Location
- Courtenay, BC
Very interesting thread. My rifle is a 54 caliber percussion. I will post some pictures later. So its safe to assume that any rifle 176 or lower was built by Taylor then?
Cheers. SJ
Cheers. SJ
- Location
- Quebec city
For sure,
I even thinik that there were not more thatn 200 !!
Ronald Reagan got the Number # 1 ...
Gerald
N.B.: keep it in your safe : $$$$
No! Would not be safe to assume. It could have been built Don, Chris (I believe), Dave C, or Taylor. I am not sure who else worked there over the years. Look at the underside of your barrel and see if the are any initials stamped into the barrel or breach plug.
Last edited:
stevejones
Regular
- Location
- Courtenay, BC
I not sure that Taylor or Don built that one.
IIRC it was a flintlock rifle in a PA style with a Sharon barrel that was given to Pres. Reagan. It would have been most likely made by a US gun maker, I am not 100% but I believe it was by Christopher Hirsch.
