The Hawken rifle is generally shorter and of a larger caliber than earlier Kentucky Rifles. It was popular in the mid-nineteenth century. The term "Hawken rifle" technically referred to rifles made by Jacob and Samuel Hawken of St Louis, Missouri but was often used generically to refer to a variety of "Plains Rifles or Mountain Rifles" of the period.
The earliest known record of a Hawken rifle dates to 1823 when one was made for William H. Ashley, Ashley did several large scale fur trapping expeditions in the mountain west. The Hawkens did not mass-produce their rifles, they were hand made one at a time. Famous men said to have owned a Hawken rifle include: Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, Joseph Meek, and Theodore Roosevelt.
HAWKEN WOODSMAN - FLITLOCK
By - Traditions
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Hawken™ Woodsman , By Traditions, is a serious hunting rifle. The Woodsman has the classic styling and handling of the time-honored Hawken while offering great performance and affordability. Both the percussion and flint models boast a hooked breech for easy barrel removal, click-adjustable rear hunting sight, double-set triggers in an oversized glove-fitting trigger guard with finger rest and an inletted solid brass patch box. This model is .50 caliber,1 in 48", 28" octagonal blued barrel. It is 44.5" in length and weighs 7 7/8 lbs. This particular model has a select hardwood stock.
