Facts About the .50 Hawken Rifle

The iconic .50 caliber Hawken rifle was manufactured by the Hawken brothers, Jacob and Samuel, who made firearms in St. Louis, Missouri, beginning their partnership around 1825. The Hawkens made a wide variety of rifles, smoothbores, shotguns and pistols.

Early Markets

The Hawken brothers primarily serviced the fur trade. Their earliest known mass-produced order was for 18 weapons for the American Fur Company in the 1820s.

Specifications

While the Hawken brothers did not mass-produce a single model, many of their weapons shared a few common features: a .50 caliber round, a 28-inch octagonal barrel and a hooked breech system. The rear sight apertures were fully adjustable. Typical weight was around 8 1/2 lbs.

Popularity

Hawken rifles were expensive for their time, but their popularity caught on and it became the standard rifle of the Midwestern plains from 1840 to 1855, according to the website Mountain Men and Life in the Rocky Mountain West.

Famous Users

Notable users of Hawken rifles include legendary scout Kit Carson and President Theodore Roosevelt.

In Movies

Robert Redford's character in the 1972 film "Jeremiah Johnson" carried a Hawken rifle.

References

• Mountain Men and Life in the Rocky Mountain West:
• Pecatonica River Long Rifle Supply: The Hawken Rifle
• The Possible Shop: The Hawken Rifle

Resources

• The Possible Shop: Hawken Rifles