The '·pursuit of happiness" presents an endless array of opportunities. Over sixty years ago the pursuit of the 18th century American frontier became the major direction of my life. The two flintlock firearms that are the focus of this series (figs. 1 & 2) are extremely important as landmark survivals of the mid-18th-century frontier. They represent the conflict between Colonialism, becoming Americans, and the collision with American natives.
The French folding knife, a.k.a., “clasp knife” imported into the North American Fur Trade was one of the earliest known type of knife to be introduced to the New World – dating back to the 1600’s, possibly earlier. These blades have been recovered from French influenced sites throughout the territory of New France, which extended from Louisiana to Canada.
Please note, this article is the author’s opinion and does not reflect the official views of the NMLRA. Thank you.
“Three trappers protect the daughters of a British Colonel in the midst of the French and Indian War.”
For me personally, this movie is a classic. I’ve heard there are some discrepancies in terms of historical accuracy, but we all live with those when it comes to Hollywood.
A mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by the Crow tribe, and proves to be a match for their warriors in single combat on the early frontier.
“Peaceful farmer Benjamin Martin is driven to lead the Colonial Militia during the American Revolution when a sadistic British officer murders his son.” IMDB
“Aim Small Miss Small”, I mean who can beat that as an instructional phrase!
While famously not super accurate, this is still a fun ride.
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team
Based on the story of Hugh Glass, with some Hollywood alterations, this almost 3 hour epic is a wild ride for any fan of the frontier.
Newlyweds Gil and Lana Martin try to establish a farm in the Mohawk Valley but are menaced by Indians and Tories as the Revolutionary War begins.
Johnny Tremain is drawn into the Revolutionary War, and becomes a patriot fighting to free the colonies from England. Along the way he learns about life and about himself.
The success of the journey focuses on keeping the Indian girl alive as well as themselves to complete trade with the Blackfeet.
During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.
Intrepid frontiersman Chris Holden foils the political and personal ambitions of renegade Martin Garth in the Ohio Valley following the French and Indian War.
Seems as though every single thing on God’s green earth possesses a subtle, inescapable, somewhat droll sense of humor. Even the basic, rudimentary forces of nature herself have a way of laughing/poking fun at you when you least imagine or expect it... And if a lad (or in this case, several lads) be smart, they’ll learn to laugh right along with Ma Nature and/or everybody else.
Many times (I should imagine), you’ve seen me mention the amazing, history rich, Falls of the Cumberland in some article or another. At nearly seventy feet high and more than two hundred feet in width – the second largest, single drop waterfalls east of the Mississippi
By Bob Woodfill
The Ashley Hawken was built specifically for General William Henry Ashley, by Jacob and Samuel Hawken, to defend his keelboats from hostile Indians, as the fur traders went up the Missouri River to establish trading posts. The rifle needed to be capable of shooting farther than the trade guns used by the Indians, who would often shoot down from the overhanging banks along the river, as the keelboats passed. Therefore, a ‘Super Hawken’ was built that could throw a one ounce ball with accuracy beyond 200 yards.
The year was 1822. General Ashley and his partner William Henry, had placed the famous advertisement in the St. Louis newspaper on February 13, for “one hundred enterprising young men, to ascent the Missouri River to its source and be employed for one to three years trapping for furs”. The men who responded to the ad eventually became the who’s who of the American fur trade, including such greats as Jim Bridger, Hugh Glass, Jedediah Smith, William Sublette, David Jackson, James Clyman, Jim Beckwourth and Thomas Fitzpatrick
In April 1822, Henry and the free trappers, who responded to the newspaper advertisement, ascended the Missouri River to the mouth of the Yellowstone River in a keelboat, and later established Fort Henry near the Montana-North Dakota state line. A second boat with their supplies for the winter left St. Louis one month later, but sank only 300 miles up river from St. Louis. A dispatch was sent to General Ashley in St. Louis who in 18-days, obtain credit and assembled another supply boat. This time Ashley went with the supply boat and arrived at Ft. Henry in October. Able to supply the fort, he left Fort Henry and returned to St. Louis to prepare for the 1823 season.
Keelboats, which displaced only about two feet of water, were often used by the fur traders on the shallow waters of the Missouri River. They were usually from 40 to 80 feet long, and were built with a strong central keel that helped deflect obstacles in the shallow water. Except for a rare day in which the sail was useful, they were either rowed, poled or pulled upstream by the crew of 20 to 30 men.
Swivel cannons were often utilized on river boats for short-range defense. They ranged from 18” to 36” in length and had a smooth bore from one to two inches in diameter. This bore was quite suitable for a hand-full of musket balls, but only effective for short-range defense. The Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806 had a swivel gun mounted on the bow of their keelboat by Captain Clark, but it was never used.
It was probably during the winter of 1822/23, after returning from his first trip up the Missouri River, that General Ashley commissioned the Hawken gunsmithing shop to build a Super Hawken, to help combat the continuing harassment of his keelboats by the Indians. The gun was to be designed for long-range shooting, and capable of reaching with accuracy the numerous river bluffs, which lie above the Missouri River.
We know only three things for certain about the Ashley Hawken from information given in a 1882 newspaper interview with Sam Hawken. First, it was built by the Hawken shop for General Ashley. When Sam Hawken gave the newspaper interview, he was 90 years old, and was very ‘inclusive’ in his remembrance of the early years. In 1821 Jacob was listed in the first city directory as a gunsmith. Sam arrived in St. Louis on June 3, 1822, a year later. Sam simply recalled that “We supplied the gun to Ashley”.
I don’t believe that it has been pointed out before, but this rifle would have been J.&S. Hawken rifle Serial #1, or the first rifle built with the combined talents of both Jacob and Samuel Hawken. In the newspaper interview, Sam called it a “Super Rifle”, because it fired a one ounce ball from a three and one-half foot long barrel. These basic specifications leave considerable room to speculate about all of its features, but some other clues can help us determine its probable configuration.
Jacob Hawken came to St. Louis in 1819, after working from 1808-1818 at the Harper’s Ferry Arsenal in Virginia. He was very familiar with the strong and weak features of the U.S. Model 1803 Harper’s Ferry rifle and later models of U.S. Government rifles. He watched as brass fittings gave way to stronger steel fittings. The caliber of the Government models was increased to 69-caliber to extend their effective range. The barrels of the latest 1821 Models were round and a full 42” long.
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When Jacob Hawken came to St. Louis, he and James Lakenan, another gunsmith who had worked at the Richmond, Virginia armory, shared a log house from 1820 to 1825. Jake, and later Sam, were both influenced by the Virginia gunsmith James Lakenan, and the iron-mounted rifles which originated from the Virginia region on the east coast. The Super Hawken that was to be built for Ashley would naturally be the product of Jake Hawken and James Lakenan’s experiences during their many years working at the armories.
A fourth, and often unmentioned feature of the Ashley Hawken, is that it was a flintlock. Irrespective as to when the percussion cap was originally invented in Europe, they were first seen on the east coast in 1825/26, and later first advertised for sale in St. Louis in 1831. The Ashley Hawken predated the introduction of the percussion cap in the St. Louis area, and it was a flint ignition rifle. Because of Jake’s familiarity with the 1803 through 1821 U.S. Government rifles, he would have probably chosen one of the large and dependable flint locks that were used on the U.S. Springfield musket models.
As reported in the August, 1976 issue of the The Buckskin Report, there was an earlier attempt to build a rendition of General Ashley’s 69-caliber flintlock Hawken. Such notables of the time combined their talents to make John ‘Dinglehoofer’ Baird a copy of Ashley’s Hawken. They were Andy Baker (stockmaker), Bill Large (barrel maker), Tom Dawson (flintlock), Bob Roller (triggers), Jack Haugh (trigger guard), Bill Fuller (buttplate), Randy Cochran (wood) and Tony Lageose (engraving). The finished rifle weighed 11.75 pounds and boasted a 37-1/2” long octagonal barrel with a thickness of 1.1875” at the breech and 1.0625” at the muzzle. The full-stocked rifle was exhibited and fired at Friendship, IN with a 0.690” diameter round ball, a 0.016” thick denim patch, and 160 grains of GOI 2FFg black powder. Its power and recoil were impressive…!
Pictures of this rifle shows its styling be more representative of an early J.&S. Hawken full-stocked rifle with iron fixtures. I believe that a better interpretation of the original rifle can now be made. Before starting my recreation of Ashley’s Super Hawken, I consulted with Don Stith, Bob Roller, and other Hawken bugs of today. The following is my reasoning for selecting the rifle’s basic components.
Caliber--In Sam Hawken’s 1882 newspaper interview, he says that Ashley’s Hawken threw a one ounce ball. Technically, a one ounce ball would weigh 437.5 grains or be about 0.660” in diameter. In the literature, I have seen the caliber quoted from everything from 66 to 69-caliber. The U.S. Springfield Musket--Model 1821, the last flintlock musket procured by the U.S. Army, was a 69-caliber smooth-bore. I believe that Sam’s reference to a ‘one ounce ball’ would refer to the 69-caliber ball which was the norm of day, and used in the most advanced long-range muskets made prior to 1822.
Barrel--According to Sam Hawken, the barrel was three and one-half feet (42”) long, or the same length as the U.S. Springfield Musket--Model 1821. This length of barrel would be required to get adequate velocity from a 69-caliber ball for long-range shooting. To obtain the accuracy required at 200 yards, the barrel would have had to be rifled. Jake knew that an octagonal barrel was stronger than the round barrels that were used on the the U.S. muskets, and as a bonus, it would add some weight to the rifle to lessen felt recoil.
Lock--I believe that Jake would have used a flint lock similar to or taken off one of the U.S. Springfield Model 1803 to 1821 models. They were large and dependable--using a large musket-sized flint to produce a massive amount of sparks. These locks utilized a reinforced hammer to strengthen the hammer, hereby giving a smaller chance of breakage with repeated, hard use.
Buttplate--I believe that Jake would have used a flat iron buttplate as was standard on the military models. A flat buttplate would have lessened the effects of felt recoil much better than the crescent-type buttplates used on Kentucky and later Hawken rifles.
Triggers and Guard--I believe that Jake would have wanted to incorporate a double-set trigger system on the rifle to enhance precise shooting at the longer distances. To accommodate the double-set triggers, an English-style trigger guard with a large bow was probably used.
Stock--The U.S. Springfield Model 1821 used a full-length stock with its 42” barrel. Jake would have given the stock a more Tennessee-type stock design with a thinner wrist to incorporate the double-set triggers, all in combination with a long tang for added strength. Either American walnut or maple would be suitable. A small patchbox similar to the 1803 Harper’s Ferry, but made of steel, would be appropriate for that period and for the Rocky Mountains!
In Part II, I will detail the construction of a rifle to match the known and proposed features of the Ashley Hawken.
This article was featured in Muzzle Blasts magazine in July 2017. A digital archive of Muzzle Blasts magazines from 1939 to present is available to all NMLRA members.
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If, like many of us Santa brought you a new Muzzleloader or muzzleloader kit, you’ll be spending the next few weekends tinkering with it. This list is brought to you courtesy of the NMLRA Facebook group to give you the best tips and tricks to break in your new muzzleloader safely.
Whether you are familiar with modern firearms or not, muzzleloaders are a different animal.
We recommend that you read the manufacturer's manual that came with your new muzzleloader, if one is not available, please go online and find the digital version at your manufacturer’s website. Manuals will give you correct loading procedure and load data for your firearm.
If you have added a new custom built muzzleloader to your collection, be sure to communicate with the builder about safe load measurements. If your builder is not available, please reach out to some online forums or facebook groups and ask the folks there
It can be hard to find real black powder, but it is very important to remember that Pyrodex, Trip 7, etc is not blackpowder. We don’t advise ever using smokeless powder in your traditional muzzleloader. Smokeless Powder is more explosive than traditional black powder. Using Smokeless in your traditional muzzleloader can result in serious injury or death.
If you are having trouble finding real black powder in your area, as it is not carried in many gun shops or sporting goods stores, be sure to check out the list of authorized dealers from both Schuetzen Black Powder, and Goex Black Powder. NMLRA Members also receive a discount on black powder from both Goex and Swiss if you purchase on NMLRA Grounds.
It’s important to remember that any container holding black powder is highly explosive. Many newcomers make the mistake of leaving their black powder can near there firing position or bench, not realizing that a percussion or flintlock firearm can throw sparks around the area. If one of these sparks hits your powder can, you won’t want to be within 50 yards of it!
It can seem very simple, 3 steps between shots, nothing fancy, just a lot of ramrodding, but you’ll be surprised how often you can mix them up if you aren’t focused.
Always pay attention when you are loading your new muzzleloader, you don’t want to accidentally double load your powder, patch or your ball. It won’t just mess up your grouping, but it could seriously injure your rifle and you!
On our ranges though, the most often forgotten step in the powder, resulting in a fair amount of heckling as we work to pull the ball.
Remember, you are handling an explosive powder each time you load your muzzleloader.
Never load a muzzleloader’s powder straight from your powder horn or powder can, always use a measure. This ensures a repeatable load for more accurate shooting, but it also keeps you safe from any rogue sparks that could ignite your powder.
If you haven't been around muzzleloaders much it can be very daunting. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a local shooting club or gun shop for some help. We’ve got a list of Official NMLRA Charter Clubs as well as Field Representatives all over the United States that are trained to answer your questions.
Our facebook group is packed with over 4,000 members of all skill levels, reach out there anytime and you’ll receive many great responses.
Like all firearms, it is paramount you behave that every muzzleloader is always loaded. If you aren’t sure, there are a couple steps you can follow to check.
Point the Muzzleloader in a safe direction
Flintlocks - Open the Frizzen and place the hammer in the down position.
Percussion Locks- Ensure there is no percussion cap or remains of a percussion cap on the nipple. Keep the hammer in the down position over the nipple or put the hammer on Half cock with a washer over the nipple.
Remove your ramrod and place it down the barrel until the ram rod cannot go in any further. Mark the spot on your ramrod flush the muzzle. We recommend a permanent marker or a piece of tape for accuracy.
Remove your ramrod from the barrel and place it alongside the barrel of your muzzleloader so the line you marked is in line with the muzzle, and the base is pointed back towards the area described below
Flintlock Firearm: The touch hole, or flash hole, located on the side where the ignition spark reaches the charge
Percussion Lock Firearm: The drum area, located on the side of the breech
In-line Firearm: The breech plug
You should be familiar enough with your firearm to know if there is a cavity in the breech plug that will allow powder between the rod tip and the flash hole.
If there is a cavity, check to see if it is filled with powder. Insert a .22-caliber ramrod, made of brass or other non-ferrous metal, into the bore until it stops.
Remove the rod, and measure along the outside of the barrel to see if the rod tip reaches the flash hole of the breech plug. If the rod reaches the flash hole, the muzzleloader is empty and has no projectile or powder in the barrel.
If a projectile or powder is inside the barrel, use a CO2 discharger to clear the barrel. Then reinsert the range rod into the barrel to make sure the projectile and all powder have been removed.
After you are certain the firearm is empty, insert the range rod back into the barrel. Make a permanent "unloaded" or "empty" mark on the rod at the spot where the rod exits the muzzle. You now can use this mark to verify whether the barrel is empty whenever the range rod is inserted.
You can find countless online forums and comment threads discussing how often to clean your muzzleloader. Should I clean after every shot? After an hour? After a day?
Well, there isn’t really a rule. Many of our competitive marksmen will clean their barrels after each shot to make sure each shot is as accurate as possible. If you are plinking at your home range, you can get away with a few shots before cleaning.
Like all modern firearms, it’s important to clean your muzzleloader well after each trip to the range. Swab down the barrel with your preferred cleaner and wipe down the exterior as well to prevent rust.
Youtube is a great resource for just about everything on the planet, but when it comes to handling black powder, always triple check the information presented in the video.
We recommend this video from The Black Powder Maniac Shooter as a good starting point for a flintlock. Hickok 45 also has several good videos on muzzleloaders.
We all know Eye Protection and hearing protection are important when shooting modern firearms, with muzzleloaders you’ll hear the same. Eye protection is especially important when shooting a sidelock muzzleloader, the ignition explosion on the exterior of the firearm, and near your face. Shrapnel from percussion caps or your flint can easily find its way into your eyes.
We hope this helps you get started in the world of muzzleloaders! We hope you’ll find your new muzzleloader one of the favorites of your firearms collection, I know we do here at the NMLRA.
