Now for a my evaluation of the workmanship and quality of this pistol.
The pistol has a hooked breech which should make cleaning much easier.
I immediately came upon a problem removing the Barrel Tenon Wedge. It was very tight; upon extracting, I found the wedge was bent. The brass inlay cover for the hole on the LH side is bulged out rather awkwardly. (See Item
#5 )
NOTE: The Ramrod has a .50 caliber
cleaning jag attacked to the end on the right of this photo. Both ends are threaded for the larger threads.
I have itemized the areas to discuss.
1: The cross-section of the Grip is
Oval and not Round. This results in a "peak" on the back side of the grip that fits in the palm of your hand. I like the curve of the grip but this oval shape doesn't seem to be comfortable as it would be if it was a Round cross-section.
2: Chrome(?) Plated Barrel. This makes it look shiny. I've read reviews that expressed a desire to remove this and add a blue finish. The problem is that if you look closely you will notice imperfections. There are "wrinkles" and "honey comb" patterns. After handling this for a few hours,
I finally noticed either rust or missing "chrome" along the corner of the barrel close to the muzzle end at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions.
The shiny chrome finish is also a problem with the sights. I can see how a sunny day can make it difficult to get a good sight picture. I may have to smoke the rear sight to cut down on the glare.
3: Lip on fore stock. I am worried about damaging these sharp corners and ridges. My pistol already has a very minor ding in this ridge.
I also noticed the finish on the front of this stock is not as shiny as the rest of the stock's finish.
4: Set Screws X2. Most Set Trigger assemblies has a set screw between the front and the back triggers. This one seems to have a second set screw behind the back trigger. It is under the aft of the loop Brass guard so it is not accessible. I suspect this is screw is for some other purpose. What is this 2nd screw?
5: Barrel Tenon Wedge The brass inlay on the Left side is bent in the center---slightly raised. The wedge was difficult to remove and my screwdriver slipped and I scratched the finish. So much for a wedge hole protection. The Wedge is bent. I don't know if this is how it was designed but I have never seen that on any Hawken Rifle design.
6: Bevel cut-out of Stock on RH side. The stock has a bevel carved out from the Barrell to some distance behind the Hammer. There is no reason for this---again, nothing that I've seen on a Hawken Rifle. This exposes the top of the Lock Plate---and it exposes a gap between the Lock Plate and the stock. You can see thru this gap and the mechanism inside the stock. This gun has several design ideas that should protect the inner mechanism from burnt powder. I've never used a flash protector under the Nipple but that may be something I might add to my rifles.
BUT this gap will expose the inner mechanism to powder and water(from cleaning). See other detailed photo.
x:
Brass Inlay is really nice but they did not carve the stock to fit. They used a filler to close the gaps between the stock and the inlays.
My goal was to select a pistol that was accurate and had a grip that was comfortable and natural to my hand. This pistol seems to fit this criteria. The Set Trigger and the brass guard will take some time to learn how to use. Some reviewers say the spur on the back of the Guard can dig into your finger when fired. I think I will stick with a light load which---according to what I've heard and read---produces much better accuracy than a heavy load. I have to be careful to keep my finger off the Front Trigger while cocking the hammer. The front Trigger requires a little stretch to engage but I think that will come more naturally as I get adjusted to the grip.
The Hammer is hard to cock. And it is a long reach to cock it with your shooting (right) hand so I'm expecting I will be cocking it with my Left hand.
The pistol is still a little muzzle heavy. I really wanted to get a .45 caliber pistol. Again, I think this will take some practice.