No.3 Traditions St.Louis Hawken Build Complete

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FrontierGander

New member
Built this one for a friend of mine over the winter. Just went slow, enjoyed and took my time. I installed actual traditional sights ( not the plastic factory stuff ) a new Hotshot nipple & flash cup. Fully bedded the barrel and tang. She is rock solid!

The stock has a 600 grit finish, 10 coats of genuine oil, light faux maple stripes. All steel was slow rust browned. Brass was buffed back with a 800 grit scuffing pad and will be allowed to age naturally.

A hickory ramrod was also added to replace the factory derlin ramrod.





 
laural mountain forge, a thin paint brush. Each stripe got between 4 to 6 coats before being buffed back with 0000 steel wool. I didnt want crazy striping, just enough to make the wood pop out a little in the sun light.

This was probably my best work at faux striping.
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One of the best finished kits, I have seen !!!

Very nice work and you managed to maintain some sharp lines and finish. Did not know that they are now suppling these with Delrin rods. I put mine together about 10 years ago and it was Hickory. I always like the option of having both rods, optional. ….. :)

Be Safe !!!
 
Good job!

How hard was it? I read Traditions and shuddered at the thought. I did the smaller trapper pistol and had to re-drill the ramrod hole and file down the drum to provide clearance for the lock.
 
this one fell right into place. I love working with the traditions guns. I'll be doing one, possibly two, for the rendezvous this june as a give away.
 
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Both rifles are very nice. Your finish work is enviable! You might consider doing some shaping on the lock panels on your next one to move it up to even a better looking job. None the less they will be real fine prizes.
 
That's awfully nice of you FrontierGander to make it for a giveaway. Did you go to the Rendezvous at Whittington Center last year? I didn't make it. I just came back from Friendship and had too many things to catch up on. I hope to attend this year (2020) and would like to meet you.
 
i dont get the st. louis part of it. its a traditions. your improving but need a better stain. your not getting that beech wood stock to be what it could be. again a traditions is a traditions, nothing like a st. louis gun by hawken. nice tack job on the other one you posted. do better on the stain next time.
 
In this case, just a model name !!!

i dont get the st. louis part of it.
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It's just the name of the model; nothing more or less. ;)

I wish I had a dollar for every non-replica SideLock M/L that was called a Hawken. Back during the last renascence there were more than you could keep track of. None even came close ….. :rolleyes:

Be Safe !!!
 
Yes I did Gary, I was there the whole week and will be there again this year. Im helping out with the rendezvous this year. Last saturday and the booshway and a buddy of mine got together and cleaned out the supply shed, built shelves and took note of what we need to upgrade this year.
 
i dont get the st. louis part of it. its a traditions. your improving but need a better stain. your not getting that beech wood stock to be what it could be. again a traditions is a traditions, nothing like a st. louis gun by hawken. nice tack job on the other one you posted. do better on the stain next time.
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You don't get around much do ya? CVA sold their St Louis Hawken for many years. I've got one around here somewhere. Traditions sells the same rifle. What's wrong with the stain? I think he did a good job on it.
 
theres nothing wrong with the stain, its even and highlights the wood. It was very plain except for the forearm i pictured above. I added the faux striping to help add a little something to the rather plain wood. If I wanted something super fancy I'd have bought a more expensive kit, but then again, that would have added more cost.
 
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