Many years ago my father built a Hawken-style muzzleloader that my mother gave him for Christmas, one of those completely unexpected gifts that he wouldn’t have bought for himself and left him speechless.

Or, that’s how I remember that Christmas morning that I believe, now, was 40 years ago. Either way, the kit was mysterious to me. I think she bought it from Cabela’s. A flintlock rifle? Like Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett and all those cool folks from hundreds of years earlier shot in the woods or at each other? Cool!

He assembled the rifle, which had an unfinished wooden stock, brass fittings and an octagonal barrel. Flint and lock, too. When it was all done, he hunted with it a few times and I think killed a deer or two with it. Then it went on the wall above our fireplace mantel for a while before going into the gun cabinet. He moved on to a bow, which got me interested in archery, but that’s a different story.

I now have the old flintlock, a .54-caliber that I keep thinking about and want to hunt with but never have. Perhaps I don’t want to ruin the sentiment. Maybe this season.

If you’re interested in building your own Hawken-style rifle or buying one, Traditions Firearms has a very cool rifle or kit. Check out the press release below about it:

Traditions Performance Firearms now has the new Prairie Hawken Rifle in stock and available for shipment. The Prairie Hawken Build-It-Yourself kits are also available. 

Based off of rifles used during the Rocky Mountain Fur Trading era, the Prairie Hawken Rifle is an excellent addition to any collection. These guns were the trusted companions of fur traders as they hunted for pelts. This .50 caliber rifle has a 28” barrel with a 1:48” twist. It features a double-set trigger and two-tenon sidelock design. The Prairie Hawken has custom silver inlays on the mortise and buttstock as well as a custom two-piece forend cap. This rifle has a 14.5 length of pull.

The Prairie Hawken rifle is available in either percussion or flintlock and as a finished rifle or in a Build-It-Yourself Kit.

For finished rifles, the MSRP ranges from $609-$659, the Build It Yourself Kit models range from $478-$528.

Known for their accurate, innovative, and dependable firearms, Traditions has been providing quality firearms for the past 30 years. Traditions offers blackpowder rifles and pistols, cartridge rifles and revolvers, blank pistols, Build-It-Yourself rifle and pistol kits, and cannons as well as a full line of accessories and optics. For more information on Traditions™ Performance Firearms, their website at www.traditionsfirearms.com.