I was offered a brand new .54 caliber Hawken tonight for $300. Friend of mine owns thew shop and said he just wants to get rid of it. Its been on the shelf for a couple of years. Good deal? Can anyone tell me anything about it? How it shoots..etc..

I am about burnt out on "modern" muzzleloading and wanna get back into the sidelocks and thought this may be a good one.


Thanks in advance!

good deal! TC wants $500 for one. I'd pick it up.

Yeah after reading around here thats what Im thinking also. The 54 cal sounds like a monster. I used sidelocks for several years but only in 50 cal. I quit using the sidelock in 1997 I think.

Anybody else have one of these? Has everybody went to inlines?

Yes, a number of us do.
I have had 36,40,45,50,54,58 and 62 cal. the 54 is the best hunting cal. in my opinion it shoots the flatest with acceptable recoil and worked well for me one deer elk and bear. Lee

That is one if the finest sidelock rifles you can get. That .54 caliber will hunt anything you want to put on the table. They are a great rifle. If it is new in the box condition that's a great pricefor $300.00. I really do not know of a better mass produced rifle I like better that that one right there.

I have a 50 Caliber T/C sidelock Express rifle. I also have had a couple 54 caliber T/C rifles. I shot the 485 grain Hornady Great Plains bullets in them. They will do a job on anything that gets in their way.

Thanks guys..the 54 is new to me. I do love the sidelocks though. The inlines are nice but I just wanna take a step back. I knew there had to be a few sidelockers out there. One of these days if I feel really brave I may try a flintlock...lol. Thats one thing that I have never shot. Just trying to add more challenge back into it rather than make it easier.

I like the cap rifles but I really didn't care to much for the Flintlock and I could see where the keep your powder dry saying came from. You really need to protect the flash pan from moisture. They are fun to shoot on a nice day but give me the caplock.I have a buddy though who will hunt with nothing but a Flintlock or a longbow. Each to his own. Good luck with the bow this weekend.

Do you make Jerky?

James when I try to make jerky I eat it faster than I put it away...lol. Sorta defeats the purpose of trying. I do love it though...it just doesnt last long. Hammer a muley for me! We'll be expecting pics