I got tired of the old look on the deer creek so i stripped it down, Browned the barrel " not done yet" Reshaped the area around the lock so it stands out a little better, Browned all the furniture. I still have to polish the brass patch box but that can wait until i finish the patchbox. I still have 37 coats of boiled linseed oil to rub in, Once thats done it should have a nice clean shine. Picking up powder and caps so i can sight it in for a PRB load. And now that i just noticed, I'll order a new wooden ramrod for it.
Also reshaped the nose piece so it has a slant towards the tip. I saw that a lot of the original hawkens had this and i liked the style. Still have to touch up some areas on it.





And this will hopefully be my hunting area for next year. Im clearing out a big area at the back of the property and turning up the ground and planting alfalfa/clover/grass mix. I have a good amount of brush out so far and just need to start on the other area that funnels into this part where i'll be planting.

Looks mighty fine. What did you use to brown the barrel? How difficult was it to get the nice even finish you got?

Hey! When you hunt that area in the picture watch out for that white footed cougar in the lower right of the picture - could be a killer.

Most of the barrel is even, However, Towards the end the last foot or so is blotchy. I ran out of browning solution and wasnt able to finish it. I want atleast 2-3 more coats. I use Birchwood Casey plum brown and heat the barrel with a propane torch. The trigger guard/buttplate came out beautiful. To get it even, the you have to heat the barrel in 6" sections and keep the heat as even as possible and have the cotton swab presoaked in the solution. Its time consuming thats for sure. Im letting this rust for a few more days to darken.

haha that darn cat follows me everytime i take my dog for a walk. You should see her when she freaks out and runs straight up a 40 foot tree! Talk about sure footed.