i really love the look of the hawken rifles......i want a flintlock with a 1:48 twist so i can shoot just about anything with half decint accuracy and i hear thats a good twist rate for that....the hawkens all have that....i just dont know which maker to go with.....id like it under 250....then 100 on accesories and such and im good....i have a feeling i am going to get coned into buying some used flintlock when i goto my gun dealer.....he will be like o theres a nice flintlock there why order one and wait blah blah blah and convince my dad and there i am buying some random gun.....i dont want that.....im going to tell my dad that i found the gun i want and i want the gun dealer we know to order it or i will order it myself....what makers make a good hawken under 250 give or take a few?? are there any flintlock makers to stay away from?? how about a cabelas gun? anyone ever shoot one of their guns? i like their hawkens and also a few other flintlocks......just scared thinking they dont know what their doing.....anyone?? thanx alot....i have alot of options here......i want the best one i can go with.....i cant wait to flintlock hunt! thanx alot

Just about any of the name brand companies like CVA, Traditions, etc offer guns good enough to get the job done. The Cabelas gun are the same guns (most of theirs are Traditions I believe) as the Namebrand guy' s pieces. Actually most all of these " antique" guns are made in Italy and just imported by these companies anyway.

To be honest, if you' re really looking for a quality flinter, the Lyman Great Plains guns are the way to go. They' ll usually run you around $300 - but they are a big step ahead of the " bargain basement" rifles on the market.

Like Mark said, Traditions and CVA will keep you in that price range, but if you can go the extra, the Lyman Great Plains Rifle is an excellent rifle. I have a Traditions Woodsman Hawkins, but it is a cap lock. This is a .50 caliber, and has a 1-66 twist, but a great shooting rifle. No complaints about it. And I think brand new it was under $140.00. My other sidelock is a T/C which would not be in the price range your talking, but again, another excellent rifle. Look at some of the different ones out there. Be careful with used rifles. Some of them I have seen are all right outside, but down the barrel, they were not cared for as well as they should have been. With flintlocks, you might have to invest in a new lock. Some of the low end rifles are all right, but their locks lack a little. Good luck in finding one.

I agree that the Lyman Great Plains flinters are a step above the 150 to 250 dollar guns, but they don' t come in 1:48 you get either 1:32(I think, it might even be faster) or a 1:60. Lyman does sell the Deer Stalker and Trade rifle in a Flinter with a 1:48 twist- if they use they same lock on these guns as they use on their Great Plains guns they would be excellent choices.

If buying a used gun, run a ramrond with a cleaning jag and patch down the barrel, if you feel any loose areas - don' t buy the gun, there may be small bulge in the barrel. When you remove the patch make sure it looks clean. Also look for any rust or pitting in the barrel.

Good luck

thanx....how much does a great plains hunter run?? i really dont know if i want to hunt with round balls so i kinda want a faster twist....i will be going to the gun shop probaly next week or something....thanx alot.....

If you want something that is closer to a true Hawken rifle, get a Lyman Great Plains rifle! They are about the closest thing to a real J & S Hawken that you can get, short of a custom job!

Now, the Great Plains Hunter Rifle has a fast twist for conical/sabot bullets, while the other version (Great Plains Rifle) has a 1/66" twist for round ball shooting. For deer or elk up to 100 yards or so, a .54 round ball is as deadly as any other kind of ML bullet, and shoots flatter to that range because a round ball can be fired at up to 500-600 FPS faster than a big conical.