The rifle carried across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains by western pioneers and trappers was the pinnacle of the modern percussion firearms development of the mid-nineteenth century. Originally designed and built by such famous makers as Hawken, Gemmer and Demick, the Gemmer Hawken Rifle represents durable design in a big bore caliber with plenty of knockdown power. No other factory assembled rifle offers the authentic style and design of Investarm's Gemmer Hawken Rifle.

The Hawken rifle was originally produced by brothers Jacob and Samuel Hawken, in their St. Louis, Missouri shop founded in 1815. The earliest known record of a Hawken rifle dates back to 1823 when one was custom made for William Henry Ashley, a gun powder manufacturer turned fur trader, who used it in his expeditions up the Missouri river to the interior of the Western United States. Ashley and his men are credited with the creation of the rendezvous system, in which Native Americans and trappers would meet to trade goods, money and furs.

The Hawken brothers custom made each one of their rifles by hand. This attention to detail gained Hawken rifles a reputation for both durability and long-range accuracy. A number of famous men are said to have owned Hawken rifles, including Auguste Lacome, Hugh Glass, Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, Joseph Meek, Jedediah Strong Smith and Theodore Roosevelt. In 1864 the Hawken Shop was purchased by J.P. Gemmer, a longtime employee, who held true to tradition and maintained the "Hawken" quality until the shop closed in 1915. Our reproduction maintains the integrity of many of the original features of the Hawken rifle, while integrating modern technology for today’s shooter. Historically, these guns were .50 or .54 caliber with octagonal barrels of 33 to 36 inches. The hardwood stocks had a curved cheek piece, double-set triggers and front blade sights with furniture and butt plates fashioned from iron. Our reproduction integrates these classic features with a lighter 32-inch barrel, blackened hardware and modern precision manufacturing of all component parts.

This Classic Plains Hawken offers legendary high-quality features such as a 32" barrel with 1 in 60" twist rate for patched ball hunting loads, double set triggers and Hawken style percussion "snail" with clean-out screw. The rifle includes a separate ramrod entry thimble and nose cap, and reliable coil spring lock with correct lock plate. The Left-Handed Investarm™ Gemmer Hawken Rifle is available in .45 to .54 caliber and flintlock or percussion configurations. The Flintlock Investarm™ Gemmer Hawken Rifle Kit is an attractive, traditional muzzleloader that is rugged, well built and meant to last a lifetime.