Plastic nose cap on Uberti Hawken?

[Bigsmoke]

Why not Google Uberti Mfg and ask them what the nose cap is made out of?
As a rule, the manufacturers are happy to answer questions about their product.
Quite possibly, if you look up Uberti Hawken, it will tell you all about it.
But, this has been an interesting conversation, regardless of what it is made of.
John (Bigsmoke)

[BEAVERMAN]

Tell me what horn would be like.  I've never really dealt with it, but I thought it would be very brittle, hard to cut or scratch.

Horn is/can be semi hard, depending on how old it is and it's care, scratches and ribbons fairly easy like plastic but horn is made of compacted hair (not like antler) , does not dent easily, take a sharp screwdriver or stanley blade and scratch a ribbon off the backside of the cap, put a lighter to it and see if it melts and smells like plastic or burns and smells like singed eyebrows!

[sclearman]

Why not Google Uberti Mfg and ask them what the nose cap is made out of?
As a rule, the manufacturers are happy to answer questions about their product.
Quite possibly, if you look up Uberti Hawken, it will tell you all about it.
But, this has been an interesting conversation, regardless of what it is made of.
John (Bigsmoke)

I've sent them a message.  But they don't list the gun on their website, and they dont show a manual available.  I'm wondering if this was a kit that someone put together.  Honestly it doesn't matter, i'm just interested for interest sake.

The more I think about it, I'm even considering trying to pour a new nose cap out of white metal.

[BEAVERMAN]

Why not Google Uberti Mfg and ask them what the nose cap is made out of?
As a rule, the manufacturers are happy to answer questions about their product.
Quite possibly, if you look up Uberti Hawken, it will tell you all about it.
But, this has been an interesting conversation, regardless of what it is made of.
John (Bigsmoke)

I've sent them a message.  But they don't list the gun on their website, and they dont show a manual available.  I'm wondering if this was a kit that someone put together.  Honestly it doesn't matter, i'm just interested for interest sake.

The more I think about it, I'm even considering trying to pour a new nose cap out of white metal.

Track of the wolf has pewter pellets available to melt and pour if your interested in pewter, not very hard to do.

[ridjrunr]

Tell me what horn would be like.  I've never really dealt with it, but I thought it would be very brittle, hard to cut or scratch.

Could you show a picture of this? It would surprise me if Uberti would do that. Not that its not possible but ijdk

[sclearman]

I'll get a pic, might be a day or so though.

[Ohio Joe]

Your rifle's nose cap could be pewter. Pewter is not heavy at all, and could be mistaken IMHO for plastic.

Anyway, here's a link;

http://grrw.org/uberti-santa-fe-hawken/

"Below is a custom rifle that was built in 1976 using Cherry Corners parts.  It has German silver barrel key escutcheons and a pewter nose cap.  This was a popular configuration for custom rifles in the 1970’s.  Allen could have sent a very similar rifle to Uberti as a prototype."

German Silver was also used.

How they got it black - I have no idea, but I'd bet those who work with metals know how to do it.

[BEAVERMAN]

Your rifle's nose cap could be pewter. Pewter is not heavy at all, and could be mistaken IMHO for plastic.

Anyway, here's a link;

http://grrw.org/uberti-santa-fe-hawken/

"Below is a custom rifle that was built in 1976 using Cherry Corners parts.  It has German silver barrel key escutcheons and a pewter nose cap.  This was a popular configuration for custom rifles in the 1970’s.  Allen could have sent a very similar rifle to Uberti as a prototype."

German Silver was also used.

How they got it black - I have no idea, but I'd bet those who work with metals know how to do it.

Thanks for sharing this Joe, great resource!

[ridjrunr]

Mine is german siler I believe

[Ohio Joe]

The picture almost makes it look a little "brass 'ish" - but the bottom ramrod slide looks a bit like German Silver... 

[Hank in WV]

Looks brassy to me also. Maybe plated?

[Winter Hawk]

The nose cap looks black to me in the original post photo (http://tradmla.org/tmaf/index.php?topic=21816.0) although sclearman says it's brown.  Probably my confuser's color rendering.  Anyway, if it's pewter a scratch in the barrel channel would show shiny metalic and if it's horn I believe it would be gray or dirty white.  Plastic probably the same as horn or any color.

To answer the other question, yes, the metal muzzle cap covers the wood.  However, if it's horn it might be glued on with dowels....

If it is a reworked Uberti from GRRW I would be inclined to think it wasn't plastic but horn.  You might want to contact the GRRW collector folks (http://grrw.org/contacts/) and see what they have to say about this.  I wouldn't do anything to that nose cap until you do. 

~Kees~

[sclearman]

Sorry it took me a bit to get back. I'm a fire investigator and I've been working on a large apartment fire we had. 

Anyway....It's plastic. I scratched, and sanded, and did all sorts of things where it wouldn't show.  Even curled a sliver off and took a cigarette lighter to it. it melted and smelled like plastic not like horn or bone. I've turned antler pens and smelled enough bone to know, i'll just have to ask you to trust me on it. 

I decided I didn't like it, it looked fine but I didn't like it. So, I cut it off, tried to do it a lil at a time thinking there was wood under it. Well, there wasn't.  This was a solid piece of plastic glued with nothing but a but joint to the stock. No wood under, no dowel pins, just a simple but joint. 

I've ordered some pewter, guess I'll do my own.  I'll put in some type of support to cast around to help hold it all together.  I also ordered 2 matching wedge keys, the ones I have don't match, and one is too thick to fit. That one was hammered in and bent the plate on the far side.  Only thing I could find that was the size of the one that fit was from a 1803 Harpers Ferry Rifle from TOW.  nothing else was the right width and thickness. 

So, the fun continues. 

[Ohio Joe]

Better to go with what you like, that's for sure! 

[PetahW]

.

Here's a thread about pouring a pewter nose cap:

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/pouring-pewter-nosecap.114726/