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John Johnson, I have read, had a Spencer Hawken. That is a Spencer that went through the Samual Hawken shop in St. Louis for "sporterizing". It had a longer barrel - appeared to be 28" with 2 barrel keys and 1/2 stock forend and forend cap of pewter and a wiping stick with entry pipe and two rod pipes. It also had a "Hawken" style butt stock with hooked butt plate, all parts similar to the typical Hawken muzzleloading Mountain Rifle.

This 'sporterization' alone, should show some Spencers were used as hunting rifles, even though they were of low power, compared to other guns of the period, like the hall rifle. The only advantage of the Spencer, of course, was the speed it could distribute it's 7 rounds at close range.

One story about Johnson was such that he saw a young Crow Indian boy with this rifle, what he recognised as a Spencer-Hawken, or Hawken-Spencer that obviously was from the Hawken shop. This 'event' happened in a Crow Nation village he had been trading with.

The article stated Johnson figured the rifle would have the rapid fire of the Spencer, but power and accuracy of the Hawken muzzleloader, thus he killed the boy and took the rifle, and that this act alone this is why the Crow nation went after him. It is possible, but?

Personally, I think this story is BS, a story made up by someone attempting to justify in Johnson's (or their own) mind, this seemingly senseless murder.

Johnson was smart enough to know the power & accuracy of a Spencer, a rimfire, and that the power could not be improved, even though the accuracy could be. You do not live long in the Mountains by being stupid. I think he merely killed the boy to steal the rifle and a nice rifle it was, at that. Life was cheap in the mountains in the mid 1800's and killing for a rifle was oft done.

John Johnson known famously, or infamously as the Crow Killer, died in 1928, I think it was, tending sheep in Montana.

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Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Edited by Daryl_S (05/11/15 07:17 AM)

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