How loose should a Hawk head be?

L

longbow

Joined
Jan 9, 1999
Messages
4,307
So I took possession of a hand forged hawk by a well known maker, that has sold here and on ebay. Anyways rec. the hawk and the head is extremely loose on the shaft. Slides up and down, wiggles etc etc. Is this the way they are supposed to be? I have a 2 other hawks a CS beater that actually is very well done and through much use is still pretty tight and a American Tomahawk that is pretty dang old, the VietNam modle for lack of a better term that I have kept in my truck for year and have used it but not alot, at least not as much as the CS. That head is still super tight. Anyways opinions welcomed and advice too. stay safe
 
I have about a dozen hawks here and they are all tight. I’m assuming you’ve tapped the top of the handle on the ground? If it’s still loose, you got a bad handle fit. I’d send it back
 
I like my modded CS 'Hawks but always wondered if I'm missing out not buying something more expensive. Hard to beat a $30 'Hawk that works this well after a bit of hand fitting.
 
Possibly the best-all-around hawk I ever had was, believe it or not, from Crazy Crow Trading Post:

I initially got it as a belt decoration for cowboy action shooting. I fitted, stained and tacked the handle, sharpened it, and created a belt "sheath" for it. Carried it around for nearly a year before actually using it. It worked so well that I moved it from my CAS gear into my bush gear.

Somewhere during the move from SoCal to New Mexico it went walkabout.
 
Last edited:
I now have a CRKT Woods Chogan, but somehow just can't work up the enthusiasm I had for the Crazy Crow one.
 
I have a custom Trapper's Companion from Williamston forge and I believe the head is designed to be removable by tapping the butt end to enable being used as a hand tool for fleshing hides, etc. Reseating by tapping one the other end should eliminate any wobble however.
 
olddogrib said:
I have a custom Trapper's Companion from Williamston forge and I believe the head is designed to be removable by tapping the butt end to enable being used as a hand tool for fleshing hides, etc. Reseating by tapping one the other end should eliminate any wobble however.
Click to expand...
Yup, as long as the handle's been shaped to the head. Should it start to come loose while using, just tap it on the ground, tree, etc to reset the head.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top