50 Caliber Hawkins

The Native trapper comes to the ridge and pauses to slowly look over the valley in front of him. The fact that he has a 50 Caliber Hawkins gun in his possession means one of two things. He acquired it through trade which is unlikely or took it off a fallen pale skinned intruder. He still carries his bow and arrows in a quiver on his back. This was common due to the following facts; on average, it would take a skilled shooter about 20 to 30 seconds to load and fire a flintlock or percussion rifle under ideal conditions. In comparison, an experienced archer could shoot approximately 6 to 10 arrows within the same timeframe, depending on their speed and accuracy. The disparity in rate of fire made bows and arrows a formidable weapon against firearms during encounters between Native American warriors and European settlers in the 18th and early 19th centuries.