Yup, made in Italy. Been told to make sure I wear glasses shooting it, the hammer is pretty much in line with my nose.
Yep! glasses would be a good thought. You also might think about Musket caps if the rifle can be switched - I really dislike musket caps - but they do stay together better than #11's. The 'if' part is the alignment of the hammer to the bolster and if the hammer will allow the musket cap to get up inside the hammer shroud.
It is probably a 1-48 twist barrel, although if it is that old it might be a slow round ball twist - I am really not that familiar with the Cabelas Hawkens.
