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How old is this style of spring-loaded powder horn charger ? Civil War era ?
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Interesting article.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...Vaw2CG9GhXtFJ-z0cRGIn98GL&cshid=1597074937294[/URL]
The earliest American Patent that shows the use of a coil spring in a powder measure for a flask that is shown in the book, "THE POWDER FLASK BOOK", by Ray Riling is 1858.
Colt used a coil spring in the loading lever release on the 1851 Navy revolver.
The first Patent for a coil spring was made by R. Tradwell in 1763. It was a British Patent.
It's quite possible the valve could have been made prior to the CW but based on the hundreds of different flasks shown in Mr. Riling's book, I think it would have been a rare bird. Almost none of the flasks pictured use a valve that is even remotely like the one in the photo.
Don't know how old that one is but I've been making powder horns since about 1975 when I got into muzzleloading. I would say 95% of my horns have that type of spring loaded charger with different screw in measuring spouts. Most of them have 50 grain chargers on them. I got them from Track of the Wolf, and a few traders at muzzle loader shoots. Some where in Treso packaging. They made these for brass flasks, they had them attached to a lid for black powder cans, and set up for powder horns and shot bags. Some of mine look older than that one with all of the tarnish and scratches on it. They also made cleaning jags, ramrod ends, priming chargers, nipples, screw-in powder horn filler holes, and they also made a lot of steel screws for locks.
They are a lot better than a wood plug in a horn. Period looks, not so much. I had a couple of shoots that wouldn't let me use them because they said they were jot primitive. Had to have a pull out plug in the powder horns. I played their game and beat their AZZes and gave them a thumbs up when leaving with the prizes.
Mike
It's quite possible the valve could have been made prior to the CW but based on the hundreds of different flasks shown in Mr. Riling's book, I think it would have been a rare bird. Almost none of the flasks pictured use a valve that is even remotely like the one in the photo.
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