Possible bags

What do you like to carry in your possible bags.? I have a pouch for balls, a horn for powder. Knife is on my hip.

As little as possible, just pure necessities. tools necessary to field strip or clear weapon, a rag, maybe 10, to 20 rounds of ball, small vile of olive oil. fire starting gear, small folding knife. Occasionally I throw in an energy bar or small sandwich.

Small hammer, short starter, small powder container, small ball board, small plastic spray bottle, couple of cleaning patches and caps. Sometimes I put in my Game Boy if I remember to charge it.

Balls, a bunch of cleaning patches, jags, and a turnscrew. I’ve been experimenting lately with tying a strip of cleaning patch material on my bag strap to be sliced off at need with my knife. Works pretty good. Might soon be just balls, jags, a turnscrew, and two or three precut cleaning patches.

Balls, patches, coil worm, ball puller, turnscrew, small tin of oil and beeswax, small hunk of tow, leather wads if it’s been dry out, knife dangles off the rear strap.

Balls, patches, cleaning patches, loading block, extra flints, small tin of mink oil, jags, puller, screw driver, brass powder primer, short starter, brush, vent pick, extra pillow ticking and patch knife.

Edit: And a Powder measure.

Scott said:

What do you like to carry in your possible bags.? I have a pouch for balls, a horn for powder. Knife is on my hip.

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There is so much neat little stuff sold for us that we just can’t live with out. Some are new things that look old and neat, some are old things that were used back in the day.
99% you don’t need once a year. Leave it at home or in a kit around your camp, or maybe in a range box.
In your bag put just what you need. A little tin of grease, some stuff to swab with, a turn screw, powder measure, patching, ball, short starter if you use it, spare flints or caps.
You don’t need a ball bag, but it can be handy. A knife on your bag works good. Should you cut patches at the muzzle you can tie your patching on a strap, powder measure can hang on a strap or on your horn. Think minimalists.

Lunch, fire kit, two tin cups (one large one small), coffee, small tool kit, corsage (both several feet of heavy twine or reverse twisted string and a few feet of 3/8" diameter rope), compass, map, spare socks or stockings, small trowel and t.p.

In my shot pouch, you'll find, a powder measure, maybe two (65 grain for shot loads and light round ball loads and 85 grain for heavy round ball loads and to measure the amount of shot to go over the 65 grains powder), a bag of round balls, small tin of lube, container of wads or wad material, maybe a tin of pre measured shot loads, a small leather pouch with turnscrew, ball puller, spare flints, worm, and a couple cleaning patches.

FishDFly said:

Small hammer, short starter, small powder container, small ball board, small plastic spray bottle, couple of cleaning patches and caps. Sometimes I put in my Game Boy if I remember to charge it.

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small plastic spray bottle, what I use is an empty nasal spray bottle for patch lube and for the lock. not authentic I know but who else gets to look into my POSSIBLES BAG?

Okay, “turnscrew”?

Centurion said:

Okay, “turnscrew”?

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Period term for a screw driver. I like it better. It turns a screw more than drives it, eh?

I don’t use them interchangeably but my flintlock turnscrews aren’t screwdrivers in the modern sense anyway. Small flat forged iron mostly.

And Brokennock, i’ve been reading hete long enough to start getting a basic understanding of the distinction between “possibles bag” and “shot bag” or shooting bag. Could you and/or others post up some pictures of your separate bags.

I started building what i always heard referred to as possibles bags out of leather and then making haversacks out of butt packs, gas mask bags or whatever i can find. Some may look like a sow’s purse but that’s just fine!

don

Here’s a few of mine. Of course my ‘possibles’ for the most part only get carried in conjunction with my hunting bag but will occasionally get carried alone at Friendship or a show or rendezvous.

My NA inspired hunting pouch and possibles for my painted Type G trade gun.

Handwoven Ojibwe possibles bag with whistle pig hunting pouch.

My hunting pouches are typically something like 7”x6” while the possibles are different sizes and mostly much bigger. Some of my possibles are almost haversacky.

I use different types of bags for my possibles.

Southern mountain style Joe Mills Hunting pouch with small whistle pig possibles.

North Carolina mountain hunting bag with canvas possibles.

Nothing too fancy. 8x9 bark tanned deerhide with Williamsburg linen backing.

I prefer the medium waxed hemp haversack modified to knapsack with chest strap to a possibles bag for food, clothes and camp gear but I’ll keep some shooting stuff in there for maintenance in camp. Fouling scraper, breech scraper, cleaning jag, bronze brush, mainspring vise etc.

This is all good stuff! My mother-in-law gave me an older electric sewing machine and her sister just gave me an old Singer treadle sewing machine which will, i’m told, handle keather for sheaths and what-not with a heavy needle.

Thanks to all for the tutorials and visuals... good stuff!

don

Small pouch that holds bullets
Small pouch that holds extra flints and a jaw-leather, plus a container of gun grease and a cleaning cord, cleaning worm, and tow
Very tiny brass funnel used to help reload by horn with powder
A set of tools on a ring that is a knapping hammer, a turnscrew, and a vent prick
small Arkansas stone to keep patch knife sharp
patch knife
.530 bullet mold
Strips of patching material
Cow's Knee (when it's not on the rifle)
Repro antique compass with sundial

Attached to the bag by leather cord are the powder measure and a bullet board

LD

Centurion said:

And Brokennock, i’ve been reading hete long enough to start getting a basic understanding of the distinction between “possibles bag” and “shot bag” or shooting bag. Could you and/or others post up some pictures of your separate bags.

I started building what i always heard referred to as possibles bags out of leather and then making haversacks out of butt packs, gas mask bags or whatever i can find. Some may look like a sow’s purse but that’s just fine!

don

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Yes, I can do that later this evening or tonight.

Loyalist Dave said:

Small pouch that holds bullets
Small pouch that holds extra flints and a jaw-leather, plus a container of gun grease and a cleaning cord, cleaning worm, and tow
Very tiny brass funnel used to help reload by horn with powder
A set of tools on a ring that is a knapping hammer, a turnscrew, and a vent prick
small Arkansas stone to keep patch knife sharp
patch knife

Strips of patching material
Cow's Knee (when it's not on the rifle)
Repro antique compass with sundial

Attached to the bag by leather cord are the powder measure and a bullet board

LD

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I have to ask, how long are some of you going for when you hunt?

"If you take a small pouch that holds bullets, a bullet board,
.530 bullet mold, very tiny brass funnel used to help reload by horn with powder, etc.."