1st bag project, contents

A continuation of the "craftsman" thread on making my 1st shot pouch/shooting bag.







So what's inside? What will it hold? Well, there is no gusset so it's a little tight, but more than I need for a given outing will fit. Not everything pictured here is in the bag for any/every given outing;









If I'm target shooting at the rifle range the tin of shot cartridges and the th e of round balls and wads comes out, the tin of wads and the ball bag are in the front section. If deer hunting, the wad tin, shot cartridge tin and the ball bag come out, and the tube of wads and balls goes in. Squirrel hunting, wad tin and shot cartridge tin stay in, all ball stuff is out.

Staying in the bag in the rear section would be the flint and tool roll, the tin of olive oil/Bar's wax lube (stiffer mixture with no Murphy's Oil Soap) with extra skewers, pan bush and extra vent pick, and a few flannel cleaning patches.
In the little front envelope are several toothpicks and cut down bamboo grilling skewers and some modern alchohol "prep" wipes.

Thanks for looking, comments and questions welcome.

I hate auto correct. "Bar's wax" ???? Really?!!!
Should be bee's wax.

Pan bush should be brush.

Brokennock, way to go, good stuff! Really helps not fumbling the next shot.
Please tell me what the instrument is in the tin box, on top of the white discs. Looks like a wooden handle with a brass fitting on one end.
Thank you, Woodbutcher

That's my kind of array! I don't want anything in a shooting bag that won't be used for shooting, or in the case of a very small tool kit, tucked far out of the way of the shooting supplies.

There's a subtle element in your layout that accents that. From the arrangement of the gear in your first photo, it looks as though your gear isn't going to shift around much in carry. Being able to reach to a specific spot for a specific piece of gear is priceless when time counts, compared to having to fish around searching for it.

Well done!

Thank you gents.

I mostly shoot smoothbore. That little self made tool is a 20 gauge jag with the screw set into a dowel, the dowel was cut to length to fit the box, then after the bag was set I filed some shape to the wood, heated it with a torch and rubbed with bee's wax while hot. I use it to "set" the thin cardboard wads that I put over powder before the cushion wad. It helps me put them in further and keep them from tipping, then I place the lubed felt wad, push it down a little, then ball or shot cartridge, then two more cards, then I use the ramrod to send the whole thing down to the powder. I've found that assembling the whole package at the muzzle eliminates the need to carry some thin wads with a Nick in the edge to let air pass. The tool isn't always needed, but Murphy loves me.

One thing I don't see is a Turnscrew for the Top Jaw screw or is it perhaps in the deerskin roll?

Gus

I like what you did. All the stuff you made for it is dang nice, IMHO. :thumbsup:

The knife in this picture has a "secret" spot, ground to fit that screw. The knife sheath has D-rings at the back of the spine to hang it from the back of whatever shot pouch I'm using. There is also a better turnscrew and more advanced tools in a small tool kit in my general purpose bag, carried to keep non-shooting stuff out of the shot pouch.

Thanks Hanshi, most of this stuff was developed before I undertook the shot pouch project. The pouch size was somewhat based on the existing kit.

The ball bag spout is bamboo from a craft store, but, the plug is from a branch cut from my Grandmother's apple tree and throughout my kit there are similar things that have connections elsewhere.

Brokennock said:

the plug is from a branch cut from my Grandmother's apple tree and throughout my kit there are similar things that have connections elsewhere.

Click to expand...

Always a great tie to our own past! :hatsoff:

Thank you Brokennock. Wonderful stuff, downright inspirational. Woodbutcher

KNIFE = VERY COOL :thumbsup:

Looking good.

And I agree with BrownBear - nothing in the bag that isn't necessary to shoot or clean the gun.

And "tins" are the handiest things since horn.

A can for everything and everything in it's can! :wink: :haha:

If you want to get fancy, make'em out of horn!
http://www.woodenhawk.com/images/firestarting horn.jpg
http://www.woodenhawk.com/images/Sewing Kit.jpg
http://www.woodenhawk.com/images/Horn Box.jpg

Thanks.

I bought a matching pair of that knife many years ago from someone on another forum. I believe they were made my Jeff White, but I did not buy them directly from him. Oddly, for a matched pair, one takes an edge much better than the other. I don't love the tacs in the handle scales, so, I've removed the scales from the one that it's harder to put a razor edge on and I'm in the process of making new scales. Got ahead of myself though, I have nothing on hand to use for pins.

Brokennock said:

I don't love the tacs in the handle scales, so, I've removed the scales from the one that it's harder to put a razor edge on and I'm in the process of making new scales. Got ahead of myself though, I have nothing on hand to use for pins.

Click to expand...

I'm sitting right on the fence regarding tacks. Still can't get my taster wrapped around them, but the nice slick scales I like so much were a liability with cold bloody hands and a good dose of grease one rainy day. Better grip needed, and tacks may be closer to the solution than any a pattern cut into nice wood. Horn/antler was to be intended compromise, but your tiny tacks are looking awfully good.

They do provide some extra grip traction, especially with a little wood shrinkage. I just don't think they fit 1756 to 1786 time frame.

Wow--I love everything about this kit! It's well planned, has all the goodies, uses natural materials, and it's highly attractive. I will come back to this post frequently when I get to the point where I feel like I can tackle this kind of handiwork!

Just remember, the correct place on the forum to discuss building bags, shoes, knives etc is the "The Craftsman" section.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showforum.php?fid/93/

This "Shooting Accessories" section is the place to discuss the things that are used for shooting muzzleloaders.
It's not the place to discuss making things beyond balls, bullets, lubes, cleaning solutions and similar stuff.