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Possibles Bag and Powder Horn Proper Carry Position?

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I prefer the bag and horn on the right. When I load, I'm holding the muzzleloader cradled in the crook of my arm, then I can do all the loading with both hands, like holding the powder measure in my left hand and pour with my right, or place patch and ball on the gun and start the ball with my thumb. Lastly, the ball is seated with the right hand, holding the gun with my left.
Ohio Rusty ><>
 
I’m right handed. I’m sure personal preference can vary, but I carry everything I need for a fast reload on the right side. Powder horn rides just about level with the top of the possibles bag which rides at my hip. My hunting set-up…Small flat horn, enough for 10-20 shots.
BB63842A-062D-4D29-8C9A-3E68C2E87477.jpeg
 
Same here, bag and horn under right elbow up high. I find it keeps them from flopping around, getting caught on brush etc.
 
I am left handed and shoot from the left shoulder. I like my bag and horn on the left side so I can access them with my dominant hand. Don't have them hanging too low or they will flop around too much.

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The main thing to do is find a setup that works for you, which is not necessarily what works for someone else.
 
Thanks for the feedback. Looks like there is no right or wrong way to carry them. I'm still not sure which way I would prefer. I'm strongly right handed and would want my strong hand carrying the rifle. But I also would like my more dextrious hand manipulating the powder and measuring tool. LOL
Do what I did. Experiment. I tried various way of carrying my gear. What I ended up with is I carry the possibles bag on my left shoulder. Most everything I need to shoot the gun is there. I carry my powder horn on my right side. Mt patch knife, primers and powder measure are attached to a leather strip around my neck. I carry a rifleman's pouch on my belt, behind me. It contains all of the tools I need in case I have a rifle malfunction. --- As has been stated, there is no rule. Just experiment until you find out what works for you.
 

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As I pointed out my bag is lower than shown in old paintings. High means the bag won’t flop forward when ever you bend over.
Just for safety sake I take off the bag when I light a fire in the woods, or tend the fire cooking or just adding wood.
We also see bag straps held in place by the belt. If the bag lower it stays on your hip when jogging or bending.
And we see belts over bags in the nineteenth century paintings.
 
I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question or if there's an actual correct answer. Which side should your bag and horn be carried? I'm use to years of Civil War reenacting where all your accoutrements have a proper place to be worn. Is one side more convenient than the other depending on if your right or left handed? I ask this question because I want to try my hand at scrimshawing my powder horn and want the most visible side showing my work......................Thanks!
Surely personal preference governed by convenience and what you want to do while wearing said gear. I prefer a large belt bag which is worn on its own belt along with Knife and Hawk. Horn hung above that (rt. side).
1678555703974.jpeg
 
I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question or if there's an actual correct answer. Which side should your bag and horn be carried? I'm use to years of Civil War reenacting where all your accoutrements have a proper place to be worn. Is one side more convenient than the other depending on if your right or left handed? I ask this question because I want to try my hand at scrimshawing my powder horn and want the most visible side showing my work......................Thanks!
To quote Pasquinel, the trapper: "Rules! We don' nid no more rules! We got enough rules a'ready!"

There is no "rule" for civilian wear, as far as I know, but there are conventions. In his book, Wild Life in the Rocky Mountains (the sequel to Adventures in Mexico), George Frederick Ruxton described the trapper's dress: "Over his left shoulder and under his right arm hang his powder-horn and bullet-pouch, in which he carries his balls, flint and steel, and odds and ends of all kinds" (p.153). This gentleman from California shows us how they did it:

Man With Rifle - San Bernardino.jpg

This is "Bigfoot" Wallace:

BigfootWallace.jpg
You see the same thing in a lot of period paintings, but a lot of people now appear to distrust artwork, if it doesn't show what they want to believe. The photos above show older guys posing for the camera with the guns and gear they carried when younger.

In Rocky Mountain Life, Rufus Sage wrote this description of the typical mountaineer: "His waist is encircled with a belt of leather, holding encased his butcher-knife and pistols -- while from his neck is suspended a bullet-pouch securely fastened to the belt in front, and beneath his right arm hangs a powder-horn transversely from his shoulder..." (p.38). I thought the phrase concerning the bullet pouch, "fastened to the belt in front," was interesting. This may be the historical precedent for the thong-and-toggle arrangement that @smo uses (see post #31). Have a look at this photo of an old Kansas "Free Stater" showing how he used his rifle in his glory days:

2021-05-17 (1).png

I see the powder horn on his right, but that looks like a pouch affixed to his belt on the off side. I don't know how common that was, but there it is.

One final thought, respectfully submitted, is that the term "possibles bag" was apparently never used on the frontier. You do occasionally see the expression, "possible sack," but this referred to a very large bag or "wallet" that was used for extra clothing, ammunition, and other possessions which would not have been carried on the person. Every time I have seen it printed, the expression used was "possible" (singular) and "sack" (not bag). The "possible sack" was analogous to a soldier's duffel bag or a sailor's sea bag, and out west it eventually evolved into the "warbag" or "war sack" (both terms were used) which was carried by the cowboys and later frontiersmen. According to at least two old dictionaries I consulted, Hispanic people in the American southwest referred to their property or personal possessions as their "posibles," but I doubt this word is used in this way by native Spanish speakers nowadays. In any event, the early traders and trappers evidently borrowed the word posibles from Spanish, Americanized it to "possibles," and combined it with "sack." The pouch we are discussing in this thread was generally called a "shot pouch" on the eastern frontier. The early westerners also used that term, but the one I've seen most frequently in the period literature of the early west is "bullet pouch." They evidently carried their balls loose in the pouch, where they would gravitate to the bottom and be easy to find without looking. We know that "bullet pouch" in this context refers to the pouch slung from the shoulder and not the little bottle-shaped ball bags because so many of the references describe reaching into the pouch with the hand, as well as using the bullet-pouch for carrying a flint and steel, a bundle of sinew, and even souvenirs.

I know some folks reason that they should carry the powder horn on the off side, so errant sparks falling from the flintlock won't land on or in the horn. I would respectfully disagree. A right-handed shooter typically places his left foot ahead of the right, which rotates his body slightly and in fact places the spout of the powder horn closer to the lock of his firearm, and possibly directly under it. If the horn is on the right side, it is actually rotated farther back and out of the way. It is for me, anyway.

Anyway, there is no rule, but as far as I know, the old timers tended to carry the pouch and horn on the side of the dominant hand. Ergonomically, this works best for me in practice. If the OP is concerned about which side of the horn to scrimshaw, I might suggest waiting on that, and just go out shooting with a plain horn to find what works best for himself in practical terms, and then add the scrimshaw so it shows to best advantage.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob
 
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When I first read the question at the beginning of this thread, I thought for a minute about how I would have reacted if somebody had told me I HAD to wear my pouch `n horn in any particular way. I probably would have been rude. It's been said in an earlier post, but just to be sure, here's my "take" on the question: IT DON'T FLIPPIN' MATTER, PILGRIM! Wear your gear the way it suits you best. I'm right-pawed so I pour from the horn with my right, holding the powder measure in my left with the rifle butt resting on my foot (It's rocky in the Hill Country) and the muzzle in the crook of my left arm. Horn is hanging from the pouch strap, and my priming horn is in a special pocket under the flap of the pouch. That's what works for me. Other folks sometimes do it other ways. So what? As long as they're observing safety measures, I don't care. Which reminds me ... I believe it was Dale Alan Raby who posted that fine photo of a rig with a fairly large knife attached to the pouch strap --- so it hangs plumb in the middle of his chest.
I used to wear mine there too, until I fell once when running downhill in the woods .... stepped in a wet spot and my moccasin stuck .... and I fell face down. Half way to the ground I remembered that knife. I took the fall on my elbows and forearms (skint `em up bloody) then got my feet under me and finished the Seneca Run. I sat down under a tree near the finish line and moved that knife scabbard to the front of the pouch, where it still lives. All my patch knives on all my pouches. I've got as many scars as I can enjoy already, but you'd ought to do what suits you. There floats my stick.
 
I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question or if there's an actual correct answer. Which side should your bag and horn be carried? I'm use to years of Civil War reenacting where all your accoutrements have a proper place to be worn. Is one side more convenient than the other depending on if your right or left handed? I ask this question because I want to try my hand at scrimshawing my powder horn and want the most visible side showing my work......................Thanks!
I'm pretty sure there isn't a right or wrong way to carry them. I'm left handed, I tried a few different ways. I finally decided on bag and horn on right side. Try it several ways, see what's most comfortable then scrim away!!
 
When I first read the question at the beginning of this thread, I thought for a minute about how I would have reacted if somebody had told me I HAD to wear my pouch `n horn in any particular way. I probably would have been rude. It's been said in an earlier post, but just to be sure, here's my "take" on the question: IT DON'T FLIPPIN' MATTER, PILGRIM! Wear your gear the way it suits you best. I'm right-pawed so I pour from the horn with my right, holding the powder measure in my left with the rifle butt resting on my foot (It's rocky in the Hill Country) and the muzzle in the crook of my left arm. Horn is hanging from the pouch strap, and my priming horn is in a special pocket under the flap of the pouch. That's what works for me. Other folks sometimes do it other ways. So what? As long as they're observing safety measures, I don't care. Which reminds me ... I believe it was Dale Alan Raby who posted that fine photo of a rig with a fairly large knife attached to the pouch strap --- so it hangs plumb in the middle of his chest.
I used to wear mine there too, until I fell once when running downhill in the woods .... stepped in a wet spot and my moccasin stuck .... and I fell face down. Half way to the ground I remembered that knife. I took the fall on my elbows and forearms (skint `em up bloody) then got my feet under me and finished the Seneca Run. I sat down under a tree near the finish line and moved that knife scabbard to the front of the pouch, where it still lives. All my patch knives on all my pouches. I've got as many scars as I can enjoy already, but you'd ought to do what suits you. There floats my stick.
Yup, it was me. I have noticed a few issues with that placement and am considering a smaller knife for that location or perhaps eliminating it altogether. My problem with it is that it tends to snag on my shooter's necklace when I deploy it. Not a real big issue though, and I don't like large belt knives as they tend to snag on things, jab me with the hilt and I lost a nice Cold Steel SRK in Kuwait some while ago. Snap came open and it just fell out somehow. Never did get it back.

Haven't had any safety issues as you have though. At 66, my days for running downhill in the woods are long past me... and as the knife is convenient there... which was why I put it there, I will probably keep it there for a while.

As for others... your mileage may vary.
 
Yup. Lost me a Randall once when the snap came loose. Found it after a couple hours of backtracking m’self. That snap has a backup— leather whang tiedown now. BTW, I’m older than you but the habit is strong.
 
Yup. Lost me a Randall once when the snap came loose. Found it after a couple hours of backtracking m’self. That snap has a backup— leather whang tiedown now. BTW, I’m older than you but the habit is strong.
Well, those who have led a more active life than I have tend to be more durable in older age. I spent too many years sitting in a chair working at a desk and not nearly enough time in the woods or doing some real physical work. Even though I went to Germany with an infantry MOS, I ended up serving my entire tour in a post office... which was probably just as well all things considered. Thought gun sales would be a great way to make a living... then I discovered that the hunting season was the busiest time of year for gun sales so there was little if any time off for hunting squirrels or much of anything else for that matter.
 
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