a shot horn ?

[mikemeteor]

I don't seem to see or hear much about the use of small horns for carrying birdshot (instead of powder) for a smoothbore.
Is there a safety or practical reason for this ?
Or is it just me not looking hard enuff ?
thanks,
/mike

 

[BrownBear]

I tried it and was disappointed. With the nozzle the same size used for powder, it was terrible for the shot bridging and failing to feed, much less for loading with shot.

Haven't got back to the project, but the next one is going to have the tip cut back far for the nozzle to equal the inside dimensions of an Irish spout. For that matter, I might just go ahead and instal an Irish for ease of measuring.

I dunno of any safety reasons there might be a practical one if quiet is important for a particular hunt or terrain. The shot sounds like a popcorn popper rattling around in a horn, especially with larger shot. But I sure like having a rigid body on a shot holder, rather than soft leather. Just lots easier to handle.

 

[omarick1948]

There were original bird shot horns, but my feeling on not seeing many,is due possibly to the weight factor in carrying one. You put enough shot in one for carrying a full day in the field or woods makes for a heavy object kind of like carrying a brick in your pouch or around your neck on a cord, where a shot snake of leather or a more practical container that helps distribute the weight would be easier for the user.

JMHO,
Rick

 

[mooman76]

Not to mention a heavy horn full of shot. If you drop it, it's probably history.

 

[Billnpatti]

I'll have to admit that I have never seen nor read of an original shot horn. There must have been a good reason for there being either very few or none. I tried carrying shot in a pouch with a spout that I made from horn but it did not work so well. When I tried to pour out shot into my measure, the bag kept trying to flop over kinking the bag and stopping the flow of shot. It was a pain. I then got a shot snake and liked it very well. They are a bit pricy and there are other options but I think my favorite way of carrying shot is in a shot snake.

Oh, I just remembered that I did have another shot pouch at one time. It had a brass spout with a cap that acted as an adjustable shot measure. The spout had a valve on it to fill the measure with a load of shot. it worked pretty well but it was heavy in my pouch and that was what I didn't like about it. I only used it for a while and then traded or sold it after I bought my shot snake.

 

[George]

I have one which I use only occasionally. I rarely shoot as many as 6 shots on my small game hunts, so I usually carry only a small leather pouch for my shot which slips in my shot bag nicely. On dove shoots, though, many shots, many shots. For those I carry a flat shot horn made by a dear old departed friend, Paul Blakeman. It's 9" overall, weighs 2 lb. 12 oz. when full, which gives me about 40 loads. It has a spout opening of 1/2", so blockage isn't a problem. Since dove shoots are done from one spot, it's not a matter of carrying the horn around all day, works very well in that situation.





Spence

 

[Wes/Tex]

There were certainly horns used for shot and Spence's version typical of the type. I tried it for a while but shot tended to bunch up in the throat and it's hard to be stealthy when you rattle and click with each step. Having to shake shot out of a horn can sound like castanets! Ole!!

 

[BrownBear]

I'm traveling at the moment and can't take a pic for you, but my favorite shot dispenser is a hard leather "jug" with an Irish spout. It dispenses nicely while not being floppy like my shot snake. Due to our dense brush anything dangling from your body like a shot snake is going to tangle lots, so whenever possible things go inside my bag. That includes a small hunting horn as well as my shot jug.

Here's an interesting experiment for you:

Weigh or measure a pound of shot into a cup. You're going to be startled how small the volume. It's not any bigger than your average lemon, but that's 16 one-ounce loads or a dozen 1 1/4oz loads. Why in the world would your shot dispenser need to be any bigger than a day's worth of shooting?

 

[mikemeteor]

thanks everyone.

i was kinda thinkin along the lines of BrownBear - for grouse hunting in PA, at least where I hunt, its a rare day where more than 5 or 6 shots might be fired.
I was thinking of a small flat horn that could fit in a bag, or secured to the strap if not in the bag.
Bigger spout-hole for less clogging.

Thanks all for your fine thoughts.
/mike

 

[Stumpkiller]

I have two original family horns. One powder, the other shot. Small but handy (the shot horn has mixed sizes from #00 buck down to #6). Little guys - only 7-1/2" long.