ashelocoa

[AgesofDays]

hey we are from the same area I live in fletcher ...........what farm do you work on? my mother inlaw lives in essex over at the old folks apartments there witcoms woods

 

[Ashelocoa]

I live in Essex as well, although I'm unfamiliar with the apartments. I do most of my shooting at the Chittenden County Sportsman's club, and I work on a farm in Colchester. Do you just shoot black powder or are you also looking for the historical end of things? Hopefully we have in you another camper for a future small rendevous!

Keep your powder dry!

 

[AgesofDays]

well you know if I could get the family interested .I like the idea of authentic look but ive gotta tell you I just dont have the money to invest into it . I just started my new business after being laid off since november 8th I always enjoy going up to the notch and watching the biathelon in jan. but it seems that most people I found around here dont have the same interests I do. so it was nice to know that someone that lives close ............ I definitly enjoy taking my flinter hunting even during rifle season.the looks I get down at the store or even in the woods they ask why are you carring that thing? I tell them that shooting a buck is too easy with a rifle I want a challenge .wide eyed and jaw dropped leave shaking thier head muttering something .do you hunt with your`s also?

 

[Ashelocoa]

I can help you out on the authenticity of equipment/clothes whenever you figure what persona/time period you're looking for. I have always taken a hands-on approach to history, I learned to sew and hand sew and would be glad to put something togehter for you. I would be willing to do the work for free if you provide the materials or the money for the materials.(that offer's for you of course, I can't do that for everyone)

My hunting clothes are all period now. My flintlock isn't finished yet, eventually it will be a Late Lancaster Long rifle, .45 cal, siler lock, straight maple stock, german silver furniture. I'm currently fitting the buttplate, then the toe plate, then the thimble and pipes, theeeeen I can start working the stock down to final shape. My first was a Traditions .50 caplock, great gun and with a little accurizing and polishing and it shot 1-2" groups at 50 yards all day long. I traded that for a MN M-44(the Traditions is more accurate) The only powder I currently have is CVA Squirral .32 rifle with set triggers and brass furniture. That's not broke in yet but it's well on its way.

I also enjoy archery and throwing knife and tomahawk!

--------------------------------

 

[Don]

Agesofdays,

I know what you mean about cost involved in getting authentic clothing. I've started out slowly just getting one or two items a year when I can afford it. Jas. Townsend tends to be pretty reasonable and Dragon Fly Reproductions makes a nice 19th century shirt for only $30. I have also gone through thrift stores looking for old timey looking stuff. I got a pair of tan and a pair of brown jeans cheap this way and put a long shirt over it to cover the Levis lable. Moccasins can also be expensive and thus far I've stuck with the Minnitonka type. As I found out recently at my first rendezvous, I'm not the only one to go this route.

You said you've been to Smugglers Notch biathalon, I hope to make it there this Jan. I've been to the similar event in St.Johnsbury twice. Its a lot of fun at these events and fun seeing what the other guys are wearing.

I hope in the near future we can get a small rendezvous going with some of us northern New England guys. Something laid back were we can make smoke and camp.

Stay in touch

Don

 

[AgesofDays]

ok let me see if I need to pick a time in history what would I pick ? what would be the normal period go to ...i mean between blank and blank years . my 5 greats grandfather wrote a book 44 years of the life of a hunter..meshach browning was his name and his time period was between 1820`s and 1870`s or 80`s something like that . ive read that book many many times he lived In the west virginia area came up into the pa area pretty much stayed in the area I think that would be my time since the reprint of the book they meaning the printers took out some of the how would I say .....racial terms but it goes into depth of the day to day life of this man . I think i`ll read it again and write down some of the specs. he gives for dress and the lot............ this could be fun

 

[AgesofDays]

he was born in 1781 died in 1857 so what would the rifle be for that time? and dress

 

[Ashelocoa]

I've read much of this period and most specifically the frontier time of 1750-1800 on the Ohio Valley. Your 5xgrandfather would have been in some wild areas at a time when large game (buffalo, elk, moose, brown bear) had largely been driven out as well as the big cats and wolves, although some big cats and black bear still roamed. This was a time when the long rifle had grown more slender, elegant, and embellished in appearance. The bore sizes had shrunk too as the need for firepower was less, the average for Revwar rifle bores was in the neighborhood of .55, while the early eighteen hundreds started to see bores of .30, .32, low forties and everything in between, .38 was incredibly popular as it was big enough for deer sized game and could be loaded ligght for small game. I've read of people hunting black bear with .34, and John Johnson managed in the western frontier with a .30 Hawkens for years--even killed to get it back rahter than aquire another gun of larger calibre.

As for the clothing fringed frocks would be okay, although later in the 1800's not so common, breeches of various patterns would suffice and any frontier or colonial pattern shirt would suffice as folks in the nether regions tended to aquire what they could or make copies of what thye had out of material on hand. I've seen a drawing of a very fancy officers coat from Revwar that was made entirely out of buckskin. His coat wore out so he used it as a pattern for a new one oout of the only readily available material. Blanket capotes were common from 1700's up through the 1800's in various cuts.

I'm out of time, I can get more specific later, I'll get the names of some of my sources to you if you like.

 

[AgesofDays]

I got told to move the conversation down to clothing also I put my pic in photo colum when I was at smuggs last year for the biathelon thanks