attaching horn to bag

[stevew]

I see a lot of guys have there horn attached to there bag, what are some of the pros and cons of this? also lets see your set up.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I don't. I like a shoulder strap for my horn alone. This allows me to move it back behind my back when shooting/hunting. When I'm done getting stuff out of my shooting bag, it gets moved to my rear, right hip, but then I move the horn forward to prime as I use 3Fg to prime and for the main charge. Just something one is used to, I guess.

I've been in shooting matches and woods walks and a pair of us are down to the last few shots or the last station and my buddy hasn't brought enough powder..., so I can hand him my horn in a few seconds to finish out our sting-of-fire...., I can't do that if it's attached to the bag, without taking off the whole bag. Sure it doesn't take any longer for me to take off the bag with the horn attached BUT..., then either he puts on the bag or supports the weight of the bag while trying to measure out a shot, and then pour that into the rifle ??? A lot better for him only to get my horn and strap.

LD

 

[1dogdown]

I'm in there with Loyalist.I think it's a hinderence.But to each their own.

 

[Jakeytoo]

I’m with Dave, separate strap for the horn, along the same reasons he gave, except I use a small flat priming horn with 4F.

Yes, I’ve had to share powder too.

 

[Griff4570]

I shoot left handed. I prefer to have my bag on the right and my horn on the left. It's just what feels the most comfortable to me.

 

[appalichian hunter]

As dave said seperate strap works for me.

 

[Daryl Crawford]

I punched holes in my leather strap and used leather boot lace to attach the horn. Works well for me for my .50 rifles. I keep the horn a bit above the pouch to make it easy to get in the bag.. My .62 fowling piece has the horn separated from my bag, though it is the gun in this picture.

 

[ord sgt]

When I first started with m/lers, I bought a bag that was made for a left handed person (I'm a righty). My powder horn is on it's own strap, hanging on my right side. I have carried these bits for many many years.

 

[tenngun]

When I fist started shooting I had bag in the left.
Then noted folks at events were on the right and old paintings I saw had it on the right. I switched
Kept a horn on bag strap for a long time, but it looks like historically it was separate.
Hmm
When I separated it I found it a lot easier to use.

 

[OhioHawkeye]

I see a lot of guys have there horn attached to there bag, what are some of the pros and cons of this? also lets see your set up.

Pro, the horn is always with the bag if you have a bag for every gun.
Con, the horn isn't available to carry without the bag, or with another bag.

Sorry, I don't have photos of my set up... but I don't have a shooting bag for every gun. I'd be broke on stuff to put in them alone.
I'm right handed I shoot rifles and smoothbores of various sizes.

On my Right, I carry a possibles bag (don't shoot me, it is indeed a possibles/tool bag not a shooting bag) with my horn....separate since I have different sized horns with different tips to use. If needed, this side carries a haversack with lunch/dinner.
In that bag, I carry the basics of jags for the guns I shoot, screwdriver, knapping hammer, a couple extra flints and flint leathers, thread adapters, breech brush and scrapers etc. The otherwise loose tools are in a flat leather pouch with a slot for each tool. It folds in half and binds with a thong. (sewing kits are called Hussif, or house wife. I call this kit a housfrau-honey)

On my Left, I carry my shooting bag. It generally has the ball, patches and an extra jag for the gun in question. eg for my 45, 50, 54's, the appropriate patching, ball and a couple flints. For my larger smoothbores. I carry ball, but also the correct cards and wads with a small bag of shot. (enough for 10 loads) I also always carry a canteen on that side.

This is part of my collection I was cleaning/yearly maintenance on... excuse the rust.. that's why I was working on them. It was a wet week in camp and the tent got flooded. Served me right, my firelocks normally have their own cot to rest on, not the ground. Was teaching and is why so many.

 

[Jakeytoo]

This is part of my collection

View attachment 83372

drooling all over my iPad.

 

[hanshi]

I have three horns attached to the hunting bag straps and had one with its own strap. The horn with a separate strap got dropped, was broken, and had to be trashed. So four bags and only three with horns and they are attached. I started putting horns on the bag straps after getting the horns snagged frequently in the woods. They are positioned near the top of the flap.

 

[necchi]

I'm with Loyalist Dave,, near the same story.
I carry separate,, attached doesn't make sense. It might look cool while on the line or walking around camp,, but just isn't practical.
Think about it? Was the common man ever captured in an artists representation in those day's without "artistic" expression?

 

[oldwood]

My favorite bag and horn is one of those Crazy Crow 9" x 7" Belt bags , with over shoulder strap added to the belt loops. A/so , another custom touch is a larger flap , with a small but fat horn hidden by the new larger flap. This rig keeps the powder horn out of the weather while hunting or just shooting in the foul weather. This bag isn't a copy of an original , but just one original to me.
The other variation I use is a standard over shoulder strap bag , with the powder horn attached to the bag straps just above bag itself. I'm also a proponent of a dedicated bag for each gun , so I can be lazy and just grab the already prepped bag and go. From original accounts I read , that's the way the frontier folks did it. My bags contain the proper powder measure's for the gun , Horn with proper powder , plunger priming horn, ball starter , ramrod tips , patching , patch lube , balls , and a bunch of 2" x 2" medical gauze cleaning patches. ......................luck to ya.............oldwood

 

[Notchy Bob]

I think it ultimately boils down to personal preference, but lot of old-timers carried the horn suspended from the strap of the shot pouch. This is an illustration by Kurz of Edwin Thomson Denig's rifle, pouch, and horn:

Denig was the bourgeois at Fort Union in the days of the buffalo robe trade. It looks like the horn is attached with short straps with buckles, so its height could be adjusted independently of the pouch, or the horn could be easily removed. This pouch and horn from the Carolinas has a similar arrangement:

There was an article about Canadian powder horns in a back issue of The Museum of the Fur Trade Quarterly which indicated carrying the horn and pouch on separate straps was generally practiced in Canada, but south of the Medicine Line you more frequently see the pouch and horn suspended from the same strap. That seems like a sweeping generalization, but I won't argue with it.

These are native shot pouches with horns attached, from San Ildefonso...

...and Taos:

This old pouch and horn rig, from the Cowan's auction site, must have seen a lot of use in its day. The strap is somewhat the worse for wear, but the horn is still attached to it:

Incidentally, that little doo-dad on the right, suspended from a string, is a small bar of lead. Any idea what that might be for? It must be there for some purpose.

Back to the original topic, I think it was pretty common for the horn to be affixed to the strap of the shot pouch on the American frontier, but I doubt it was universal. I usually carry the bag and horn on separate straps, but I wear both on the same (right) side. I like having access to both with my dominant and most dexterous hand. I have also found some potential for getting the strap fouled with the gun butt when shouldering the weapon, if there is a strap across the right shoulder, and I don't like having straps across both shoulders in any event. Too confining.

However, that's just me. Others are welcome do do as they please. By all means, experiment with your options if you are not sure, and figure out what works best for you.

Notchy Bob

 

[martin9]

This setup works really well for me. It's my only bag with the horn attached.

 

[andy52]

Even though it's a matter of personal preference I like the horn connected to the bag. For me, it's just easier to just grab one accessory and have everything I need there. I don't attach the horn permanently, I use cinch rings to hold it in place so if needed the horn is easy to remove.
I place the horn on the bag flap so when it's lifted the horn rolls up and back out the way and rolls back when lowered.

 

[Capnball]

This setup works really well for me. It's my only bag with the horn attached.

Looks like it grew like that.

 

[Bighorserider]

I like the idea of horn attached to bag, but I like my bag on the right and horn on the left so I'm handling the power measure with my right hand..

 

[Flintlock]

I think it depends on what period of history your most interested in. 18th century it would be much more common to have a separate strap, then more common in 19th -20th century.