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Help choosing a horn

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Kilted Cowboy

Pilgrim
Joined
Oct 19, 2018
Messages
100
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37
Location
Plain-O Texas
HELP!
So many choices and options on powder horns, Guess that's a good thing.
Have a Kibler .54 Colonial.
Would like to have a horn correct to Rev War period. But don't mind some modern touches to aid in using for mostly target shooting and weekend woods trips.
I see screw tips, valve tips, different sizes. Not looking for a fancy wall hanger, want to use it.
Any recommendations for y'all.
 
I personally have this horn https://www.townsends.us/collections/firearms-accessories/products/powder-horn-ph49-p-652
Seems fairley well made for priced at $20. Really only downside was the strap which was thin and to short, so I just made a new one myself. Also try to stay away from horns that have a staple in them, as I believe I've read on here that they aren't PC. This Townsends horn seems to be quite nice also, though I dont have it. https://www.townsends.us/collection...roducts/premium-white-powder-horn-ph45-p-1519
One other place you could try would be the log cabin shop in Lodi Ohio, and I believe they have a website also.
 
Stay away from the cheap imported models and mechanical valves.
Take a look at powderhornsandmore.com
They carry finished horns and supplies to make your own.
 
At the risk of being slaughtered because this is in the regular shooting section, not the "reenacting" section, I will vouch what I say with the fact you mentioned wanting to try to stay close to Rev. War period. That's great, and shouldn't be hard to do. But, need more info.
Where are you? In the interest of a possible future need to develop a "persona," this will matter.
A southern banded horn in New England might not fly.
What economic status are you, or possible future persona?
 
I have a nice, very white, screwtip…, well white in the woods in deer hunting season invites getting shot by the local yahoos where I live. So...,
I looked around for a plain horn, somebody had aged brown. That's what I use. When I got a Dixie Gun Works Mountain Rifle it also came with a brown horn.
Highly decorative horns are good at shooting contests, and events as conversation pieces, and on treks when it's not hunting season IF you don't mind them getting scratched up. I've had a lot of adventures with my main horn, and that makes it special, and it's good from the AWI all the way up to the Great Depression.

LD
 
Maybe it's just me, but what makes a 250 yr. old horn that much different from 180 yr. old horn. The same basic things that horns were made from were the same simple things that were available to the average Joe back then. Unless maybe simple is not what you had in mind. Were "styles" that much differant?
 
At the risk of being slaughtered because this is in the regular shooting section, not the "reenacting" section, I will vouch what I say with the fact you mentioned wanting to try to stay close to Rev. War period. That's great, and shouldn't be hard to do. But, need more info.
Where are you? In the interest of a possible future need to develop a "persona," this will matter.
A southern banded horn in New England might not fly.
What economic status are you, or possible future persona?
Not sure if I will be getting into reenacting. Not many here in Texas doing it. But my interest is as a militia rifleman aka the widow makers. Frontier homesteader turned minuteman.
 
Maybe it's just me, but what makes a 250 yr. old horn that much different from 180 yr. old horn. The same basic things that horns were made from were the same simple things that were available to the average Joe back then. Unless maybe simple is not what you had in mind. Were "styles" that much differant?
A bit, and not really clear. Late eighteenth was a golden age for horns. Glass bottom horns were seen. The tips tended to be carved with a dental molding, screw on tops were seen. Many tended to be scrimshawed. Base plus were flatter and often carved.By early nineteenth horns got bigger and plainer. Round uncarved thicker plugs became common. Tip ends might be filed octagonal or left plane. Scrimshaw went out of style.
This is not hard and fast. Eighteenth century paintings show plain horns. And there were scrimshawed and carved nineteenth century horns. Flat or near flat end plugs were known at this time.
Many nineteenth century horns were ‘factory made’ eighteenth were often made by horners, but home made horns were known or turned out by gunsmiths.
There definitely was a style change but it’s hard to track and full of a lot of grey areas.
 
Track of The Wolf sometimes has them. This one is similar to the one I normally use.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/76/1/HORN-FRONTIER-A

HORN.jpg

LD
 
Maybe it's just me, but what makes a 250 yr. old horn that much different from 180 yr. old horn. The same basic things that horns were made from were the same simple things that were available to the average Joe back then. Unless maybe simple is not what you had in mind. Were "styles" that much differant?

About 70 years
 
When I go to the gun cabinet for a P/C horn, reach for the plain horn with the wood stopper and the thin leather strap.

At the range, I have a horn with a valve spout to pour the charge into the measure.
 
So all eras and ages did have plain + simple horns?
Never say never. Seventeenth century tended to have flask made of horn, eighteenth century kept horn shape but more fancy, nineteenth century plain but well crafted. However paintings and cartoons often draw plain unadorned horns across this time.
I THINK fancy horns are more popular with today’s living historian then they were back in the day.
Velvet or silk clothing is HC, but not everyone wore it... same with the fancy horn... IMHO
 
Never say never. Seventeenth century tended to have flask made of horn, eighteenth century kept horn shape but more fancy, nineteenth century plain but well crafted. However paintings and cartoons often draw plain unadorned horns across this time.
I THINK fancy horns are more popular with today’s living historian then they were back in the day.
Velvet or silk clothing is HC, but not everyone wore it... same with the fancy horn... IMHO
Well put. Thats kind of what I had in mind. I Just couldn't find the words. Just because a fancier model of almost anything was available doesn't mean the average working Joe would have it on or use it. I've only had a tuxedo on once in my life but they are readily available.
 
Although, just thinking here, much of the eighteenth century was fancy. The molding on a Bess stock was useless and had to take extra production time to turn out. All that molding would be erased in the nineteenth century. Ships, even small costal traders often had gingerbread, even interior post were often carved in to tulip pillar shapes. Lace was common, even on lower economic classes.
So my idea that plain may have been more common, or at least not uncommon may be all wet.
 
I personally like to keep a few of our horn making artists in business, so I have always bought the custom stuff. I may have paid a bit more of a premium to begin with but have never lost a dime on any that I have resold.

There are so many top notch custom made powder horns on the market these days and having a good friend that is a "horner", I know how much he struggles with all of the competition.

I have also made a few of my own powder horns and in doing so, learned to appreciate all of the work that is involved. I did OK as for making a functional horn but found buying from a skilled artist met my needs for great craftsmanship (eye candy) that I proudly carry everywhere my rifle accompanies me!
 
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