I’ve done a lot of fun things since I got into the BP reenacting game, but I’ve realized lately that I have a favorite. It’s going light and lean, using the primitive methods and gear of the old boys. Actually doing it their way, experiencing what they did and working with the problems they had fascinates me. There are problems, certainly, but I’ve very frequently been surprised how well it can work if you get your mind around it, resist trying to make it happen in the modern way. Lately, I’ve been going afield with a rather spartan outfit, for both shot and ball, and, again, I’m surprised to find I don’t really need anything more. I have distilled my shooting gear down to a totally adequate kit using only the things which might have been used in the 18th century, most of which I’ve made. With it I can hunt deer, turkeys or small game, or just wander around doing whatever occurs to me, in fair weather or foul, shooting either ball or shot. And all from one shot pouch and with one flintlock smoothbore.
The kit, clockwise from bottom left:
Cow’s knee made of well-oiled deerskin. With that and a little hard-earned experience, I can keep shooting in some pretty wet weather.
Tow and jackknife. The jackknife is for cutting the tow and for general use. The tow is used as wadding for both shot and ball loads, both overpowder and overshot. It is also used for swabbing, washing and drying the bore, then rinsed and tied to a thong on a pouch strap to dry. It can be reused for cleaning, or as tinder for fire starting when it gets really frazzled.
The forged turnscrew with a blade which fits both the lock bolts and the flint jaw screw.
An extra flint.
A coil spring worm, which screws onto threads I whittled on the small end of my ramrod. it is used to hold the tow for cleaning, and for pulling wads if needed. The ramrod is all wood, no tips or attachments.
My “medicine”, a lucky buckeye and a deformed lead ball removed from a deer killed with the smoothbore.
An antler tip measure, charge for the round ball load when filled, for the shot load when to an interior mark.
A pan brush made of rawhide and pig bristles.
Two vent picks, one forged, one of wire.
Brown paper wads threaded on a wire clip. These are used overpowder before the overpowder tow wad is seated, to improve the seal.
An 8” original horn, easily holds enough powder for a day afield with either ball or shot, or both. It fits in the pouch.
A ball bag made of goatskin, with a bamboo spout and cork stopper. I usually only take 4-6 balls.
A deerskin shot bag with a rawhide spout and cork stopper, holds enough shot for 6-8 loads.
Priming horn made of the neck of a dried gourd, for 4F.
The bag is made of pigskin, a double bag 7” wide, 8” tall. The tow, knife and cow’s knee go in the back pouch, everything else in the front one. The old harness buckle is brass with an iron tongue.
If I run short of tow, I can substitute cedar bark, which grows most everywhere in my area. Shredded, it has worked extremely well as wadding for both ball and shot, and it can’t be beat for tinder. I’ve taken rabbit, squirrel, dove, groundhog, turkey and deer using it in my 20 gauge, 46-inch, cylinder bore flintlock smoothbore.
Simple does not have to be ineffective.
Spence
The kit, clockwise from bottom left:
Cow’s knee made of well-oiled deerskin. With that and a little hard-earned experience, I can keep shooting in some pretty wet weather.
Tow and jackknife. The jackknife is for cutting the tow and for general use. The tow is used as wadding for both shot and ball loads, both overpowder and overshot. It is also used for swabbing, washing and drying the bore, then rinsed and tied to a thong on a pouch strap to dry. It can be reused for cleaning, or as tinder for fire starting when it gets really frazzled.
The forged turnscrew with a blade which fits both the lock bolts and the flint jaw screw.
An extra flint.
A coil spring worm, which screws onto threads I whittled on the small end of my ramrod. it is used to hold the tow for cleaning, and for pulling wads if needed. The ramrod is all wood, no tips or attachments.
My “medicine”, a lucky buckeye and a deformed lead ball removed from a deer killed with the smoothbore.
An antler tip measure, charge for the round ball load when filled, for the shot load when to an interior mark.
A pan brush made of rawhide and pig bristles.
Two vent picks, one forged, one of wire.
Brown paper wads threaded on a wire clip. These are used overpowder before the overpowder tow wad is seated, to improve the seal.
An 8” original horn, easily holds enough powder for a day afield with either ball or shot, or both. It fits in the pouch.
A ball bag made of goatskin, with a bamboo spout and cork stopper. I usually only take 4-6 balls.
A deerskin shot bag with a rawhide spout and cork stopper, holds enough shot for 6-8 loads.
Priming horn made of the neck of a dried gourd, for 4F.
The bag is made of pigskin, a double bag 7” wide, 8” tall. The tow, knife and cow’s knee go in the back pouch, everything else in the front one. The old harness buckle is brass with an iron tongue.
If I run short of tow, I can substitute cedar bark, which grows most everywhere in my area. Shredded, it has worked extremely well as wadding for both ball and shot, and it can’t be beat for tinder. I’ve taken rabbit, squirrel, dove, groundhog, turkey and deer using it in my 20 gauge, 46-inch, cylinder bore flintlock smoothbore.
Simple does not have to be ineffective.
Spence
