Tools in shot pouch

[Gene L]

What tools do you carry in your shot pouch? I know you carry balls and patches, maybe grease. But what else and how do you keep it organized? I would like to carry flints and a turnscrew and a worm and a flint hammer maybe some rag, but it would get all mixed up together in the bottom of my bag. Also a touch hole pick and a brush.

I say "I'd like to" because right now I carry the stuff I mentioned above in a plastic tackle box, where it gets mixed up there. Even with the trays. I think I am carrying too much and I'd like to be more mobile, though. And a little more "appropriate" if you know what I mean. No reason, just because I'd like to be less dependent on more stuff and keep what I need, but nothing more. I'm terrible at organizing. Hope you guys can help.

I've got a great shot pouch/hunting pouch I made with latigo leather. It will hold a lot of stuff.

 

[Flintlock]

OK, hope I get it all without forgetting anything. Turn screw, cleaning jag, tow worm,ball mold, antler palm with a hold drilled through it for pulling stuck ramrods,jackknife, touch hole pick and brush, and most importantly, a ball puller in case one of ya'll screw up.

 

[Curt]

Walks with gun you forgot two important things patches and round balls. I've been known to forget stuff too.

 

[Flintlock]

Gene L allready posted, besides, patch and ball. But I did forget to add a small bottle of olive oil and a shoe polish can of patch- moc lube. I use a leather bag to keeps balls in, a small tin (Altoid) to keep pre cut patches and a few balls ready to go. The rest of the items are placed in a assortment of light small leather bags, and are place in order of necessity from top to bottom.

 

[BrownBear]

None. Zip. Zero. Nada.

I don't want any of that stuff in the way when I'm reaching for the things I need for a followup shot. In my experience, the stuff you need RIGHT NOW always migrates to the bottom beneath the other folderol.

The tools and any extras are certainly useful when you need them, but I carry every blessed piece in a separate haversack. Nice place for a lunch too, but one of my hunting partners even puts his lunch and Thermos bottle in his "shot pouch." Keep meaning to buy him a set of wheels for that monster bag swinging under his arm. :rotf:

 

[Flintlock]

And cows knee.

 

[Artificer]

Gene,

You didn't mention a powder measure, will that be tied on a leather whang or in the pouch?

My favorite Shot Pouch has a divider in it. The front part of the pouch has the balls, patch material, grease/patch lubricant in a can, powder measure and short starter. IOW, the things I need to immediately reload the gun. (Yes, I use a short starter to shoot with and only take it out when I'm doing living history.) The rear of the pouch holds the turnscrew, couple of flints that I have already wrapped in leather that is fit to the cock of the lock, other tools, etc. IOW, the things I don't need to immediately reload the gun. This way, I don't even need to look down into my pouch to reload, everything is in it's place because I sewed two loops along the welt to hold the short starter and powder measure.

Gus

 

[MountainRanger]

I carry my flint tools in a tool wallet that holds: turnscrew, spare pan brush and vent pick, ball puller and patch worm. The wallet also contains small spaces for 5 x 3/4" flints. I've been making these tool wallets for a few years now, but every once in a while I'll get a wild hair and here comes another tool wallet. Mine average around 5 3/4" x 7 or 8 inches (unrolled or some might say unfolded). Rolled up and wrapped or buckled it's around 4 x 7.

I also carry tow, a burning glass and a small funnel I made from sheet brass.... Patching material and short starter and I'm ready to go out and shoot a bad as anyone! I carry ball in the ball bag I made. Another thing that takes up my time...

 

[Stumpkiller]

Here's mine.

Turn screws, vent pick, flint nibbler, spare knife, ball puller and cleaning jag (if no patchbox), oil tube, leather strap to get a hold of rammer better & for flint wraps. Also spare flints, cleaning patches and a few vent feathers.

 

[wattlebuster]

Each gun has its own bag an in that bag is what I think I need to keep the gun fed an working. This is for my 40 cal. On the bag strap is a 10 shot load block an a 40 gn powder measure I made from river cane. A vent pick an brush an on the back of the bag I tie a frank Barker cows knee. In the bag is a Curt Lyles flint wallet he made from barktanned squirrel hide. In the tin box I keep a tow worm with tow, a few more flints, an strip of patch material. I got a Brain Barker scrwedriver an a Ken Netting brass pan primer. Also a self made flint knapper an another loading block that holds 12 rounds. I keep a grey rag for wiping an laying the contents on so I dont lose them in the leaves. I sometimes carry the squirrel whistle.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Here's my folwer kit - the smaller tin - though I swapped out for six wrapped cartridges in another tin in place of the 16 gauge ball block.

Not shown are a bunch or porcupine quills I use as vent picks.

 

[Cruzatte]

• two forged screw drivers, one for the cock jaw, the other for the lock bolts
• ball screw
• vent pick made from a broken guitar string
• jag
• tow worm

That's it as far as tools (strictly defined) goes. These items fit neatly in an Altoids box

 

[coloradoclyde]

Usually, as newbies start out, they buy a lot of useless manure and pack it around to shoots and to the range in large boxes and plastic tackle boxes....They have to buy all the "latest and greatest".
Way more stuff then they actually need or ever use....
But!....As one progresses he finds that he can have everything he needs in one bag or pouch.

Simplicity equals expertise and efficiency....
everything else can stay at home..... :grin:

 

[steinauge32]

I use a seperate bag and horn for each rifle.The vent pick and pan brush are hung off the bag strap,patch knife sheath is on the bag strap.Spine of the patch knife blade works to touch up a dull flint.Starter is mounted on the back of the bag.Measure is hung on the horn.I keep spare flints in a small leather flint wallet along with a turnscrew patch puller and cleaning jag.Balls in a leather bag,cleaning patches in a little tin box.I keep a couple of strips of patch material in the bag and one tied to the bag strap .I use spit for lube.I make my ram rods a couple of inches too long so I can get hold of them.For percussion rifles same setup minus the pan brush.The tin of caps goes in the "flint" wallet along with cleaning patches and a nipple wrench and spare nipple.I keep the capper tied to a thong and stick it in the bag.You dont really need a whole lot of equipment.I have a couple of tiny antique bottles that I put some clp in in case I need some form of lube.If I can find a couple more I will not have to remember to move them from one bag to another! I like the idea of grabbing the bag and rifle and having everything to run that rifle in the bag.

 

[Gene L]

Newbie pretty well describes me, especially with flint guns and an extreme newbie with toting Everything I'll Need in a single leather pouch on a scout. In fact, I don't do scouts, I do hunting. In my plastic tackle box (for range use only) I carry a powder flask with an accurate spout, and a bottle of moose milk, and other stuff I have needed. Nipples, flints, caps, about anything you can imagine. Balls, extra patching material, bore butter, whatever. Along with a number of glass vials with pre-measured charges, which I charge from the powder flask. A brass powder measure and an extra one made from an antler tine. The flask is a lot more accurate than I get from pouring the powder from a horn into the antler.

Oh yeah, I'm excessive, and I realize that which is why I'm trying to be somewhat of a minimalist. Well, kinda a minimalist. Not a rendezvous type to offend anyone with my plastic tackle/tool kit but a bit more mobile on half-day hunting trips. "Mini-scouts" if you will.

Nothing substitutes for a patch knife (my range knife is a yellow-handle Case Sodbuster folder, my other one on my pouch strap is one given me by a guy made of a file) or a nipple wrench. Or a ball starter, or a turn screw. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Which is what I'm looking for on the small scale...not all afternoon into the evening or an overnighter.

My small game bag (squirrels, rabbits) is a WW 2 Army canvas gas mask bag. You can wash it if it starts stinking with blood. I'm straddling two centuries here.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Funny!....
The funny thing is....I see myself, my younger self...in yours and other comments..... :haha:

I guess we've all been there....

 

[Many Klatch]

Lots of good recommendations. Just remember why you are carrying this stuff. If you are off hunting you need to carry the tools to change a flint, pull a ball, pick out the touchhole and maybe take out the lock. If you need to do anything more than that then you are going to need to go back to the house. A leather wallet with tools sits in the bottom of each of my shooting pouches. Usually sits next to a wallet with spare flints. The bullet pouch sits on top of both of the wallets.

If you are on a woodswalk, its a good idea to add a spring vise. They always want to know if you can remove the mainspring.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Follow the line of thought that you need to keep the contents of the shooting pouch simple. Your shooting pouch should only contain the items you need for shooting. Anything else belongs in a haversack with spare clothing and other items not immediately needed.

I like the two compartment style of bag. The front bag has the balls, patch material and a tin of my 1 part bee's wax to 7 parts of olive oil patch lubricant. I use the knife on my belt or the folder I keep in my pocket to cut the patches at the muzzle. The back section contains a flint wallet with the spare flints, a turnscrew, knapping awl, tow worm, ball puller, tow and leather for the flint. I keep a powder measure and touch hole pick on leather thongs tied to the strap. While walking, the measure and pick are in the pouch.

The other spare tools I have separately in my haversack. That would be items such as spare springs, spring vise, spare ball or lead. If I carry lead bars for woods walk purposes, I carry a small ladle and ball mold. While I think for most two or three day woods walk scenarios, there is need for spare ball but not the lead, mold and ladle, but sometimes you just can't use that form of logic with the woods walk scorers.

 

[Artificer]

You and Many Klatch brought up some points about Woods Walks of which I am not aware.

Back in the 70's, I competed in the Northwest Trade Gun Aggregate fairly regularly at Friendship and even ran it one time for a day. The idea then was IF you did not have something you needed for the match once you crossed a line, you had to do without and often lost points. So you needed your flint and steel kit, throwing knife and tomahawk, plus everything to shoot the gun with both round balls and shot. However, both of you seem to be relating that modern Woods Walks require more gear than that?

Since the tools and equipment in a Shot Pouch could, if not should include what one might need for a Woods Walk, are there a set of rules or standards common to those matches on what you need to carry for them?

Gus

 

[erock1980]

Here is a flint and tool wallet I just made, with typical tools and stuff someone might carry. The design and general pattern is pretty obvious from the pictures.




This the bag and stuff I carry with a particular 50 caliber rifle when deer hunting. The rifle has a pair of grease holes in the stock so no patch lube is carried in this bag.





Hope this helps.