Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Testing 3fg Black Powder

Swiss 3fg - Schuetzen 3fg - Pyrodex P 50 yard target shoot. This is not a video about what powder is better than the other. I was simply putting them side by side with a set charge, patch and ball. When I do compare them side by side, I will use my hunting patch lube as that is where I do care about optimum accuracy.

Monday, November 18, 2019

First hand forged knife

Started with over a month ago and still slowly going at it, but I made progress recently and have the blade in its final shape ( still have to polish it out ) knock the handles off and then harden/temper the blade before finishing up the handles. The handles are curly maple. I needed a thin handled knife for skinning foxes as all my other knives used thick heavy handles which gives me a hard time when carefully skinning out a fox. I am extremely happy with the results of my first knife.


Casting Round Balls

COMING SOON

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

J. & D. Little Half stock muzzle loader

LITTLE, J. & D. — Bellefonte, Pa., mid-19th century. Gun and gun barrel makers. Made percussion rifle barrels for J. D. McKahan; McKahan & Noble, and others.

What a sweet rifle! This one is .38 caliber, sporting a 36" barrel that is a massive 1" across the flats! Curly maple stock, double set hair triggers. For an original untouched piece, this is just gorgeous! After a little cleaning with a bore brush and many patches, the bore is in good solid shape and shootable! I will be doing some work at getting the nipple out and installing a new one, Hopefully!



Monday, November 11, 2019

Capote - The Mountain Mans Coat


When a mountain man’s store-bought coat wore out, he or an American Indian made a new coat, called a capote, out of a blanket. The mountain man used the “tails” on the hood for decoration as well as a tie to secure the hood under his chin and to protect his neck from the cold. The mountain man wore his regular belt over the capote. This kept his knife and tomahawk accessible, even when he was bundled up against the winter weather.

The Capote (the traditional name for a blanket coat) began as a hooded coat that was worn by French sailors. The earliest known reference to one was made by the First Nations in 1644. As more and more sailors and traders began coming to Canada, the blanket coat was seen more frequently. It soon became a popular item among the natives and French settlers. Over time the coats were used by the military, and eventually were popular with upper class people. By the late 1800s they were promoted as a kind of national dress, and continued to be popular up to the turn of the 20th century. 

Saturday, November 9, 2019