Gun Case Or Cow's Knee

[hawkeye1755]

For the period 1745-1770 what was used more?
A cow's knee or a gun case.Was the gun case made from wool or leather.
The fringe one i think is from a later period.( 1800- )
So what do you think or know?
:hatsoff:

 

[Harddog]

Undertaker,

I don't believe that a gun case was used at all during the 18th century. A rifle was a tool that may be needed at a moments notice and that would not be in a gun case. Even in the 19th century the gun cases were most likely just half cases that could be shaken off the rifle in an instant.

Randy Hedden

 

[bnail]

I have to agree. a full case in "Indian country" is an invitation to a haircut.
I'd like to see some period comments on this, but I'd say the lock cover was most common, with the full cover used only where the view is most open.

Undertaker,

I don't believe that a gun case was used at all during the 18th century. A rifle was a tool that may be needed at a moments notice and that would not be in a gun case. Even in the 19th century the gun cases were most likely just half cases that could be shaken off the rifle in an instant.

Randy Hedden

 

[Henry]

News from the French side :

There are numerous mentions of wool gun bags
and leather gun cases but there is no french
word for this cow knee thing , none in museums,
no mentions of it in military contracts or merchants inventories .

 

[Okwaho]

A cow's knee and a gun case are two distinctly different items. The gun case holds the entire gun and was often made of wool though I'm sure they were also made of leather.As I recall a fine early Dickert rifle with a case of braintanned buckskin with quillwork came back from England some time back.
The cow's knee is another word for a lock cover made from leather and tied to the gun to protect the lock during bad weather. These were fairly common in the North east but I don't know about Canadian usage either by whites or Natives.
As for sudden usage of a longarm being necessary presumably for defence thereby making gun storage a possible liability, guns throughout most of the 18th century in Canada carried by the Canadian Milice,Coureurs des bois and others, except when used in organized warfare against the British or their allies, were used as hunting guns. Considering the extremely inclement winter weather a gun case was a necessity in Canada especially during the winter months.I haven't seen anything on Native gun cases but feel reasonably sure that the advantages offorded by the White man's gun cases were not lost on the Natives.
Tom Patton

 

[bnail]

News from the French side :

There are numerous mentions of wool gun bags
and leather gun cases but there is no french
word for this cow knee thing , none in museums,
no mentions of it in military contracts or merchants inventories .

By all means Henry, please enumerate these accounts. . . a citationation is a terrible thing to hoard :winking:

 

[Okwaho]

News from the French side :

There are numerous mentions of wool gun bags
and leather gun cases but there is no french
word for this cow knee thing , none in museums,
no mentions of it in military contracts or merchants inventories .

By all means Henry, please enumerate these accounts. . . a citationation is a terrible thing to hoard :winking:

List of supplies by the Chevalier de la Pause.
"At Montreal on July 22,1755,La Pause notes:The officers received{...}one white capot with red cuffs,and a brown one for their servants{...}

{...}and to each officer and their servants,one breechcloth,one pair of leggings,one gun case,and to each servant one firesteel" see note,10,The military recived gun cases.During the Austrian Succession War some officers of the Compagnies franches de la Marine also received them. These were made of molton[a type of wool] and 2/3 aune/ell of fabric was used per case
"The Equipment of New France Militia 1740-1760" by Steve DeLisle P.39.
This is all I could find on short notice,maybe Henry can supply others. I did, however, have an image from Ca.1860 of a Canadian wearing a capot with cloth[probably wool] wrapped and tied around the lock.
Tom Patton

 

[Henry]

In some later texts , the oily/greasy cloth tied around
the lock is called " la pièce grasse " ( greasy cloth ) I have not seen the word for the early XVIII th
but I may have been in use .

The military issued gun case was made of
" molton " ( wool cloth ) 2/3 d'" aune "( ell ?)
was used for a case .

I do not feel to go through 150 years of inventories and I do not have the military stuff
at home , so I just give up that arguement .

From the same book cited by Okwaho, you notice that militia seldom receive more than two pounds
of lead balls per man , with a caliber 28 gun it is 56 shots , for the whole trip . .
We shoot more than that in one reenacting event . Often , there was more tobacco than lead
given to each man ( in weight )

My point was to show that the image of the
militia men on the war path 24 hours a day is
very romantic but maybe not quite accurate .

The main job of a militia men , between conflicts , was to move material from one fort to another , mostly in friendly territory , lets say
from Chambly to Carillon ( Ticonderoga ) or Montréal to Oswego .

Also notice that a new " tire-bourre " ( worm )
is given at each departure , there seems to be a lot of insistence about being able to unload
a gun with out fireing .

Finally , I am still looking to find a french translation for " cow knee ".

This lead me to think that gun cases were more
common than " cow-knee" on the french side .

Enuff said .

 

[bnail]

"The Equipment of New France Militia 1740-1760" by Steve DeLisle P.39.
This is all I could find on short notice,maybe Henry can supply others. I did, however, have an image from Ca.1860 of a Canadian wearing a capot with cloth[probably wool] wrapped and tied around the lock.
Tom Patton

Thanks Tom, I really appreciation the citation.
IMO, too many people throw out suposition and theory as fact; with citations, we can go straight to the source, and learn as we go. :thumbsup:
BTW, is this book still in print?