Hiding the brass for Turkey Hunting

[roundball]

Playing around with a little project for turkey season...shiny brass doesn't bother deer at all but turkey's are another matter so I thought I'd hide the brass from prying eyes...can't use "modern camo" on a Flintlock of course, so I'm experimenting with a fringed suede butt cover and barrel sleeve.

The butt cover also allows another benefit...in the spring without heavy clothes normally worn during fall/winter hunting seasons, the LOP on this Flintlock smoothbore is really a little short for me...the butt cover lets me add one of those slip on recoil pads to get another inch LOP and keep it out of sight.

I made the barrel sleeve and darkened it by wiping it with a neetsfoot oil rag.
Member Freedom475 made the lace-up butt cuff for me and I'm experimenting with different lace-up approaches...the approach I used here lets it lace on fairly easy but I end up with a lot of excess rawhide lace at the trigger guard (which I don't want to cut off of course).

Next I'll see if I can pull the excess rawhide lacing back inside the butt cuff out of site, and after I get that figured out, darken the cuff to match the sleeve. I left the fringe at 3" but may trim it to 2.5"...will wait and see...'cause once its cut off, its cut off.

(Swampy also made a butt cuff for me to use on a .54cal Flintlock smoothbore I'll be using for skeet for that same reason of getting the extra LOP with one of those hidden slip on recoil pads)

 

[BrownBear]

How do you deal with the ramrod and keeping the sighting radius clear with that front cover? I like the looks, but can't wrap my mind around those technicals.

 

[roundball]

How do you deal with the ramrod and keeping the sighting radius clear with that front cover? I like the looks, but can't wrap my mind around those technicals.

When I hunt, I carry the jag and a 2" wooden ball that I get from October Country, that has a 10/32" bolt through the center of it made to screw onto the end of a ramrod.
Tend of the ramrod is visible at the open around the muzzle...just spin the ball onto the rod end and slide it out.
What may not be visible in the photo is a matching 1/2" strip of suede wrapped tightly around the material right behind the front sight to keep it snugged down flat against the top barrel flat.
Then what I just finished adding (since the photo was the short rawhide keeper that ties the back end of the sleeve to the front of the trigger guard.

I also position the cutout for the rear sight so I have to slightly stretch the sleeve back 1/2" to get the cutout past the rear sight then when I let it go it draws back forward, sliding up under the rear overhang on the rear sight keeping it taut the full length of the top barrel flat.

 

[roundball]

"...but I end up with a lot of excess rawhide lace at the trigger guard (which I don't want to cut off of course)..."

Thought just occurred to me...I don't have any plans to routinely or periodically remove the butt cuff...in fact, this stock I chose to use is a used one I bought that has a couple blems on the butt stock I was going to correct when I stripped and refinished it, and I knew the butt cuff would cover them up until I refinished it.

But since I decided to use it with the .62cal 'Full' Jug Choked turkey barrel, I can just leave the slip on recoil pad & butt cuff installed on this particular stock permanently. Then if some really unique reason comes up in the future where I have to remove it, I'll just get a new longer rawhide lace to lace it back up, then trim that one too.

:wink:

 

[jethro224]

The leather cover is kinda kewl. Could you lace the butt cover the other direction to put the excess thong at the rear instead of at the trigger guard?

ps. If you'd quit polishing the brass, it would quit shinin' pretty fast... :wink:

 

[roundball]

Could you lace the butt cover the other direction to put the excess thong at the rear instead of at the trigger guard?

Yes, and actually that's how it was originally designed but made it a PITA to install and lace-up, etc.

Fixed it by simply pushing the excess lacing back inside the butt cuff...right along the bottom where the two sides are laced together, there is a space about the size of a regular wooden pencil right along the bottom of the stockwood...it all slid right back in there out of sight.

I've since swapped that butt cuff to a .28ga I'll be using for skeet (see smoothbore section), and installed the butt cuff in the photo below as it color matches my barrel sleeve a lot better.
(This butt cuff one was made by MLF Member 'Swampy')

 

[The Baron]

Turkeys will pick up any movement in a heartbeat, but I wouldn't be all that concerned with the brass on your gun. Just let it tarnish, or tarnish it a bit on purpose. If the gobbler gets close enough to see the brass, just shoot 'im. :grin: