• Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.

    We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.

    Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103

Hillbilly Horn

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Banjoman

Eager to learn and willing to teach.
Joined
Jul 10, 2023
Messages
1,053
Reaction score
3,095
Location
East Tennessee
Finished up a plain, simple but functional horn and measure. It’s going with my Genuine Thompson Center Hawken. I filled it up with Graf & Sons FFFg.
984B6A5F-0B16-4BC3-B5D8-C890AD98CC63.jpeg
927C0B5B-782D-4599-911F-29A071F1865F.jpeg
 
When I went into the Tandy store, they had a half dozen horns. I looked at all of them but, silly as it may sound, this one just felt right. The more I handle it, the better it feels. The size and shape of this horn fits me better than any other horn I have. If I make another one, I’ll go with this size and shape again.
 
Took the new hillbilly horn and measure up on the mountain today and tried them out. I like them! I filled the horn with Graf and Sons 3f because that’s what works best in this gun (and my other guns too). 50 grains of real 3f under a .490 round ball makes a very accurate load in this rifle.

I’ve tried using Pyrodex in this gun but it makes me want to throw gun and powder both over the hill. To any one who’s never tried real black powder, there’s night and day difference between it and substitute powder.
8A506983-F2C4-43B0-8AA7-B8E073BE6447.jpeg
 
When I went into the Tandy store, they had a half dozen horns. I looked at all of them but, silly as it may sound, this one just felt right. The more I handle it, the better it feels. The size and shape of this horn fits me better than any other horn I have. If I make another one, I’ll go with this size and shape again.
Not silly at all. We have all had that experience with items involved in this avocation.
 
Took the new hillbilly horn and measure up on the mountain today and tried them out. I like them! I filled the horn with Graf and Sons 3f because that’s what works best in this gun (and my other guns too). 50 grains of real 3f under a .490 round ball makes a very accurate load in this rifle.

I’ve tried using Pyrodex in this gun but it makes me want to throw gun and powder both over the hill. To any one who’s never tried real black powder, there’s night and day difference between it and substitute powder.
View attachment 304940
That's a nice picture! I like the Morgan on the bag, is that your creation too? As soon as I can get my hands on some caps and powder I want to get my TC Hawken out. I only ever shot Pyrodex out of it and it was many years ago, looking forward to trying out BP.
 
That's a nice picture! I like the Morgan on the bag, is that your creation too? As soon as I can get my hands on some caps and powder I want to get my TC Hawken out. I only ever shot Pyrodex out of it and it was many years ago, looking forward to trying out BP.
The replica coin came from Tandy. There’s a decent Tandy store in Knoxville, Tn. The coin has a Chicago screw on the back. They had a bunch of different types of these buttons and I liked the 1881 date on this one.

The Graf and Sons powder is Wano powder. Any real black powder is way better than the substitutes.

Way back before internet, I could only get Pyrodex. All the muzzleloader shooters around here only used percussion guns and the local stores only carried substitutes. I didn’t know of anybody around here who shot flintlocks. Occasionally someone would have some real black and I could sometimes trade them out of a half pound or so. I didn’t know where to buy any real black so I stocked up on Pyrodex.

Then along came the internet and I discovered all these wonderful places where you could order online and have it shipped right to your door! I have tried to keep using the Pyro in some percussion guns and keep the real black for my flintlocks, but man, that substitute stuff is nasty. Just my opinion. 😉

Here’s another idea for you. I bought a couple of musket nipples for my Thompson Center Hawken and a good supply of musket caps. This is Justin case I run out of #11 caps in a hundred years. Graf and Sons as well as others usually have musket caps when they don’t have #11 or #10.
 
Last edited:
Rhacknc,

I just checked and it looks like Powder Inc., Buffalo Arms and Travelers Antique & Traders have musket caps in stock. Maybe Amazon also.
 
Back
Top