Historically Incorrect, or (A Story of Thread Counting and Delrin Rods)

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Yes sir, I've had some ugly coffee in my tin cup now & then! I poured it inconspicuously on the ground behind a tree. Yuck! After a while, one knows who in camp makes a good cuppa & who does not. Have you ever grasped a pot of freshly boiled coffee & swung it in a circular motion to settle the grounds? Cold water works fairly well. Straining it through a bandana works better.

I have to confess though to bringing previously ground beans with me. I didn't need the first-hand experience of grinding hand-roasted beans with my musket butt or bayonet. I carried it in a hand-sewn canvas bag.

Ah, coffee & it's little challenges. I used to drink it by the pot, but spending time in Western Australia turned my taste toward black tea. It's been tea by the pot for the last decade or more. Still like coffee too, but tea is more predominant now.

Thanks for sharing the experiences! Sure is surprising what can occur just around that cuppa joe!
Coffee bags that look like tea bags, Folgers I think. Pull the tab off of them roll them up and use a bit of linen thread to tie them, and tell everyone it's a linen bag.

(IE - DON'T MESS WITH MY COFFEE! - The bear is really grouchy until the coffee is ready in the morning.
 
Exactly. Hell I'm not quite 50 and I've got shirts in my closet I'm sure I haven't worn in 25 years and others just as old that I wear often.
LOL, wife and I were cleaning out some old boxes from storage, found my purple paisley bell bottom suit with matching jacket and hat, leftovers from our dating and disco days - '68 - '69 vintage...... Except it must have shrunk a LOT in storage!
 
Coffee bags that look like tea bags, Folgers I think. Pull the tab off of them roll them up and use a bit of linen thread to tie them, and tell everyone it's a linen bag.

(IE - DON'T MESS WITH MY COFFEE! - The bear is really grouchy until the coffee is ready in the morning.

That’s good stuff, I will remember that.
 
I think there are those who see HC/PC as an integral part of their muzzleloading experience because their primary interest is in the period represented by the firearms they choose to shoot. In other words, a proper history buff who’s primary hobby is shooting.

Bob, you are so correct about this, have watched this for at least 50 years. The talker (used for the lack of a better term) always is quoting from something he had heard (never or doesn't know how to read), probably passed over a dozen times. Each telling gets a little more enriched and by now isn't even close to the original event !@#$%^

Then there are those who do not consider the period correctness of the accoutrements needed to shoot a muzzleloader because their primary interest is in firearms and the shooting sports and have little or no interest in the history represented by their firearm of choice. In other words, a shooter who’s choice of firearm is a bit ‘eccentric’ but otherwise, just a gun. (I am in one camp, so if I am misrepresenting your camp I’d love to know)

"if they had it they would have used it", was a famous line these know-it-alls used.

Perhaps a small discussion about why you are in the camp you are in would be helpful in regards to understanding each other....

...sort of a sitting around the fire passing around the peace pipe thread.

Thank you Bob ... :thumb:

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This has been argued about extensively.
The statement is too much of an absolute to hold true.
A lot of trade gun repro's out there. Certainly not the guns of the nobility. Lot of muskets too.....
Even with rifles it has been often pointed out that embellishment coat little extra at the time, and was a good way for the gunmaker to be competitive in the market. Of it didn't cost much extra to do (again at that time) and helped you sell guns you would add some carving, some engraving, maybe some inlays. Folks liked fancy stuff, at all income levels. Look at the clothing of all but the very poor, whom wouldn't be buying a new rifle anyway, pretty fancy duds to go ahunting by our standards today. And, even now, even the most working class hunter and shooter takes pride in a nice gun or knife, and his/her friends all like to admire it.

My family settled some of the worst farmland in Ontario. I have a converted Tabatiere rifle that belonged to my grandfather. I can't speak for others, but purchasing an inlayed gun or embellishing a firearm after the fact was not a matter of concern - they didn't have the time, interest or funds to do so. Much of the land grants provided to settlers in the early 19th C. has long since been abandoned as farmland or is now used as rough pasture. I pity those poor folks (primarily Irish immigrants) that were given the worst land possible and told to farm it or loose it - I expect food, heat and shelter were there biggest concerns at the time
 
Personally...I don't care what anyone is shooting as long as they are shooting something black powder related. I only have factory guns to use.......mainly because I'm somewhat hard on guns.

2 reasons why:

1. Those nice "custom guns" are fine, but, they are generally used on the concrete/gravel ranges and not in the environment I'm usually playing around in. My factory guns has been caught in T-storms, snow storms, laying in canoes all wet, accidentally dropped in mud, etc. I wouldn't be taking those nice guns for canoe rides, etc.

2. Price. Once you start looking at guns longer than the usual 52"-55" factory guns lengths, one must add at least $100.00--$125.00 per inch of the barrel length to the total price. That can be costly using them in the field like I do.
I don't criticize the shooters that owns such equipment, MOPAR to them, that's wonderful.
I just ask that they wouldn't criticize what I'm shooting either.

After all, we are all out shooting something, right??
 
My family settled some of the worst farmland in Ontario. I have a converted Tabatiere rifle that belonged to my grandfather. I can't speak for others, but purchasing an inlayed gun or embellishing a firearm after the fact was not a matter of concern - they didn't have the time, interest or funds to do so. Much of the land grants provided to settlers in the early 19th C. has long since been abandoned as farmland or is now used as rough pasture. I pity those poor folks (primarily Irish immigrants) that were given the worst land possible and told to farm it or loose it - I expect food, heat and shelter were there biggest concerns at the time
Early 19th century is far different than mid to late 18th century.
Part of the point to that side of the argument. And what we can tell from the few gun maker's records and letters we have, is that some embellishments really didn't cost anything extra. They were almost what might be considered marketing tool or a marketing gimmick. Making the gun nice was just part of what the makers did back then. Those rifles were produced differently in those shops than our current builders work now.
 
Personally...I don't care what anyone is shooting as long as they are shooting something black powder related. I only have factory guns to use.......mainly because I'm somewhat hard on guns.

2 reasons why:

1. Those nice "custom guns" are fine, but, they are generally used on the concrete/gravel ranges and not in the environment I'm usually playing around in. My factory guns has been caught in T-storms, snow storms, laying in canoes all wet, accidentally dropped in mud, etc. I wouldn't be taking those nice guns for canoe rides, etc.

2. Price. Once you start looking at guns longer than the usual 52"-55" factory guns lengths, one must add at least $100.00--$125.00 per inch of the barrel length to the total price. That can be costly using them in the field like I do.
I don't criticize the shooters that owns such equipment, MOPAR to them, that's wonderful.
I just ask that they wouldn't criticize what I'm shooting either.

After all, we are all out shooting something, right??
I 110% agree with you Mark. My muzzleloaders get used hard and shot a lot in all types of weather. I wouldn't mind having a wall full of nice custom guns, but that's where they would stay.
 
LOL, wife and I were cleaning out some old boxes from storage, found my purple paisley bell bottom suit with matching jacket and hat, leftovers from our dating and disco days - '68 - '69 vintage...... Except it must have shrunk a LOT in storage!

Funny you mention it. I have a couple old pairs of pants in the dresser from 20 years ago and the waistbands appear to have shrunk considerably over the years. I wonder what causes that? 😄
 
Question about ? "that owns such equipment, MOPAR to them" ? What does MOPAR have to do with this site ?

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Guess that's an o' Kentucky saying.........MOPAR is short for "more power to you"...some terminology we used back in high school in the 70's.......sorry my friend.
Guess I'm still stuck in the 70's...
 
I have a few shall we say very nice custom muzzle loaders, they get used for what they were built for hunting and shooting and yes in all types of weather and circumstances as mentioned, they are not babied but they are well cared for, I do not have weapons to look at they all have a purpose and get used for that purpose, why would one question another's choice with such weapons.
 
Guess that's an o' Kentucky saying.........MOPAR is short for "more power to you"...some terminology we used back in high school in the 70's.......sorry my friend.
Guess I'm still stuck in the 70's...
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I'm stuck in the 70's too, but I drag raced for Mopar Corp off and on for 50 years either sponsored or on my own. That's why I asked the question.


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My family settled some of the worst farmland in Ontario. I have a converted Tabatiere rifle that belonged to my grandfather. I can't speak for others, but purchasing an inlayed gun or embellishing a firearm after the fact was not a matter of concern - they didn't have the time, interest or funds to do so. Much of the land grants provided to settlers in the early 19th C. has long since been abandoned as farmland or is now used as rough pasture. I pity those poor folks (primarily Irish immigrants) that were given the worst land possible and told to farm it or loose it - I expect food, heat and shelter were there biggest concerns at the time
Eighteenth century tended to have decoration added for no reason. Even military muskets had a bit of molding and sometimes inlays
And a bit on the trade guns. Basins could get hex signs gingerbread on working boats, some sort of rosette cut in to the simplest of furniture.
 
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