Horn Muzzle cap

I just made a horn end for my wooden patch box lid from a piece of deer antler. Now I would like to attempt to make a horn muzzle cap as well. These were often used on jaegers and I'm always fiddling with mine trying to improve upon it or modify it in some unique way. Has anyone here made and installed a horn muzzle cap on their rifle? I need a source for the horn/bone and some helpful hints from your experience. The antler pieces I have are just not quite large enough for what I need. Thank you.

 

[Birddog6]

You need a piece of Elk horn off the main beam, if that is the horn look you want.

Or black buffalo horn works if that is the look you want.
On the cow or buffalo horn, you make a form & boil the horn & soften it & then clamp it to the form to dry, then you slide it over the wood as you would a brass muzzlecap on you need a perfect fit as the wood is supposed to show on the end of a horn type cap. (or at least they have on the ones I have seen)

The originals were done with hide glue, however I would do mine with epoxy & dye it the color of the horn.

:results:

 

That sounds tough to do, Birddog6! I wonder if any vendors sell the elk horn you mention? I want bone colored horn material to use, not black like a buffalo horn. I used Old Bones on the patchbox lid end piece and it turned out nice enough but the muzzle cap sounds daunting. I thought if I had a big enough piece that I could just carve it to fit. I may have to try the method you mention instead. I wish you would publish a "How To" book on your gunbuilding skills with step by step color photos. Right now my forestock is full length with a schnabbel shape to it. You say the horn end is just a sorta wrap around piece with the stock wood visible from the front? Thank you once again for sharing your knowledge. I just want the best, most authentic jaeger I can make.

 

[Birddog6]

I will go look for a piece for you. Maybe I have some left I didn't cut into knife slabs. A buy brought me ? 20 some elk horns 2 years ago & I got tired of working around them in the building so I cut them all up one day. You know what, he told me he had a pickup load & I thought he was kidding or exagerating. :bull: ? He really did ! They were sticking up over the bed of a full size truck ! Man they were Huge racks & he really did have a bed load !
Unfortunately there is lots of waste on a knife handles on them, as they are hollow or soft in the middle, not like a deer antler.

I will look & get back with ya, as I think I have a box of main beams I saved someplace & that would be the part for a muzzlecap.

:thumbsup:

 

[Birddog6]

Well, I found the horn. Problem is I have no idea of the shape or size you want. You should understand that you will not be able to cut a RR groove in it, as the hard shell part of it will be too thin. Doing a schnabbel end will not work as I don't think you can get that shape either. Looks like it will pretty much have to be just a plain rounded end of horn to be elk horn. Now a large deer antler is harder & thicker & you could possibly shape that into anything ya want, but there again, you need to know what size. You might want to go to Moscow Hide & Fur web site and possibly they have what you want, or if you want to shape a piece of wood scrap roughed out to what you want & mail it to me, possibly I have a piece that will work I can send you. :thumbsup:

 

Thank you, sir. If I don't work something out on this end I just might do that. If I could find an antler fat enough I think I could shape out a schnabble end and inlet it to the wood. My swamped barrel's muzzle is 1.030" wide and I want this thing to be about 1.5" long or so. I really want a schnabble shape to it because I saw a few in Shumway's Jaeger book and that's what I want. I've gotta do it somehow 'cause it's driving me nuts. Thanks again Birddog6, for the time.

 

[Birddog6]

Well, If ya don;t find one large enough, send me a roughed out end out of pine or something the same as what you want to end up with & I will see if I have a muledeer or whitetail antler large enough to do it. I don't want to cut up the horns til I use them as I usually end up cutting a place then find out leter I needed 1/2" more & etc... :thumbsup:

 

[rich pierce]

I think cowhorn and bone were used on many early jaegers. I have some thick cowhorn.

 

[C_Laubach]

Original German fowler from Munich around 1740

 

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! See that Birddog6? Make one like that and sell it to me :: I'll inlet it. Seriously though, I'll trade you an 85gr black horn tip measure for a chunk or two( one for practice) of some bone or horn material big enough for me to hack out a close representation of the muzzle cap in C_Laubach's photo contribution (thanks C_Laubach). This forum helped me build this rifle, thanks for all the help guys!

 

[mowolf]

Anyone know how that is attached? Screws or glue?

Waya

 

[Birddog6]

Again, I have nothing to go by on measurement, as the photo is a fowler barrel & you are building a rifle & most likely using a swamped barrel, thus a large end at the muzzle. I must have something to go by, as I am not going to just randomly cut up horns in hopes they "may" work. If you furnish me something to go by I would be most happy to give you a piece, mail it to you, & a trade or payment is not expected or necessary.
Also, should you want to use bone, I would talk to the local butcher & he will most likely give you a beef bone that will work also, tho I don't know how it will age.

 

[C_Laubach]

Mowolf,
It is glued on. Most of the ones I have seen where glued on. Some of the ones I have done restoration work on showed that the stock had been filed into two tendons and the horn has been drilled out in the same location to except the tendons.

I hope that makes sense.