I just joined a BP club and will have opportunities to attend some woods walks. I have shot with them on a flat range, but loading was done back at the bench. I have a good shoulder bag, horn with strap, and ball bags/pouches of various sizes/shapes. I have played with my setup at the range some, loading from the bag but it sure seems awkward. I have loading blocks for most of my calibers, and their use seems to help cut down on fumbling when loading. Anyway, got some suggestions?
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How do you wear your kit?
- Thread starter Timber Wolf
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Entirely my personal opinion:
I shoot right handed, so I wear my bag and horn on my right side, with the straps on my left shoulder. My bag strap has a pair of loops to hold my short starter. A patch knife is in a sheath on the bag strap. I have a pan charger or capper, a powder measure, and a ball board or strip of patching material, all tied to the bag.
I flip the cover of my bag so it falls between me and the bag. I grab the powder measure with my left hand and pour the powder from the horn with my right hand. After dumping the powder down the barrel, I either put the patch over the barrel while I reach in my bag for a ball, or put the ball board over the muzzle. I push the ball down with my short starter and trim the patching if needed. Finally, I ram the patched ball down on the powder, and step up to the line before I prime or cap.
I have a pocket in my bag to hold loose balls, if I am not using a ball board, so I do not have to fumble around.
Have everything tied to your bag or person and return items to their slot or pouch as soon as you finish using it.
I shoot right handed, so I wear my bag and horn on my right side, with the straps on my left shoulder. My bag strap has a pair of loops to hold my short starter. A patch knife is in a sheath on the bag strap. I have a pan charger or capper, a powder measure, and a ball board or strip of patching material, all tied to the bag.
I flip the cover of my bag so it falls between me and the bag. I grab the powder measure with my left hand and pour the powder from the horn with my right hand. After dumping the powder down the barrel, I either put the patch over the barrel while I reach in my bag for a ball, or put the ball board over the muzzle. I push the ball down with my short starter and trim the patching if needed. Finally, I ram the patched ball down on the powder, and step up to the line before I prime or cap.
I have a pocket in my bag to hold loose balls, if I am not using a ball board, so I do not have to fumble around.
Have everything tied to your bag or person and return items to their slot or pouch as soon as you finish using it.
As above, experiment and you will find the best…. Not. Every time I dress I think ‘hey you need to try….’
I think many of us move from lots to minimalist.
I try to keep just loading stuff in my bag, and extras sugh as firekit , field clean, modern odds-and ins some place else.
I’ll tell you the rich history of the late colonial period is pretty relevant to my area, but it’s really about big pockets in mid century waist coats.
I think many of us move from lots to minimalist.
I try to keep just loading stuff in my bag, and extras sugh as firekit , field clean, modern odds-and ins some place else.
I’ll tell you the rich history of the late colonial period is pretty relevant to my area, but it’s really about big pockets in mid century waist coats.
Brokennock
Cannon
Practice. Train/Practice. Try to avoid doing it any other way. If you don't have to load from the bench for the flat range line shoots, don't. The more you do it, the less awkward it will be. You will get used to doing it and you will develope methods that work for you.
Personally, I hate ball blocks, I find them awkward to hold over the muzzle and there is no good way to use one without using a short starter, which I don't need and don't want to need. More crap to carry and one more thing to be reliant on that could be lost.
I shoot right handed. My bag and horn hang on my right side. The only thing that changes between range work and hinting field is the height of the bag and horn. In the field the bag and horn are very high to reduce movement. On the range I drop them about 2 inches for easier access.
My powder measure is either hanging from a leather thong with a loop that fits tightly around the spout of my horn, or it's in my shot pouch.
To load the heel of my stock is on the ground behind and to the side of my left foot with the gun angled forward under my left arm so the muzzle is pointed up and downrange. (This allows me to trap the gun between my body and left arm when I need both hands) I grab my measure in my left hand, pull the horn stopper with my teeth, pour powder into measure and replace stopper. Pour powder into barrel. For round ball I then grab my ball bag from my shot pouch and pour a ball into my left hand, if using a patch, (ball or shot with wads in a smoothbore is only a little different) I place patch material (prelubed) on the muzzle, thumb press the ball into the muzzle, if needed push it a little harder with the flat base of my belt knife, pull rod from thimbles and seat ball on powder, return rod to thimbles. Prime or cap, and, shoot. Wipe pan, flint, and frizzen.
Repeat.
Keep less stuff in your shot pouch. Try to keep what is there organized if you have more than just balls and patch material.
If more than just balls and patch material,, Tools and spare flints in a pouch in the bottom of the bag, balls in a ball pouch,,,,,,, I'm sure you get the idea.
Bag on the right. Powder horn hangs just above it. Powder measure and capper are attached to my horn strap. Cross draw knife on the left side of belt. Load from the bag. Takes practice as mentioned above but once you get on to it, life's good.
In the bag: balls, patches, extra caps, short starter. That's it.
In the bag: balls, patches, extra caps, short starter. That's it.
I too have found loading blocks more of a pain than a neccesity, just more stuff hanging in the way. Wear the bag and horn as high as you can easily access. I use a small tin ( altoids or secret tin ) like a 18th century snuff box to hold 20-30 lubed patches and 4-6 balls. Easy fast access while chasingsmall game. Small game hunting is the best way to get familur with one gear and long gun. Light loads and headshots.
Loading benches confuse me…….
Brokennock
Cannon
These are the same people who never shoot from field positions, even with their cartridge guns, then when the miss a deer are back at the range as soon as possible,,,, checking their zero,,,, off the bench.
Part of the charm is going old school. 
stephenprops1
45 Cal.
The key thing is to practice. --- Practice loading from the pouch when you are alone. Experiment until you find what works FOR YOU. I ended up keeping the bare essentials in my possibles bag. Things I might need to pull a ball or extract a lost patch and such I keep in a rifleman's pouch on my belt. Therefore, those items are out of the way, yet readily available if needed. Consistency is very important. Keep everything in the same place and always return it to that same place.
Brokennock
Cannon
Something else to keep in mind here.
And, it is something I have thought a lot about regarding all period gear and how it is stowed and carried, not just shooting gear.
How quick do you really need it? How "convenient," does stuff really need to be? Isn't some of The Dao of muzzleloading, the slower pace? Being more relaxed?
And, it is something I have thought a lot about regarding all period gear and how it is stowed and carried, not just shooting gear.
How quick do you really need it? How "convenient," does stuff really need to be? Isn't some of The Dao of muzzleloading, the slower pace? Being more relaxed?
Agreed. Simple and relaxing is what I am looking for.
stephenprops1
45 Cal.
Relaxed is good. However, when I am on the firing line, during a shooting match, I don't want to look like a greenhorn, bumbling fool. Practice to work smoothly and efficiently. When I did cowboy action shooting time was also part of your score. More time equated to a higher score, which is not good.
Momma always said I was simple.
Brokennock
Cannon
I'm a high level IDPA shooter. I totally understand the time element. But, I usually find the more relaxed I am, the better I do. Often my best stages,,, the ones where the rest of my squad are complimenting, telling me it was a good or nice run,,,, felt slow to me,,, but, smooth.
I did not mean to imply that one should just be okay with fumbling. But, I have found that I needed to come to a certain level of acceptance with how period gear works. It just isn't as convenient as modern gear when it comes to gear stowage and accessibility. One can accept this, or, be frustrated most of the time.
Here's a hack for you. To keep my cartridge box from flopping around, I buckle my waist belt over the front strap of the cartridge box (shot pouch to others). The waist belt holds the cartridge box in place as I reach for the paper wrapped cartridge I will be loading. You can see the belt over the pouch strap in the picture.
I'm probably trying to figure out why I missed such an easy target. My priming horn is in my pocket. I do not prime from the cartridge as I load. The cartridge box contains 20 paper wrapped cartridges with a 0.715 round ball and about 90 grains of powder. I tear open the cartridge, pour the powder, spit on the paper wrapped ball and load the paper wrapped ball with the excess paper first. Everything is in easy reach, and I have only the minimal gear in the cartridge box.
I'm probably trying to figure out why I missed such an easy target. My priming horn is in my pocket. I do not prime from the cartridge as I load. The cartridge box contains 20 paper wrapped cartridges with a 0.715 round ball and about 90 grains of powder. I tear open the cartridge, pour the powder, spit on the paper wrapped ball and load the paper wrapped ball with the excess paper first. Everything is in easy reach, and I have only the minimal gear in the cartridge box.
stephenprops1
45 Cal.
You have a system. This breeds familiarity, which improves confidence. It can appear fast to others, but you have practiced this enough to be efficient, consistent and proficient. --- When someone is learning this, taking it slow and easy is best, initially. Develop muscle memory. Speed will follow. Use speed when you need it.
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In the mid 70's and after the total failure of the first shooting pouch I made, I made a "semi hard" cartridge pouch (some folks know it as an over the shoulder strap cartridge box) and wore it in a very similar manner. First, I put the pouch where it felt "right" to reach in and out of it and then buckled my waist belt just over the top of the pouch to lock it in place. Though I really didn't care where the waist belt wound up, I found it was in almost the exact position I wore it normally.
THEN I went one step further when the match was shot from a standing position, and I didn't have to run between targets. I would put the flap up and tighten the waist belt over the up turned flap. I had sewn loops into the front and back of the gusset for the short starter and powder measure, so it was easy to pull them out and put them back without looking. Worked like a dream!
Gus
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I always shoot out of the bag. I make my own bags and put a small pocket on the inside for precut square patches so they are easy to get to. Ball bag in the bottom of the shooting bag. Also a flint pouch and a few tools in the bag.
I prime out of my primary horn so no priming horn.
I prime out of my primary horn so no priming horn.
