Making a Powder Horn -- Advise?

[Greebe]

Hey everyone,

I finally would like to get around to making a powder horn. I have always just used one of the round brass powder flask's, but I want to start working towards getting a more traditional set up.

I do not want a huge horn, just a small one that will hold around 1000 grains. I do not need or want to carry 1/2-3/4 pound around on my person when shooting. Seems like I see a lot of horns advertising large amount of powder which just does not sit well with me.

My father has two powder horns that he built in the early 70's, one large and one small for his priming powder. Since I only use FFFg for both main change and priming, I just want one small horn like his.

Any help locating such a horn and finding a little more info on making one would be appreciated. I know more or less how they are made, but extra info never hurts.

Thanks
Greebe

 

[bpd303]

If you are looking to buy just a serviceable horn go to eBay. There are more on there than you can shake a stick at. For a horn more of a piece of art there are several very good craftsmen on this forum that make & sell outstanding works of art.
Do an advanced search in this thread for powder horn for info on making them. Serviceable horns are not hard to make, works of art not so much.

 

[Rifleman1776]

My father has two powder horns that he built in the early 70's

hotoSmile:

What you want is known as a day horn. Enough for a hunt but not cumbersome to carry around.
Dad made his, make yer own and it will have special meaning. Especially about 50 years from now.
A basic horn is not hard to make. The real artistic stuff takes real talent, that I lack.

 

[Greebe]

Haha, yeah getting my dad to take pictures of his horn, wait that sound bad :shocked2: , pictures of his powder horn I should say, would be near to impossible. I have been bugging him for close to a year to take pictures of my great-great-great-grandfathers tools chest that is in his garage. Still no pictures.

Day horn eh? Alright I did not know they were called that. Do you know where I can find smaller horns for making a day horn?

Thanks

 

[Rifleman1776]

Do you know where I can find smaller horns for making a day horn?

If you don't have a source, just get a full sized raw horn and cut to the size you want. Cut off can be used for other projects.

 

[Greebe]

Do you know where I can find smaller horns for making a day horn?

If you don't have a source, just get a full sized raw horn and cut to the size you want. Cut off can be used for other projects.

Where would I find a full sized horn? Thanks

 

[bubba.50]

powderhornsandmore dot com has horns in all sizes for very reasonable prices. plus they usually have some what they call "less than perfect" horns even cheaper. track of the wolf also has different size horns & they also have "cull horns" listed if ya want somethin' cheap to practice on. luck & have a good'en, bubba.

 

[TLanoy]

If you are dead set on building one, I congratulate you and look forward to seeing what you come up with. On a side note, our own Horner75 builds an excellent day horn and at a reasonable price. Here is mine next to my hand and it is a great horn for a day of shooting or hunting.

 

[MSW]

I would recommend this book:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/76/1/BOOK-R18CPH

if you follow the instructions, you will end up with a very nice horn which, since it will be 'of your own making,' will have great value to you in future years.

it doesn't take a bunch of fancy tools to make a powder horn: chances are that you already own all or most of them.

by way of fair warning, you can't make just one... :wink:

good luck with your project!

 

Do you know where I can find smaller horns for making a day horn?

If you don't have a source, just get a full sized raw horn and cut to the size you want. Cut off can be used for other projects.

Where would I find a full sized horn? Thanks

Seriously? http://lmgtfy.com/?q=raw+cow+horns

 

[robinsroost]

Greebe, I have made a couple of small horns, for my own use. I found my raw horns at a custom slaughter house. There was no charge for either of them. They still had the core in them. I found an old pan, filled it with water and brought it to a rolling boil. I put the horns in the pan and they soften up in 10 or 15 minutes. I fished them out of the water and squeezed them until the core came out. I put a hose clamp around the big end, so that they would dry round. If you want further information, PM me, and I will do my best to assist you......Robin

 

[Greebe]

That is a nice looking horn, just about the size I am looking to make. Thanks

 

[Greebe]

Thanks for the book suggestion.

 

[Greebe]

Where would I find a full sized horn? Thanks

Seriously? http://lmgtfy.com/?q=raw+cow+horns[/quote]

Yep seriously. Just because a website sells something does not mean they are reputable and worth ordering from. I have no idea about any of these sites and if any of them are legit or reputable. A Google search will not give you this information for buyer satisfaction.

 

[Greebe]

Greebe, I have made a couple of small horns, for my own use. I found my raw horns at a custom slaughter house. There was no charge for either of them. They still had the core in them. I found an old pan, filled it with water and brought it to a rolling boil. I put the horns in the pan and they soften up in 10 or 15 minutes. I fished them out of the water and squeezed them until the core came out. I put a hose clamp around the big end, so that they would dry round. If you want further information, PM me, and I will do my best to assist you......Robin

Thanks for the info. There is a small slaughter house nearby. I might give them a call and see if they have anything. Seems like it would be pretty quick to make a powder horn and fun to boot. Thanks

 

[HPS]

Excellent.