No more horns at Tandy leather

[dlpowell]

Lady at the local Tandy store says their getting out of the horn business company wide.

 

[Swampman]

IMO the best source for good inexpensive horns, are the bison horns found on ebay. It's next to impossible to find a useable cow horn these days (it has been for years)

Bison horns were used in many areas of the east and west. I know of one that was carried at the Battle of New Orleans. You can get a nice big one pretty cheap.

 

[ladysmithtrading]

To tell you the truth, I dont think I've ever seen a horn in any tandy that I would use for anything more than to cut up and use for either a spice or rum horn, if your looking for a resource for horns at a resonable price, contact John at powderhorns and more, if he doesnt have one listed on his site that suits your fancy, send him a msg or give him a call and tell him what your looking for, Im sure he can find ya something, heck he only has a couple thousand horns in stock at any given time.

 

[mckutzy]

In response to Don Powell
"Im sure he can find ya something, heck he only has a couple thousand horns in stock at any given time."

well there you go, thats why... he bought them all.. chain wide. :rotf: :rotf:

 

[omarick1948]

I don't think Tandy ever had any decent horns for years!... If a fellow can't find what he wants with John Shorb at www.powderhornsandmore

Maybe the PERFECT cow hasn't been invented yet!

 

[Rancocas]

hmm. About a mile down the road from my place is a small meat cutting operation. The guy processes deer and wild hogs during the season, but throughout the year his main business is slaughtering and butchering cattle and hogs for the local farmers' own use. It is strickly a small time operation.
All I've had to do is ask, and I can get a horn or two from him. But, of course, I have to let them dry for a year or so before I can use them.
I have to saw them off the skull, let them dry a couple of months, then boil them to loosen the bone core and remove it. Then, there is still a lot of pith (or whatever you call it) inside the horns that can be difficult to clean out.
I only need the occassional horn for my own use, or sometimes I'll make a powderhorn for a friend or relative, so I don't need many. I currently have 4 or 5 drying out in a shed.
The same guy will sell me a raw hide, too, for a reasonable price, if I want them, although he has a regular buyer for the hides.
Find such a small time operation near you. It don't hurt to ask.

 

[2172]

I got my first horn that way...as a 12 year old Boy Scout, in 1944, I read Dan Beard's "Buckskin Book for Buckskin Men and Boys" and felt I had to make a blowing horn...I walked about 6 miles across Newark, NJ to a slaughter house, found someone who looked like he was in authority and asked for a horn...what I got was a skull with two horns attached...I lugged 'em all the way home, sawed off one of the horns, and nailed a piece of tincan over the end....threw the rest out. After about a week, it began to stink, and I tossed the horn into a far corner of the back yard...I found it about 3 months later, and tugged on the tincan piece...and all of the innards came out....Hank

 

[Swampman]

Beef cattle almost never have horns suitable for a good powderhorn. Some dairy cattle and our Florida Cracker Cattle sometimes produce suitable horns.

The breeds that produced classic 18th c. style powderhorns aren't really bred much anymore from what I can tell.

You need at least 4" across the base, 14' to 16' on the outside curve, and a good double twist at the spout. I think the right horn is correct for a right handed shooter. I can never remember that part. I know one that's right when I see it. I haven't seen a good raw horn in 15+ years. David Wright found me 2 good ones at Friendship many years ago. They were a little small but nicely curved.

Those curves keep the horn from moving and getting caught on stuff.

Of course almost anything will make a good 19th c. styled horn. They seem to be straight and small for the most part.

 

[Rancocas]

I think that depends on your local cattlemen and the breeds that they prefer. It also depends on one's preference in powderhorn size.
In my area we have a mix of dairy and beef cattle, plus several hobby herds of Texas "longhorns". I see a lot of cattle with fully developed horns. As we drive around I keep pointing out to my wife; "Look at the powderhorn on that one!"
I have one huge horn that could easily hold a full two pounds of powder, but for hunting purposes I prefer a smaller horn, one that only holds about a half pound of powder. I have made salt and pepper shakers out of the little bitty horns.

 

[dlpowell]

Thanks for all the responses. I used the Tandy horns as cheap Ebay items. Ocasionally they'd get a good one. I already have a milk crate full of horns fron John and Linda.

 

[omarick1948]

Granted, to each their own, but one has to not draw any conclusions as to what is truly a general belief without questioning some of the documentation and resource's available, so we can all judge for ourselves what is a correct size for anything.

The book AMERICAN ENGRAVED POWDER HORNS By Steven Grancsay (Riling Arms Books, 1946 and revised 1976), is a study of the J.H. Grenville Collection of 45 powders horns and on page 34 lists the horns in the collection and their size and dimentions. Most diameters listed are well under the 4 inch diameter, with most closer to the 3-31/2 inch range. I'm sure that there must of been larger military and other horns, but I feel that the cow horns we all generally use today are not that far off the mark!...JMHO

 

[fallaloosa]

I agree with you horner, I've seen many many old horns of many many shapes and sizes. I've seen 18th century horns that had little to no twist or curve, massive twist and curve etc etc etc. I've seen big horns and little horns but most of the 18th century ones are a bit on the bigger side due to bigger calibers and the need for more powder. Most are in the 13" to 15" range with a couple gong as far as 17" on the curve. A look at Dressler's book on horns will give you a myriad of horns that are all different in one way or the other. What we can get now as far as horns like you said aint to far off themark of what they got then.

 

[Old40Rod]

http://www.hideandfur.com/

Been there myself, they have a good selection and are good to work with.