Organizing everything...Aaaaargggghh....

[Nightwind]

Six years of black powder and I've got a family room full of muzzleloading goodies. Everytime I want to go shooting, I will spend about an hour getting everything together (and STILL forget something) :curse: :cry: :cry:. I'd prefer to just grab a crate and go but, I've got about 21 rifles, pistols, smoothie, underhammer and shotgun. almost every gun uses a different patch, powder, ball and lube combination. How do you guys keep it simple? Index card with each gun?

Do you keep all the different patches in one area of cabinet, different sized balls in another area of cabinet, etc. Then just pull out what you need for that gun, and put everything back in it's place when you return?

Any and all ideas and suggestions appreciated. Gotta' get my act together!!!

 

[Rebel]

I have a different bag for each gun, and keep everything i need to shoot that gun in the bag, except powder. I have a couple of horns and a large Zouave flask that i use for powder.

 

[swank]

Nightwind,
I just wish I had enough blackpowder guns to worry about logistics. Theres definitely worse problems to have :winking:

 

[brushbuster]

i bought a roll around tool box from wally world it holds everything for my bp,s except my range rod ,i am currently making bags for each gun of different styles and leather to tell them apart,and hang them with their gunsso far one bag two flasks and 1 horn=ffg ,777,and ffg when i run out of 777 i,ll have a spare flask for ffg

 

[rayb]

Cheap, quick & easy.....

cut off legs on blue jeans....

sew up one end..

fasten a tie string on the other...

mark with something to tell you what size stuff is in the bag


one for each gun...

rayb

 

[Stumpkiller]

Own fewer guns. ::

Simplify, simplify.

I have one hunting pouch for each (25 or 30 shots ready to go at all times for all muzzleloaders) and one large "tackle box" for the common items and refills. The pouches are hung from Quaker Pegs in my den.

Now, having one transmitter and a half dozen radio controlled airplanes, each requiring different settings and control throws (some reversed). THAT's trouble. Thank God for computerized transmitters.

You could get organized and make a rack of boxes - each box contains everything needed for each firearm. Leave the shooting bag empty and fill it from the proper box before you head out.

 

[shmrck1]

rayb,
if i cut off the leg of my levi's i would have to cut off a leg!!!! i only have one pair and i where them till Mrs snake says take'em off!!!! which at 60 ain't very
often :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
snake-eyes :hmm: eace: :thumbsup: :crackup:

 

Like Rebel and Stumpkiller,.... I have a seperate shoot'n-bag and powder-horn fer each of my muzzleloaders.

Every time I grab a muzzleloader and it's corspond'n shoot'n bag, I also grab my "one and only" haversack.
My haversack contains all the "tools/jags/ and etc." fer work'n on any of my muzzleloaders should I have a problem.

My haversack also contains extra patch-material (of several different thickness), extra wads fer smoothbores, tow fer clean'n, and a small tin of "bees-wax/bear-oil", extra flints, extra percussion caps, and etc.!! (sumtimes it also contains a "sandwhich" :

I never leave home without my "haversack",.... regardless of which shoot'n bag and muzzleloader I take.

YMHS
rollingb

 

[rayb]

well, i wore them out first, took a long time to get enuf ::


in this part of the world everything that's alive either bites or scratches, teeth or thorn, so levis don't last long when you throw in a few bob ware fences and the territory..

but then again i'm already 61 so... :crackup:

rayb

 

I don't own a lot of guns, just enough that I can get confused when going to the range or going hunting. I actually made a few punch lists that cover (individually):

going to the range (shooting BP and/or metalic) eace:
going woodchuck hunting (this is always metalic but the caliber is different) ::
a match (so far this is metalic HP only) :snore:
trapp (so far this is a humiliating experience) ::

 

[CrackStock]

Okay, you have too many guns. Send a few this way and we will have solved your problem.

No?

Okay, plan B is that you figure out the items that all/most guns need to keep in your main bag. Then put the items specific to a particular gun in another container. An old sock will contain some balls, powder measure, cleaning jag and a few other items. This costs next to nothing. This can be attached to the gun with a strap. This will do well for simple rifle caliber swap situations.

On the other hand, my smoothbores require more items. The Bess has a cartridge box which contains just about everything. My 20 Tulle has a denim bag (could have been made with a jean leg, but was not -- it is much prettier) It has a jag, flints of a special size, shot measures and powder measures. It also has shot and .600 ball.

Your main bag can contain the common items and is always ready to go.

YMHS,
CrackStock

 

[PaulN/KS]

I have a few different rifles but I tend to stick to one caliber to avoid too many variables.Need to make a flint pouch so I don't have so much stuff in one pouch tho...

 

[doverdog]

If you are just going shooting on the range and need to keep your stuff separate for each gun, why not get some small, cheap, plastic fishing tackle boxes, the kind about 16-18" long that have one top shelf with small dividers and a handle on top. You can load the top section with balls, patches, flints, cap boxes, jags, and whatever. The bottom is big enough to hold lube bottles, a can of powder, short starter, rags, etc. I have one that I just switch a few items depending on the caliber gun I am shooting. If hunting or going to a match, I have separate bags and horns for each gun. Buying enough tackle boxes to set up for each caliber shouldn't break the bank and you probably already have most of the stuff except enough short starters to put one in each box. :m2c:

 

[No Powder]

Got a couple of parachute bags, not the kind for real parachutes but the kind like plumbers use for keep different size fittings in. Put different size balls and patch material in each compartment write the size on each compartment. Most bags have about 8 or 10 compartments.

 

[BLAHMAN]

I have one hunting pouch per gun/rifle. Then when I go to the range I take my shooting box. Found it at an old store for about 40 bucks. It's an old wooden box with a lid...I think there was a name scratched in it that read something like this: "By Adam.Husband of Eve" or something like that. Anyway, it's old, but I have various patches, roundballs, flints, tools, powder, cleaning stuff..basic stuff to shoot with. :m2c:

 

[Nightwind]

Thanks for the replies. I've decided to go with the index card with each gun route.

I've got two 27 drawer metal parts cabinets, that will hold ten boxes of 100 homemade round balls. Today, I sorted all 24 round ball sizes with corresponding molds in sequencial order into seperate drawers(WHEW!). The three empty drawers will be utilized soon with future rnd ball mold purchases, .355, .380, .400.

The other 27 drawer cabinet will probably be used for shooting patches, cleaning patches, flints, caps, lubes, and all the other stuff I buy by the hundreds.

This eleminates hunting all over the place, and in different crates, for the wanted items. Just read the index card, grab the stuff and go!

Thanks again!