Hello! Ao I'm new to smoothbores, I come from the cap and ball flask world and I recently bought a beautiful lance gauldin powder horn off track of the wolf for my first horn. I was gonna go with elk strap but they were out. So I bought a regular style sling with d rings instead and the d rings have leather strap attached to them. I love how the sling feels it's quite comfortable but I notice when I take it off if I'm not careful the d rings smack and clack against the horn. I know horns have lasted hundreds of years over heavy use but I don't want to crack my new horn. My question for you is is this an issue you've run into? Or a non problem? Is the horn way stronger than I'm giving it credit for haha.
Here's my latest "best" solution. I have a jute strap that's about 2" wide with a canvas back and a deerskin edging. The strap ends in brass "D" rings. I then tie the horn onto the "D" rings with 3/8" x 12" buckskin straps that make it easy to fine tune the length. I keep a 3-hole block & patchknife on the horn strap.
The strap on my hunting bag is 1-1/2" jute and rides under the horn strap - the leather edging helping to trap it and keep all in place. The "D" rings are also handy for attaching the measure and keeping a length of tick stuffed in for wiping the pan.
For many years I relied on a 1/2" leather strap for the horn. That works pretty well, too. ::
Preferred means of attaching a powder horn?
- Thread starter roundball
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Powder horns are fairly resilient. Just bumping against buttons, rings or the butt of your gun won't harm them. Blows against sharp edges and tossing it in a bag with pointy things can scratch or chip the horn. Horn is vulnerable to insect damage -carpet beetles and probably other varieties of crawly bugs...
I don't see a strap ring on the neck of your horn. Keep an eye that the neck end of the horn doesn't slip through your knot while walking.
I don't see a strap ring on the neck of your horn. Keep an eye that the neck end of the horn doesn't slip through your knot while walking.
Awesome thanks for your response I do have one question while your here. I did notice when I checked the horn today after it arrived that it had a smal hairline crack it seems by one of the wooden nails. The horn was sold as new and unused and I attached the sling myself which is why it looks amateur lol. Is this small hairline an issue? I want ro keep the horn as it's very beautiful and I checked by blowing into it and it is air tight and the plug is tapered and fits snug. It's a lance g horn from Track of the wolf, he makes alot of really like horns and it seems like if it was an issue worth worrying about they wouldn't have sold it but I'm new to horns so idk what to worry about.
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Also I'm not sure what you mean by strap ring, like the ones with the 2 rings carved into the neck for a strap? The only thing like that on my horn is under where I have the neck strap it has a deep step and groove which is being covered by the strap so you can't see it but it doesn't slide up it catches
If it concerns you, replace the brass "D" rings with leather lace. Does my heart good to see the old Photobucket images of my kit that I uploaded that I no longer have access to because they pulled a fast one. Your first four images are my horns and pouches.
PS - if you are moving so fast your gear "clicks", then you are moving too fast . Slow down, look around, advance slowly.
PS - if you are moving so fast your gear "clicks", then you are moving too fast . Slow down, look around, advance slowly.
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That should be fine. A groove or raised ring or sometimes a staple on the neck keeps the strap from sliding forward and off the horn.
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Very nice looking horn engraving and that small crack is really no issue.
The double ring carved in the neck/throat on some horns is a decorative device I often use it on the horns I make. The strap attachment can go behind them, if you wish.
horn straps can be attached directly to your bag strap, or just as a separate item. Both ways are fine and I have both styles.
The double ring carved in the neck/throat on some horns is a decorative device I often use it on the horns I make. The strap attachment can go behind them, if you wish.
horn straps can be attached directly to your bag strap, or just as a separate item. Both ways are fine and I have both styles.
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Personal preference rules. For yrs. , I carried a regular sized horn hung off the shot pouch strap ends. Old now , and prefer a small 8" day horn hung from my shot pouch strap ends , and it can be under , or exterior to the shot pouch flap. You will need a powder measure , hung from the front foreward end of your shot pouch strap , so in crappy weather , the measure stays dry tucked inside your shot pouch. All this stuff works at the range , and out on the hunt. I use leather straps , not fancy , but it's what I have. Jute cord , or leather boot lace is ok to hang accessories , like a quick loader patched ball board. Hunted w/ a .62 long rifle for several yrs. , and found it reliable , accurate , and a killer.
You guys have some beautiful horns! Those look like the Scott and Cathy Sibley style ones I saw, although im not sure what you would call that style. I love how different every horn is, it really makes your own feel unique. And thankyou guys for answering my questions as a noob. Coming from flasks usually I'm either charging the revolver and then shooting away from it or making my own paper cartridges I load on the go. So being so close to a powderhorn on your side and having small experience with flintlocks I want to make sure I'm safe. My queen anne lock throws a shower of sparks! That being said the horn has a nice tapered plug and plugs up real tight so I'm not worried. One guy also mentioned that the crack is above the wood peg whoch goes much lower than the nails so there's no concern of it reaching powder as well as the fact that it might have been glued or sealed when it was attached from the inside.
Here's one of my favorites. In fact, one of my most treasured possessions. Made for me by R.E. Froehlich (Horner75 around here). There's so much going on it's hard to describe. I just asked for the lettering. He added the rest based on my history of posting here ("Stumpkiller" is my camp name from a fellow traditional bowhunter because I liked roving and shooting stumps when we met for lunch better than hunting.) Bag was made by Swampy. Both much appreciated members here who, for two very different reasons, moved on.
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Redmoon
40 Cal
Leather lacing lashed to a latigo strap works well.
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