priming horn

[woodse guy]

I was at a shoot this weekend and a couple of the flint lock guys had priming horns that where about 4 inches long and flat. They where only about and inch to an inch and a half thick. how did they get them flat like that?

 

Searching the craftsman forum for "FLAT HORN" turned up quite a few hits. Here's one.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/249702/

 

[omarick1948]

Thanks for stirring Woodse Guy to the thread, Jack!

All horns are not suitable for flattening. Try to find a horn that is less than 1/4" wall thickness. I think the main thing to remember, is to go extra slow and in re-heat steps. Let the horn cool all the way to room temperature and use a interior wood form or you'll end up with bowed in sides!

Hope this helped ya,
Rick

Some examples:
Flattened to 1/2inch thickness.

Flattened to 1 inch thick.

Flattened to 5/8 inch thick

 

[chance]

Those are Great!!!

 

[Flint311]

VERY nice! :hatsoff:

 

[woodse guy]

Is there some place where I can get a horn to flatting or is it a crap shoot if I get lucky and buy one from TOTW and it would work. Also could you take a picture of th form that you use.

 

[cdstatz]

Here's the best spot I've found to get horns from.... Let John know what you're planning to do with it and he'll set you up.
http://www.powderhornsandmore.com/index.html

Chris

 

[hogslayer]

This is one of my flat primer's i made from scraps of horn left over from a project.

(Pete)

 

[Rifleman1776]

Thanks for stirring Woodse Guy to the thread, Jack!

All horns are not suitable for flattening. Try to find a horn that is less than 1/4" wall thickness. I think the main thing to remember, is to go extra slow and in re-heat steps. Let the horn cool all the way to room temperature and use a interior wood form or you'll end up with bowed in sides!

Hope this helped ya,
Rick

Some examples:
Flattened to 1/2inch thickness.

Flattened to 1 inch thick.

Flattened to 5/8 inch thick

Beautiful. I want them all. :bow:
Congrats on yer workmanship.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Is there some place where I can get a horn to flatting or is it a crap shoot if I get lucky and buy one from TOTW and it would work. Also could you take a picture of th form that you use.

I'm kinda frugal....did somebody say "cheap"? :wink:
Acquiring things like horns, or whatever, can lead to becoming expert in the fine art of scrounging. Take a day and drive around to some cattle ranches. Just drive up and ask the rancher if he has some horns. If he doesn't at the moment, ask when he plans to next work his cattle and, if ye don't mind gettin' yer hands dirty, offer to help. You could go home with a nice pile of fresh cut horns and make a new friend in the process. Bought raw horns can be very expensive these days.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Hogslayer - is that a .22LR nestled in a .222 Rem? A man after my own heart. I may need to steal that idea.


I have a cap/spout I use on my Goex cans made from a .223 Rem soldered to a cap with a 7.62x54R cover, and my priming "flasks" are 7.62x54R cartridges with wood plugs and a soldered clip to attach to my horn strap. Yours is much fancier!

 

[omarick1948]

Is there some place where I can get a horn to flatting or is it a crap shoot if I get lucky and buy one from TOTW and it would work. Also could you take a picture of th form that you use.

I'm kinda frugal....did somebody say "cheap"? :wink:
Acquiring things like horns, or whatever, can lead to becoming expert in the fine art of scrounging. Take a day and drive around to some cattle ranches. Just drive up and ask the rancher if he has some horns. If he doesn't at the moment, ask when he plans to next work his cattle and, if ye don't mind gettin' yer hands dirty, offer to help. You could go home with a nice pile of fresh cut horns and make a new friend in the process. Bought raw horns can be very expensive these days.

That sounds great.......30 years ago, but horned cattle in the US are about all but extinct, except for Texas Long Horns and cattle from some hobby farms. The National Cattle Breeders Assn. strongly supports for breeders to not breed horned cattle due to many reason's including cattle injuries in feed lots and during transporting. Horned breeds, can now be genetically bred to have no horns. ..... I had even heard that the MAD COW thing had something to contribute to the no horn cows! You can take a day and drive around looking for them, but you probably will only have to come home empty handed!... I live here in Omaha, Nebraska, the one time capitol of the packing house industry. We still have packing house's and beef are slaughtered daily, but you will never see any horned cattle unloading down at the yards or packing house's. Only hornless!

Good cow horns for horning work, like powder horns are expensive and a big part of the cost to any Horner when setting his fee for selling his horns products. Horn size, shape and coloring or very light and white scrimshaw/engraving horns are top choice's for Horners, and price's can start for raw cow horns at around $10 and price's go upwards in the $35 to over $100 range for the best white cow horns.

I have explained this to many people, many times and I always have someone pop-up and tell me that, you can buy finished powder horns from X,Y,or Z sporting Goods mega stores for about $30.00, but these stores carry the cheaper imported water buffalo powder horns that might look OK hanging above the door at the cabin, but the name POWDER HORN is the only resembling truth to the real thing!

Rick

 

[woodse guy]

Can you take a picture of the form that you use to shape the horn with. I would like to see what it looks like.

 

[hogslayer]

(Hogslayer - is that a .22LR nestled in a .222 Rem? A man after my own heart. I may need to steal that idea.)

Sorry for the delay in answering your question been busy with other things,Yes it is,fill free to use any thing you want. I have used a .45/70 cartridge case on a shot bag for my .62 flintlock which works fine.

(Pete)

 

[roundball]

Beautiful !!
I use small 'pocket primers' but if I was going to use a priming horn I'd want one of these !!

:thumbsup:

 

[fatboy]

Hey Stumpkiller could you post a pic or two of you 7.62x54 primmers

 

[Stumpkiller]

Pretty uninspired. I silver-solder a copper clip on the base and make a wood plug. I keep one on my horn strap (on leather loop on the backside to hold it) and a spare in my hunting bag.

 

[omarick1948]

Can you take a picture of the form that you use to shape the horn with. I would like to see what it looks like.

I usually have to make a different interior form for each flat horn I make. It is no more than a piece of wood, cut in the shape of a rounded half moon shape basically in the shape of the horn being used.

Rick

 

[woodse guy]

How big does it need to be? The length of the horn or just a couple of inches where you squeeze the horn in the vise. So it would be in an oval shape.

 

[omarick1948]

When I flatten a horn. I flatten the entire horn from tip to butt depending on the amount of flatness I what. ... Note the straight-line flatness of the sides.

This bag Day horn is only 1/2" thick.