Pros and Cons of Carrying a Flat Powder Horn

[toot]

It fits into your pocket or your shooting bag, so as long as you remember to top it off when you are done, you can grab your gun and bag and go, next time.
It may be of a style to historically fit into the same era as your gun
It looks cool

It's flat, so doesn't hold nearly as much powder as round horn, but they were either a sporting hunter's "day hunt" horn, or a priming horn
They can be more expensive due to the extra work to make them "flat"
If they are a priming horn..., anytime you go from one horn to two you add complexity to your loading procedure. Whether this is too much is up to the shooter.

LD

I concur with you.

 

[E. B. Leland]

I had never used a flat horn until a friend made me one. Now it is all I use for hunting. It is a day horn that is small enough to fit either in a pocket or my possibles bag And I love it!
I have gotten in the habit of giving it a good shake before leaving to gauge how much is in it.

 

[Jeepfarm]

I like the flat horn for hunting as well. Fits easily in the pocket of my hunting coat. I used to carry a pistol flask while hunting and then made the attached horn back in 2012 to replace it.

. The horn has worked out well. Never checked how much it holds, I just top it off before leaving for a hunt. The actual horn (less stopper and plug) is about 1" thick and 5-1/2" long.

 

[Maven]

I like the flat horn for hunting as well. Fits easily in the pocket of my hunting coat. I used to carry a pistol flask while hunting and then made the attached horn back in 2012 to replace it.View attachment 77467. The horn has worked out well. Never checked how much it holds, I just top it off before leaving for a hunt. The actual horn (less stopper and plug) is about 1" thick and 5-1/2" long.

I won a horn like that at a local woods walk several years ago. As Jeep.... said, it's easy to carry and more than adequate for hunting. I.e., mine carries 15 or 16 shots of 80gr. FFg, which is okay for hunting, but a tad skimpy for competition shooting unless you use smaller powder charges.

 

[George]

I have one made by an old friend many years ago. I've never used it with a carrying strap or with powder. I've always used it for shot, and carried it in a coat pocket. It holds enough shot for a busy dove shoot, and that's about all the use it gets.

It's nine inches long, about seven-eighths inch thick.

Spence

 

[Bob McBride]

I use a flat horn as a secondary. It’s a pocket horn to me. When hunting in a scenario where I need just a few reloads max I’ll put a few balls and a piece of patching in my front pocket and a flat horn in my back pocket and away I go. No downside in that scenario. In a varmint, bird, squirrel hunt or range scenario I’ll take my full rig. Options are always a net plus.

 

[Stophel]

18th century German powder horns are universally flat. They were made to carry in a pocket. I have yet to see any old flat horn that was "full sized", and carried on a strap as one would carry a normal horn.

 

[French Colonial]

I like flat horns

 

[oldwood]

Before my health began to decline , I made it a point to put a generous sized flap on my shot pouches. The large flap was perfect to cover a flat horn used on long day hunts , and trips to the camp ,and trips to the range. The two guns I have and use have their own dedicated pouches and kept stocked with the necessaries for each rifle , so all needed is to grab the appropriate pouch and go. In the old days there are many recorded instances that each gun has it's own unique pouch , but not necessarily with the horn under the flap. Most horns had their own straps and were over the shoulder , or fixed above the pouch on cordage attached to the pouch straps. Getting older , my huntin' buddy and I analysed all the stuff we were carrying in our pouches , we decided that WW-1 was started with less ammo than we carried , and so, scaled back our supplies to what was necessary for the occasion , and in my case, sans the under flap horns...................Sorry for the trip into the weeds...........oldwood

 

[oldwood]

French.........I like all your flat horns. Think I'll go make another one........oldwood

 

[French Colonial]

You can not have to many flat horns! (Or horns or horn flasks or flasks or guns....Oh heck, you get the drift!)

 

[oldwood]

French.........I'm with ya. I just love utilitarian stuff you can make and then use or give to friends.

 

[SOLANCO]

I am 74 so when I say an older guy made me some horns you will get my drift. He made a set of three. One is very large and traditional and well done. He said that is your storage. You don't tote it around.
Another was small but traditionally shaped. He said that will hold three or four charges of powder and it will be a rare day you need them all. The last was small and flat. He said I can't make a horn for charging powder as small as it should be. But that is what this little horn is for.

 

[oldwood]

Solanco.........Maybe that "old guy" should craft some spares. You never have enough artwork around..........oldwood

 

[toot]

I had never used a flat horn until a friend made me one. Now it is all I use for hunting. It is a day horn that is small enough to fit either in a pocket or my possibles bag And I love it!
I have gotten in the habit of giving it a good shake before leaving to gauge how much is in it.

aren't they just great??

 

[toot]

Before my health began to decline , I made it a point to put a generous sized flap on my shot pouches. The large flap was perfect to cover a flat horn used on long day hunts , and trips to the camp ,and trips to the range. The two guns I have and use have their own dedicated pouches and kept stocked with the necessaries for each rifle , so all needed is to grab the appropriate pouch and go. In the old days there are many recorded instances that each gun has it's own unique pouch , but not necessarily with the horn under the flap. Most horns had their own straps and were over the shoulder , or fixed above the pouch on cordage attached to the pouch straps. Getting older , my huntin' buddy and I analysed all the stuff we were carrying in our pouches , we decided that WW-1 was started with less ammo than we carried , and so, scaled back our supplies to what was necessary for the occasion , and in my case, sans the under flap horns...................Sorry for the trip into the weeds...........oldwood

a trip into the weeds is allways a welcome relief!!

 

[toot]

I like the flat horn for hunting as well. Fits easily in the pocket of my hunting coat. I used to carry a pistol flask while hunting and then made the attached horn back in 2012 to replace it.View attachment 77467. The horn has worked out well. Never checked how much it holds, I just top it off before leaving for a hunt. The actual horn (less stopper and plug) is about 1" thick and 5-1/2" long.

a sweet hart horn!

 

[toot]

I won a horn like that at a local woods walk several years ago. As Jeep.... said, it's easy to carry and more than adequate for hunting. I.e., mine carries 15 or 16 shots of 80gr. FFg, which is okay for hunting, but a tad skimpy for competition shooting unless you use smaller powder charges.

15 to 16 shots is a rely lot of shots to be made on a day hunt. but the horn will serve you for all shots to be made on a day hunt. a nice flat horn.

I have one made by an old friend many years ago. I've never used it with a carrying strap or with powder. I've always used it for shot, and carried it in a coat pocket. It holds enough shot for a busy dove shoot, and that's about all the use it gets.

View attachment 77471

It's nine inches long, about seven-eighths inch thick.

Spence

a simple sweet heart horn. I tried shot in one and it seemed to get jammed trying to get it to pour.
jmho.

 

[toot]

View attachment 77504

I like flat horns

I can see that! and it doesn't make you a bad person. just kidden LOL!! they are little jems!!

 

[toot]

I am 74 so when I say an older guy made me some horns you will get my drift. He made a set of three. One is very large and traditional and well done. He said that is your storage. You don't tote it around.
Another was small but traditionally shaped. He said that will hold three or four charges of powder and it will be a rare day you need them all. The last was small and flat. He said I can't make a horn for charging powder as small as it should be. But that is what this little horn is for.

one old grey beard helping out another old grey beard!