Show me your horns!

My horn:



I'll have another in the mail on Monday, made for me by a man in Nebraska.

I made this about 20 years ago. The map side is my favorite.

Jimster said:

View attachment 232959 I made this about 20 years ago. The map side is my favorite.

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Very cool! I am from Southern Illinois so that map is familiar to me.

Armored farmer said:

Me too!

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Well all be! We got us a trio of south Illinois boys here!!

I'm really excited to see what my horner friend made me. Will post pics as soon as the postman drops it off on Monday.

Made a small day horn for my 54 smoothbore.

JeffG said:

Made a small day horn for my 54 smoothbore.
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I've been interested in a .54 smoothbore. What is yours like?

Anyone got one from a Texas Long Horn, now that would be a horn. The ones posted are pretty nice too.

Cooldill said:

I've been interested in a .54 smoothbore. What is yours like?

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Mine was a kit from Sitting Fox. I was struck by how much easier to load than a rifled barrel. The parts being good quality makes all the difference. The barrel is octagonal all the way out , 42 inches. I upgraded the curly maple so it was purdy. I shoot birdshot for small game mostly. I can keep it on a pie plate at 50 yards with a patched ball. I really have no special tools, but if you are not sure about building, I would get a finished gun. For me, flint is less trouble than cap. I have since seen Fusil de Chasse in 62 cal (20ga)that are really nice guns. TOW is a good bet for a reasonably priced gun, Sitting Fox has some beauties. http://sittingfoxmuzzleloaders.com/k-17/

I feel like there is a joke about Texas in the title of this thread...

I can tell this this black powder hobby is going to get expensive. I've seen powder horns for sale at a couple local antique / flea market stores and didn't even give them a 2nd look. I know exactly where one is right now if the store hasn't sold it yet...

Gonna have to take a visit.

I was thinking of taking one of these for my next .54 hunt. Trying to get people lined up for the (free) beef was the hardest, and it turned out to be too much. I was thinking more of a horn bow with the horns, Or do a Ricola commercial, or a Viking signal horn.

Ok, back on thread.... (sorry about that ) I made a day horn from a bison horn from a harvest a few years ago. It's not period or even proper, but it's a piece of my kill, sealed with beeswax, and it's a great horn for me.

JeffG said:

I was thinking of taking one of these for my next .54 hunt. Trying to get people lined up for the (free) beef was the hardest, and it turned out to be too much. I was thinking more of a horn bow with the horns, Or do a Ricola commercial, or a Viking signal horn.

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That'd hold a fair bit of powder I'd think!

So. How do those things work anyway? How do they measure the powder. I've looked at some of the DIY Horn sites, and none of them tell you actually how to use the powder horn. Only thing I know how to use are the flasks with the measuring spouts.

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Very nice collection of horns! I don't have any horns. However, my dad loved to coon hunt and owned many coon dogs and horns he made over the years. He passed several years ago and those horns were probably given away to his hunting buddies. Sure wish I still had some of them!!

I attached a couple of pictures of longhorns that can be seen at the Forth Worth Stock Yards.

Oohrah! said:

So. How do those things work anyway? How do they measure the powder. I've looked at some of the DIY Horn sites, and none of them tell you actually how to use the powder horn. Only thing I know how to use are the flasks with the measuring spouts.

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Think of powder horns as cans of powder. You don't pour it into the gun from the horn. If a spark would ignite the horn, it would be a bomb. An intermediate powder measure is used. They can be fixed measures, made of horn and other materials. Others are brass and adjustable, great for range use. Once a good load is established with an adjustable measure, a fixed measure can be crafted to be kept in your bag.

Oohrah! said:

So. How do those things work anyway? How do they measure the powder. I've looked at some of the DIY Horn sites, and none of them tell you actually how to use the powder horn. Only thing I know how to use are the flasks with the measuring spouts.

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Never use a powder flask or powder horn to directly dump powder into the barrel/chamber. It can explode and produce great agony and misery.

Use a separate measure ALWAYS. For a horn, pull the stopper out (I use my teeth) and pour the powder into the measure. Then put the stopper back in firmly to be sure no sparks from firing can fit through the gap between the stopper and the horn.

OK, I get it. I guess I've been Hollywooded, the icon of the buffalo hunter dumping powder from his horn. I've just never used one.

Yes, I use powder measures.

Here is my only actual powder horn. It came along for the ride in the acquisition of a pistol a while back. It is a bit on the rough & crude side, but it is starting to grow on me and probably has found a permanent home.