Web series "Black Powder Weapons of the Old West"

[elhombreconnonombre]

Howdy fellow THR pards:

This year I will be working on putting together a "bucket list" project, a video web series entitled "Black Powder Weapons of the Old West".
This series will be dedicated to the history of the use and handling of black powder weapons used by our forbears during the taming of the American West from around 1830 through the American Civil War, up to around the time of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Thus, it will include the latter part of the mountain man flintlock era up through the early cartridge era.

I would like to invite any THR pards interested to participate in this production, via the submittal of any of your own diy hd videos demonstrating the proper handling, loading, and any relevant shooting tips for the black powder weapons of your choice.
I anticipate excerpts for the following weapons:
1. Flintrock and caplock kentucky/hawken rifles, shotguns, and pistols
2. Colt Paterson revolver
3. Colt Whitneyville-Walker revolving pistol
4. Colt "Dragoon" revolvers
5. Colt 1851 Navy
6. Colt 1860 Army
7. Various Confederate revolvers
8. Remington 1863 New Model Army
9. Remington 1866 revolving carbine
10. Various US/CSA issued muskets, rifles, and carbines from the Mexican War through the Battle of the Little Big Horn
11. Lever action rifles including 1860 Henry and 1866, 1873 Winchesters.
12. Colt SAA

There are a lot of great bp ml and cartridge weapons I want to include and I have access to only a few example repros thus this request for your assistance.

This is an unpaid gig, but if your video is chosen for inclusion in the web series, you will get a real IMDB credit as an associate producer and assistant director for the segment you film, and a thanks on the project title page.

Feel free to PM me if you are interested at all in the project and the weapon you would like to film/demonstate. I would like to keep each segment to about 15 minutes each, since there are so many interesting weapons to cover, even ones I did not list.

I can also be reached directly, via the email contact info listed on my own IMDB page in my signature below.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Don't forget a good single shot horse pistol! I'd be glad to contribute with that.

 

[J-Bar]

Are demonstrations of reproductions eligible? I do not own a Colt 1851 but I do have a Uberti 1851. Good enough?

 

[midland man]

and I have a Remington 1858 44c would that help!

 

[elhombreconnonombre]

Single shot horse pistol replicas or safe-to-shoot originals from before, during, or after the Mexican War are great and reproductions of any bp arms are definitely exceptable.
It would be great if participating pards could shoot and describe their selected arms of choice in period garb.
Once we have determined which pards will be demonstrating which arms, I will provide a basic skeletal script to fit a general time frame which each participating pard can modify as it suits them.
I have done enough film work to know that getting folks interested in doing film work is difficult enough, much less for something this ambitious without pay, that if I dont get enough participation I may have to scrap the idea entirely, or severely limit the number of arms demonstrated and shoot the arms I currently own myself.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Might I suggest a basic script to keep the videos consistant and of the same time? Such as:

1. Introduction of member
2. Introduction of firearm
3. Description/history of firearm
4. Loading firearm
5. Shooting firearm
6. Summary and ending

Or something along those line? Maybe keep the videos at a certain time limit? I think that would make for a really great video archive. But of course it's your project, just a suggestion!!

PS: Also, I think some members here won't have period correct clothing. You should decide weather or not this is a disqualfier. If not, count me down for the single-shot military horse pistol (M1805 Harpers Ferry .54 smoothbore percussion conversion, pre-Mexican War to early Civil War era).

 

[elhombreconnonombre]

Cooldill, great suggestion, exactly what I had in mind for the scripting format, perhaps referring to each participant's own references on their particular choice of arms and/or wikipedia for history of the arm, etc.
The period garb is an optional idea. I was just thinking about widening the request to my other CAS pards over on the CAS City forum, including those in The American Plainsmen Society and the Grand Army of the Frontier, who compete in character.

 

[J-Bar]

Give us a time target, and I'm in for an attempt on the 1851.

 

[elhombreconnonombre]

This is basically a year long project. Since this is at a rather embryonic point right now with a rather large scope and lots to cover, I hope to be wrapped by the end of 2016. That depends on the response/participation of course.

So thus far, we have:

Cooldill- military smoothbore horse pistol

J-Bar- 1851 Colt

midland man- Remington New Model Army (referred to generally as 1858 given the patent date, but actually more accurately an 1863, I believe)

 

[J-Bar]

I mean, how long do you want the video to run?

 

[Panzerschwein]

This is such a great idea! Having a video reference for all these guns in one place should be awesome.

Once you finalize the video script, I should have my part done in a month or two if not less.

 

[stoky]

IMO, you need a Greener 10ga SxS coach gun in there.

 

[stoky]

p.s. & a Whitworth rifle

 

[4v50 Gary]

Neat idea. I'm not tech savvy (always have to get help just to change names on images of pictures that I download) but I wish well for all contributors.

 

[elhombreconnonombre]

j-bar
I'm thinking around 10-15 minutes per episode/gun. I can edit any raw video submitted to include additional stills from pics in museums and public domain images.

stoky I have heard that Pedersoli may be bringing out a Whitworth rifle. I gave reached out to them for assistance. I am also going to contact the youtube black powder fellow in Hungary to see if he wants to participate as he has access to reproduction bp arms we will never see here.

 

[CraigC]

I thought all firearms of the Old West ran on blackpowder?

 

[Ephraim Kibbey]

elhombreconnonombre's title is "Black Powder WEAPONS of the Old West." Non BP weapons of the Old West include Bows and Arrows and Tomahawks and War Clubs and Bowie Knives and Swords and Sabers!!!

 

[1KPerDay]

You should contact Mike Beliveau and just see if you can use his videos.

 

[PainlessWolf]

Good morning,
If Colonel Lemat does not come forward to do it, I can do a short segment on the LeMat once Spring has returned to the Rockies. It will take 10 minutes just to load it properly, leaving the cylinder on the gun...also the shotgun barrel using the wadding instead of cards. *chuckles*
regards!

 

[elhombreconnonombre]

I am indeed considering contacting Mike and "cap and ball", and perhaps other youtubers to see if they would like to contribute to the effort.

Also, "Guns of the Old West", I believe is already copyrighted and our bp weapons (except for weapons for which cartridges are currently made are not necessarily firearms or guns anyway per federal regs and most state regs, correct? ;-)

 

[Kaeto]

1861 Springfield Rifle-Musket?

 

[elhombreconnonombre]

Kaeto

Great idea.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

What about Colt Baby Dragoon\1849\Wells Fargo, Colt Pocket Navy & Police and Rogers & Spencer? Also since going up to 1876 what about all the cartridge conversions of percussion guns? This alone makes for a great many more guns. Add in the S&W revolvers, smaller manufactures like Hopkins & Allen, the pepperboxes and the host of British revolvers like Custer's Webley not to mention the BP cartridge rifles like the Remington Rolling Block, Springfield Trapdoor, Dreyse\Mauser needle gun, Snider and Chassepot rifles before 1876 and you have a pool of guns numbering in the hundreds in your time frame. Good luck on your endeavor. I have a few guns that I could contribute but due to physical and speech problems I would not be a good candidate to narrate a clip. However if someone local wanted to do one on one of my guns I would be happy to do that.

 

[elhombreconnonombre]

GG, yep!
Indeed, those were not specifically ignored and it makes for a nearly unsurmountable and long series that even "duelist1954" and "capandandball" have touched on to a degree.