My 1840s Plains Rifle & 1853-4 Gear

[tsalagidave]

I like to do the impression of a Southern Californian (ca. 1852-57). I carry a full-stocked .54 custom rifle with a green apple finish and a GR Douglas heavy barrel. She's a whore to carry (I could use the exercise.), but she handles a 110gr load of FFg with a 530gr ball like a dream in either benched or free-standing shots.

I alternate between using my eastern woodlands pattern hunting bag and a mid-19th c. "haversack" style shooters bag. both of which carry a load of crap as the picture attests. However, it carries just fine.


-Dave

Attachments:

[tsalagidave]

For a better view, I attached a more detailed shot of the contents of my bag. It includes:

• Rifle flask
  
• Pistol flask
  
• Capper
  
• Tin of spare caps
  
• Rifle bullet bag
  
• Sack of pistol balls and patches
  
• Bag of tools oil and cleaning implements
  
• Wadding
  
• Tinderbox
  
• Compass
  
• Small bag of meal
  
• Binoculars
  
• Matchsafe/Pocket watch (in pockets)
  
  -Dave
  
  
  -Dave

Attachments:

[jameshunt]

Nice stuff Dave, I think the 1850's with a Plains rifle and dragoon pistol is greatly under represented, unfortunate because it is a fascinating period of transition between the era of the western fur trade and western cowboy culture. Plenty of history there. Way to go!

[buckskin billy]

great stuff. i'm building me a personna of the same time period as well.
i got two questions about your gear.
where did you find you binoculars at? i have been looking for some but what i find are brass.
your gun belt i noticed it is forked. i like that style. is that common for the time period of the 1850's? i would love to know more about that style belt

[tsalagidave]

The binoculars are original. They were usually made from brass and then japanned as mine are. The double-tongue belt is a common worker's pattern that was widely made in the style that I have from the 1840s to the 1870s. They were very common in the 1850s and I come across them in period photographs from time to time. There is a photo of one op page 110 of Ken Burns' book The West. It is not that well written but has some great photos to reference.

Another good choice is a two-piece clasp buckle. There are tons of photos through the 1850-1860s era to support this. Hanover Brass makes the best ones. There is a great example dug in a California gold camp on page 4 hanoverbrass.com/MoreBucklesP4.htm. Others can be found on page 7 hanoverbrass.com/BucklesPg7.htm and page 11 hanoverbrass.com/Buckles11.htm .

-Dave

[malpaso]

I have been looking for my pair of Binoculars like that pair for over a month now, somewhere in my loft, also i do have two of the Buckles that are on the CW belt buckles link page 7 you gave TG 1832 Infantry and artillery. going to dig them out now

[buckskin billy]

thanks for the link. i have it saved. found a couple of buckles that i have been looking for

[malpaso]

Finally gave up on the binoculars maybe i sold them off at some stage in the past.but found the buckles ok.

[jameshunt]

Ha, ha Malpaso, that's a good one. At our age we don't know what we got, what we sold, and what we just flat out left laying around and lost. Been down this road!!!

[brass]

T.D. That looks like a fine half horse/half alligator Paul Chen/Hanwei Forge 'Historic Bowies Collection' side knife. If so I know it is a premium repop of one of the Sheffield originals. Enjoy the bejesus out of that thing, they h'aint too easy to find nowadays.

Brass

[patriot]

Nice stuff .I like the coffin bowie ,I have a custom one a freind made after the patern from the blacksmith shop at Old Washington ,Ark. where James Blacks shop was ofcorse the story goes there was two knives made one coffin handle and the other the common patern most folks call (Bowie) the story goes bowie ordered one I think the coffin handle and Black made the other the same size and Bowie bought both ,least thats what they say at the shop there .The coffin handle has a different shaped blade than most you see Ill try to get Billy to post a picture of mine .

[patriot]

Actually there is a picture of it on Piles of iron (center page)

[tsalagidave]

Thanks Patriot, it is a Hanwei. Generally, I prefer antique or custom blades but the quality of this repop is so good that I could not pass it up and it has the perfect look for the impression that I do. You are right though, these things are not easy to find. Hanwei makes great kitchen knives and the quality of this Bowie is excellent for a commercially made factory blade.

The only problem with Hanwei is that their marketing of this product line was terrible. They were trying to sell it with the modern knife affictionados and compete with the lower-priced providers such as Legendary Arms and Atlanta Cutlery who make real good products for reenactors/enthusiasts at a much more accessable price. The key demographic ("hard-core" living historians willing to pay a premium for a good blade) is just too small of a niche for a mainstream manufacturer. Something like this would have been more profitable an item for a small but skilled manufacturer like Swamp Fox or Nick Sekila whose sole demographic is dedicated living historians.(Sorry, guess what I do for a living)

Always good to speak with a fellow knife man.

-Dave

[buckskin billy]

dave,
you are in company with fellow knife men. me and patriot both have a pile of blades and patriot is a dern fine practicing blade smith.
i'll try and make time to post some of my knives this weekend

[brass]

T.D. - Indeed, the Hanwei Forge story is sad in that the blades might have been better marketed to the crowd that appreciates such things. They are indeed top notch commercial knives.

I regret not getting the two I'm missing from their first (and only) run. Makes one wonder what their second run of new knives was going to have been.

Brass