Early Virginia Shot Pouch Back to Top

Most of the shot pouches made these days are relatively complicated affairs using designs from the early to middle 19th century. If you want a bag that is proper for the mid to late 18th century, take a close look at this bag.

There are very few examples of shot pouches from the 18th century.  So, I was fortunate to be able to study an original early Virginia pouch that matches the size and construction of another published (Clash of Empires exhibition catalog, p. 30) pouch known to date to the period of the French and Indian War.  The original early Virginia bag was documented by Wallace Gusler in the December 2009 Muzzle Blasts(pp. 4-8).

The original pouch is square at the bottom (although the corners look rounded due to use) and stitched up the sides with a very fine stitch very close to the edge. A divider that is open at the bottom serves as a welt between the front and the back of the bag. A pewter flap button is anchored to a stag horn button on the inside of the pouch. The stag horn button was covered by a round piece of leather that served to prevent the user's hand from catching on the button. The flap has a slight beaver tail shape and has a welted edge.

The original bag did not have a strap attached and was missing part of the leather at one attachment point. However, there was evidence of a strap stitched to one side and a button hole on the other side. Wallace Gusler indicated in his article that he believed two linked buttons connected the strap to the bag using the button hole.

I have made a number of pouches based on this original. I have generally maintained the size and shape but varied the construction and the type of strap. The original pouch actually appears to have rounded corners due to wear, and I made several copies that way before I realized that it was an optical illusion. Even in a very close copy, I still rounded the corners slightly in order to give the bag a finished look.

I created my copy of the original using  3-4oz vegetable tanned cowhide which I stained using vinegar and iron.  The original is approximately 7.25" square and this bag is about 7" square. Just like the original, this pouch has a center divider as the welt and stitched up the sides. I rolled and hemmed the edge of the flap instead of using a welted edge because of the thicker leather that I use. I did use a stag horn button as an attachment for a pewter flap button and sewed a leather cover over the stag horn button exactly like the original.

As for the strap, I used same arrangement as the original with seasonal adjustment facilitated by two linked pewter buttons on one side.

This strap is about 60" long and can be shortened as much as you like by punching/cutting new holes for the buttons

This bag is stamped with stars using a handmade stamp that matches the original.

A vent pick and brush are included, suspended by handmade iron jack chain. The vent pick is a made of music wire with three flats ground on the end to assist in scraping the vent hole.

All my recreated pouches are well broken-in and aged so that they look like they have been used.  This includes lots of wrinkles, a few cracks, and a little dirt and oil.

You might think that this bag is too small at seven inches by six inches.  I can assure you that it is not.   Period documentation indicates that most longhunters carried hunting pouches of this size.  They would just carry what they needed to shoot the gun. This generally meant a bullet mould, some bullets, patches, tow, and a wiper. A powder horn and powder measure with a vent pick and brush were generally hung from the strap. 

In my bag, I keep some tow, a strip of pre-lubricated pillow ticking, five balls, two flints wrapped in leather, and a turn screw of some sort.  This bag is plenty big for that. I hang a pan brush, vent pick, and powder measure from the pouch strap.    I carry a power horn on a separate strap, and I hang a small knife around my neck in a neck sheath.    This is certainly all you need for a day of hunting and more than you need to carry to the line when shooting at the range.

Price: $140 (plus shipping) as shown below. Sold

Please e-mail me at melliott@valongrifles.com if you are interested.

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Southern Heart Shaped Shot Pouch & Horn Back to Top

This bag was copied from pages 18-19 of Jim Webb's Sketches of Hunting Pouches, Powder Horns, and Accoutrements of Southern Appalachia. I made the bag exactly as shown, 7.5" high x 7.5" wide, using 3-4oz vegetable tanned cowhide and linen thread. The bag consists of a one piece back and flap with a front panel attached via a 1" gusset that goes around the entire bag and attaches to the strap. The bag is assembled such that the flesh sides are stitched together without a welt, and the bag is not turned. This results in the gusset folding inward. It is an unusual arrangement, but that is how the original was constructed. I used an iron buckle on the strap to allow for seasonal adjustment. The leather was stained with vinegar and iron. The strap is about 53" and can be shortened as much as you would like just by punching new holes for the buckle.

The horn is a simple affair made to match the pouch. It is hand scraped and filed with a flat pine butt plug attached with pegs. An iron staple holds a knotted natural linen cord to the butt plug. A hand carved walnut stopper finishes the horn. The horn and butt plug are stained and aged with aqua fortis and finished in a coat of oil and wax. The horn is suspended with linen cords that can be adjusted just by moving he knots. The horn is 11 1/4" around the outside curve including the stopper with a butt plug about 2 3/4" in diameter .

The handmade horsehair brush, iron wire ventpick, and cow tip powder measure (about 60 grains) are suspended from handmade iron jack chain.

All my recreated pouches are well broken-in and aged so that they look like they have been used.  This includes lots of wrinkles and puckers, a few cracks, and a little dirt and oil.

Price: $195 (plus shipping) Sold Pending Funds

Please e-mail me at melliott@valongrifles.com if you are interested.

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Virginia Screw Tip HornBack to Top

This is a typical Virginia screw tip horn with a single center heat applied band. Both the tip and the band are horn. The hand tunred butt plug is maple. A hand forged steel staple is set in the butt plug and another hand forged steel staple is set in the throat to retain a strap. The butt plug is secured using four wood pegs. The hand turned stopper is walnut. This horn was filed and scraped in the traditional manner and stained using aqua fortis. The tip and band were dyed to match the butt plug.

The horn is about 13 1/2" around the outside curve including the stopper with a butt plug about 2 1/4" in diameter. This is a left hand carry horn but the curve is very slight so that it can also be carried on the right.

I am a member of the Honourable Company of Horners and per their code of ethics, each horn is marked on the bottom with my touch mark and the year of manufacture along with a serial number on some horns.

Price: $165 (plus shipping) Sold

Please e-mail me at melliott@valongrifles.com if you are interested.

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Plain Southern Mountain HornBack to Top

This is a typical southern mountain horn. It has a plain flat pine butt plug with a simple carved throat. Wood pins secure the butt plug. A steel staple in the butt plug allow you to suspend the horn using a simple knotted cord. Another cord can be tied around the throat. The stopper is hand turned from walnut. The horn and butt plug is colored using aqua fortis..

The horn was hand filed and scraped using period tools and techniques.

The horn is about 10 3/4" around the outside curve including the stopper with a butt plug about 2 1/2" in diameter. This is a left hand carry horn.

I am a member of the Honourable Company of Horners and per their code of ethics, each horn is marked on the bottom with my touch mark and the year of manufacture along with a serial number on some horns.

Price: $45 (plus shipping)

Please e-mail me at melliott@valongrifles.com if you are interested.

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This page was last updated on 6/12/10 ,