What do you put in your possibles bag?

[bones92]

Well, by now it's pretty clear I'm a green-horn when it comes to this genre of firearms enthusiasm, so I might as well start asking the questions that have been rolling around the brain housing group for a while.

What is supposed to go in a possibles bag?    And why are so many of these bags so... small?    

I have one such bag, which came as part of a deal in obtaining an original percussion rifle.   The bag is modern, and it measures about 8" wide and deep.   It seems when I have taken it to the field, it feels stuffed with ...well, STUFF!    So either I need a bigger bag, or I'm putting way too much into the one I have.

I suspect the first step might be to acquire a leather pouch for lead balls, and keep those out of the possibles bag.   And a strap for hanging the flask around my neck would probably help.

I just got my bottles of Lehigh Valley Lube, so I can probably leave the tube of Bore Butter at home, and just find a small dispenser to keep an ounce of LVL with me, just in case.  

Also, I know a lot of guys bring a shooting box along (kept in the car, perhaps) with extra tools and supplies.  I have been kicking around the idea of finding a fishing tackle box just for my muzzleloading supplies.  Seems an easy way to organize materials, parts, patches, tools, etc, for carrying to the range.

[smokinbuck]

Bones,
You raise a couple of questions; Are you talking about a bag to take hunting or a bag for use at the range? They will be cats of a different color as to what you want in them. A range box may be a better choice until you become more accustomed to what you need. A hunting bag does not have to be big or hold the kitchen sink. Spend some time at it and ask questions of those you are shooting with before you decide.
.Mark

[EricEwing]

This may be jumping ahead a little...but the contemporary maker's blog has a great series of posts titled "What's In Your Bag". Enjoy!

http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/search?q=what%27s+in+your+bag

[alyce-james]

Good afternoon Bones; Sir, I would like to add, something for you to take into consideration. I use (4) four different long guns in a given year. Each long gun has its own personality, there fore a different owners bag for each long gun. Stuff, in each bag will very. The fun will begin when you start to outfit each long gun bag. Some bags will be smaller than others. Have a great experience. AJ.  

[T.C.Albert]

Not to split hairs, but technically isn't a possibles bag different than your hunting pouch?
Separate bags altogether, the possibles bag typically containing
everything possible "except" what you needed for loading your gun...
that stuff is in the hunting bag or shot pouch?
At least that's the way I was taught...
not to say its right or wrong.

Whats in my hunting bag?
Round Balls, cap tin (or flints), patching, nipple wrench or
screwdriver, small grease/tallow tin, jag and ball puller unless they
are in the patch box...that's about it...it will all fit in a pretty
small hunting pouch.
tca

[LRB]

  I believe TC nailed it. A shot bag need not be larger than what is necessary to carry the necessities to shoot, clean, and maintain the gun. Maybe a small compass depending on where you might be wandering. A possibles bag, which I  believe was a Mt. man term, carries the other small items that may be needed, while historically, a haversack carries your food. Also, bear in mind that most hunters out for more than a day, were on horseback and could carry more stuff.

[James Rogers]

Ditto TC and LRB. I also believe the reason they were historically called shot bags and were small is due to the fact that shot/ball was their main content. A possible carry over from the small pouch on the bandolier.

[Topknot]

bones92,Its pretty confusing sometimes isnt it? The shooting bag or the one you take with you hunting can hold every thing that you need to hunt with for the day or more. Just depends on how much shooting you do while hunting. Its usually  the 7 x 8 inch size or could be 8 x9 inch and so on. The better ones have 2 or 3 smaller pockets on the inside to help keep things organized a bit.WHATyou carry in the shooting bag is balls, patching material, patch lube, NIPPLE WRENCH IF USING PERCUSSION, caps , picks, and brushes, and any small tools that will keep youf fifle functioning in the feild. Small bottle of oil and cleaning patches also. Im sure that I probably missed some items that others carry. Your powder is carried in yor horn so make sure you dont forget it. You can also get a ball bag to carry roundballs in....ect,ect,ect

                                               topknot

[longcruise]

Mine is strictly a shooting bag, anything else goes in a day pack or even pockets.  Just depends on how far the jaunt will be.

What's in the bag?

balls, just loose in the bottom

nipple wrench loose in the bottom

a lost patch puller loose in the bottom

A container of caps (would be a spare flint for a flinter) to augment the capper around my neck

a short starter loose in the bag

some precut wiping patches in one side of a small inner pocket

a strip of ball patch material in the other side of the small pocket grease lubed for hunting or ready for spit for trail walks and firing lines

a spare jag

And, that's it.  I know it seems like a lot of stuff "loose in the bag", but it all finds its place and it does not take long to get accustomed to it.

Powder, of course is in the horn, leather capper and measure on lanyard around my neck, one of my bags has a patch knife on the strap but others do not but any easily reached sheath knife works fine.

[bones92]

You have all given me a good basis for approaching the subject.  I think the suggestion of having a few bags to draw upon is also a good idea.  I do think I may get smaller pouches for lead ball, so I can grab whichever size I need for the particular rifle.  I have been looking at possibles bags online, and I keep thinking that I'd like one with more pouches and options than what I typically see.   But then, the whole point is to not put everything into the bag, but only what one needs for shooting when afield.

[Virginiarifleman]

I to have a bag for each rifle. and they usually carry the same items except round ball for my different calibers and flints for different locks. at the range a lot of folks use shooting boxes. but i use my hunting bag to stay in practice be it hunting or target shooting. in my bags i keep ball,patches,flints, patch lube in a tin, and a forged screw driver. my powder measure and pick hang from the strap. this is just how it works for me. everyone is different.

[whitebear]

Think through what you have and try to decide what you will need.  Make a list of what you put into your bag, remember what you used when you were out shooting or make a note of what you used.  Keep everything in the bag for 2 or 3 trips out shooting
after the third trip check the two list and see what you use and what doesn't get used.  Take out things that haven't been used.  You may find that you need something that you don't have in the bag, or you may use something only once while you made the 2 or 3 trips.  If you used it at all I would keep it in the bag if not no sense in toting extra weight. This is what I did and it worked for me and I started out with a 12 X12 inch bag!

[wattlebuster]

I have a bag and horn for each flintlock be it a rifle or smoothbore. That way when I grab whatever gun to hunt with it has all thats needed to keep that gun going while hunting. I try to keep it light with just enough stuff to change a flint if need be an enough ball/shot for the task at hand. I hunt close to home so not much is required. If I was to take a trip then that is a different ballgame as in taking more powder ball/shot flints and tools plus parts for a dreaded lock breakdown and if a long trip then even a backup gun would go with me

[okieboy]

 In your day/hunting pouch you may also want a protein bar or too.

[Luke MacGillie]

Ruxton described his possibles bag as a "wallet of dressed buffalo skin" and said that it carried ammunition, a few pounds of tobacco and deerskins for making moccasins so obviously this is more of a large market wallet/saddlebag and not a shoulder bag. 

[Daryl]

When I hunted with my 14 bore rifle, I carried a capper - disk of leather with caps around it's perifery attached to the possibles bag stap, but stuffed in a top-coat pocket.
I also carried 5 or 6 paper ctgs. in a side pocket of my parka. 
The P. Bag had a loading block with 4 lubricated patched balls,
-spare tin of caps,
-small leather pouch containing a patch worm,
-ball puller screw,
-jag and spare nipple or nipples & nipple wrench
-screw driver that fit all the stock's screws with a threaded end to fit the rod or short starter,
-a short shaft tooth brush used for cleaning around the fence and nipple when cleaning the rifle,
-a few spare patches and flanellette.
on the strap or in the bag is my short starter which is not needed except for loading patched balls - ctgs. can be started with the end of the ram rod, choked up on - the way Dan starts all his loads. A strong, short heavy push would start the paper ctg. patched ball into the rifling, then down she goes.
also on the strap in it's pouch, a patch knife.