Cap Horn Making?

[Smokey Plainsman]

Anyone ever make a cap horn? In one of my books I read about small horn tips being made to carry percussion caps, like a tiny powder horn but with caps in it. Seems nifty and I might like one. Anyone else ever heard of them?

-Smokey

[Frank Barker]

Cap horn's are very common in Appalachia. They were small horns 3" to 5" long usually with a pine plug that was sometimes held in with very small nails, a sliver of wood or maybe thorns from a honey locust or Hawthorn tree. They may have started out as a priming horn and when they changed from flintlock's to percussion, the horn was re-purposed. Throughout the years I have found several in antique stores, museum's and personal collections. They were never fancy, usually having a flare near the spout and some with a small eye screw in the butt plug.
Kind Regards
Frank Barker

[bigsmoke]

I made and sold them up to maybe 20 years or so ago.  I didn't figure they sold enough to warrant catalog space.
Basically, they were just a plain priming horn, maybe a tad bit smaller.  I have a couple in my collection of original ones.  In the next couple of days I will try to take a photo of them.  IIRC, these come from Tennessee.
John

[Smokey Plainsman]

I made and sold them up to maybe 20 years or so ago.  I didn't figure they sold enough to warrant catalog space.
Basically, they were just a plain priming horn, maybe a tad bit smaller.  I have a couple in my collection of original ones.  In the next couple of days I will try to take a photo of them.  IIRC, these come from Tennessee.
John

Frank, I would LOVE to see them. They seem very cool and neat.

[bigsmoke]

OK, here are three original (or at least pretty old horns) that I have.  Two I would consider cap horns and one is a priming horn.  Top two being cap horns.




The difference I can see between them is that the priming horn has a much smaller orifice.


John (Bigsmoke)