Horn Carry Side

[Nordnecker]

Hmm…Interresting. I am right handed and right eye dominant. I carry my hunting pouch on my right side, strap over my left shoulder. My horn hangs from the same strap but there's just enough,maybe 10", of strap on the horn, too. It seems natural for me to hold the gun with my left hand and dig in my pouch or pour powder with my right hand.
Conversely, as a carpenter, I wear my nail pouch on the left side and dig into it with my left hand. I keep my hammer on the right. Either one, the other way around would seem completely bassackwards.

[skillman]

Thank God we don't all want the same women, booze, or food. Different ways of doing almost everything.

Steve

[Horner75]

OK!... I carry my Flat Horn in my pouch and I'm comfortable on wearing the pouch on either side!

Rick

[Daryl]

Both carried on the right side with a separate horn strap, right handed, right eyed. If I want to shoot 2F in them, I can easily grab a horn with 2F in it instead of the normal 3F I use for the .40 and .45.  If attached to the strap, I'd have to dump the powder and re-fill.

[skillman]

Gotta admit Rick. You got me there.   

Steve

[J Henry]

 Makes little difference has been my experience  after awhile it will be in the way either side HA HA HA 

[Mike R]

When I started MLing back in the 70s, I carried the pouch on right side and horn on left [I am right handed].  Thought it more convenient for loading and the horn was out of the way of the rifle when carrying it AND out of the way when shooting of any sparks that might fly towards a carelessly unplugged horn---THEN I was told by the PC historical folks that I was doing it all wrong and the horn should be carried high under the right arm....took me awhile to get used to that....but God forbid I offend any PC person in camp

[T.C.Albert]

Okay...Im still confused ...so with this horn, first what side of the cow did it likely come off of, the "cows" left or right...? And then what side would you likely want to carry it on?
Thanks,
tca

[teakmtn]

Mr. Albert, To me it looks like the horn came off the left side of the cow and assuming the rings with the strap attachments don't swivel around the horn, I'd venture to say it is designed for left side carry.

Doug T.

[Horner75]

That particular horn came off the left side of the cow and was worn on the right side as a powder horn.  The front ring/band rotates freely around the throat.

[WadePatton]

I thought i knew the answer, went for confirmation...

got cornfused! 

[Squirrel pizza]

im right handed and shoot from my right shoulder. i tried carrying my horn and bag so that it would hang on my left side. the biggest reason in my mind was what if some crazey freek spark from my flash pan somehow end up flying over the side,and with uncanny accuracy land in the spout of my powder horn, witch has been known to be left unplugged between shots on occasion while feverishly fighting off marauding hoards of squirrels. for a couple of reasons i changed back to right side carry. one being all my left hand,(or stupid hand) had to do was hold the powder measure still, or hold the muzzle still. my right hand,(smart hand) had to do the things that require dexterity. pouring powder into measure and tapping that last little bit without spilling everywhere, pouring into rifle without spilling. mostly things that involve not spilling. and as has been mentioned, not having a strap on my shooting shoulder. since ive figured out the squirrels arent shooting back, or at least not yet, i take the time to plug my powder horn between reloads.

[hanshi]

Thank God we don't all want the same women, booze, or food. Different ways of doing almost everything.
Steve

Hmmm, not so sure.  Anyway, speaking for myself, food only has to be palatable, the booze legal and the women the same species as I am.


Okay, now that all the serious stuff is taken care of, back to brass tacks.  I'm right eyed and right handed; but I have killed deer shooting lefty - me, not them - but right side is my comfort zone.  I don't like slings on longrifles; muskets/smoothbores scream for one, however.  Due to physical infirmities I have to frequently switch hands carrying the rifle.  Ever since the '60s I've carried horn & bag low on the right side.  It seems to never have occurred to me that that was why it swung wildly, hanging up on twigs & stuff.  Fairly recently I've begun wearing the bag higher (I still plan to shorten the straps even further) so as to secure it better.  There are three bags and two of them have horns attached so no decision on horn placement is needed.  So far the bag/horn has habitually been worn right side, the shooting side.  Finally realizing this arrangement caused fumbles, left side carry may be the answer.  With right side carry pouring from the horn feels natural; but then I have to go and transfer the measure from my left hand to the right.  By left carry the measure is already in the right hand.  Sounds better.

Therefore, I scientifically deduced that this is correct carry (for me).  The third bag and third horn are on separate straps and will be dealt with later.  Just saying.

The PC agents can sometimes be real clowns.  Who are they to say which carry is historically correct?  Our ancestors carried their bags/horns as they pleased; same as us.  Personal choice of an entire population cannot be documented.  Some of these clowns are full of s___ themselves.  Have a nice day.   

[Jerry V Lape]

So far the major considerations determining where the horn is carried are: 1  safest from flash,  2  convenience/manual dexterity when loading,  3 personal peculiarities.  I want to add my personal peculiarity to the 3d item.   I reasoned that being right handed that when hunting I carry my gun most of the time cradled in the crook of my left arm so as to be easiest to bring the gun into action.  With the left hand and arm engage in carrying the rifle, having the bag and horn on separate straps on the right where they can be controlled with the free right hand and arm going through brush works for me.  Also I often don't carry a horn at all when hunting, using pre-measured charges or a flat horn carried in the bag.   

[Standing Bear]

Right handed shooter, each bag has a horn attached and all contain FFg and are carried on the right side.  Due to a couple of old injuries on the left side, I just do more with the right and the left holds stuff for the right.  I slide the bag behind my right rib cage until needed then rotate it for easy access.  Don't know how someone figures a spark is gonna get around my body when the touch hole is pointed AWAY.  I am sure SOMEONE in the 1600s-1800s had a sling on their rifle and carried horn and pouch on the right side.

Yep, just to clarify, FFg in all - .40, .50 and .54.  The little .32 that has not yet been given to my grandson shot FFg when his dad was shooting it, revolvers, flint pistol, shotguns and all get FFg.  AND I have a sling on my half stock .54 flinter.  AND I use 4F in the pan.  SOMEONE did.

I agree with Hanshi, some folks just get too carried away with what they like, want others to follow suit and use their conception HC or PC to support that position.

[jamesthomas]

Robby and Taylor, I am just the opposite, I am left eyed and right handed but thanks to Uncle Sam I learned how to shoot from either shoulder. Granted I do shoot better from the left side but it sure was awkward until I got the hang of it.
Ron

 I am right handed and left eye strong myself, I am unable to shoot right handed because of my double curve scoliosis makes it impossible to shoulder a rifle.  Plus because of a dog bite near my left eye I am unable to close it without closing my right eye also.

[tddeangelo]

Another lefty with a right-dominant eye here. I have gone away from production rifles only in the last year with my new custom gun, and in doing so, delved into hunting with a bag and horn. I used a hand-me-down horn (right side, but carried it both just to see what it was like), and grabbed the cheapest bag I could find at Dixon's for the first season, with the logic that I'd hunt a season to see what I liked/didn't like and go from there.

Worked for the bag, and I got a double bag made by Eric Fleischer for this upcoming season that I love. Still flumoxed by what I want to do with the horn. Guess I'll have to shoot and shoot and shoot some more at the range and see what I come up with....

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Right hand and left eye dominant until U.S.Army.  I shoot rt handed flintlocks and carry my bag on the right and horn on the left....because I can hold the powder measure steadier in my right hand and pour from the horn easily from the left hand...... tried it the other way cause I wanted the horn attached to the bag strap.... but      I couldn't hold the measure steady in the left hand while pouring with the right.....  And I needed the dexterity of my right hand to find balls and patches etc. in the bag..... Its complicated  

[Dan Fruth]

I have a copy of Art DeCamp's book "Pennsylvania Horns of the Trade" and it shows many many right side carry horns, regardless if the horns were left or right horns. Guess most of our early bretheren were right handed!.....Dan

[whitebear]

As the guy said after his divorce "We agreed to disagree".

[Down South]

I'm right handed.  Shoot that way.  Carry my bag on the right.  I like my horn tied to the bag.  I like my bag high on the right side so I can puh it back behind my right shoulder when moving around.  The swamp down here is thick.  The high carry keeps every thing from getting tangled in the thick.  Some folks say Southerners always carried on the left side.  But, original bags iI have seen are rigged for the right side pretty much as often as for the left.

[patiodadio]

I am right handed and carry my horn on the right side with its own strap.