Trade Guns and Gun Worms

[Notchy Bob]

There was recently a lengthy discussion on this forum about "coil worms," meaning tow worms or gunworms made from wire in the shape of a tapered coil spring.  I don't know how common they might have been among the general shooting population, but they were certainly offered in trade to the native people of North America.

I ran across a few pictures that might be of interest.  This is a J. Hollis & Son flintlock Northwest Gun, item#20/1459 in the collection of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI):



I don't know if the gun is still functional or not, but it might be.  It was collected by an artist named De Cost Smith from the Stoney (Mountain Assiniboine) people some time between 1886 and 1900.  The object of interest in this discussion, however, is the rod. 

At first glance, you might say this is a ramrod, separate from the gun because of the musket's broken forend and the absence of thimbles or ramrod pipes.  However, I think we are probably looking at a rod made "in the country."  I think its diameter is probably too large to be carried under the gunbarrel, even if the forend and thimbles were intact.  It is also not particularly straight.  It may have been used for loading the gun, but I think it also served as a cleaning rod.

Here is a detail photo:



This rod still has its worm in place!  You can see how the end of the rod was tapered to match the taper of the coil worm.  Furthermore, if you go back to the first picture and look at the other end of the rod, you can see that it has been carved into the shape of a jag, for holding a patch.  So, this rod may have been used for loading, but it was almost certainly used for cleaning, and its owner could have used a patch or a wad of tow, or he could have used the worm to retrieve a lost patch if one came off the jag.  This rod is a very economical and efficient cleaning tool.

If you're still with me, here is one more picture:



This is a portrait by Karl Bodmer (who should need no introduction here) of an Assiniboine man named Pasesick-Kaskutau generally translated as "Nothing But Gunpowder."  There is a lot that can be said about this picture, but that rod he's holding in his left hand looks a lot like the one in the photographs... The upper end of the rod appears to have a tuft of something wound around it, possibly around a coil worm, and I have convinced myself that the lower end has been carved in the form of a jag.

So many times, we hear people say, "If only that old gun could talk!"  Well, this one is speaking to us.  The gun, with supporting information in the painting, is telling us how it was used and cleaned.

Thanks for reading!

Notchy Bob

[WadePatton]

Very good then.  I suppose I could wind something up that looks better than stainless steel. 

[rich pierce]

A coil worm is cheaply made and seems very likely to be included with trade guns. Saves making an iron tip ramrod end and a threaded tow worm. Both of those would add cost.

[bob in the woods]

Those coiled wire worms are well documented up here in Canada as being a common trade item with both HBC and the NW Company.  I've used one, and have not had a problem with it coming off the rod.

[smylee grouch]

Interesting , and thanks for the research and sharing.

[Brokennock]

Good post. Thanks for sharing. That rod in the 1st picture would also be too long to mount under the gun in the thimbles.

[Kevin]

Notchy Bob,

thanks for posting the images and sharing your observations.

Kevin

[Marcruger]

The man in the Bodmer painting appears to be carrying a bison horn by the color and proprtions. Interesting.  Considering the normal worms out there and their common designs, I’d think you would have to have a very plain gun for the wire wound version to be appropriate. Even the Appalachian mountain guns I’ve seen finer worms than wrapped wire. Trade guns indeed would seem to be market. Just thinking out loud.  God Bless, Marc

[Notchy Bob]

Thank you for your responses.

Brokennock is right... The rod in the photographs is way too long to fit under the barrel of the gun.  I had missed that.  Thanks for pointing it out!

If anybody is interested in seeing more photos or reading the museum accession card, here is a link to the NMAI webpage for these artifacts:  Flintlock Trade Musket

I also agree with Marcruger regarding the horn in the portrait of Pasesick-Kaskutau.  I'm sure it is a bison horn, and therefore made "in the country," rather than brought in by the traders.  I was also interested in the pouch that hangs at the man's side with the horn.  Look at how small it is, and how plain!  This man was outfitted for a winter hunt, with miles to go.  He wasn't going to carry anything that was not needed, but you can bet he knew what it took to keep his gun shooting.

Bodmer was able to paint with almost photographic realism, and he was actrually there, painting from life.  His images alone make excellent resources for students of fur-trade history.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob 

[al56]

Blown up it looks like there is a ramrod in the pipes on the tradegun shown on the bodmer painting.

[Notchy Bob]

Blown up it looks like there is a ramrod in the pipes on the tradegun shown on the bodmer painting.

Yep... I agree.  I think it was not uncommon on the western frontier for people to carry an extra rod with them.  I believe some of the old Miller paintings show white trappers carrying a spare rod in the bore of the rifle.  This would have been a good place to carry it, to keep it from breaking and also out of the way.  The other thing is that it is likely that people were shooting "looser" balls than we shoot now.  I think someone commented on this recently in another thread.  It is my understanding that the ball in a loaded rifle can "drift" up the bore, when that rifle is carried horizontally on horseback all day.  A rod carried in the bore would probably help keep the ball seated on the powder, and would allow a visual check to ensure the ball was still seated.  If not, a quick push on the rod before withdrawing it would put the ball back into its place.  However, the Assiniboine man in the painting carries his extra rod in his hand instead.

Many period references (Uncle Dick Wooton, for example, and I believe John Palliser) stated that the Indians always preferred to shoot from a rest when possible.  A wiping stick could be used as a monopod, and there are old photographs of Indians using rods for this purpose even into the cartridge era.   Yellowstone Kelly reported encountering a party of Sioux people who were using "crossed gunsticks" as shooting rests, and we infer from this that these fellows had extra rods with them.  There is a photo of Geronimo holding two wooden rods in his hand with his Springfield trapdoor carbine, and I believe it is likely that he used these as shooting sticks.

Thank you for your comment.  There is a lot to see in that painting.

Notchy Bob