Fowlers shooting bag

[Dave K]

After getting a good start reading the new Muzzle Blast and T.C. Albert's shooting bags, I came around to thinking about bags used by those shooting fowlers and also SxS flinters. Is there any known shooting bags from these guns. If so, do we know what they carried for their shooting accouterments? It seems as if original rifle shooting bags are not uncommon. Yet, I don't think I ever seen a fowlers or SxS flint shotgunners shooting bag. I would love to have something to add to my my smoothbores. Is there any thing to view or study?

Nice work T.C. Albert!

[dannybb55]

Look for British portraits from the 18th-19th century. Often the nobles had their hunting gear on. It's a start.

[Feltwad]

A shooting bag came in different  types ,the early ones of the flintlock period were mostly of a type of sail cloth . They were an average size of nine inches to a foot square with a shoulder strap for the powder and shot flask plus the tow wadding and carried on the left side of the body On the right side of the body was the game bag which average 18 inches by 15 inches also made out sail cloth and with a shoulder strap ,there was also a pouch of approx 6x9 inches and carried on belt around the waist.Later on in the percussion and breech loading period they were made from leather and became known has a cartridge bag and a game bag.When driven game shooting became popular in the percussion period and known has battue shooting then each shooter would have one or two loaders who would carry the bags etc,
Feltwad

[Macon Due]

WOW!

[Dave K]

Good info. Is there a place where pictures could be seen?

[James Rogers]

Good info. Is there a place where pictures could be seen?

Ditto
I would would also be appreciative of any sources for the documentation.
My research so far has not lead me to such specific and universal conclusions, at least for 18th century.

[Kermit]

Feltwad, you mention straps, but don't say what the material was. Were those, too, fabric, or were they leather? Or?

[Feltwad]

Kermit
Most shoulder straps were leather or cloth and leather mixed  To fasten them to the bag  was by a  brass or metal ring which was secured to  either side of the bag about 3 to 4 inches from the top  the strap then passed through the ring and  returned to a brass buckle on the strap ,the part of the strap that passed through the buckle had holes punched about a inch apart so the bag could be lifted or lowered to suit the shooter or loader. On some of the cloth straps a leather sleeve of about 6 inches long by 3 inches wide  which could be moved along the strap  and situated on the shoulder were used this stopped the strap from digging in to the shoulder, most straps in both cloth and leather were 2 inches wide.In the percussion era and late flintlock some shooters did not use a shooting bag  the powder flask and tow wadding were carried in the large pocket of their Velvet tailed coats and the shot flask which most had a ring in the bottom through which passed a leather shoulder strap.there was also a shoulder shot belt  this was favoured by the loaders at a driven drive
The best place for pictures of these bags etc is  mostly prints some which come in sets of four showing diverent types of shooting , old trade labels of the period are also a help and not forgetting old shooting books .
Feltwad