Some good advice here. One thing to consider is not to pre-judge before you start a project.
There's a lot of mis-conception out there stating that, in order to look authentic, your project has to look worn. I always viewed that as inconsistent with the budget and needs of a woodsman running around in the 18th century where materials came dear. I could never imagine an aspiring rifleman walking into Beck or Dickerts or a Christians Spring shop and saying something like..." Oh yeah, make it look beat up. I'll pay extra for that...".
Center your project around function first. When I made this smoothbore for my grandchildren I built the bag around the use of cartridges, so cowhide was fine...
![](https://preview.ibb.co/cK3Woc/sRascal.jpg)
Sometimes all you need to do is buy leather at an event, where sutlers are running around carrying the discards from factories.
When making a bag out of deerskin, I always looked for imperfect hides, dyed them and cured the limp problem by lining them with heavy grade canvas.
![](https://preview.ibb.co/bMWj8c/schwanz.jpg)
The best bag I ever made, and the one that has gone everywhere with me, was one of the first, back in 1981. I was plain buffed suede, without factory shine. Over the years it developed a patina and taught me that, if you are thinking like an eighteenth century craftsman where materials came dear, your improvisation was just as valuable as your material selection.
![](https://preview.ibb.co/iaWXdc/smaryalice_new.jpg)
When you buy, look for integrity in the leather hide first. A good seconds product will go a long way in helping you hit the goal you are looking for and can visualize what you want before you whip out the tools and patterns.
Hope this helps,
Capgun