Loading from the Bag

[Smokey Plainsman]

Loaded my Ohio rifle from the bag for the first time today. Worked great:



The bag is by T. C. Albert and I am using period everything, powder measure, etc. to load. Awesome. Loved it, and nice to get the gun off the sterile range bench and into the field. The ramrod I made with period tapered tip and tow worm performed very nicely. Gun shot great.

Thanks all!

-Smokey

[flinchrocket]

Your all ready for a woods walk.

[longcruise]

Congratulations!  That is the traditional way of doing it, IMO.

I know folks who have been shooting for years with their stuff all spread out on the bench and when they hunt they reduce everything to preloaded plastic tubes, etc.  Not criticizing them but feel like they are missing an essential skill.

[steven baker]

Thats what I call a real " game getter" .Love your set up, Steven.

[JPK]

What! Are you saying that these things can be operated without a pick up bed to load from. My club I shoot with doesn抰 think so although I shot from the pouch each month.

[Ugly Old Guy]

Only way I've ever loaded. 

[OldMtnMan]

Good deal Smokey. Are you cutting at the muzzle too?

[B.Habermehl]

Loaded my Ohio rifle from the bag for the first time today. Worked great:



The bag is by T. C. Albert and I am using period everything, powder measure, etc. to load. Awesome. Loved it, and nice to get the gun off the sterile range bench and into the field. The ramrod I made with period tapered tip and tow worm performed very nicely. Gun shot great.

Thanks all!

Good to see another shooter. Divorcing the tackle box. At our club we have a super neat woods walk. Shooting from the bag is a necessity. For hunting with my rifle, I抳e taken shooting from the bag a half a step further. I leave my horn home and keep paper cartridges of powder in my bag along with my loading block and starter. Enjoy your new freedom from the box. BJH

-Smokey

[Daryl]

Loaded my Ohio rifle from the bag for the first time today. Worked great:



The bag is by T. C. Albert and I am using period everything, powder measure, etc. to load. Awesome. Loved it, and nice to get the gun off the sterile range bench and into the field. The ramrod I made with period tapered tip and tow worm performed very nicely. Gun shot great.

Thanks all!

-Smokey

Smokey - your 'kit' is how we all shoot the trail, whether locally, or at Rendezvous BC at the big 10 day rendezvous.

That's a nice looking rifle, btw. I like the straight comb and sweep of the belly.

[Smokey Plainsman]

Good deal Smokey. Are you cutting at the muzzle too?

Yes I like to cut at the muzzle, I enjoy it and can抰 ever seem to get a pre cut patch centered.

[OldMtnMan]

Good deal Smokey. Are you cutting at the muzzle too?

Yes I like to cut at the muzzle, I enjoy it and can抰 ever seem to get a pre cut patch centered.

I can't either. I'll use a loading board for hunting but that's just cutting at the board instead of the muzzle.

[hanshi]

I shoot from the bag when hunting, roaming the woods and spending time in the bush.  I don't do it every time but I do it a lot.  I have 4 shooting bags for various tasks. 

[kudu]

good looking setup. This is one of the shoots I been doing for the Last Two Months!

we have a shootin match/ League,  for Smooth bore, Flintlock  only that is cumulative six weeks with five scores being kept .

The big thing is you must carry all your shooting stuff for the woods walk/trail. INCLUDING a Hawk, and Throwing Knife. Firestarting kit (char cloth, striker Fine Tow) and enough shot for 4 Clay Birds.

AND be in Period Dress (except for shoes/footware).

TWO  falls Only of the Hammer on Clangers.

ONE fall of the Hammer at the Clay Bird's  (unless it is Thrower Malfunction)

Its not really that Big of a deal just a extra pouch or two and a good heavy Belt for your Hawk and Knife. Mine is a "Belt with a Cross Suspender Thingy"

The shoot really keeps the tailgate shooters and "bench box Boys" out until they find out How much Fun we Are having!!  Then they start askin what stuff do I need for this ?
 
And remember Be at "Full cock" with a sharp Flint,  Before you say PULL!!!

[Dphariss]

I doubt that since the mid-60s I have fired over 100 rounds not loaded from the bag. Its just habit.  I used to load partly off the bench at the plank rest matches in Cody WY but thats about it. Shooting at the range with benches I might lay the priming horn on the bench some times.

Dan

[Daryl]

Same here. When at the range, I might lay out the box(s) of patches and some balls or measure on the table, along with the primer but I usually have bag and horn
on my side.  This is when testing loads. Otherwise if just shooting, all loading is from the bag and horn.

[borderdogs]

Nice setup Smokey.

I like shooting from a bag and I have a bag for each caliber I shoot .32, .50, and .58. Actually I have two .50's but the same bag works for both rifles. I usually shoot off my deck so I use the picnic table and a chair so I can layout everything to shoot targets. But if I walk the woods I carry a bag I use to use the same capper but finally bought a capper for each bag and it hangs off the strap. The .50 and .58 bag are the same bag with an attached buff powder horn. I havent hung the starter but was thing of putting a pocket on the strap to hold it.

I think you have to go afield to work out your bag system.
Rob

[Daryl]

I usually have the powder charger (measure) attached to the horn's strap do it is always within reach.  Too, if attached at it's base,
it is always pointing down and will not collect rain or snow.
Most of these are made from ctg. cases with the extractor grooves and rims turned off % with screw eyes soldered into the flash holes.
The larger ones of 125gr., 140gr. measures (top row right side) are made from brass tubing bought at a hobby store, with .015" wall. I used wooden plugs in the end
with a drilled hole across through the wooden plug, with thong/string through the hole.  The plug is also glued in with CA.
A powder scale was used to weighting what each measure 'throws' so they could be marked.
LeValleyTools sells a phone-sized digital scale that measures in grains, grams, tare, etc, for $20.00, in case you do not have a powder scale.

[OldMtnMan]

I sure wouldn't need that 140gr one. Ouch!

[Daryl]

This shot is 140gr. 2F, when we were shooting the 200yard postal match.
1st is aiming, second is on firing. The gun was not quite at the peak of travel.

[Mike from OK]

With all the guns I've bought lately and having to develop loads for them it's going to be a while before I can load strictly from a bag.

It's a good problem to have I guess.

Mike

[T*O*F]

The ultimate test:

I once attended a situational woodswalk with the following station.  All loading is done from the bag and only the leader of the party carries a loaded gun for safety reasons.  One man (not the leader) is randomly selected from your party.  It's the dark of night and he hears hostiles moving in.  He is to load his gun in less than 60 seconds and is blindfolded.  Once loaded, he is told the hostiles have passed on and he has 60 seconds to pull his load.

This scenario requires that you know exactly where everything is in your bag and readily accessible.

[MuskratMike]

Blindfolded with a loaded gun? What possibly could go wrong here?

[OldMtnMan]

I have never ever pulled a load. It's so much easier to squeeze the trigger or wait until I could.

[Smokey Plainsman]

Why would you pull the load, and give yourself just 60 seconds to do it, ever in real life, even in a historical context?

[Bob McBride]

Reminds me of Boot Camp in the Marine Corps where we disassembled, cleaned, oiled, and reassembled an ____ blindfolded hundred of times in a day. Once we got into the Fleet we did the same task in the shower at our leisure. It's less about real world than it is about the tactile experience of being able to access what you need to do a task, in the future, with your attention elsewhere, where it may need to be. Probably an ol' Marine Gunny running that outfit....