Horn types for nose caps

[HighUintas]

I was reading Acer's horn nose cap tutorial and I might want to try it. Looking into horns (I know nothing of horns), which type of horn would be most likely to be thick enough to use his method, cow or bison? I think I'd prefer cow because I don't think I'd like the jet black of the bison horn as a nose cap, but don't know how easy it would be to find a thick enough piece.

I didn't have any interest in going into the oil boiling/softening method. So if I can't find a piece suitable to use Acer's method, I probably will go with a pewter nose cap.

[foresterdj]

I am no expert and my opinions based on just 2 cow horn nose caps. One dark black one kind of cream colored. Of the two, I like the black one best. I do not have access to my pictures right now or I would attach examples.

[HighUintas]

I am no expert and my opinions based on just 2 cow horn nose caps. One dark black one kind of cream colored. Of the two, I like the black one best. I do not have access to my pictures right now or I would attach examples.

You bring up a good point. I also do not want cream colored, but one that is dark but not jet black. Maybe a grayish color and some light streaks would be ok.

[Jakob]

I'm using bison horn on my project. I'll try and grab a picture tomorrow.
I think I got the original horn pieces from Etsy. (Searched for solid bison horn).

I followed what Mike Miller did on the Jaeger Rifle DVD, which was carving/shaping it from a solid piece of horn and it worked well.
Tricky bit is that they'll have both inclusions and occlusions, so you wont really know what you got until you get close to the final shape. I had to scrap the first piece I tried, as I ran into a major occlusion.

[hawkeye]

Don't know it fit to your needs, but I did on 2 rifles a horn nosecap and used horn from african water buffalo
Hawkeye

[hawkeye]

Sorry , not african but asian buffalo

[Ted Kramer]

Here’s one I made from cow horn. Cut from the solid part of the horn near the tip. Hollowed it out roughly to the shape of a nose cap, then heated with a heat gun while forming it on the barrel. The heat even formed the octagon around the barrel. A little trimming and polishing and it was ready to install with a carefully peened copper rivet.

[flatsguide]

Like you,I followed Acers tutorial. To support the thin side walls of the wood I inserted a piece of soft pine. Between the soft pine and the stock wood are 3 or four sheets of news paper. I assembled them using white glue that will dissolve in water. After fitting the horn, Asian waterbuffalo, I chiseled out most of the pine and dissolved the glue with hot water and scraped the newsprint out. I think any Blackhorn would work or ebony, I believe traditionally horn was used.
Good luck,
Richard

[HighUintas]

Ted and Flatsguide, those are pretty slick looking. Nice work!

Two questions:

Ted, how much of the octagonal portion did you have cut before heat forming it to the barrel?

Flatsguide, what is the purpose of gluing paper between the pine block and barrel channel? Why not just put a little glue directly on the pine and channel since you have to scrape out the paper anyway?

[Ted Kramer]

HighUintas-

I just roughed out an undersized octagon. The barrel was 7/8” and I made the octagon, before heating, about 13/16” or a tad bigger. I heated it up until it was soft, then wearing welding gloves, gently pushed it onto the barrel until the octagon was formed to the flats. The octagon portion is about 1/4”-5/16” long and the rear part of the nose cap is maybe 5/64” thick.

The rear section was also formed with heat while on the barrel with a shim of wood the thickness of the web between the cap and barrel. A little heat and the sides were brought tight against the side flats. So, it’s shaped just like a metal cap, just bulkier.

For the final assembly onto the stock, I put a little epoxy under it in case there was a gap between the thin horn shell and the wood. I CAREFULLY added a copper rivet to be sure it stayed put.

You have to find the right horn. The one I used was pretty straight with a long solid section at the tip. I kept cutting the tip back to a point where the solid part was as wide or a bit wider than the rifle stock to allow for final shaping.

Sounds complicated but it really wasn’t. Hope this helps.

Good luck with yours.


Ted

[flatsguide]

Flatsguide, what is the purpose of gluing paper between the pine block and barrel channel? Why not just put a little glue directly on the pine and channel since you have to scrape out the paper anyway?
[/quote]
The soft pine chisels out easily and when the paper gets wet it turns to mush and rubs out easily too. I did not use any heat on my horn just filed it to fit and used epoxy to secure it.
Cheers Richard

[steven baker]

Just a thought has anybody tried a horn butt plate? I have always thought about it,take care Steven.

[j. pease]

Crazy Crow has amber horn rolls as well as black. Roland Cadle built a rifle with all horn mounts, butt plate, trigger guard, inlays, thimbles

[Long Ears]

Asian water buffalo horn. Much more dense than american buffalo or cow horn. Machines like a breeze. Bob

[bobw]

Custom horn buttplate in process.

[flatsguide]

Nice work Bob! What kind of horn and do you have a supplier ?
Cheers Richard

[bobw]

Nice work Bob! What kind of horn and do you have a supplier ?
Cheers Richard

Water Buffalo from Joe D. at ASSRA.

[HighUintas]

That looks good Bob!

I wonder if there is any original examples of English flintlocks or percussion guns with horn buttplate that is similar to steel plates with a return on the comb.