Possible NWMP Uniform and Kit at 2020 … no, 2021 … no, 2022 National Muster

[Baltimore Ed]

RSJ, your thread has indeed spanned years so it must be a good one. Just reread it and thought that I'd mention a development in my NS. A fellow cas club member graciously gave me 25 pieces of C45S [Cowboy special] brass to play with. My initial plan was to use them in my short Trapper 1894 but I just resized 6 and tried them in my RNWMP NS Colt and they fit perfectly. I'll reload them today and try them but they should work just fine. Need 50 more. Photos soon.

[RattlesnakeJack]

Ed,

I have never tried the Cowboy Special case, even though all my cas guns are .45 Colt.  Might well have given it a try back at the very outset, when my rifle was a Trapper necessitating the dreaded "load one on the clock" .... But it didn't exist yet back then!

Mind you, it is my understanding you can use shorter cartridges with the more "modern" lever-action designs which incorporate a "stop" at the action end of the magazine tube to control cartridge feed.  My present three cas rifles (repro '66, repro and original '73) lack that feature, so overall cartridge length is critical: if they are too short, the round on the lifter lets the next round protrude past the mouth of the magazine tube, stopping the lifter from rising ... if too long, the bullet of the round on the lifter can protrude into the magazine tube and also prevent the lifter from rising.  In fact, I have learned that my .45 Colt cartridges, in addition to being within a narrow OAL range, must also have a firm factory crimp so bullets won't get shifted back in their cases under magazine spring pressure, recoil jostling and such.

[Baltimore Ed]

Guess I was lucky in buying it as my Stoeger 1873 that I used in my 1873 Centennial / Spanish contract carbine can run the shorter .45 Schofield [w/255 gr bullets] fine as the lifter will cam the next loaded round back into the magazine tube as it rises.

[smoke]

RattlesnakeJack....thanks for the update!  Looking forward to the pics of you in the complete kit.

I need to go back and re-read this thread especially the part where you dyed the jacket.

[RattlesnakeJack]

Smoke,

The first images I have posted about dyeing the jacket to a more suitable tone are the most recent ones.  At the time of my last "update" back in May I mentioned that I would be doing these further alterations and possibly dyeing the jacket if I got time before leaving for the Muster ... but of course the border didn't open then, so I've had lots of time to finally get this done ...

[RattlesnakeJack]

Well, time to resurrect this thread with an update ...

It is definitely looking like my second amendment to the original title (when I added "... no, 2022") is actually going to come to fruition!  Two fellow Canucks from right here in Medicine Hat, and I, are registered and finalizing our travel plans ...

The sole benefit of the hiatus of more than two years since I began this thread has at least afforded me plenty of time to tweak and fine-tune my uniforms and kit ... 

Recently, I finally got access to a copy of the premier reference "Uniforms of the Canadian Mounted Police" by Dr. James J. Boulton, which was published over 30 years ago, and is accordingly long out of print and very expensive to acquire if you can locate a copy for sale.  At almost 550 pages, it is the veritable "bible" on the subject, with the chapters covering the GAF time frame (1870s, 1880s, 1890s, and the first decade of the 1900s) occupying 202 pages of that number. (I know, because I have expended a great deal of time and effort to scan every single page covering those four decades, and converted them into PDF files for my ongoing reference!)

As a result of having access to this detailed further information, my fine-tuning continues!  One thing I was unaware of ... because it was not specifically mentioned in any of my other references, and I had not actually noticed that detail in any colour uniform depictions I had previously seen ... is that NWMP NCO rank insignia (chevrons, crowns, etc) were NOT worked on a red background as I had assumed ... in fact, the background was dark blue  ... and thus would contrast sharply with the red of the tunic material, rather than blending in.

As an example, here is an image I cropped from a colour photo of the Sergeant's insignia on a genuine NWMP tunic (very poor resolution and detail unfortunately when blown up this much) compared to the appearance of the red background insignia (posted a while back) which I had already sewn on my tunic (and also on my cotton duck fatigue jacket) ...



I was aware a dark blue background was the case with later RNWMP and RCMP rank insignia, but had always been of the mistaken impression that this blue background was only introduced in 1904 when the Force was granted the "Royal" designation.  That is certainly when the dark blue "facing colour" (i.e. contrasting shoulder straps, collars (or collar gorgets) and sometimes contrasting cuffs, depending on the type of garment), reserved for "Royal" regiments in the British Army, first appeared on Mounted Police uniforms. 

Anyway, this late revelation (coupled with my well-known obsession for correct detail) has introduced a new task for me ... I have removed the Sergeant's stripes and crown, with their red backgrounds, from both the dress tunic and fatigue jacket to which I had painstakingly sewn them ... and have now applied them to a correct blue background. Now I will trim them out and sew them back onto the two garments ...

[1961MJS]

Hi
I had trouble attaching pictures to the messages.  Therefore, here are the pictures I took of the International Contingent exercising with other NATO members....

I didn't get a picture of the Dress Uniform.

See ya Next Year.

[RattlesnakeJack]

Thanks, Mike!   

[Good Troy]

Here's a few from the banquet...

[Major 2]

 the word resplendent applies 

[RattlesnakeJack]

At the risk of being accused of "bold talk from a four-eyed fat man" from North of the Medicine Line, I will say that the 2½ year development process for these uniforms seems to have paid off, as I was awarded First Place in both the Enlisted Dress and Field Uniform categories ...



(That, or the General and his fellow uniform judges felt sorry for me ...    )

I also managed Second Place in the Black Powder Military Regular Repeating Rifle category (... although I'm unsure of the number of competitors in that category, so perhaps that is nothing to brag about ...)

[smoke]

Looking good RSJ.   You did a great job on this, really excellent work.  You deserve the win...congratulations!

Hands down this is one of my favorite threads in a long long time.

I need one of those field caps!!

[Snake Oil]

As good as the pictures look, it was way better in person!!  You did amazing work on those uniforms!!!  What an awesome experience to meet so many wonderful people at the Grand Muster!!  Can't wait for next year!!  Anxious to see the awesome uniforms next year!

[RattlesnakeJack]

I will say that the lack of "belt hooks" on the fatigue uniform jacket is overly evident in the sadly sagging Mills belt, being pulled down both by the wieght of the cartridges and the holstered pistol!

I'm already working on remedying that!  (So far as I can determine, the original jackets did not have such refinements (if only because the fatigue uniform would not normally be worn with any waist belt, but obviously ...when worn as field dress with a holstered revolver ... such hooks would be desirable.)

[LongWalker]

I'm still sorting/editing pics, but pulled this one for the thread. 

[RattlesnakeJack]

Thanks, LongWalker.  Hadn't seen one yet showing how my fatigue cap looked viewed from the side!

(Another photo showing how "un-slim" the rest of me looks when viewed from the side, however ...  )

[RattlesnakeJack]

This past weekend I attended an event in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan (where my sister lives, about 60 miles east of Medicine Hat) in my NWMP kit ...

I started out about 10:00am wearing the red wool tunic and whote helmet, but the day was fast heating up (got well into the 80's) so that only lasted about a half hour before I switched to the much cooler fatigue jacket.

Not sure anyone took any photos of me in the first half hour, but here's a couple from a bit later  ...

[Robert Swartz]

Thanks, LongWalker.  Hadn't seen one yet showing how my fatigue cap looked viewed from the side!

(Another photo showing how "un-slim" the rest of me looks when viewed from the side, however ...  )

.....that could have something to do with most of us being 25-30 or more years beyond the age of the characters we try to portray. Take heart, you're not alone in the boat...lol!

[trooper1127]

Howdy, all... Just found this sight a couple hours ago, and was captivated by this thread, being a longtime NWMP enthusiast myself (and a wee bit Canadian). Despite being well-versed in their history, I learned a LOT from RsJ's posts and pics... but after his pics of chevrons on April 2, 2022, not a single photo came through from anyone posting, only jpg attachment icons, that when you click on them, simply say File Not Found. So I guess I (and all other future members) will never know what RsJ's final impression looked like, but I'm sure it was amazing.  I went through many of the same tribulations building my own NWMP impression (I went with the Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee of 1897 look).  Including the "Modify a WPG ammo bandolier to look NWMP" project.  Here's a pic (hopefully it comes out), from a living history event called Old Ft MacArthur Days 2015... like many US events, it didn't survive the whole Covid debacle, and is now only a memory, albeit a happy one.

OK, need a URL to post a pic, can't just post it directly... so much for that.  Best to all,

Gil

[Major 2]

You can post from your files Use - "Click or drag files here to attach them."
However, they are size sensitive, and you may have to resize your files.

On the other matter, The Board had to move to a new server earlier this month.
Some features we took for granite, were not supported on this new sire.
in addition, pervious posted photos did not make the trip. 

Perhaps, Rattlesnake Jack will see this and repost his fine impressions