Deerskin rifle bag.

[Forty Rod]

I'm thinking maybe I got my deerskin too thin...2 1/2 - 3 ounce.  Seems like the sights will cut right through it.  Should I look for something heavier?

I'll go ahead and finish this one, but may have to use it as a learning project.

[Kid Terico]

Chuck your first reply was very informitive. I learned a lot from the post.KT

[Mogorilla]

Hey 40-rod, I doubled the thickness on my tip (if you follow the Link in Chuck's first reply, mine is in there).   The tip was where I put the bead strip.   I made one for a friend and did a tip that had red wool with a leather over that that had cutouts to show the wool.   Unfortunately I did  not have a camera at the time.  Essentially if you look at my original pic, instead of beads, it was leather and red wool.    His was thin deer skin, mine was elk, so his I put a rosette of wool and leather at the rear sight/hammer area.   That was a couple of years ago and he would have told me if it had a hole.  the "rosette" at the rear was more oval to encompass the area (it was a henry just like mine), I did cutouts on the leather so the wool shown through, and had some pieces cut like fringe with beads and feathers attached. 

[Forty Rod]

I'll have to look at that idea.

I get so many good ideas and hints here I may have to hire a girl to come in a couple of times a week and do some filing.

Thanks to everyone.

[Daniel Nighteyes]

And here I thought I'd killed this thread...... - figured I'd come off like a know-it-all puke....

Actually, Chuck, that's more my job. In fact, I'm a  member of the KIAPA (Know-It-All Pukes of America).  My shop steward will be contacting you...

[Forty Rod]

Could I maybe line it with thin canvas or denim, and if so, how would I do it?  Glue it in or sew it...or both...or something else?

[GunClick Rick]

What if ya went to a thrift store and got a long leather belt for a quarter and stitched it in there.That's the problem i have with my blanket one,the sites hang up on the wool.Or what about that stuff tie downs are made of nylon belting..

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Rick;  That is a good idea.  Even some commercial guncases I have get torn by sights.

[Forty Rod]

Kind of a related topic: decoration on the bag.

I have a hundred or so each of some beads that I've heard called "melon beads", one string of red and yellow striped beads, an one of apple green and white stripes.  Four stripes of each color per bead.  These are about 3/16" diameter, much larger than the 10/0 beads that I have used before.  All of the others I've seen used here and elsewhere are solid colors 

I think they are spectacular-looking and I've had them for about 30 years trying to find a use for them. 

Are they authentic to the period, and what suggestions does anyone have for using them?

Thanks.

[GunClick Rick]

Sounds like nice beads,i put a few on the flap on mine but they aren't that nice.

[Forty Rod]

We-e-e-e-l, I got it together.  Got the fringe cut.

Nothing fancy, just an unlined thin deerskin sleeve with the fringe sewed into the bottom seam.  

Added some dark red crow beads to every third fringe.  Gonna use dark green, dark yellow, and dark red 8/0 beads to decorate the side of the sleeve in some basic geometric pattern and then dunk the whole shebang in some thick dark coffee and see what happens.

Have some conchos that may find a home on it, too.  Not quite convinced they belong there yet, but I'll see how they look before I commit to them.

Never know.  This thing may be presentable or I may have wasted  a bunch of deer hide.  Everything has a lesson in it, even my frequent disasters.

[Mogorilla]

looking forward to a pic!  This is one I did from scraps. 

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

  Very nice Mongo, you did a bang up job on this, and your gun is Awesome, thanks for the look see

           tEN wOLVES 

   Hey Forty, we'll be looking for that new creation of yours pard, sound like it's shaping up real well, can't wait to see it.

        Regards

      tEN wOLVES 

[Kid Terico]

Mongo, nice work and I really like that gun setup. KT

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Looking forward to seeing that, 40. The beads sound nice.

Nice work, Mo. Very cool with the beadwork. The shootin' iron is a fine piece, too.

[Gun Butcher]

  Forty Rod ,go for it. Like I said the other day,I got a whole box full of "shoulda worked " stuff and yer right I learned something from everyone.

Mo, great looking rig.

[JD Alan]

Great looking gun there Mongo, what is it?

[Mogorilla]

It is a pietta 1860 colt army (currently on sale at Cabela's for 189.99 a steal!)   The shoulder stock I picked from Dixie gunworks along with the synthetic ivory grip.   With the shoulder stock it is as accurate as my henry rifle at 50 yards and is point of aim at 50 after I opened up the hammer notch.   Thanks, for the compliments, the scraps were bought for less than $5 from a bin at a shoe maker supply.  The beaded circle cost me more than that.   

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Mogorilla,

Gorgeous weapon! With my klutziness I would be afraid to take it out of the case!

[Forty Rod]

Next question:  how long do I leave deerskin in coffee and do I need to "fix' it so it won't rub off?

I know I've seen this on the board, but can't find it.   Oh, well, off to buy coffee.