New Recruit asking for period help.

[Lord Eoin MacKenzie]

I was going thru the muster file and I need some help on what to attempt to be reenacting.
For sidearms I have 1851, 1860 colts,  SAA, 1895 Nagants, & 1911.  For Rifles I have 1893/5 Turkish Mausers, 98K and SMLE's.  
But I would like to be someone who could wear a Kilt for Mess Dress.  I have time to get ready since I Live in the Great North Wet, and won't be able to play until I retire to Iowa in a few years.   My alias is from the SCA, and also my CAS alias.   I am also a reenactor in the WCWA as part of a Naval Shore party artillery crew,  6 pounders are cool.
Please Help!!

[Drydock]

Welcome to the Mess.  Rattlesnake Jack is the man you want I believe.  I believe your 51 and SAA will be useful, but you may need a different longarm to go with a kilt.  A Snider, Martini-Henri or perhaps a Long Lee.  For simply playing our shooting game you appear to be well armed.  What CAS guns do you use?

[Niederlander]

I'd second the recommendation of talking with Jack.  He's been a great resource in my quest to become a Soldier of the Queen, as it were.  Welcome!

[RattlesnakeJack]

Good Evening, Lord Eoin!

Yes, seems I am the primary representative of the British Empire in GAF (.... although some members residing in the U.S. have begun moving in that direction for their impressions of late ....) and have definitely been known to wear a kilt for Mess Dress .... and also in the field -

 

As Drydock indicates, to just join in with GAF and have fun, any suitable firearms will fill the bill, since you can shoot with your cowboy action guns and duds in "Scout" category.  However, the trend in GAF military shooting categories really seems to be to match the firearms to the military impression as much as practicable .... both in terms of nationality and of era.  For A British Empire impression the ideal firearms, of course, are British .... the exact ones to shoot being dictated to a large degree by the particular era being portrayed.  For what it may be worth, for a Canadian military impression, although our rifles have pretty much always been the same as used by the British army,  U.S. built (or at least designed) handguns were the norm, at least for those issued to the ranks - 1851 Navy (London Model, mind you) from 1855;  Model 1878 Colt Double Action in 1885, Colt New Service in 1900, and so on.    Uniform, for the most part, is very similar to British - in fact my Mess Dress impression depicted above is a Major of the 5th Battalion of the Active Militia of Canada, circa 1890 - "The Royal Scots of Canada", now the "The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada".

Feel free to ask any specific questions .... either here on the forum or via PM to me ....

Yes, I've been "mentoring" Ned a mite of late in some Australian impressions he's been putting together, and believe I was also of some small assistance to "Guns Garrett" in putting together his 1st (King's) Dragoon Guards impression, circa 1880-81 (First Anglo-Boer War) -

[pony express]

Welcome to out group! One thing you can consider, you don't have to be the same persona all the time. I shoot a Lebel often, dressed in a French Foreign Legion Outfit, but don't have French dress outfit(yet), I wear US indian wars era blue wool for that. In a 2 day match, you could shoot different rifles, and wear different uniforms as long as it's the same category. I've switched between Krag and Lebel, another shooter last year shot Swiss 1889 one day, and a Krag the next.

Of the rifles you listed, only the Turk Mauser would be GAF main match legal, but you don't HAVE to portray a Turk to use one, you could be about anyone that used a small ring Mauser. an SMLE would be good for Expansion Era. Since the pistol isn't the main focus of our matches, you can match up an SAA with about anything.

If you want your impression to be British Empire, then as others have said, Rattlesnake Jack is the man to talk to, he can help with sources for uniforms and equipment.

[River City John]

Seems to me there were several State Militia units that were kilted.


RCJ

[Pitspitr]

I can't be of much help as your questions are outside my areas of knowledge, but just wanted to say "Welcome!"

[Lord Eoin MacKenzie]

Thanks for the encouragement.   I'll wait until AFTER the muster to ask specific questions so Y'all can get ready.  Bye then I'll be able to cruise the gunshow and see what is available. 
10 years ago I passed up a couple of 1895 Win in 30-40 for under $350 each.  That was in my pre SASS days when I built FAL's and AR's.

[Lord Eoin MacKenzie]

Drydock;  You asked me what I use for CAS shooting. 
1851/61 conversion in 38 colt/38 special.  a west german SAA clone in .357/38Spec. extra C&B revolvers 1861 & 1860.
Winc 1897 (1914), and a new Rossi 1892 in .44 Extra long Russian.  Also a 1911 modern for WB.
looking at the videos I could be a scout with the Gear I own now 

[Drydock]

Yep, you're set up to shoot Scout as is.  Your Small Ring Mauser and Nagant Revolver, as well as your SAA and Percussion guns, are all usable.  You could have shot Infantry class this Muster with just the Mauser and had a great time.  (I shot Infantry with a Krag this year) Or used the 1897 and the SAA as a Forager.

[Lord Eoin MacKenzie]

Are there Ospressy manuals covering the 1860 thru 1900 period for Europe?  America?  Spanish american war, Etc.   I do leather work and my wife does costuming.  With Pictures and patterns, we could do the outfitting correctly.   for mulitple personalities.

[Niederlander]

A lot of people would suspect most of us have multiple personalities.............

[Drydock]

This is one of my favorites for the Spanish American War, and at a good price: 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Uncle-Sams-Little-Wars-The-Spanish-American-War-Philippine-Insurrection/301227107921?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3D8020440489913140406%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D20131017132637%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D301227107921

Searching Ebay will bring up lots of Osprey and other books on the eras you are interested in.

[Drydock]

The Osprey site can help you find the book you're looking for:

http://www.ospreypublishing.com/men_at_arms/

[Delmonico]

A lot of people would suspect most of us have multiple personalities.............

I think I only have one.

[pony express]

I think I only have one.

And I'm pretty sure nobody else has one like it!

[Lord Eoin MacKenzie]

My wife Thanks Y'all for the Osprey link....She found the VIKING books for HER SCA costuming.    Maybe mine next month?

[Drydock]

Yah, yah, far shure . . .

[elhombreconnonombre]

Rattlesnake Jack aka GrantRCanada on The High Road BP Forum suggested I might have some fun shooting with you fellers. I don't shoot NCOWS or SASS right now, but really like the battle rifle centricity of the GAF.
If it is acceptable I am interested in shooting in the impression of a Texas Ranger in federalized service (US Army Dept of Texas) 1854-1858, using réplica Colt Walkers, Navys, Dragoons, and perhaps a Sharps percussion carbine. My research indicates the Sharps carbine was issued for military service on the Texas and New México frontier ad early as 1854. Also. there was reportedly a unit of volunteer mounted Rangers that served at the first battle of Bulls Run.

[Pitspitr]

Well, No Name
I tend to agree with Rattlesnake Jack on this one. In fact we usually have to have people who don't enjoy it checked for mental illness. 
Seriously though Welcome! Be sure to enlist on the GAF home page: http://www.grandarmyofthefrontier.org/ It's Free!