Need one of the bags discribed by the Penobscot Tribe,,,Glooskap,Magic Pouch,hundreds of beautiful girls, eager to overwhelm with love ,,anyone who releases them..

In the past I have made my shooting bags without buckles for simplicity. But I have found the buckle to be useful for a couple reasons. You can shorten up the strap to hang the bag over the horn on the saddle. You can hang your tin cup on the strap.

While we're on this subject, does anybody recommend a source for buckles? Either brass or hand forged styles appropriate for the rendezvous period.

I find that the 18th century use of button attachment to the corner of the bag, is the most forgiving. The bag hangs better and adjusts to the users position.

Pease

Just my two bits worth here, but buckles are pretty much the expected standard on well made hunting bags, and most old straps that I believe to be original to the old bags they are with do have buckles.

I think rings are mostly seen on German type shooting bags though "rarely" they are seen on some regular hunting bags, in fact I have one with a ring atachment in the shop for restorations right now, and it has just one ring. This is one of the very few ringed bags besides German dew claw bags Ive actually seen.

I think the button arrangements mentioned are interpratations, albiet very good and likely accurate ones of the Gussler bag, which I believe has no extant straps surviving...

Jim Webbs book has a good example of an old woven strap attached to a pretty early bag, its the bearded McGlemary pouch....

There are many ways to skin a cat, but basing your own pouch work on original examples is always a good idea.
tc

I can't help mentioning that "bag strap buckles" would be a good name for a rock band. Sorry.

Dick

Period correct rock band of course. "Introducing, on the spoons, Jed!"
Walk

I concur with Mr. T C Albert. I also question tge button fastening system on the "Gusler" bag as to the period the bag was created. Not that it is not useful and practical. But lends itself to being assumed a common method in an earlier era without more then hypothesis.

quote:

Originally posted by Dick:
I can't help mentioning that "bag strap buckles" would be a good name for a rock band. Sorry.

Dick

Lol! No apology needed, Dick!

I think rings on bag straps are not correct for the 18th Century, but are correct for the 19th.

I dont have this plan set,

http://therifleshoppe.com/cata...ns_pouch_drawing.htm

but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that it is for a pouch of this type....

Great point. The square rings and strap hook arrangement there allows for quick and easy strap attachment and adjustment...plus I wonder if it even allowed for the typical buff military leather straps to be made in one shop, and the pouch in another. It could then be assembled later when issued by the rifleman or by the armorer...just my thoughts on the military regulation style riflemans pouch...note also that its a double pouch, as were the riflemans pouches requested by Washington I believe...neat stuff...
thanks again for pointing this out.
tc

The pouch is supposed to have a buff leather devider, so the 2 shop idea would not work.....

Also the Square "Rings" only show up on that one example, the other 3 that I know of are brass rings.

Bradley,

If you are talking about belt buckles, you might want to contact Curt Lyles or Joe DeLaRonde. I'm sure there's others out there, but that's who I have chosen as far as hand-forged items.

Pare-

Lads - The folk at Wilde Weavery (Ed Wilde) have offered nice hand forged iron buckles in a variety of the smaller sizes - I have used them on shooting bags, powder horn straps, leather garters, and straps to contain my bedroll. Nicely made, but still "primitive" looking.

Not costly, either.

Check their website.

Col Boone

Thanks all for the recommendations for buckles. By the way I checked the Wilde Weavery website and it seems to be down?

I hope to start making a new bag soon. I will post some sketches when I get to that point.

As for the fur trade era, bags are seen on inventory lists coming from back East somewhere and the makers didn't know who or even what size person would end up wearing it. So I tend to think they were purposely made with buckles to allow for proper fit.

Pare-