buffalo hunters cartridge belt

[Tascosa Joe]

I would guess 25 or 30 Buffalo per day would be average.  There are records of over 100 buffalo from on stand.  119 keeps coming to mind but I am not at home so I do not have access to any of my books.   Another place it talks about 2 or 3 rounds per critter.  Therefore we are talking 50 to 90 rounds a day.  My 50-70 is a 12# rifle and about 20 rounds is my limit.  The old guys were tougher than me.  Maybe the flinch is why it took 2-3 rounds per buffalo.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Joe et al,

I figure that 20-25 rounds is comparable  carrying a hog leg on your hip ... much more that that and my bum knee starts telling me that it is not fun anymore .... plus I have a Green River butcher knife that will be in an indian style sheath on the left side ...

TTFN,

[Ranch 13]

Wadd most of the surviving buffler runners belts hold an average of 40 rounds.

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[WaddWatsonEllis]

Ranch 13,

Thanks! ... let's see, I have ten loops finished and it took about 7 1/2" .... got 25" more to go for loops ... yep, about 40 loops ...

Then Big T is sending me the Green River butcher knife  whose sheath will go over the loops on the right side ... should be pretty good ...

TTFN,

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Chuck,

Those are beautiful rosettes .... want to stamp them on the tongue and chape of my belt?

How much would it run?

TTFN,

[ChuckBurrows]

Skip - they're made up of just three or four common Craftool stamps so I can tell you how-to at not cost - give me a call and I can run you through the process more thoroughly than I posted above.
Otherwise if you want to send them to me all I'd charge is for the postage....

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

Here is the belt as it stands now .... decided to only do Thirty loops on the belt all my back and legs can stand!

The next step is to get the chape and tongue back from Chuck Burrows (who is putting the rosettes on),

Then take it and have the whole belt lined in suede ... not only should it keep the belt from sliding off, it will cover up my loop stitching.

The knives are going to get a couple of Indian style sheaths ... as if the buffalo hunter might have started small and added butchers when he could afford to pay them ... Big T GAVE me the small knife when he was doing the grips on the larger Green River ... and the plan is to have both on the sides of the belt in the sheathes ...

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,


IT had been so long since my last post that I thought I should update things ....

I finally got done with the loops ... it holds about 30 shells ... about the weight of a '51 Colt and holster ....

I sent the chape and tongue off to Chuck Burrows and am waiting for a return.

Chuck said that the tongue was cracked from the walnut stain so he is making me a new tongue!

After that a backing of suede is to be sewn on and Voila! ... a new cartridge belt!

TTFN,

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

Hi

What a great thread!

This is getting my juices going to get my own cartridge belt done ....

This is going to be my own creation based loosely on Tom Sellecks in 'Quigly Down Under' and this antique belt:



I also liked this belt bag from October Country at 4 X 6 inches and somewhat gusseted, the bag could either hold a bunch of caps and black powder stuff (or all that anachronistic stuff one feels naked without ... like one's wallet, cell phone, etc.)

I am going to wear it on my cartridge belt (I had one made wide enough for a buffalo cartridge belt ... no extra charge ... who'd a thunk it?)

http://www.octobercountry.com/products/OC-Courier-Belt-Bag.html#

I found this while doing an internet search for Will Ghomleys hosters.
The belt is made by Mario Hannel. He moved a couple years ago to CA.
The pic is on an off an auction site and sold for $300.00. Poor fool......

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

Also I can highly commend Chucks DVD.

[James Hunt]

Billy: Late to the fire but...., really nice work on the belt!

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Even later to the fire,

I am so sorry for the delays ... it is kind of an on-again, off-again project on my part (read when I have extra money).
I have everything done (almost) The guy who put on my tongue & chapes ('forgot' to put on the suede lining) and since it is tooo big for me without the suede, the weight of the 28 .45-70 cartridges & belt pulls it right off my hips.

I was given a Green River-like knife (7" Butcher blade) that so matches my other Green River That I am having Big T make some  bone grips and 'antique' the new blade to look as old as the smaller knife .... Enclosed is a pic of the newer knife as it stands now ... the blade is just to clean to be a buffalo hunters....

[Gabriel Law]

Here's a pic of the kid and his Business Rifle from last summer.  The cartridge belt is for 50 2.1" (50 Alaskan).  It's given great service for around 30 years.

[Roscoe Coles]

What a coincidence, this is the very rifle case I was looking for better pictures of in another post.  Can anyone point me t the auction where this was sold?

C

and here's the whole outfit

[Skeeter Lewis]

I've seen that repro buffalo hunter's belt posted before. I can't remember the maker but I'd guess Mario Hanel.

[Bruce W Sims]

I ran into a posting on a thread on another forum that stated that hunters could drop a ball into the chamber
and chase it with a charge of powder, close the breech and shoot. For myself I had never heard of this
having read that the breech was designed to nip off the end of the paper cartridge as it closed. Would it
have been advisable or even possible to charge a buffalo rifle this way? Has anyone else run across this?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Coal Creek Griff]

I ran into a posting on a thread on another forum that stated that hunters could drop a ball into the chamber
and chase it with a charge of powder, close the breech and shoot. For myself I had never heard of this
having read that the breech was designed to nip off the end of the paper productscartridge as it closed. Would it
have been advisable or even possible to charge a buffalo rifle this way? Has anyone else run across this?

Bruce:

I was waiting for someone who knew what he was talking about to answer this, but no one has.  Therefore, you're stuck with me and I only think I know.

My understanding is that "paper cutter" type percussion Sharps can be loaded either with paper cartridges, where the breach block nips off the end of the cartridge, or a bullet and lose powder as you described.  I've never fired one, but I believe that, after putting in the bullet, you would need to fill the chamber with powder.  The closing breach block would then push the excess powder away and the chamber would be full.  The gun could then be capped and fired.

Of course that does not apply to rifles designed or modified to shoot metalic cartridges.

Again, I only think I'm right--I don't really know any of the above.

CC Griff

[Bruce W Sims]

Sounds pretty much like what I read. I just never heard of loading a piece that way.

Thanks again.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Trailrider]

I suppose it could be done in an emergency. The danger would be if some powder got down into the action and was ignited by blowback from the chamber. The Conant gas check, which is part of the breechblock face, would work...unless it was badly fouled or corroded. If I were trying the loose powder and bullet, I would certainly want to be wearing eye protection, and maybe even some type of shield for my face! The likelihood would be if you ran out of paper cartridges, you would probably not have any loose bullets and powder anyway.  As good as the Sharps percussion guns seemed to be (at Gettysburg on the first day), if I could get my hands on a Fifth Model Burnside and at least a gas check, if not the conical cartridges, that would be my choice!

[Bruce W Sims]

Finished a book on Jim Baker the Indian Scout.

Seems in 1865 he went to a shoot and borrowed some US Army officer's new-fangled
carbine with a revolving set of barrels (think of an over-sized "pepperbox"). Apparently the thing
blew-up in Jim's face disfiguring his face and taking his R thumb. There is a pick of him
posing with the POS and his thumb is clearly no longer with us. There is also an event with a
Henry rifle a while later, Goes a long way towards explaining the number of pics of Baker with a beard
for years after the experience.

BTW: The book also has a pick of his "favorite" rifle which is later identified as a SHARPS but
doesn't look like any SHARPS I've seen. I should post a pic and see if anyone recognizes it.

Best Wishes,

Bruce