All righty then. Today I received the musket balls I had ordered from Track of the Wolf. There are 75 rounds, not 50, as I had thought. A good starting point. From this point forward I will scrounge lead and cast my own since I have a nice replica brass bag mold as well.

I have a good natural brown leather cartridge box; these have a wooden block drilled with holes for the paper cartridges. I am debating a bit of decoration, perhaps in the form of a good six pointed Ranger star....it may not be Tolkien, but a Ranger I am regardless of time and the star is a very good symbol.

The knife and belt axe sheaths are going to be completed today. I'll probably also cut a piece of red wool for the shooting bag and get that going.

I really need to do more work on the Ranger knapsack (which was used along with the haversack in many cases), and I need to get some green casein paint on the wooden canteen.

Dubbin for the shoe-packs, of course, and decide whether to line the leggings or not before sewing them up.

I need to wear my kit more; it is new and looks it. The only way to get that used look is to use it. A lot. Hard. Get it out in the weather, hike in it, camp, hunt. Guess I will provide something of a spectacle for folk in the area for a good long while. By the way, the old tactic of washing things multiple times does not work so well..and takes a great many more washings than one might think. Better to actually wear the stuff.

This year will see some seriously interesting hunting given I will be doing most of it in Colonial kit.

A good canoe and I could hunt the river in some places.

I am seriously considering moving North, into one of the other New England states. Vermont would do, but New Hampshire would be better as it has far more sanity in its laws. 'Live Free or Die' appeals to me, after all.

Pics of projects to come.

Siani

 

There's a photo of my new Ranger Brown Bess musket. She's a fine reproduction of an original on display at the Valley Forge museum. Over four feet long, this was the only way to get a good full length photo; lying on a piece of buckskin on the living area floor.

Soon there will be a cartridge box to go along with her, since I aim to use mostly paper cartridges for ease of use and carry. I will, however, still have the powder horn and patches..and I have a good brass bag mold inbound.

The Ranger Knapsack used by Robert Rogers and his folks is under construction. The entire Colonial Ranger outfit is nearly complete. 

I have a round wood canteen...considering getting a metal kidney style, probably in stainless steel for ease of care.

 

This is the Fort at No. 4, the only picture and view I could get of it the day I picked up my musket. I will be visiting it off and on over the year so better pictures will be coming. They have a lot of activities there, including blacksmithing weekends and contra dancing. 

The fort played a huge role in the French & Indian War and the smaller, undeclared wars that led up to it. Robert Rogers operated out of this fort for a time. The 1940s movie 'Northwest Passage' dealt with this fort and Robert Rogers. 

The actual fort site is in fact where the center of Charlestown New Hampshire is now...this reproduction was moved to this point, hard by the Connecticut River. I have not been inside yet, but I have seen photographs. I really look forward to visiting. I am told that if I bring a good white canvas tent I can even sleep over in the grounds, if I agree to do some chores around the fort. I shall be looking into that for certain.

Things are moving along nicely n ow, aye.