DougB
Member
I made several posts a few weeks ago and received some helpful information (thanks again) in helping me to prepare to participate in a Pioneer Handcart Trek our Church sponsored for the Mormon youth groups in our area. I thought some might be interested in how it turned out. It was hard, but fun and a great experience for the kids. We tried to get everyone to dress in something close to period-correct (1850s) clothing (though there were many small exceptions - like comfortable hiking boots).
I carried my .50 caliber Hawken-style replica (fairly authentic - not one of the really flashy ones). I also carried my Pietta 1860 Army revolver. I also brought along a Traditions Pennsylvania long rifle (flintlock). I didn't carry this, but let "Jim Bridger" use it for a presentation, and we shot it one day. While time didn't allow for everyone to shoot my guns, quite a few did, and most everyone watched. It was fun, and I think all enjoyed it.
Along the trail (three days pushing handcarts for at least several hours a day), we traded with indians (salt and a blanket for "buffalo" jerky), received letters to the kids from a Pony Express rider (written by parents in advance), met 1850's Mormon missionaries heading east, had a baby die on the trail (it was just a doll the kids had carried, but this turned out to be a surprisingly emotional experience - many watery eyes - I was shocked at the impact - well planned and acted out).
One morning the "Mormon Batallion" came and took all the young men off to fight in the "War with Mexico." The women, with a few of us old men, had to push the carts for the first mile or so that day (the girls in my group did fine). The Mormon Batallion was a real group of Mormon pioneers (around 600 if memory serves) who left their families on the plains and went to fight in the Mexican war. They made the longest march in U.S. military history - from the midwestern plains to San Diego, California. They were discharged from service there, and several came north and were involved in the initial gold discovey that started the California gold rush, before they headed east to join their families in Utah.
In camp, we played pioneer games (stick pulls, tug-of-war, etc.) and recuperated from the days walk. It was quite exhausting (expecially for an old guy like me), but was a great success.
This was my first time to carry black powder "in the field" (as opposed to the range, where I have all sorts of stuff spread out on the shooting bench). I planned what to carry pretty carefully, and all worked fine except for my cappers (see my other post on the subject). I used felt wads soaked in T/C bore butter between powder and bullet in the revolver - they worked well. I put them in a small plastic container and microwaved them to melt the bore butter so it soaked in well. I used a new Colt-style powder flask - the built-in measure made loading much easier.
I carried most of my gun stuff in a leather shoulder bag, but I also used an old-looking leather belt pouch that came with one of my 1948 Yugoslavian Mausers to carry most of the pistol stuff - it worked out quite well, and even though it may not have been authentic, it looked appropriate - dark, worn leather, and no snaps or modern-looking fasteners.
Other than some problems with the cappers, the only real problem I had was that one day I managed to load a ball in my revolver over an empty cylinder (that's what happens when I try to do something as complex as loading these revolvers quickly while on the trail and talking with a bunch of kids). Since there wasn't much time to work on getting it out, I just kept track of which cylinder wouldn't fire and kept it under the hammer for the rest of the trip. When I got home I screwed a long wood screw into the ball and pulled it out.
Doug
I carried my .50 caliber Hawken-style replica (fairly authentic - not one of the really flashy ones). I also carried my Pietta 1860 Army revolver. I also brought along a Traditions Pennsylvania long rifle (flintlock). I didn't carry this, but let "Jim Bridger" use it for a presentation, and we shot it one day. While time didn't allow for everyone to shoot my guns, quite a few did, and most everyone watched. It was fun, and I think all enjoyed it.
Along the trail (three days pushing handcarts for at least several hours a day), we traded with indians (salt and a blanket for "buffalo" jerky), received letters to the kids from a Pony Express rider (written by parents in advance), met 1850's Mormon missionaries heading east, had a baby die on the trail (it was just a doll the kids had carried, but this turned out to be a surprisingly emotional experience - many watery eyes - I was shocked at the impact - well planned and acted out).
One morning the "Mormon Batallion" came and took all the young men off to fight in the "War with Mexico." The women, with a few of us old men, had to push the carts for the first mile or so that day (the girls in my group did fine). The Mormon Batallion was a real group of Mormon pioneers (around 600 if memory serves) who left their families on the plains and went to fight in the Mexican war. They made the longest march in U.S. military history - from the midwestern plains to San Diego, California. They were discharged from service there, and several came north and were involved in the initial gold discovey that started the California gold rush, before they headed east to join their families in Utah.
In camp, we played pioneer games (stick pulls, tug-of-war, etc.) and recuperated from the days walk. It was quite exhausting (expecially for an old guy like me), but was a great success.
This was my first time to carry black powder "in the field" (as opposed to the range, where I have all sorts of stuff spread out on the shooting bench). I planned what to carry pretty carefully, and all worked fine except for my cappers (see my other post on the subject). I used felt wads soaked in T/C bore butter between powder and bullet in the revolver - they worked well. I put them in a small plastic container and microwaved them to melt the bore butter so it soaked in well. I used a new Colt-style powder flask - the built-in measure made loading much easier.
I carried most of my gun stuff in a leather shoulder bag, but I also used an old-looking leather belt pouch that came with one of my 1948 Yugoslavian Mausers to carry most of the pistol stuff - it worked out quite well, and even though it may not have been authentic, it looked appropriate - dark, worn leather, and no snaps or modern-looking fasteners.
Other than some problems with the cappers, the only real problem I had was that one day I managed to load a ball in my revolver over an empty cylinder (that's what happens when I try to do something as complex as loading these revolvers quickly while on the trail and talking with a bunch of kids). Since there wasn't much time to work on getting it out, I just kept track of which cylinder wouldn't fire and kept it under the hammer for the rest of the trip. When I got home I screwed a long wood screw into the ball and pulled it out.
Doug
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