BEAVS BAG for 1/2 of a Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BEAVERMAN]

Here is some pics of a complete bag that I made for myself 10 or so years ago, wore it for only 1/2 of a day to the second TMA Pacific NW frolic, our old Canadian friend Nessy357, aka Bob Nesbitt had seen me wearing it and came up to me and asked how much for the bag? told him it wasnt for sale, he hounded me for 4 hours about buying the bag as is with both knives that I made and the horn powder measure, kept telling him no.... finally he approached me again and I told him a stupid high number so he would leave me alone,..Bob. " I'll be right back, left the range found an ATM and handed over the $, so I dumped the bag of my shooting stuff and handed it over, he put it on , said thanks and started heading back to his camp, Ladysmith ( my beautiful bride) comes walking buy as he 's leaving and points to my bag on his shoulder and looks at me like WTH?, I wave the wad of cash at her as she comes walking up, she grabs it out of my hand and stuffs it in her safe deposit box under her dress, and says cool you can make yourself another one right? since then I've made at least 100 bags for customers and store stock and to this day I'm still shooting out of an at least 20 year old October Country bag! whats that old saying about the cobblers kids with no shoes? Bob still has the bag I get to see it twice a year at the Pacific Long Rifles Rondy and the  Green River Mtn Men Rondy both is Sequim WA, Bob comes over on the ferry from Vancouver Island BC, The bag is made from oil tanned 8/9 oz buffalo both patch knife and bag knife were made by me also, sorry no longer have any pics of the knives, buy the way I have never seen that cash that she grabbed again!

[Bigsmoke]

Well, Beav, at least you get visiting rights.  You gotta say one thing about those October Country bags, they take a licking and keep on ticking.
That same thing has happened to me on more than one occasion, I would be out somewhere at a rondy and someone would see my pouch and come up and want to buy it from me.  Then I would have to pull one out of inventory and transfer all my junk into the new one, then try to remember what all I had done to trick out the one that I thought was mine.

In 2001, I got a 12 bore English rifle and I really liked it.  That was the rifle that I used on my buffalo hunt.  In February of 2002, I set up a table at the Coeur d'Alene Mountain Man Show and a very dear friend of ours came up and talked me out of it, saying it was a special birthday present for her husband.  Well, I caved and sold the rifle to her, but with the caveat that I did demand visiting rights.  That June, we all met at the Hog Heaven Rendezvous outside of Moscow, ID.  I asked if he had brought "my" rifle, and Mike said sure, want to use it in the trail walk?  Oh hell yes !!!!!!!!  As we were walking across the meadow to the trail walk area, he said something about oh by the way, the last time I shot this rifle I took an elk with it.  Well, that put the pressure on.  I think I got 2nd or 3rd place on the trail, so not bad.  We have visited them a few times in the intervening years, and the rifle is always brought out so I can fondle it.

John (Bigsmoke)

[BEAVERMAN]

Well, Beav, at least you get visiting rights.  You gotta say one thing about those October Country bags, they take a licking and keep on ticking.
That same thing has happened to me on more than one occasion, I would be out somewhere at a rondy and someone would see my pouch and come up and want to buy it from me.  Then I would have to pull one out of inventory and transfer all my junk into the new one, then try to remember what all I had done to trick out the one that I thought was mine.

In 2001, I got a 12 bore English rifle and I really liked it.  That was the rifle that I used on my buffalo hunt.  In February of 2002, I set up a table at the Coeur d'Alene Mountain Man Show and a very dear friend of ours came up and talked me out of it, saying it was a special birthday present for her husband.  Well, I caved and sold the rifle to her, but with the caveat that I did demand visiting rights.  That June, we all met at the Hog Heaven Rendezvous outside of Moscow, ID.  I asked if he had brought "my" rifle, and Mike said sure, want to use it in the trail walk?  Oh hell yes !!!!!!!!  As we were walking across the meadow to the trail walk area, he said something about oh by the way, the last time I shot this rifle I took an elk with it.  Well, that put the pressure on.  I think I got 2nd or 3rd place on the trail, so not bad.  We have visited them a few times in the intervening years, and the rifle is always brought out so I can fondle it.

John (Bigsmoke)

John, the OC bag that I have I bought from a trade blanket from the kids of Pappy and Fry Bread Mary's estate after she passed, it was Pappy's bag, he was one of the original founders of the Green River Mountain Men here in WA in 1971 and the bag was well used when I bought it!, that thing wheres like iron, shows it's age but looks right for dings and scrapes it has on it, I feed it once a year with a coat of whites heavy duty leather preservative, ( do it when I do my boots), yep it's a well made bag and that's what I used as a model for the making of my stuff, use good quality leather and make a quality product, although mine are still hand sewn not like the October bag , don't get me wrong, I understand the need for a machine when cranking out a couple hundred bags a year! something to be said for that and also a hand made pouch with a custom look so you have a 1 of a kind, speaking of bags, hows that bag that I made for you doing? hope it's still serving you well!

[Bigsmoke]

Jim, The bag looks like it has hardly been used at all.  Long story short, that's because it hasn't hardly been used at all.  I was planning on putting it to use last month when I went to Idaho, but darn, that just didn't happen.  Blasted COVID-19.



Anyway, my winning ticket didn't show up in the right place for the TMA Raffle, so I am thinking about getting an October Country bag for the smoothbore barrel on my new (and also unused rifle).  I guess with interchangeable barrels now, the new rule will be having a separate bag for each barrel instead of for each rifle.   

John (Bigsmoke)

[BEAVERMAN]

Well heck ifn your never gonna use that just send it back thisaway! I'll put it to good use!

[Winter Hawk]

Well heck ifn your never gonna use that just send it back thisaway! I'll put it to good use!

Same with that rifle/smoothbore combo! 

~Kees~

[Bigsmoke]

No, no, no, the return trip is not going to happen.  I kinda like having those things here.
I will be using all of them sometime soonly, it just ain't happening right now.  Too many other things demanding my time at the present.

[Oldetexian]

 

Beautiful bag...and a great story! Luv your leatherwork, my friend! 

[BEAVERMAN]

Thank yo Sir!