The Mountain Men re-enactments of the Rockies.

Pond, James Pond · July 11, 2015, 04:41 AM

Just flicked through an article in Nat Geo that we subscribe toad it was about "Mountain Men". It is a group that re-enact the 1800-40 fur trade.

They get dressed in skins and live off what they can forage or catch.
They typically carry BP rifles of the time.

I was just curious to know if there are any practitioners of this celebration on the BP forum?

If so, what BP guns would be accurate to that period and this class of people from that period?

Old Stony · July 11, 2015, 05:09 AM

Some of the more serious of the reenactors actually engage in trecking, where they actually travel primitive areas and live off the land. You can't really live as they would have done in that period, due to laws covering wildlife, but otherwise it is still possible. A lot of the serious guys use smoothbore flinters such as the trade guns of the period. They shoot round balls or shot, and can be used for a lot of different applications.

darkgael · July 11, 2015, 06:26 AM

Rendezous are relatively common. Check this link for more info if you are curious.
http://rendezvousohio.com/

flintlock fowlers.....I hunt with one during the upland season.

g.willikers · July 11, 2015, 11:22 AM

Yeah, re-enactments are quite common all over the world.
If interested, get yourself a suit of armor and a sword and join one in your neck of the woods.
Or you can fight the Battle or Waterloo again.

Captchee · July 12, 2015, 07:58 AM

Yep , but I do. however now days , I spend more time trying to fill gun orders then actually getting out on Treks and I only get to a small number of Rendezvous a year .
Here in the west you can find just about everything from colonials all the way through fur trade re enactors to buck skinners to folks like those in the AMM “American Mountain Men . There are vast differences in all three

**4V50 Gary** · July 12, 2015, 09:13 AM

A fellow in town actually did it for a few years until a Federal SWAT team woke him up one morning and told him to get off the land.

DD4lifeusmc · July 12, 2015, 11:11 AM

used to do the Green River area Rondezvous over in Mountain view / Lyman/ Ft Bridger area of Wyoming, Just off interstate 80 at west end of state regularly
and did the one up in the hobacks.
Just gotten too old to do the traveling now as I am at east end of state now.

By 1840 many had started buying new Percussion guns, or converting flintlocks. But there were still a lot of flintlocks.

The long gun was on it's way out. the newer mountainman had converted over to the Hawkens design.
There really is no true absolute Hawkens today. Actually never was as a Brand or model type, except for what the Hawken kin made.
Basically what he did was listen to the fur trappers coming back to St. Louis from the Rockies.

They wanted a more quickly manageable gun with in a heavier caliber.
Pronghorn were about the size of the Whitetail back east. But they were running into Muleys 1/2 again bigger, and Elk lots of elk, and then of course the Griz!. Required heavier bullets to take them down.
This meant the barrels had to be heavier. And they had longer distances to shoot and prairie winds to deal with.
But to lighten the overall gun, they did the half stock, and shortened the barrels to make it easier to carry rough terrain and long distances. Plus the shorter barrel would swing on target quicker. They also changed the rate of twist to assist in better accuracy with the other changes.

So almost any traditionally styled rifle would pretty much fit in.
Highly polished brass is pretty much a fallacy also,
The sunlight gleaming off it could spook game, and or give his position away.

Blue jeans and sneakers are out, didn't exist back then.
And Cell phones are a big no no too. Same with todays sunglasses.
You can get period correct frames and plain lenses and just smoke them.
But prescription ones are allowed.

Rachen · July 15, 2015, 02:43 PM

Quote:

A fellow in town actually did it for a few years until a Federal SWAT team woke him up one morning and told him to get off the land.

Wow. Maybe you have to apply for some kind of license to hold such activities on federal land, but I am sure someone just enjoying a historical event shouldn't be run off like that. Especially if he is not posing any remotest threat to anyone else.

And now the shenanigans with the Confederate flag are going to subject a lot of living history groups to unwelcome encounters from both lawyers and urban hooligans who can care less about studying history.

July 11, 2015, 04:41 AM	#1
Pond, James Pond Senior Member Join Date: July 12, 2011 Location: Top of the Baltic stack Posts: 6,079	The Mountain Men re-enactments of the Rockies. Just flicked through an article in Nat Geo that we subscribe toad it was about "Mountain Men". It is a group that re-enact the 1800-40 fur trade. They get dressed in skins and live off what they can forage or catch. They typically carry BP rifles of the time. I was just curious to know if there are any practitioners of this celebration on the BP forum? If so, what BP guns would be accurate to that period and this class of people from that period? __________________ When the right to effective self-defence is denied, that right to self-defence which remains is essentially symbolic. Freedom: Please enjoy responsibly.

July 11, 2015, 06:26 AM	#3
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	Re-enacting Rendezous are relatively common. Check this link for more info if you are curious. http://rendezvousohio.com/ flintlock fowlers.....I hunt with one during the upland season. __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

July 11, 2015, 11:22 AM	#4
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Yeah, re-enactments are quite common all over the world. If interested, get yourself a suit of armor and a sword and join one in your neck of the woods. Or you can fight the Battle or Waterloo again. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

July 12, 2015, 09:13 AM	#6
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,840	A fellow in town actually did it for a few years until a Federal SWAT team woke him up one morning and told him to get off the land. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

July 11, 2015, 05:09 AM	#2
Old Stony Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2013 Location: East Texas Posts: 1,705	Some of the more serious of the reenactors actually engage in trecking, where they actually travel primitive areas and live off the land. You can't really live as they would have done in that period, due to laws covering wildlife, but otherwise it is still possible. A lot of the serious guys use smoothbore flinters such as the trade guns of the period. They shoot round balls or shot, and can be used for a lot of different applications.

July 12, 2015, 07:58 AM	#5
Captchee Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 2013 Posts: 439	Yep , but I do. however now days , I spend more time trying to fill gun orders then actually getting out on Treks and I only get to a small number of Rendezvous a year . Here in the west you can find just about everything from colonials all the way through fur trade re enactors to buck skinners to folks like those in the AMM “American Mountain Men . There are vast differences in all three

July 12, 2015, 11:11 AM	#7
DD4lifeusmc Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 2012 Location: Wyoming Posts: 351	used to do the Green River area Rondezvous over in Mountain view / Lyman/ Ft Bridger area of Wyoming, Just off interstate 80 at west end of state regularly and did the one up in the hobacks. Just gotten too old to do the traveling now as I am at east end of state now. By 1840 many had started buying new Percussion guns, or converting flintlocks. But there were still a lot of flintlocks. The long gun was on it's way out. the newer mountainman had converted over to the Hawkens design. There really is no true absolute Hawkens today. Actually never was as a Brand or model type, except for what the Hawken kin made. Basically what he did was listen to the fur trappers coming back to St. Louis from the Rockies. They wanted a more quickly manageable gun with in a heavier caliber. Pronghorn were about the size of the Whitetail back east. But they were running into Muleys 1/2 again bigger, and Elk lots of elk, and then of course the Griz!. Required heavier bullets to take them down. This meant the barrels had to be heavier. And they had longer distances to shoot and prairie winds to deal with. But to lighten the overall gun, they did the half stock, and shortened the barrels to make it easier to carry rough terrain and long distances. Plus the shorter barrel would swing on target quicker. They also changed the rate of twist to assist in better accuracy with the other changes. So almost any traditionally styled rifle would pretty much fit in. Highly polished brass is pretty much a fallacy also, The sunlight gleaming off it could spook game, and or give his position away. Blue jeans and sneakers are out, didn't exist back then. And Cell phones are a big no no too. Same with todays sunglasses. You can get period correct frames and plain lenses and just smoke them. But prescription ones are allowed.