For my 43rd birthday, I received yet another personally made powder horn, this time from my friend Wade Stoner. He carved it from a white horn and, as I hope you can see from the pictures, it has a gorgeous luminescent quality. It is simple in style, which makes it, in my mind, a very elegant horn. The only ornamentation is around the neck. So one's eye is drawn to the horn as a whole, which I think makes it quite unique and special. (Which is not to diminish my two carved horns!)

You can see also that the horn is fitted with a nozzle. This is so I can quickly pour powder without worrying about working with a stopper. The source for this is a horn in the collection at Fort Ticonderoga and versions of horns made for cannons. Initially, the nozzle leaked but Wade fixed that by attaching a small piece of leather to act as a seal. It's ingenious, and highly useful.

The horn also has a wooden butt made from tiger maple, which Wade fitted with a combination pocket compass and sundial of the style that was found on Rogers' Island during an excavation in 1967. That original is on display at the museum at Fort Ticonderoga. (Wade didn't make the compass/sundial; they can be purchased from a few sutlers.)

Along with the powder horn, he gave me a great little neck knife and sheath. My intention is to use this horn for competition shooting, which I recently started doing (and found I'm not too bad at it). The horn will be worn with the shooting bag I made but am still fussing with, which will be dedicated to holding what I need for the competition rifle I'm going to have made for myself. The (horn, knife and bag) three are meant to be a set, as you can see here, but since I don't have another neck knife, I'll probably wear that regularly.

I have to admit that I am incredibly lucky to have three such wonderful horns. If you haven't already looked at them, please see my first Chauncey Goodrich horn and my second Chauncey Goodrich horn. Also, if you haven't done so already, please go here see the bag and knife sheath that I'm going to use with this horn (and to find out about the strap I use for this horn!).