Duane
Mountaineer
Lethbridge Alberta
Posts: 209
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Post by Duane on Jan 31, 2011 16:09:45 GMT -7
just to try to get somehting going here,what are your opinions as to why trade guns have that big bowed trigger gard.some say it is because the indian used two finger to pull the trigger,as they did when shooting a bow,still others will say.,that it was because they could get their finger on the trigger when wearing mittens.I think it was a little of both.What say you..D
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Post by sean on Feb 2, 2011 7:27:27 GMT -7
Duane,
O thong they made them that way because it was cheap. Just a bit of forging and bend it to shape, then file a finial on the end. After a while the style just caught on and of just "looked right". I don't think its much more complicated than that.
Sean
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Post by whitehair on Feb 2, 2011 9:26:03 GMT -7
Duane, In the book Trade Guns of the Hudson's Bay Company, 1670 - 1970 it is stated that in 1740 a Joseph Isbister at Fort Albany wrote to the London office that the Indians would like "to have the guard larger, it being usual to draw the trigger with two fingers...." Using two fingers on the trigger also explains why the NW guns had such long or big triggers. Shoot sharp, Mike
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greg
Mountaineer
Posts: 6
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Post by greg on Feb 2, 2011 12:26:48 GMT -7
Probably anyones guess, their string draw I thought was thumb and finger pinch, hard for me to think this would transfer to a trigger pull preference. jist my penny on it.
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Post by Chuck Burrows on Feb 2, 2011 14:23:07 GMT -7
There were more than just one method of drawing the bow by natives, Ishi for instance used an unorthodox method. One of the most common draws was the forefinger and thumb pinch but at the same time the middle and ring finger rested on the string below the pinch.
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matt
Mountaineer
Posts: 12
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Post by matt on Feb 7, 2011 8:35:56 GMT -7
I shoot my Northwest gun a LOT. I use it in all kinds of weather. The big bow guard is a blessing when pulling the trigger in cold weather 'cause you don't need to remove gloves or mittens. When shooting other guns in cold weather I've found it difficult to get a gloved finger in the smaller bow without the possibility of inadvertently hitting the trigger. I have also read the post that the natives used two fingers to pull the trigger. Well, there is a period reference so who can argue that? As to it being more economical consider this: The predesessor of the guns we call "Northwest guns" also had forged iron guards with "lollipop" finials. The larger guards on the NW guns would have actually cost more for the extra material to form them. One more thing, I think they look cool. I call them, along with the odd angled screw going up into the tang, an "endearing trait that you never see on any other gun".
Matt
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