Tulsa Gun Show Report

Well folks, we attended the Wannenmacher gun show in  Tulsa last weekend.  This show is held twice a year, in early April and again in early November.  It is said that this is the largest gun show in the world with over 2,200 tables.  Now we go to this show usually at least once a year and my father-in-law usually has two tables but this year he invited me to share his tables with him.  I had 4 guns ready, three of which were/are for sale and my personal .54 flint fullstock Hawken which was NOT for sale.  I also had a fair amount of plunder ready for sale; a couple of bullet pouches, three knives with sheathes, one of my hand peeled aspen hiking sticks, a moosehide belt pouch, a leather deer drag, and a good supply of 4 oz. tins of beef tallow.  The general consensus of those exhibitors in our area was that folks weren't spending much.  That was certainly true for my father-in-law (a highly respected builder of single shot cartridge rifles) and myself.  The only things we actually sold were off my table; two cans of beef tallow patch lube and gun grease and my .62 Northwest Trade Gun.  My father-in-law did garner a probable order for a single shot Hepburn rifle which is his specialty.

Having said all that, I DID get to talk to a couple of interesting fellers.  I got to visit quite a bit with Jeff Hengesbaugh who had his tables just across the isle and down a couple of tables from us.  Now if you don't know who Jeff is, you haven't been a western buckskinner very long.  Jeff is a legend in the hard core mountain man community.  You see, back in 1973, back from serving his country in Viet Nam, Jeff along with Bill Hamilton and Steve Johnson saddled up their horses, loaded their pack horses and set off from Gila Arizona to ride to the Canadian border!  Yes, I said from Arizona to Canada!!!  They  wore their buckskins, carried their muzzle loading rifles, and did everything as it would have been done before 1840!  It took them six months, living off the land, starving, running out of water, and getting shot at by Indians (for real!), but they made it all the way to Canada!  Jeff now has a mountain man and Southwest history museum in Glorieta New Mexico and is also an expert on the battle of Glorieta Pass. Quite an interesting fellow and I look forward to visiting him in Glorieta, hopefully next summer.  If you want to know a little more about their ride,  go to YouTube and search mountain man ride to Canada. 

The other interesting feller I visited with for a few minutes was Bruce Day.  Bruce is a hiveranno in the American Mountain Men.  These guys are NOT your average, every day buckskinner; they are the most seriously dedicated group of  fur trade mountain man historians and reinactors that you will find.  Anywhere!  Now, it's always been in the back of my mind, although I'm usually not a "joiner" of groups and the like, to join up with this outfit.  The problem is, you have to be invited by existing members and I have never actually run in to any of these guys.  Until now!  Bruce has invited me to contact him with the possibility of  attending some of their camps which would start me on the trail to become a member of this esteemed outfit!  Thanks Bruce, I look forward to visiting more with you about this.  If you would like to know more about the A.M.M. you can find them on the web at http://americanmountainmen.org/  Check them out.

Well that's about it for my first time being a trader at "the world's largest gun show".  I'm now looking forward to the spring show in April.  Looks like I better get busy and build another gun or two, and some more accoutrements as well.  It'll be a busy winter.

Until we meet on down the trail, keep your flint sharp and your pan primed!

TC

P.S. Ive got a couple more videos up on YouTube at Turkey Creek 1823.