Shotgun shell bag -- inside treatment?

[ropescourseman]

Hello, folks. I don't have a lot of leather experience, and I've jumped in over my head here.

I'm making a shotgun shell bag for a Christmas gift. Luckily, they know my leatherworking skill and it will be more the thought that counts instead of a really great finished product haha.

But I have a question. For the bag part itself, I'm using a long rectangular shape of leather that will bend/fold to be the front, bottom and back of the bag part. I have two side pieces that I am sewing in.

I am going to attach this to a "base" body which will include the slot for a belt with some tooling and a piece with shell loops. I am dyeing the whole thing brown using Fiebing's Tan dye and Tan Kote to finish. That's really all I have, so I hope I can use that somehow if I need to do something to the inside ha.

Question: Do I do anything to the back of the leather which will be visible on the inside of the bag and visible on the back of the base body piece? Or keep it natural? It seems like it would look odd with the outside dyed brown and the inside a light natural.

I'm attaching a picture of a sketch that explains everything visually in case I'm not clear. (I'm a very visual person). Thanks!

P.S. the piece with the shell loops and the bag itself will strap onto the base body with saddle straps to give it a bit more bulk and a sort of layered "saddlesque" feel. Also, it's easier than sewing haha.

Edited December 23, 2009 by ropescourseman

[Torquewrench]

Is this for a bird hunter or a trap/skeet shooter? A trap/skeet shooter will just most likely want a formed pocket that holds a factory box of shells and a larger bag hanging below that for caseings .(spent shells) Sew the belt loop and not use snaps jusy my 2 cents.

[ropescourseman]

Is this for a bird hunter or a trap/skeet shooter? A trap/skeet shooter will just most likely want a formed pocket that holds a factory box of shells and a larger bag hanging below that for caseings .(spent shells) Sew the belt loop and not use snaps jusy my 2 cents.

OK, thanks for the advice. What about the inside of the pouch? It seems like it would look odd to be natural color and the rest dyed.

And it's for a hunter and skeet shooter.

Edited December 23, 2009 by ropescourseman

[gary]

I'm making a cartridge bag at the moment. It's mostly for driven shoots so will be on the ground quite a lot. I'm using some thin pigskin as a lining where it will show, such as the underside of the lid flap, and adhering it to the bag leather which is some bridle shoulder.

The bag is in light Havana colour and the lining is dark Havana as a contrast.

I'm making shell loops on the outside of the bag and, as side-by-side or over-under guns are the most common here, I'm putting the loops on so that 2 shells can be grabbed at a time. I may put in double shell loops so that the shells are paired to make it easier. I see from you drawing that you will have 2 rows of loops with 5 shells per row.

Gary

Edited December 23, 2009 by gary