I know there are some here who have tiny nail pullers/prybars in their kits so I thought I'd ask if you could recommend me one. I'm looking for something small and thin which could pull these nails out

I use the prybars from countycomm.com/. That said, it's really more about the geometry than the size.

Another countycomm guy....

Are you hoping to preserve the nails?

If not, you can probably clamp a small pair of vise-grips on them, coming from straight above. It may mar or deform the nail heads, though.

If you want to protect the nails, a tool like a tack puller may be the best. It's basically a flat screwdriver with a slot ground in the middle (you could make your own). Alternately, a small cats-paw nail puller from the hardware store may work.

Yes, wanted to keep the nails. The end plug seems to be inside, I can hear it if I shake it. Can't seem to get it out so I'm going to carefully take off this end and get it out then put the end back on.

To satisfy my curiosity: what are we looking at here?

A horn with a brass insert on the end, intended to charge a black powder firearm perhaps?

Correct, it is a powderhorn. My grandfather gave me this old rifle and powder horn just before I graduated high school. Now i have the rifle back to useable condition and am working on the rest. There is no plug in the other end and something inside so i'm going to take off the big end and clean it out then put it back on.

I would be concerned that prying with anything against the horn may split it. At the least, prying will probably scar the horn. Maybe it is just best to leave whatever is in there, there.

Old horn is pretty brittle, and I would be afraid that I would crack it if leverage was applied by a nail puller. Better to just pull up on the tack if possible.

I think if I was going to try and remove and save the tacks, I would find a thin hardened steel wire...a strand from light aircraft cable maybe. Work it under the tack like dental floss, loop it around once and pull.....come to think of it, dental floss or fishing line might even work.

Disclaimer: YMMV...I have an old powderhorn to look at, but I have never tried what I just suggested on it.

I would try to take a peek inside.

Several ways to do that. x-ray pops to mind first. I once knew a veterinarian that had a wonderful curiosity. We would bring him all sorts of stuff and he would x-ray it for us. Great learning experience. Perhaps you can find such a person.

Otherwise, there are a number of industrial fiber optic inspection tools. Might try asking a high tech machine shop or similar if they would take a look for you.

I have had some success in using the camera on my droid for such applications. The bone is probably translucent. Take it outside on a bright day. Put the camera to the opening and shield the camera/horn junction from light. The exposure meter should compensate the exposure.

I think trying to remove the nails would take a conservators skill.

Nomad