TALLOW HOLE?

[yip]

   planning on putting a tallow hole in my barn rifle, what can i use in place of tallow to fill the hole?

[Dennis Glazener]

I use either bear oil mixed with beeswax or beeswax mixed with Crisco.
Dennis

[yip]

Dennis ; is there a ratio between bees wax and crisco?

[Mike Brooks]

Grease holes are pretty cool. They pick up all sorts of dirt and debris.

[Hungry Horse]

 And tallow holes attract rodents like a magnet. A friend had a Dixie Tennessee mountain rifle that he had bored two tallow holes in. He took it on a primitive deer hunt, and woke up in the middle of the night to some pretty intense gnawing sounds. He fired up his emergency flashlight, and low and behold caught two chipmunks working on turning his two allow hole into one.

  Hungry Horse

[Dave Marsh]

I am not a fan of grease holes.  Don't like the look or the dirt I would imagine that they attract.  Hadn't even thought of rodents and probably bugs too.  Just my opinion. 

Dave

[rich pierce]

I am not a fan of grease holes.  Don't like the look or the dirt I would imagine that they attract.  Hadn't even thought of rodents and probably bugs too.  Just my opinion. 

Dave

Puppies too I imagine!  I have a Wick Ellerbe knife customized when our dog chewed the handle and sheath. How the little feller avoided getting cut is a miracle.

Back on topic I’ve not built a rifke where the tallow hole is appropriate but will do so if time allows. I generally build based on specific originals.

[Dave Marsh]

Yikes the dog chewing a knife and sheath makes me shudder and shiver.  Amazing he did not get cut.

Dave

[Levy]

Just because you want a tallow hole, as many old SMR's do, doesn't mean that today you have to fill it with anything.  James Levy

[Dwshotwell]

... or fill it with citronella... take care of the bugs and the chipmunks most likely. Still susceptible to dirt, debris, and puppies.

[Ross Dillion]

I use Tracks Mink oil and beeswax. 50/50 mixture.

[Mule Brain]

I guess the rodents gnawing on it, and the dirt aspect would make it more Barn authentic.