What to do with this grease hole in stock?

[rickevans]

I am finishing an in-the-white 20 ga smooth bore "barn gun" kind of fowler.  The wood is worm-holey maple and the stock came with a big honkin' grease hole bored into it where a patch box might go. What to do with her? I'd post a picture, but have not figured that out yet.

I am seeking ideas (or better yet pictures ) of what you fellows did to simulate a repair on a missing patch box lid, or a crude, primitive patch box cover that was improvised to make a well used, mildly abused but still good shooter useable.

Rick

[bob in the woods]

Fill it with a tallow/beeswax mix and be done .

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I'm assuming you have a Tennessee Mountain rifle. Either use  the grease hole or if you want a patchbox just inlet the lid over the hole, then enlarge the hole to the size you need for a compartment.

[whetrock]

Hi Rick,
What you "should" do probably depends on the overall profile of the stock, period that the overall design generally fits within, etc. Some kits (and other in-the-white pieces) mix various details from different periods, putting detail A on a piece that would be more "authentic" if it had detail B instead. The grease hole is one of those details.
At lot of guys are just looking for a good shooter, and they don't worry about such details. And that's fine. But others are keen to have a fairly authentic piece. All kinds are on here (the forum).

I sent you a private message about this. Feel free to write me.

Whet

[Hungry Horse]

 Take a look at the Conestoga grease bucket, in the "over the back fence" section, Schreck found at a collectables show. Picture the door system on this grease box, used as a pattern for a primitive tallow box.  Either side opening, or end opening, would work. I love the simple use of staples to secure the pivot pins whittled on the ends of the door. A good piece of black locust, made into a door, would probably outwear the steel staples. Just a thought. You sure wouldn't have to worry about anybody getting your gun by mistake at the range.

              Hungry Horse

[Kermit]

Thought about a pivoting wood lid, a la North Carolina? I recall seeing one with a bent iron hook below the rear of the lid as a stop to keep it from falling down off the hole. The lid swung up toward the stock's comb to open. Should be a simple retrofit.

[rickevans]

This is an early Virginia type Fowler, so what ever I do on the build should follow those lines. I like the idea of a wooden pivoting cover, as a replacement to a busted or missing original cover. I am not after a pure PC/HC smooth-bore, just a nice looking shooter that doesn't look like Frankenstein's bride.

Thanks for the ideas...

[Mark Elliott]

A patchbox or grease hole has no place on a fowler.   If it is truly a fowler, then you need to patch the hole.   However,  there are some very early VA rifles or smooth rifles that look very much like fowlers because of round toes and fowler type guards and butt pieces.    If you can push the gun in that direction, then a wood patchbox would be appropriate.  See RCA #119.