Always a patch box?

[Boompa]

  I've never actually used one for it's intended purpose on any rifle I've owned.  Most of them look nice but some are just flat gaudy and overly large. They are of course, extra work to install and it's hard to justify when I don't use them. My question is, is it so historically incorrect to omit the patch box? It seems nearly all the original longrifles had them.

[Lucky R A]

No problem, I have seen and worked on many originals w/o patch boxes.  This is particularly evident  later  in the era.   I am sure many folks of limited means often eliminated the patch box from the order.  This is very evident in Southern Mountain guns.

Ron

[ricktull]

I agree with both of you, I think a lot of them look nice. but if the guns lines are good they don't need any embellishment. I have never put anything in them either, and as the gun ages the wood shrinks and then they stand proud of the wood. Wooden ones have their own set of problems also. The common man back then probably tried to keep it as inexpensive as possible when ordered, so.......

[Dave B]

I forget which book it is in but there is  Schoyer? that has some nice carving on the butt stock cheek side and comb but was originally made with out a patch box. Some one after the fact put one on the rifle that was not correct for the school and a new owner had it restored to having no patch box rather than have an inappropriate box on the rifle.

[J. Talbert]

I think it's Whiskers Maryland book.  It has a very attractive, modestly carved rifle with no patchbox, maybe on the cover?  I've always thought it very appealing.

Jeff

[Daryl]

Patchboxes are for losing jags, flints and flint-jaw leathers.

[flehto]

Granted in this modern age many Pboxes are just large inlays w/ no practical purpose, but many Pboxes are  " works of art" and do lend beauty to an otherwise utilitarian  gun. Whether  an elaborate Pbox of the early LRs, the small side hinged Pboxed LRs of Bucks County or the simple 2 piece Pboxes of Lehigh, the kinda makes no-sense, overly complicated Pboxes of the later LRs, I like Pboxes and to me at least, they "occupy" a large expanse of wood that cries out for "something"......Fred

  

[Dave B]

I think you are right Jeff, as said earlier by Rick, if the lines are right you really don't need to have extra ornamentation.

Daryl thats why you pack it full of tallow to cement the contents in place. Good luck getting just one patch out while hunting in cold weather. I have not done it yet on any of my rifles but the last couple of originals I have held had holes drilled into the wood at the head of the cavity under the finial. I assume for a cleaning jag. The holes were about 2.5" deep or so, one was on the comb side one on the toe side.

[flinchrocket]

A patchbox will tell you quite a bit about a rifle, perhaps who made it, where they made it, possibly when they made it, but it will also tell you how well they made it! If the things you can see aren't right the things you can't see probably aren't right either!

[Boompa]

it will also tell you how well they made it! If the things you can see aren't right the things you can't see probably aren't right either!

      Agreed.  Some are beautifully made but so many that you see are marginal in workmanship.  Why would the things you can't see on the rifle be any different? 

[bob in the woods]

Over the last few years, I've grown particularly fond of the earlier rifles, with sliding wood box covers. If you don't like the look of the brass, maybe try one of those.

[David R. Pennington]

I like to make the tools that go with each rifle, worm, jag and drawer, wrap them in a linen cloth or a wad of tow and store them in the patch box. That way I know I have what I need when I take that rifle to the range or woods.

[Angus]

A funny thing I like to see for those who normally don't handle a longrifle, is the amount of time before they have the patchbox open to see "what's inside". And then comes the curious question, 'what are you suppose to do with that?'

[Kermit]

Who did this one? It appeals to me as a spin on the Deep River swiveling lids.

[RAT]

Check out photo #9 in Eric Kettenburg's article from his website...

http://www.erickettenburg.com/Site_2/Part_1.html

[Pete G.]

I like to make the tools that go with each rifle, worm, jag and drawer, wrap them in a linen cloth or a wad of tow and store them in the patch box. That way I know I have what I need when I take that rifle to the range or woods.

+1 on that.

The patchbox is an integral part of a longrifle and to my eyes at least I really don't think a rifle looks complete without one. Granted a lot of the Southern styled guns were built without one, but a lot of them did carry a box, even on a rather plain styled gun.