Grease/Tallow Hole?

[Smokey Plainsman]

It may not stink at first.  After while it will go rancid.  I don't want rancid animal fat soaked into my stock.  If you have second thoughts you could add a real patch box.

Yes I contacted the maker and he hasn't got back to me yet if he already drilled the grease hole. I think he already has but if so, I will see about adding a cap box in it's place. Just seems like a bad idea at this point I have been doing some reading. Also the grade of maple used (above average with some good striping) probably is not HC to have a grease hole.

Not only that, but I am moving to Las Vegas several months from now, something I just learned about not long ago. Seems a grease hole in those sandy conditions would not be good, I can just imagine it picking up sand and me getting it into the bore. Not good.

[Elnathan]

I can't speak to the use of a grease hole, but properly rendered animal fats shouldn't get smelly if they go off. Animal fats mixed with beeswax won't go rancid ever, I'd think.

I have arrows greased with lard that have been sitting around for months now, with no noticeable smell. I greased my rifle with lard and left some of the lard on it for five or six years, and it didn't stink - go red and then turn black, yes. Stink, no. I have a 50:50 mix of home-made tallow, not the best rendered stuff, that has been sitting around unrefrigerated for a decade or more, and it was fine the last time I checked.

[WadePatton]

My tallow smells like the day I rendered it about 4 years ago. 

 Should I have used calipers? 

[sqrldog]

The rifle I hunt with most often has a  grease hole in the stock. I consider it more decoration than any thing. Just as a full patchbox on one of my Pennsylvania style rifles is considered decoration. A patchbox would certainly help keep sand and grit out of the mix but I fail to see how it would control smell unless it was air tight which I would doubt. Seems to me anything that would soak into the wood in a tallow hole would just as easily soak in under a patchbox lid. I carry my extra lube in a tin in my hunting pouch. I also carry extra greased patches in a tin container. I do use a loading block. May not be historically correct but beats carring extra round balls in my mouth. Do as you please I have looked at a bunch of old rifles with tallow/grease holes non smelled rotten to me. To bad them old boys didn't know what we know.

[Smokey Plainsman]

Thanks, gang.

Can anyone tell me what grade of wood would be "too nice" for a grease hole? The maker used a pretty decent piece of curly maple. Did any originals use a grease hole if they had such a stock, or would that type of wood be too "fancy" for the simple grease hole?

[nosrettap1958]

What type of rifle is this? From what area?

[little joe]

If a tallow hole filled with tallow  is so smelly you cannot hunt with it how did the folks in them mountains down there feed there family,s ?

[Elnathan]

Lard and tallow will just make your wood waterproof, kinda. I believe you do have to keep renewing it if you are using them as a wood finish. They are not the same as petroleum greases, though, and I do not believe that they will hurt your stock.

[Elnathan]

If a tallow hole filled with tallow  is so smelly you cannot hunt with it how did the folks in them mountains down there feed there family,s ?

Same way the Indians managed to feed their families with archery equipment waterproofed with tallow and bear grease, I guess....

[Mike Brooks]

Thanks, gang.

Can anyone tell me what grade of wood would be "too nice" for a grease hole? The maker used a pretty decent piece of curly maple. Did any originals use a grease hole if they had such a stock, or would that type of wood be too "fancy" for the simple grease hole?

Appropriate for all grades of wood, don't matter. walnut too.....in fact walnut was probably slightly more common for Appalachia guns.

[Smokey Plainsman]

Thanks, gang.

Can anyone tell me what grade of wood would be "too nice" for a grease hole? The maker used a pretty decent piece of curly maple. Did any originals use a grease hole if they had such a stock, or would that type of wood be too "fancy" for the simple grease hole?

Appropriate for all grades of wood, don't matter. walnut too.....in fact walnut was probably slightly more common for Appalachia guns.

I see, thank you. I am pleased to hear this. The rifle is a .36 caliber percussion being made in the style of what I have read to be a "southern mountain" or simple "Tennessee" style rifle. Full stock, maple, browned iron mountings & browned barrel/lock, 38" barrel, single trigger (not single set), no extra decoration. A straightforward gun with no carvings or inlays etc.

If a grease hole is historically correct then I won't worry about it. Thank you all for the help, this is my first custom muzzleloader and I am pretty new to all of this.

[nosrettap1958]

A Southern Mountain rifle?  You're fine with a grease hole. Definitely historically correct.

[Marcruger]

You can always have the hole (looks cool, is correct), but leave it empty. 

[James Wilson Everett]

Guys,

Here is a photo of an original mountain rifle with a grease hole.  I think that the wood is cherry.  There is some original or period grease in the hole, it appears to be the color of dark bees wax and is as hard as a rock - now, that is, it probably was softer many years ago.  There is no evidence of softer greases or oils soaking into the wood, or the wood would show some sort of stain.  I assume that the rifle grease hole was always filled with some rather hard grease.

Jim

[Dennis Glazener]

Thanks, gang.

Can anyone tell me what grade of wood would be "too nice" for a grease hole? The maker used a pretty decent piece of curly maple. Did any originals use a grease hole if they had such a stock, or would that type of wood be too "fancy" for the simple grease hole?

Here is an early rifle with curly maple and grease hole http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=14832.0

[Hungry Horse]

Over the years I have seen several guns that were originally built with economy in mind, but sported fancy wood. One was a Pennsylvania barn gun, with tightly striped piece of sugar maple for a stock, but,  was too plain for even a grease hole. The other was an iron mounted mountain rifle built in Arkansas that somebody "upgraded" by screwing a cap box over the original grease hole. The wood on this gun would be hard to identify, but it was gorgeous.

  Hungry Horse

[Smokey Plainsman]

Thanks, gang.

Can anyone tell me what grade of wood would be "too nice" for a grease hole? The maker used a pretty decent piece of curly maple. Did any originals use a grease hole if they had such a stock, or would that type of wood be too "fancy" for the simple grease hole?

Here is an early rifle with curly maple and grease hole http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=14832.0

I see, excellent. It appears my rifle will be fairly faithful to the originals, of which I am very glad as I thought I had "goofed" the order with my specifications.

This is my first custom rifle and I am incredible excited to get it. Should be ready any day now. I am busy gathering supplies and stopped into Hobby Lobby today to look at cloth for patches. Thanks to all who helped me with this question, you are all a great wealth of information and I enjoy it here.

[oldtravler61]

 First longrifle I built was patterned after an original owners by Danial Boone. It has a grease hole. Never bothered him. Built the gun in 1983 an I use grease in it still. No problems.   Oldtravler

[OldMtnMan]

I gave up on all things like that years ago. I use loading boards now. When i'm hunting I like to reload as fast as possible.

[Sequatchie Rifle]

I just dropped cable wax in one of my old rifles that's hanging on the wall. As for the gun I use, I've found that petroleum base lines seem to migrate into, and stain, the wood. So I use real tallow that I rendered myself with no additives.