Curious question

[yellowhousejake]

On the rifle I am building now, the builder John Small has a small inlay on the bottom of his butt stock between the trigger guard and the toe plate. He has these on almost all of his rifles. I have seen a good many of these on other original rifles as well. The text for those rifle pictures always says the inlay was for a vent pick. There is never a vent pick with the rifle that I have seen.

How were those done? I can imagine a small wire pick on the end of a brass finial threaded into the inlay. I can't picture how the pick would stay in the inlay otherwise.

Does anyone know?

DAve

[Hunterdude]

If it is a southern gun? It may be for a bird feather, the feather could be used as a vent pick that would not wallow out the Vent hole and could also plug the Vent hole if the rifle was leaning against a tree or wagon Loaded all day for subsistence hunting/ protection. The feather plugged touch hole was thought to help keep humidity from getting to the main charge.
   The "Fluff" on the feather would hold the feather in the inlay hole, and feathers are not costly so a few spares can be kept in the shot pouch if a feather was lost. Just my .02 as I am not a historian....just something I read.

[Mike Brooks]

It's for a feather

[yellowhousejake]

It's for a feather

I can see that, but will it stay there? Does anyone do that now cause I've never seen a feather sticking out of a rifle. Makes sense, cheap-simple-replaceable.

DAve

[Hunterdude]

This video about southern guns is worth watching....but if you skip to about 7:35 seconds in, you will get a nice tutorial about the use of feathers in southern rifles.

[T*O*F]

Does anyone do that now cause I've never seen a feather sticking out of a rifle. Makes sense, cheap-simple-replaceable.

Not that it means anything, but possessing any part of a songbird is against federal law, however that doesn't apply to migratory game birds or some trash species like starlings and some sparrows.  DNR agents often attend rendezvous and like events, usually searching for raptor feathers and endangered specie hides.

[rich pierce]

If you need some chicken feathers the right size I’m sure I can collect some when they molt.

[Elnathan]

Does anyone do that now cause I've never seen a feather sticking out of a rifle. Makes sense, cheap-simple-replaceable.

Not that it means anything, but possessing any part of a songbird is against federal law, however that doesn't apply to migratory game birds or some trash species like starlings and some sparrows.  DNR agents often attend rendezvous and like events, usually searching for raptor feathers and endangered specie hides.

I like the idea of a parakeet/budgie feather as a substitute for the now extinct Carolina Parakeet. Quite colorful, no question about legality, and (very nearly) period correct.

[Bob Gerard]

It must be a pretty big touch hole for even a little tiny feather to fit in it. 

[bob in the woods]

I like to use partridge tail feathers . They hold up well, and are the right size for the 5/64th's touch holes I have on my hunting guns.