Patch boxes/grease hole covers I'm pondering

[B.Barker]

Here are three boxes I'm thinking about for my mountain rifle. I'm leaning towards the egg shped one. If  I do go with it I will probably a hing on the side. I like the captured one also but don't know if I want to go that fancy. I got the idea from a Bull rifle in J. Nobels books.

[Bill of the 45th]

Brian, I'd go with the top one or the egg.  The captured just looks out of place, like racing slicks on a VW Beetle.  The top one would look better with two screws at the edge of the hinge, making a triangle.  The egg would look good with a side hinge.

Bill

[keweenaw]

Too bad you've put your lock on the wrong side!  I'm not sure I really like any of your designs, they just don't speak to me but then I'm sure I use stuff on some of my guns that others don't find all that appealing.   The front extension on our top design seems a little too cute.

Tom

[M Tornichio]

I would go with 3 if you don't want to be too fancy. Ian has a rifle with that shape with a side opening box and it look really good. I am sure he might post a picture if asked. Maybe?

[J. Talbert]

I mentioned in an earlier post that I like the teardrop, but I'm also partial to a racier version of the traditional banana box.  Ala: Mike Cox (if you're familiar with his work), with streamlined, tapered ends rather than the blunt rounded ones.

Hey but I'm right handed anyway...

Oh well,
Jeff

[Pete G.]

I like a little shorter version of the teardrop, perhaps just large enough to cover the grease hole with a screw in the front to act as a pivot. Just rotate around the pivot to open.

[B.Barker]

I haven't made up my mind if I will even put a box/cover on yet. Maybe just a grease hole. I like hearing other peoples thoughts and looking at the photo's help me decide what I like best also. The banana box with diamond was on a few originals. I think there is one on a rifle in the ALR library.

[Doug Cline]

Not sure if this helps narrow the selection process any but the egg shaped box Ian Pratt did can be found on the Contemporary blog site, http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vb_Yo_ELC48/SYJfBt53HcI/AAAAAAAAJgA/YSdf4qsVwy4/s1600-h/IMG_0210_Ian_Pratt_crop.jpg , I think number 1 and 3 are a better fit than the captured lid design, just my opinion.
Doug

[eagle24]

I like them all.  Can't wait to see the finished rifle. 

[Dancy]

Guess I'm a little confused on what style you are going after, the profile of the butt looks more SW Virginia than TN to me, if that's the case, I like the fancier no. 2. The egg shape is cool, but just seems later than flint to me, more like on a plains rifle or something. No. 1 speaks of TN to my eye. Depends on where your going and more importantly what YOU like.

James

[B.Barker]

James actually the profile of the stock is close to several Bull rifles I've seen in photo's. I'm not trying to copy any one builder or region. I like blacksmithing and working iron. Thats why I'm making this iron mounted rifle. Plan on making another one for deer hunting after this one.

[G-Man]

There are several surviving John Bull rifles with captured lid boxes.  The Isaac Guess rifle is one, and the famous "Charlotte Anne" rifle is another, which looks to be where you to the inspiration for your captured lid.  I have also seen several other East Tennessee guns with captured lid boxes, including a wonderful one by Edward Reed that has a banana shaped lid, set in a captured lid surround.

That being said, if you are keepiing it simple -no silver inlays or key escutcheons etc., then I would go with one of your two simpler boxes.   Or, if it were me, I really like some of the Elisha Bull styles in Jerry's books - sort of a melding of the "egg" and the banana  - sort of like a wide, blunt end version with 3 screws in the finial.   Some of them even had mixed hardware - iron guards and buttplates with brass boxes and ramrod pipes.

There is a big range of architecture on guns made throughout the southern Appalachians.  Especially with early pieces it is often hard to tell exactly where they were made, especially with gunmakers who tended to move around a lot.  

I really like the rifle Brian.  Nice work.

[Steve Bookout]

I vote for the Bull inspired top one.  Leave the large screw as it stands as it is a quite common feature.  Cheers, Bookie

[Swampwalker]

You should go with --- the one you like!
Seriously, if you can't decide between those options, perhaps you should go back to the drawing board. 
For my work, if I'm in doubt, I tend to go with the traditional design.

[exTNer]

hmm... 3 lids, one gun.  You need to build 2 more guns!!

[B.Barker]

The box/grease hole cover will be what looks good to me. Because the rifle is for me not a customer. The captured box is out for sure because I'm not liking it on this rifle. However ther is another Bull box that is different that I've been thinking about and will probably make a cutout and stick it on the rifle and see what I think. Paper is cheap easy to cut shapes from until you find what you like.  And then again I like the simple grease hole. Thats what I like about building my own rifle I can keep changing things until I like what I see.