Nah, it would always look like a plugged hole. I'll live with it. It is a conversation starter at the range though.
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Grease hole
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Harry Marinakis
40 Cal
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When I saw the thread title "Grease Hole," I was thinking of something else.
longcruise
70 Cal.
I recall seeing a picture of an original Gillespie (I think) rifle that had a grease hole. It was in the shape of a tear drop with the narrow and shallower end in the direction of the butt. It looked quit attractive and was clearly "spooned" out with a gouge type chisel.
I would do one if I had an SMR. It was done in the day and commonly enough to have been functional.
I would do one if I had an SMR. It was done in the day and commonly enough to have been functional.
Banjoman
Eager to learn and willing to teach.
In the Walter Cline book ‘The Muzzle-Loading Rifle Then and Now’ and the Randal Pierce book ‘Kentucky Rifles of the Great Smoky Mountains’ there are several southern guns with grease holes in the stock. It may not be for everyone, but I like them.
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Indeed. They sure make a SMR look like an original/authentic.
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Nice. I filled mine with beeswax, so it looks OK but I don't plan to use it for that. Thanks.
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I do, too. Totally authentic. I filled mine with beeswax as I don't want to actually use it.
Terry Lightle
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To each his own.I really do not care for patch or cap boxes or grease holes but lots of people like them
nchawkeye
58 Cal.
Idea...Fill it half full of your favorite lube, then add several greased patches on top, that way, you can easily access patches that are already lubed...If the top one gets too dirty for your liking, toss it....
If I had a SMR that I used as a primary squirrel rifle, I wouldn't mind having a grease hole in the stock. I most likely would not use it. Rather I would probably fill it with beeswax instead. However, there's no denying they make a SMR look authentic.
Years ago, the first time I saw a grease hole in a stock was on an old original SMR hanging on a friends cabin wall. I had to ask what that hole was for.
Really, they are CVA’s that the barrels were made for them by Jukar. Now Traditions sells them. It’s fashionable to not call them by what they are and to be cool and call them a Jukar. Kind of like jotos calling a flintlock a rock lock. Ghey.
Antelope Pete
40 Cal
You could fill it with some kind of whiteish or yellow epoxy and you'd get the aesthetic value if that's what you want without the hassles of grease. Just an idea.
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Beeswax is good, too. Stays hard.
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longcruise
70 Cal.
If I put one on one of my rifles I probably wouldn't put anything in it unless it was to actually use it. None of the lubes that I presently use would work due to being more on the liquid side.
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Grease holes were always a bad idea in my opinion for a couple reasons.
1. They get grit in them that wears muzzle crowns prematurely via patch transfer.
2. The grease migrates into the stock wood.
3. They are messy to gun handling.
Banjoman
Eager to learn and willing to teach.
I don’t disagree with what you say but not sure I totally agree either.
First, it’s a $75 Jukar that I attempted to make look more like an original southern mountain rifle. If it gets some premature muzzle crown wear, that will just add to the character of the gun.
Next, I hope I get to shoot the gun enough to cause muzzle wear.
The bees wax mixture is not so runny that it’s going to migrate much but if it does, so what.
And the grease is no more messy than using greased patches in other forms or the soot from black powder. A good day of muzzleloader shooting ends with dirty hands anyway.
Have you used a grease hole like this and caused premature muzzle crown wear? If so, do you have any pictures?
Thanks!
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I don't have to whack myself between the eye with a framing hammer to know a bad idea when I see one. A covered patch box with a liner for patches is a far better idea in a stock then is an open grease hole , a poor idea in my opinion.
Usually patch lube is tallow based lube which will soak into stock wood over time and as long as dust of any kind is in the air it will get into the patch grease open to the environment..
Use of wood loading rods contaminated with grit, no muzzle guides, insufficient cleaning and grit contaminated patch lube( which equates to lapping compound) were the main reasons for the need of frequent refreshing.
Even soft iron barrels will last for decades if the a fore mentioned problems are addressed.
Banjoman
Eager to learn and willing to teach.
Okay. That’s funny!
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Banjoman
Eager to learn and willing to teach.
Got a new box of bees wax in the mail and made up a new batch of patch lube/fixing wax (bees wax & vegetable oil). I also use this in the barrels of my smooth bores to prevent rust. It works. It’s more wax than oil and not runny at all. I think some folks get the wrong idea when they hear the word grease. It’s not like axle grease, it’s more the consistency of shoe polish. When you rub it between your fingers it softens to easily apply to a patch. I’ve used it only a few days but so far so good. A good fellow on this forum told me how to make it.
