Patch/Cap box on a percussion rifle

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Yes, I'm a Traveling Man. Always a pleasure to meet others in this hobby! I've been Master a couple of times in NY, and recently moved to Maine. Starting off here as Jr Steward, United #8 in Brunswick. 🎩

ML is Service Memorial 303 ( Ex and current Servicemens, 303 as in SMLE caliber) also RA and RC, a Travelling Man for some years now.
 
Nope, just deep enough to hold the caps, shallow enough to be able to pick one out.

And when the rifle tips over, there they go, free fall.

Folks say they do not like to shoot .32's because the balls are too small and they frequently drop them. 32 balls are huge compared to caps.

The more I look at SMR's, the more I like them, no gaudy patch box. If anything makes sense on a stock it's a grease hole.
 
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To be honest I've never used one of those leather cappers, and its always wondered if Caps can be lost using them.
When the holes are properly sized, I wouldn't put CCI #10 caps in my leather cap holder, they won't fall out. If it's cold and you are hurried to place a cap on a nipple, the cap might fall out, but no worse than fumbling around in the cap box in the stock of your rifle.
 
More “code” here 😎- PM of my “mother” #853 in Kentucky, 24 years later, I am in the East again at my “sister” #461 in North Carolina. Also, 25+ year member of AASR, ROS, etc. I had the distinct honor and pleasure to “raise” my son a year+ ago. He is the 5th (known) generation. Salve Fraters!
 
I use A TC pistol capper for number 11 caps, it probably holds at least 5o to 100 and a Ted cash capper for number 10s as my two main rifles use different sizes. It's got to hold at least that many too. Does anybody else use these gadgets besides me? They are easy to fill, you tap on the bottom after you put the caps in and they all turn over. The TC one is clear and I can see how full it is without opening.
Squint
 
I seldom keep anything in a patch box. But I do have this old original rifle with stuff in the patch box. Old patches, old caps and a couple old round balls that have turned white.
Wurfflein patch box contents.JPG
 
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I want to able to maintain my rifle and be able to fight two rounds out of it by grabbing just the rifle and a horn. I can use anyones horn in a tight spot, but your bag may not have the balls or patches that I need.

So in my flintlock patch boxes are the following…a turnscrew fitted to that gun, a spare flint and leather, a couple of cleaning patches, two balls and two correct thickness patches.

Percussion guns get the same except a spare nipple and a couple of caps.

My focus is always to try and be in the mindset of being on the frontier…or further off the map. I look at the patch box as a sort 18th Century bail out bag.
 
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I have two jags for my BP rifles. One is turned down a bit so I can swab a fouled bore without pushing fouling into the flame channel, and one is left factory size. I carry the turned down jag in the patchbox on the rifles that have one.
 
Ball puller & pre-cut, lubed patches. Grease hole in SMR got grease on my clothes, didn't do well in hot weather. Saw fowler this weekend with cap box in pistol grip - ornate, some sort of white metal and about the size of a nickel. English gun.
 
The small size of the round patch boxes makes them useless. The larger retangular boxes are large enough for tools, that is useful.

I have a ram rod extension and ball puller in mine so I can pull a ball when out in the field.
 
In my limited experience with patch boxes they are not a quick and easy way to carry bits and ends without spillage, especially if you are in a hurry , sliding wooden ones lids are fiddly to replace and care is needed not to break edges , but they are a good way to make sure you have some necessaries when needed if ,say, you still have your firearm but have lost your bullet pouch .
I carry a vent pricker made out of a horse shoe nail , a flint with leather , some patch cloth and a ball in mine .
The round box on Josephg's German ? rifle looks larger than most of the English ones I have seen .
 
Ball puller & pre-cut, lubed patches. Grease hole in SMR got grease on my clothes, didn't do well in hot weather. Saw fowler this weekend with cap box in pistol grip - ornate, some sort of white metal and about the size of a nickel. English gun.
I have seen English rifles with a small box in the pistol grip , used to carry a spare ivory replacement foresight for low light shooting
 

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