Wooden Patch box

[GDM]

Ladies and Gents,
I have always wanted a rifle with wooden patch box. I have owned a few custom built guns but never one with a sliding wooden patch box. It always seems to elude me. So my question for the qroup. Is it possible to have a wooden patch box added to one of my rifles? Or does it really need to be done during the initial build? I currently have a TVM Tennesee Moutain rifle and a Jackie Brown smoothbore that puts in mind of of an early Virginia style. Would either of these work for a wooden patch box or are they the wrong style? In looking around in books and on the internet it seems the smoothbore would be a better candidate but I wanted to get some experts opinions. Thank yee kindly.

Brokenramrod

 

[Zonie]

IMO, it would be easier to install a sliding wood patchbox without needing to refinish the stock than it is to install a metal patch box.

The metal patch boxes must be installed with their outer surfaces exactly flush with the adjacent wood.
That makes it almost mandatory to sand the metal and wood to get this flush condition.

With a sliding wood lid, since it stands proud of the existing stock surface, no sanding of the wood is needed so the existing finish can be left in place.

A wide dovetail joint needs to be made in the wood and thru the butt plate so the lid can slide in place.

I'm not saying installing either type of lid is an easy job but at least with the wooden lid, you won't need to refinish the stock.

 

[Col. Batguano]

In general, the sliding wooden patch box is an earlier feature than a metal one, though many guns were made with them after metal patch boxes became more commonplace. If custom builders price sheets are any indication of difficulty or time to make and install, they charge about half the price for a wooden patch box as they do for a metal one.

Speculating now, I tend to think the domed metal patch boxes were sort of a transition between the two, preserving the look of the older sliding wooden ones, but allowing for more intricate designs as can be done in metal.

 

[Elnathan]

Assuming that the gun you choose doesn't already have a brass box, than it is possible to retrofit a wooden box. The difficulty is that in order to do so one has to create a dead flat spot on the stock, which, pace Zonie, will require a bit of refinishing at best and reshaping that side of the stock at worst - by the time you get the flat actually flat it is going to extend beyond the borders of the box itself and require the areas outside the line of the box to be rerounded.

 

[LRB]

Exactly as Elnathan says. There will be a halo like area around the lid that will need to be refinished. Still should not be too difficult to pull off to an acceptable degree. With careful planning, and careful execution, that halo zone can be kept to a minimum.

 

[GDM]

Thank you gents. I appreciate the info. Neither gun has a patch box of any kind right now. The smoothbore is already flat on the sides so it would be the easiest I believe from what you gents have told me. The Tennessee rifle is rounded a little so would require quite a bit more sanding and restaining to match. Again thank you for the info. I will be checking into it and see how it goes.

 

[Black Hand]

A question you should ask: Is a wooden patchbox appropriate to the gun? If it would not have been correct, you may wish to reconsider...

 

[billraby]

Not going to work if it already has a metal patch box. Those are inlet into the stock. If there is no patch box already, then putting a sliding wood one is not very tough. Just a bit of carving.

 

[Larry Akers]

Just to give you something else to think about. I have a wooden patchbox lid from an antique rifle that would be flush with and contoured to the surface of the stock when installed. You could have a wooden patchbox lid without the gun looking like it has a wooden patchbox lid. Or you could draw attention to it by adding carving to (and around) the lid.

 

[Billnpatti]

You got a lot of good comments from folks that know a lot more about it than I do. But, one thing that came to mind is whether you are going to find a piece of wood that matches your stock color and grain. If it doesn't match, it may look a bit odd. Just something else to think about.

 

[tenngun]

Just a thought along with Billandpattie, that if you could not get a good match to your wood not all wooden covers were wooden. Ivory was common, you could try bone horn or antler.

 

[B.Habermehl]

If you were to add a wood patch box to the Jacky Brown gun. Just get in touch with him about what stain he uses. Then you will have a closer match. Given that you use the same specie of wood for the box. One thing to remember, even if the patch box cover was sawn fron the same stock blank the gun is made from it may not react to the stain identically to the but stock area as wood differs slightly even in the same tree. This is to be some what expected. Also remember sliding wood covers were some times lost and replaced in period of use, leading to mismatched grain and color. So you can artistically give the gun some "history". BJH

 

[rich pierce]

To me it would look out of place on either, especially the Southern Mountain rifle. Without knowing the style or time period of the Jackie Brown smoothbore it's hard to say.

 

[GDM]

I will be a thanking you for all the information. I have thought about it a lot and did quite a bit of reseach this weekend. I have decided based on several answers here and my research to just leave both guns the way they were built. I am going to save my money and either have one built with a wooden patch box or maybe I will get lucky and one will come up for sale while I am getting my money together that fits the bill. Either way thanks again for all of your input.

 

[B.Habermehl]

I agree with you about the southern mountain rifle. With the early Virginia fowler, he would end up with a sort of English fowler with a sliding wood patch box. Sort of like the so called John Bullard rifle, now believed to have been made by John Newcomber. BJH

 

[BigBoreBLR]

Good choice on having one built with it.

IF you do change your mind back, I'd say the Virginia one might be a better pick.

When I do see wooden patch box rifles in person, they tend to be bigger stocked early guns. An of course brass hardware.

There are so many options and possibilities. Do you have a good book to reference. Like the rifles of Colonial America. They're pricey, but well worth the expense.