Scabbard lining

[Dwane]

I'm  going to make a lined rifle scabbard to carry on my saddle, what would be a good lining that won't be hard on the rifles finish?

im hoping this is the right place to post this, if not please moves 

Edited February 15, 2017 by Dwane

[cjartist]

deer hide tends to be soft and inexpensive for a bigger project like that.

[JREESER1]

Some deer/elk hides are tanned with an abundance of tannic acids that play heck on bluing and even wood finishes, and you cannot trust leaving your firearm touching the hide for any length of time.  Any brass, as in ammo can fester and turn green and get a moldy looking patina. I have had good luck with pig skin as a lining but still be careful, especially with any blued weapon. I have not had much experience with stainless steel.

jr

[Sceaden]

I have yet to try it but my research indicates that vegetable tanned pigskin should work well. Chrome will damage finishes and as JREESER1 mentioned there is a similar risk with something like deer. 

[bikermutt07]

Aren't they usually lined with shearing?

[MADMAX22]

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=+rifle+scabbard+lining+material+site:leatherworker.net

[Leerwerker]

This is an issue that affects knife makers too.

Some time ago I contacted the Leather Chemists of America about it.  The bottom line of their responses were that leather is and should be acidic (pH level of 4).   If you bring that and the metal of guns / knives together nothing will happen.  BUT, just the moisture present in the air might add the third element to this evil trio: water.   The acid can now attack the metal.

The solution is to add a barrier between the leather and the metal in the shape of oil / wax finish, like Dubbin or Dr Jackson's or Aussie finish.  As long as the leather stays well fed (don't over do it) the oil/wax forms a barrier around the leather fibers.

[Dwane]

I am actually more worried about the leather rubbing the finish off when placed in or pulled out of the scabbard. 

Just looking for a softer material to line the inside

[Harry Marinakis]

I make sword scabbards. I line my scabbards with either short-hair cow hides or heavy Melton wool (22-24 oz.) fabric.

Cow is nice because the hides are very large and you can cut long pieces from them. Goat is also fine, but the hides are quite a bit smaller.

Historically, sword scabbards were lined with animal hair (sheep, goat, cow, etc.) from the Bronze Age (c. 1800 B.C.) through the Middle Ages (c. AD 1100). Both short and long hair hides were used.

Sometime around AD 900-1000 Century wool textiles were being substituted for animal hair as the lining material.

But in the High and Late Medieval periods (c.1100-1500) sword scabbards were generally not lined, except for the occasional canvas lining.

I have not researched scabbard linings beyond the medieval period.

 

Edited February 28, 2017 by Harry Marinakis