Accra Glass in the Ramrod Hole

[DrTimboone]

Well stupid me! :cursing: :redface: I bedded my 44" barrel last weekend. (first time!) Since the ramrod hole was routed rather than bored, I covered the slot with tape and put bedding over it. Closed the slot nicely...except...some accra glass squeezed through just at the breech end of the slot...luckily I had taken the ramrod out. (on second thought I probably should have wrapped it and painted it thoroughly with release agent and left it in) Cause now my ramrod stops about 1" short of fully seating in the hole.

Any ideas on how best to remedy this situation would be appreciated. I do not have a long drill for drilling the holes, but am not averse to buying one if they are readily available somewhere?

thanks

 

[54JNoll]

www.muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com

They sell long ramrod drills. Order a drill, make yourself 2 or three blocks to hold the drill to the bottom of your ramrod groove along the upper forearm. You will have to make groove for the ramrod. Lube the groove with beeswax and clamp them to your forestock. Use an electric drill. You want the drill running fast but you want to apply just light pressure to the drill to do the cutting. Go slow and you should be ok.

The other option is to dig it out from the top and redo it with a well coated rod.

 

[coehornboy]

Dr. Tim:
Long drills can be had, but not too cheap. When I wanted to drill the ramrod channel for my matchlock (and being "thrifty" :winking: ), I just welded an appropriate sized drillbit on the end of a piece of "drill rod" that is about 24" long (1/4 or 3/16)...the relative flexibility of the drill rod helps as the drill motor size does not allow an elongated thick bit to run parallel to the stock.

Good luck!!

 

[oldarmy]

I have a done that.
First thing to do is take a small drill bit and see how far the ramrod is stuck in the channel.
If it is just in a little bit. I would drill it out from the top.You can always re-bed
If it is in quite a way down you are going to have to buy a ramrod drill.
I have a 11/32 that I used. I can lend it to you.

 

[Swampman]

Epoxy can be melted pretty easy. Just a thought.

 

[Zonie]

You could have a machine shop run a end mill down thru the epoxy, like the channel was made in the first place.
The trouble with that is the set-up would have to be exactly right or it could frinkle up more than it would fix. The other trouble with that is at the price most machine shops want per hour, a ramrod drill from Susie at Muzzleloader Builders Supply would be cheaper (3/8 inch diameter X 48 inches long is part number 24620.)

 

[DrTimboone]

Hey Thanks!! Lots of ideas. I think I will try through the top, as the glass is quite thin where the web should be. I might just try poking a hot ramrod tip down the ramrod hole first... there cant be much glass that actually got in the hole...

I will let you know.... :bow:

 

[hcook]

I never tried the hot ramrod trick but I wonder if when it cooled down, it wouldn't glue itself into the hole?

 

[WRussell]

You can get mild steel rod at hardware stores - it will be plenty good enough to drill out some epoxy. You can easily make a "spade" bit by buying an undersized rod and hammering out the end of it, then filing it. Case hardening will make it last longer. For your situation, I think I'd use a rod close to the hole size and file teeth in the end. Make a few (two or three) big teeth, not a bunch of little ones. Don't bother case hardening. Pull it out often to clean it. Get the end up to 300 deg. or so and it should go faster. Let everything cool down, then go in again to clear out the crumbs you'll likely get from hot epoxy.


Actually going in from the top sounds the easiest, since it was a ditch to begin with. Just use a hot chisel to scoop out the epoxy.

 

[Birddog6]

Lets not make this hard & lets not screw up a pretty bedding job.

Go to the hardware & get a standard 3/8" metal drill bit (if you have a 3/8" RR hole) and weld the bit to the end of a long piece of allthread. (Oh, it has to be welded on straight)
Put the stock upside down (RR groove up) in between 2 vices, secured at lock area & forestock area.

Chuck the allthread/bit into the drill & take the bit to the RR hole & insure it IS the correct size, I just lay my hand over the allthread aboput 2-3" from the entry hole with a leather glove on my hand & I drill into the stock & back out carefully about every 6" I drill. Run about 1/2 speed & as you come out slow it to a barely turning speed. This way as the bit fills you can dump the wood dust out & not bind the bit in the hole.
Keep going back in til ya get to the place the bedding is at. Now two ways you can go here.............. Mark with a Marker the allthread at the distance you need to drill into the entrypipe (be it 1/2" or 3/4" or 1" or whatever). Or guestimate & recheck with the RR.

I have drilled out dozens of leaked bedding this way, too tight of RR holes, etc. Easy as could be & never had a problem.

Now Be SURE you have the bit size correct, as too large a bit may catch & tear or chunk out a place starting at the entrypipe. And I would NOT drill thru a RR pipe in the rifle. If the Entrypipe is installed, take it off & drill the wood only.

I have 4-5 of these long bits homemade & they work fine. IMHO

Now if you are drilling a NON-Existing hole, then you need the blocks & bearing surfaces to support the bit & stabilize it & etc. as told above.....

 

[DrTimboone]

:bow: :hatsoff: Thank you all very much! I cut down through the accra glass into the ramrod hole and was able to clean everything out with a 1/2 inch X 1/4 hole in the bedding. Got her all cleaned up and then covered the barrel channel and barrel with a really hevy coat of Rennaisance Wax and put her together. Worked great. So now my colonial .54 has a coned muzzle and bedded barrel. It feels really solid now.

I don't thnk I will ever take the barrel out again.
Thanks for all the expert advice. I am going to get drill bit anyway as I hopeto be making many mnore guns in the future and don't want to ue precarved stocks for all.

 

[oldarmy]

Dr.
I was going to add to my note.
Don't panic.. set her aside and the cure will come to you..
glad you solved the problem.

 

[DrTimboone]

Thanks Mike!! I got a T shirt fo Christmas that is a spoof on "Old Navy" It has "Old Army" on the chest. My wife said,"well you were in the Army and you are old so..."

I will wear it proudly in honor of you an the rest of theband of brothers!! :v

 

[oldarmy]

hey Dr. thats funny, I was in the Navy and never in the Army. I like the Ruger old army cap and ball guns. That's where I thought of the alis
I am putting together a J Garner late lancaster kit.It has the milled ramrod. I am going to glass bed it.
This time I will use lots of release agent on the ramrod and remove it once the bedding has set.