best ramrod
- Thread starter lenl349
- Start date
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I took my fiberglass rod and light sanded with 400, then a polymer coating and no more glass slivers.
About 20 years ago I broke a wooden rod and put a nice hole in my thumb. I got some 5/16 and 3/8 cold rolled steel rods and made two range rods by drilling and tapping one end and silver soldering a t-handle on the other. With that problem solved I starting looking for a PC looking alternative for my underbarrel rods. I came across a guy on the internet selling "unbreakable" steel core rods for more money than I was willing to pay. But that sparked an idea. I ripped out 2 pieces of oak/ hickory 1/2 inch by 1/4 inch, and milled a 1/8 inch wide by 1/16 deep rabbet down the center of each. I got a 1/8 cold rolled steel rod, put it in the rabbet and epoxied everything together so the end looked like a square pencil. Knock the corners off with a block plane, and then finish rounding/tapering. I make all my ramrods this way now- they look like a wood rod but are much heavier and stiffer. They are easy to do with a table saw with a zero clearance
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The one I had was pinkish orange. It was just wrong. Sanded it but seemed to make it worse. Never thought of coating it.
Mine is rust colored. Came with it when I bought it used. I would have never thought to buy a fiberglass one, but it worked well so I kept it.
