Just bought one from them very nice rod
Brass ramrod
- Thread starter Omahkapi'si
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I've had a Brass rod on my T/C 50 Cal since 1983......
Well my October Country antiqued brass ramrod showed up today. It was packed fairly well but that didn't stop someone along the way between the shipper, California, Vancouver, Customs and Canada Post from bending it a good 30 degrees or more just slightly off center. I managed to get it straightened out with the vise and some elbow grease, and it looked pretty good. However, it's too thick to go through the thimbles. I have sanded on it for a good couple of hours, trying to get it to start under the rifle but nope. I do not want to force it and risk damage or it getting stuck in there obviously. So back to the hickory rod for now, which works great anyway. The brass rod is now truly brass as all of the "antique" is off it now. If I ever get it to fit, it will patina on it's own anyway. Not worried about that so much but do not want to make it so a hickory rod falls out cuz it's too loose and the brass one is too tight. The brass rod would add some heft to the rifle too; it's not as light as I thought it might be.
I bought a smaller diameter brass ramrod from October Country to fit my .36 Lehigh, the exact length I requested, and it fits nicely. I bought steel rods of different diameters from Home Depot to see what diameter would work best with the thimbles and channel, and bought the brass rod accordingly. Now I need to return the steel rods.
OC sent the brass ramrod in a pvc pipe, and it arrived undamaged. Shipping was expensive, but no hassles.
Yup that's how mine was packed, except it was bent, pipe and all inside a long box.
Oh well....back to the hickory rod until I eats me spinach and sand it down.
It must have taken extra effort! During a construction project, we opened a new women's restroom, and the next day, found that a door had been torn off of the stall. People amaze me all the time.
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Is your rifle EuropeN made?
Like brass, but concerned about the weight? Make it a HOLLOW one! A hollow ramrod, made from brass tube, has 95+% of the strength of a solid bar, but at 50% of the weight. See info here on making your own: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/making-a-diy-hollow-brass-ramrod.25482/
FYI, here's a great online resource for hollow brass tubing (many with 'thick' walls) to make your own DIY one! Only $20 for a 3' length of 3/8" diameter thick wall (0.065") brass tube. https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/brass-round-tube
FYI, here's a great online resource for hollow brass tubing (many with 'thick' walls) to make your own DIY one! Only $20 for a 3' length of 3/8" diameter thick wall (0.065") brass tube. https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/brass-round-tube
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Pedersoli.
I like my wooden rod. But I have a .50BMG rod I use for cleaning and ball pulling. Welded a nut onto it near the swivel handle so I can use pliers or a wrench to screw a ball puller in. Sometimes think about brazing it into a one piece rod but it would be less convenient to store and transport.
It’s in. Hours of filing and sanding. Nice snug fit. Not buffed up yet. Still in the rough. Will finish tomorrow night. I like the weight. Once it patinas it will look way better.
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The ram rod pipes are probably for a 9mm ram rod not 3/8 . 9mm is about .015 smaller than 3/8
Yup. I ground her down to 9mm by hand. Fits perfect. No slip and won’t fall out when I pack it horseback. Tonight I will smooth it out, and then rub it down with a salt/vinegar solution which will oxidize and hopefully produce a nice aged patina.
Wipe the rod with a couple used patches…
It’ll antique it quickly…
It’ll antique it quickly…
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i want to see more and better pictures of the new rifle! these are just teasers.!
Beerchwood Casey's super bluing sill put a patina on that rod fast, or just swabbing the bore for a while.
It's done. In the rifle and ready to use. I did get the shine off the brass at least and it will age just fine going in & out of the bore pushing lead. I'll try it out this weekend. It's got a few rough looking spots but still smooth. I kinda like it looking a little rough.
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A lot of N-SSA competition shooters use brass ramrods. We load and shoot in timed competitions and the brass results in less wear on the rifling and crown.
I packed my rifle along on a walk tonight. It’s pretty hefty. We’ll see how it goes.
