Brown Bess ramrods

[mudd turtle]

Did a Brown Bess ever have a wooden ram rod or were they always made of iron. If you wanted to make a wooden range rod for your Brown Bess what size of hickory dowel would be big enough. Mudd Turtle

 

[Roy]

The first model (1728? version) had a 7/16 wood ramrod.

 

[Swampman]

I thought they were 3/8ths" in the pipes and flared at the muzzle end. I could be wrong. I have a 1/2" hickory cleaning rod that I've used for large bored muskets for 20 years.

 

[Roy]

Oops foiled again :grin: They are tapered down from a little ove 25/64 down to there entire length to 3/8, but these are measurements of the ramrod pipes and are castings, so they may not be as large as the original since you lose something like 8% to 10% in the casting process. :yakyak: :rotf:

any way I would make a range rod for it at 1/2" better safe then sorry. :thumbsup:

 

[Grenadier1758]

The early Long Land Patterns were issued with wooden ramrods. Typically these were the 1728 about. One of the earliest improvements were the addition of the steel ramrod with a spring in the first pipe to hold the new rod.

I use a 1/2" diameter ramrod as a working rod for my Bess.

 

[Swampman]

I guess they considered it an improvement. I much prefer the wooden rammer.

 

[Roy]

When they changed there ramrod they also changed the trigger gaurd.

I agree with you Mark, I also prefer hickory.