Building a ram rod?

[tx-hunter]

I bought the iron fittings from Dixie Gun and a hardwood dowel from the wood shop near near me. It is not drilled for a pin. Should I drill a hole through it and peen a pin thru the rod? Seems like if I was pulling out a ball and patch and the whole thing is stuck down there it wouldn't be a good deal.

Is this an acceptable method or is there a better way?

Thanks, :thumbsup:

 

Yes sir, drill a 1/16th inch hole and use a 1/16th inch mild steel pin and peen it on both ends after putting a slight radius on each end of the hole then file the pin flush after peening. You never know when you might need to pull a ball.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Speaking for myself, I would beware of using generic hardwood dowels off the shelf. Impalement of the pinky from a broken RR is not a minor thing.

 

[fw707]

tx, I've always used white hickory for ramrods, and I've never broken one yet. I always pin the end on the rod exactly like Cooner54 said to do it.
I bought 3 oak rods (dowels) at Lowe's the other day for my .54 GPR, but I went through a bunch of them and made sure I picked out the ones that had at least a couple or 3 grain lines running from end to end. They are 3/8" diameter and they'll only be 33" long, so I think they'll work just fine till I get some good hickory rods. And, they were only 88 cents each so I figgered they'd be worth a try. :grin:
Oh yeah, the "dowel rod" ramrod that came with the GPR broke right where it goes into the end piece the first time I shot the gun. :shake:

 

[Zonie]

Although I've posted this picture before, this might be a good time to show folks what you Don't want to see your ramrods grain looking like.

If you see the grain breaking out the side of the rod like the drawing shows, use it for starting a nice fire but do not use if for a ramrod.

Some of the really inexpensive wooden dowels sold at hardware stores do not look this bad but they are often just plain made out of a type of wood that can't take the pressure of ramming a ball.

As was said, if a ramrod breaks it can easily poke a hole clean thru your hand. Several of our members can tell all about it because it's happened to them.
By the way, Thompson Center makes a very fine rifle however, many of the ramrods supplied with these guns are terrible. They often have grain patterns that look like the above picture and they are not to be trusted. Replace them with a good hickory rod.

I always pin the ends onto my ramrods using a 1/16 inch diameter pin. I usually use a 1/16 diameter brass rod for the material.

After drilling the 1/16 inch hole thru the ramrod tip while it's installed on the end of the ramrod, I form a little countersink on each side using my pocket knife.
Trimming the rod so it is about 1/16 longer than the length of the hole provides material to peen into the countersink. Then filing it flush forms a invisible rivet.
Zonie

 

[fw707]

Good info Zonie, just one thing to add for the new rod builders---don't put the pin too close to the metal end/ramrod connection or it'll make a weak spot that's prone to breakage with very little sideways movement, like starting a tight cleaning patch.

 

[flashpanner]

I've heard of doing a long term submerged soak of the ram rod in kerosene to improve it's flexibility and reduce brittleness. Has any one done this to their ram rod?

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I've heard of doing a long term submerged soak of the ram rod in kerosene to improve it's flexibility and reduce brittleness. Has any one done this to their ram rod?

OEMV, but IMHO, it works almost as good as an untreated RR. For me, it is as Zonie's post about the grain, straight hickory grain makes for a good RR.

 

[djnye]

in my opinion soaking will not save a bad rod, nor will it help a good one. good hickory rods are very strong and flexible even after many, many years. when pinning the rods i think it is wise to make the hole as far in from the end of the wood as practicable. also, i am always careful to orient the hole so it is at right angle to the plane of the growth rings. this is simply to avoid a potential weakness inherent in ring-porous woods.

take care, daniel

 

[Birddog6]

The only good ramrod is a ramrod with NO grain runout & preferrably made of hickory. I have some I have used for 30 years & they are still going strong. As for soaking them in kerosene, all I have found this to do is make them smell, harder to stain, and wastes about a quart of kerosene, however, it is a cheap test so if the idea hits ya, go for it.....

To make a good ramrod..........

I take the rod to a belt sander & sand on the measured end of the rod as I rotate it against the belt sander til I have it sanded down to where it will barely go all the way into the RR tip. Then I take a piece or emery cloth & roll it up & put it in the tip & twist the emery cloth in the tip to roughen the insides a bit.

Next I take a countersinking tool & I bevel the inside of the RR tip edges just a tad.

I take a round wood file & I make a couple light file marks in a spirial form (like a barber pole stripe) on the sanded wood surface where the tip goes over the ramrod.

Now take a piece of posterboard & cut a small dot/circle out of it & put the small dot of paper into the end of the RR tip to block the end of it where the threads start. Mix up some epoxy or Microbed & put some in the hole & some on the sanded ramrod end. Push the ramrod end into the tip & twist it on tight forcing the excess glue out. Wipe off excess & let dry overnight. Stand on end with tip down.

After setting all night, take a auto centerpunch & make a punch about 3/8" from the wood/brass edge in the center of the tip. Drill it with appropriate sized drill for same size hole as a #3 finish nail. Drill it thru & then take a countersinking bit & bevel the edges of the holes you just drilled. Insert #3 finsih nail & tap it in snug & clip off excess with a pair of sidecuts or needlenose pliers. File excess on same side til you have about 1/32" of nail sticking out. Put the nail head on your vice & on side sticking up peen it over carefully with a small hammer. File flush turn over & file down nail head flush.

This tip Will Not come off. You may break the rod or twist it in half abusing it, but the tip is Not gonna come off......... :winking:

--------------------
If it ain't a Smokin' & a Stinkin', it's Merely an Imitation....

 

[tx-hunter]

thanks yall. that's what i'll do! this rod isn't hickory. i'll go back and get a hickory rod.

thanks!

 

[J.D.]

Ya won't find a hickory rod at your local lumber yard. They need to be ordered from a specialty supplier.

Dunlap had a good supply of hickory rods in several sizes. He has a web page, but I don't know the URL.
J.D.

 

[TN.Frank]

Grain runout is much more important then wood type. I've used everything from Hickory, Oak and Popular and have ha ZERO problems because I'm really picky about getting dowels with no runout and straight grain. I generally glue the tips on with the same hot glue that I use for my arrow tips and then drill a small hole and cross pin em' into place. I also soak em' in boiled linseed oil for a day or so, more to waterproof em' then anything else. Using the proper fitting ball/patch combo and watching how you use the ramrod goes along way in not breaking one.

 

[Zonie]

Birddog6's method sure sounds faster than mine but I know I'd frinkle it up if I tried using a belt sander.

To get a nice clean shoulder for the metal tip to but up against I use the following method.

After measuring the depth of the hole in the tip, I measure just slightly less than it and make a small pencil mark on the rod.

Laying the rod on a smooth table, I then locate a large Exacto knife blade, held perpendicular to the axis of the rod on the mark.
Rolling the rod along, the knife scores a perfect cut around the rod.
I do this several times until the cut is about 1/32 of an inch deep.

Then using a sharp chisel held at about a 45 degree angle from the rod's centerline, I cut into the wood to remove the excess wood on the tip side of the circular cut. This leaves a nice square corner for the metal tip to butt up against.

Once this notch is made, I use a regular metal cutting flat mill file to reduce the diameter down so that it is a close slip fit to the metal tip.
Because the file is a metal cutting file it cuts real slowly which allows me to sneak up on the right size without removing too much wood.
I use the table to roll the rod on while filing so it removes a fairly uniform amount of wood. This keeps the tip pilot fairly concentric with the rod.

This file by the way has had the teeth on the side of it removed (killed) so it will not cut into the nice shoulder left by the knife even if it touches it.

The rest of it like the epoxying etc is done very much like every one else.
Have Fun!
Zonie

 

[Birddog6]

Zonie: That is how I used to do mine til I started using the belt sander. However I cut a bevel cut to the line ya made, just opposite of the tip side as not to have the straight edge. When you bevel the inside of the tip & wood to fit you don't have the straight edge there & less chance of breakage from the squared off end. Not an issue on a large rod but on a 5/16" one or a 1/4" rod, ya need all the extra strength ya can get. I have had several sent to me to replace that people broke them of right at the tip edge.

Lots of dif ways to make RR's. Long as it works & ya like it, that is all that matters.

I bought a dozen hickory rods from Steve Bailey and got them & they were ALL superb, and no runoutof any of them. So I bought another dozen from him & now with those & what I already had, I have enough to last me my days.

Also I will mention, just for those fellers that don't know it yet. DO NOT make a mark around your RR with a knife to mark your load.. :nono: They will break right on that mark if you get a tad hefty with it as that made a weak place there where ya made the cut. Seen ALLOT of them broken off at the cut mark on the rod. :winking:

 

[J.D.]

And when you break a rod at the cut line, install a tip and then make and extension of the short end, by installing a tip on each end. Carry the extension in the hunting pouch to provide that little extra length necessary for cleaning or whatever.
J.D.

 

[khwils]

If you want a PERFECT cut around the ramrod at the shoulder where the wood meets the tip then use a plumbers copper pipe cutter to score/cut the wood. Works perfect every time. Kurt/IL

 

[DrTimboone]

I have made several using Peter Alexander's method described in The Gunsmith of Grenville County. Chuck the tip in a bench mounted drill and after cutting/sanding the slightly tapered rod till it will just barely enter the tip. turn on the drill and press the ramrod into the spinning tip til it is fully inserted. Be careful not to burn it.. Pull it out and use epoxy as Zonie says and the next day drill the hole and pin it just as Zonie says..super fast and has worked great. Never broken one yet! The tip cuts its own mortise