Expedient sapling ramrod works fine

[rich pierce]

I saw a long straight cherry sapling about thumb size at the base and for fun made an expedient ramrod for my .69 fowler. Works a charm. I roughed it on the a jackknife then scrapers and rasps. A couple hours by the fire and it’s not too noodle-ey to work. Rough jag filed on the fat end works for cleaning. I figured this would be the quickest solution for a broken or lost ramrod. About 2 hours of work.

 

[rich pierce]

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[tenngun]

Smooths don’t take the force of a tight fitting rifle. Even so grasp a few inches above. Ram in short pushes, and even crap rods don’t break.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Thats doing it the old way, good job. The old mountain hunter who broke a rod would not go to google for a ram rod.

 

[TDM]

That’s the way it ought to be done! Good job.

 

[user 49399]

Yep. That’s the way it should be done.

 

[windini]

Roughin' it, like ya should! Looks very serviceable. Nice improvisation.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

Looks great! Good job.

 

[Notchy Bob]

I think you're on to something, Rich!

I would think that the concentric growth rings of a sapling might give the stick more strength and resistance to lateral stress, as compared to a rod sawn or riven from a larger billet, even if the grain of the split or sawn rod is straight.

The rod that is shown with this old trade gun, which was collected from the Assiniboine at Fort Peck, was definitely made from a sapling:





That musket is in the National Museum of the American Indian, catalog #20/1459. Here is a link to the museum's web page which shows this gun and rod, and several more photographs: Flintlock Trade Musket

You can tell from the slight "waviness" of the rod, as well as the little knots, that it was made from a sapling. That second photo shows the tapered tip with the wire-coil worm or wiper more or less permanently attached. In the first photo, you can see how the other end of the rod has been carved to make a jag. I don't know what kind of wood it is, but I believe it could very well be choke cherry.

I'm inclined to believe that improvising a ramrod from a sapling must have been a pretty common practice. James Fenimore Cooper's "Leatherstocking" commented on this in The Pioneers:



I cut a persimmon stick sometime last year, intending to try a sapling rod in my own Northwest gun. Ash is pretty scarce where I live, and I didn't find a suitable hickory sapling. There is plenty of cherry, though, and I'm interested in how your cherry rod performs for you. Persimmon is in the same family as ebony, so it should make a tough rod. It has a couple of curvy spots that will need to be straightened, though. We'll see how that goes.

Thanks for posting, and for telling about your project!

Notchy Bob

 

[TDM]

I think you're on to something, Rich!

I would think that the concentric growth rings of a sapling might give the stick more strength and resistance to lateral stress, as compared to a rod sawn or riven from a larger billet, even if the grain of the split or sawn rod is straight.

The rod that is shown with this old trade gun, which was collected from the Assiniboine at Fort Peck, was definitely made from a sapling:

View attachment 172088

View attachment 172090

That musket is in the National Museum of the American Indian, catalog #20/1459. Here is a link to the museum's web page which shows this gun and rod, and several more photographs: Flintlock Trade Musket

You can tell from the slight "waviness" of the rod, as well as the little knots, that it was made from a sapling. That second photo shows the tapered tip with the wire-coil worm or wiper more or less permanently attached. In the first photo, you can see how the other end of the rod has been carved to make a jag. I don't know what kind of wood it is, but I believe it could very well be choke cherry.

I'm inclined to believe that improvising a ramrod from a sapling must have been a pretty common practice. James Fenimore Cooper's "Leatherstocking" commented on this in The Pioneers:

View attachment 172092

I cut a persimmon stick sometime last year, intending to try a sapling rod in my own Northwest gun. Ash is pretty scarce where I live, and I didn't find a suitable hickory sapling. There is plenty of cherry, though, and I'm interested in how your cherry rod performs for you. Persimmon is in the same family as ebony, so it should make a tough rod. It has a couple of curvy spots that will need to be straightened, though. We'll see how that goes.

Thanks for posting, and for telling about your project!

Notchy Bob

I have a fair amount of Persimmon here. I’m going to keep an eye out for the right size.

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

Most any wood of reasonable quality can be made to work well. Technique is the issue. Use the rod correctly and you will be fine.

 

[hanshi]

Alas, the fine art of "makin' do" is rarely practiced nowadays.

 

[TDM]

I took a walk in the woods today looking for likely candidates, saw several that had potential, but no correct sized Persimmon yet. I think it will be fun to make and use.

 

[Anvilboy]

You guys probably know all about making ramrods, but I happened on this method a couple of years ago when I had to turn down a fiberglass rod. I don't recommend fiberglas ramrods, but they don't break...

 

[Jay Templin]

So, Notchy, I’m curious- I guess the rammer on that Assiniboine gun was put into the stock with the worm end towards the muzzle. You reckon the owner would pull the rod out and use the back end to ram his ball home? I can’t imagine the worm end would work well, especially with the worm sticking out proud like it seems to be.
I want to make a worm like that but I’m having trouble finding a decent wire- I think coat hanger is too thick, and most of what I can find is too thin.
Thanks!
Jay

 

[SDSmlf]

I saw a long straight cherry sapling about thumb size at the base and for fun made an expedient ramrod for my .69 fowler. Works a charm. I roughed it on the a jackknife then scrapers and rasps. A couple hours by the fire and it’s not too noodle-ey to work. Rough jag filed on the fat end works for cleaning. I figured this would be the quickest solution for a broken or lost ramrod. About 2 hours of work.

Cool. One more item in the ‘got to try list’.

 

[S.Kenton]

Several years ago, I was hunting in southern Ohio, about 2-1/2 hours from my home. It was a very cold morning and I had just taken a shot at a coyote, I went to re-load my hawken rifle, pushing the ramrod down, hands towards the muzzle end, using short strokes as usual, the ramrod broke! It was so odd.. maybe because of the cold? Anyhow there was a few hickory saplings growing nearby, that I had spied as transplant possibilities earlier in the year, a few were larger than my thumb. Anyhow I ended up wittling a ramrod out of one of those. It wasn’t my best effort, but it worked for the rest of the trip. I even managed to whittle in grooves enough to grab a patch so I could clean the rifle before heading home. This is a great post and makes me want to try another..

 

[user 49399]

So, Notchy, I’m curious- I guess the rammer on that Assiniboine gun was put into the stock with the worm end towards the muzzle. You reckon the owner would pull the rod out and use the back end to ram his ball home? I can’t imagine the worm end would work well, especially with the worm sticking out proud like it seems to be.
I want to make a worm like that but I’m having trouble finding a decent wire- I think coat hanger is too thick, and most of what I can find is too thin.
Thanks!
Jay

If it helps, I’ve made good worms from springs. Our local Ace hardware has a good selection of different size springs, some with hook or loop ends and some without. When I find one of the correct size, I’ll stretch it out some and cut it off as needed. Works good for me.

 

[Jay Templin]

If it helps, I’ve made good worms from springs. Our local Ace hardware has a good selection of different size springs, some with hook or loop ends and some without. When I find one of the correct size, I’ll stretch it out some and cut it off as needed. Works good for me.

Thanks, Banjoman!
Jay

 

[Notchy Bob]

So, Notchy, I’m curious- I guess the rammer on that Assiniboine gun was put into the stock with the worm end towards the muzzle. You reckon the owner would pull the rod out and use the back end to ram his ball home? I can’t imagine the worm end would work well, especially with the worm sticking out proud like it seems to be.
I want to make a worm like that but I’m having trouble finding a decent wire- I think coat hanger is too thick, and most of what I can find is too thin.
Thanks!
Jay

Thanks for your comments, @Jay Templin .

I believe it is possible that the rod was simply carried along with the gun, and not inserted into the normal position on the underside of the stock. Here is a painting of an Assiniboine hunter, by artist Carl Bodmer:


There does appear to be a rod in the normal place, installed in the gun, but this man is carrying a spare "wiping stick" which bears a striking resemblance to the one in the photographs in post #9. Considering that the musket in the photo is missing half of its forend and both of its ramrod pipes, I think it is likely that the rod shown is the primary rod, and was either carried alongside the gun, or inserted in the bore.

Indians were known to have used "wiping sticks" as monopod rests for shooting their guns:





Carrying the rod alongside of the gun would keep it handy.

Regarding the coil worm, these are available for sale and they don't cost much. Track of the Wolf has them in two sizes, for $1.99 apiece: Primitive Corkscrew Worm R.E. Davis also used to sell them. I think thing the R.E. Davis business is now owned by the Log Cabin Shop. I haven't checked to see if they still have these worms.

I've never tried to make one, although a number of forum members have reported doing so. I figured these were not historically a home-made item, and for two bucks, it would be more cost effective to buy them ready-made anyhow, for me. Indians bought them from the traders, who imported them by the gross. From my personal experience with this type of worm, I can tell you that they are really springy, and once you install one on a rod, it can be really hard to take off without damaging it. This may explain why the worm is still in place on the rod that is with the musket.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob