Hickory Rods

[Bald Baron]

I have searched the previous post but can't find, how to season a new ramrod. What are your methods for this. I just purchased it and will use it to supplement loading at the range, and cleaning at home.
Bald Baron

 

[Liver eatin’ Johnson]

It's been a while but the last one I did by using a length of conduit plugged at both ends with a cork. I filled it with kerosene, submerged the rod in it and corked the end. It sat for a month that way while the wood absorbed the "coal oil". Takes a while for it to dry out afterwards but it is supposed to make the wood fibers stronger. Others might use different solutions but this is the way I was shown years ago.

LEJ

 

[Stumpkiller]

That's the process as I have been informed. Some soak it much longer - up to a year. I won't jinx myself by mentioning the reason I've never had the need to try it. :winking:

 

[Birddog6]

To go way back, they were not soaked in Kerosene or "Coal Oil" as it was not invented til 1870 ? or something like that, by a guy in Canada & it was not mass produced for sale til the late 1800's and then it was way too costly to waste on soaking a ramrod in. All of this soaking theory stuff came into view in the 1900's.
From what I have heard & read & from what my grandad told me, the reason they did soak them was not to strengthen them or make them more flexible, but actually was done to keep them from deteriorating from cleaning the rifle in water. Thus if it is impregnated with "Coal Oil" it would not take on any water from the cleaning nor would it dryrot for years.

Besides all of that, I have never seen a reason today to soak one with the preservatives we have today in our oil & our finishes. If it is a good straight grained rod & you use it correctly you most likely will never break it. If/when you do break one, study why it broke, where it broke & the technique as it broke. I have broken 3 ramrods in 35 years of ML shooting & I have owned and shot a bunch of ML's. Tow of such were broken because of a notch or ring cut in the rod years ago & the other one was broken years ago trying to ram down a Minieball & it broke at a knot in the rod.

IMHO, Ramrods are usually broken usually one of these ways:

1: Twisted off at the tip because of stuck ball or patch.User Error.

2: Knot in wood or grain runout & shaft broke at this place.

3: Trying to use too much RR when raming a ball down. User Error.

4: Notch or ring cut in rod to mark load. Unecessary & User Error.

5: RR came out of rifle & caught on something & snapped it off. User Error. Ramrods should have enough bow in them to hold them in place or go into a snug RR hole to retain them.


And of course again this is just IMHO. But we are talking about a $3 ramrod & a piece of PVC pipe & .50 cents worth of kerosene. So if ya want to try one go for it & see what it does. Never hurts to have an extra rod around ready to tip anyway & if ya need it you will have it.

Custom Muzzleloaders & Custom Skinning Knives

 

[Darkhorse]

I must agree with Birddog6 on all of the above. I don't think any amount of soaking will make a bad piece of wood into a good one. If the grain runs out the side it will still break.
I have a piece of 3/8 hickory 4 feet long that I bought at a Rendevous back in 1976. I used it for many years as my main ramrod for targets. It got a lot of use. It is still just as good today as it was back then. It has never been soaked or anything. The guy had a bunch of them and sold them for $8. apiece, he said it would never break.
Since I use brass range rods now I am going to make an undergun rod for my Haines with the old hickory one. I want something for the field I trust.

 

[Stumpkiller]

The best ramrods are hickory split from large stock, not milled, routed or sawn. No grain run-out at all. If you find a source for these, buy as many as you can afford. T/C has a pressurized process to plasticize their hickory ramrods - or at least they used to before they switched to . . . that other stuff.

The musket I've been doing most of my shooting with of late has a metal ramrod. They're pretty rugged, too. ::

 

[tg]

I suspect the original builders treated the ramrods same as the stock, to protect from the elements, I do not know if they felt that any flexability was gained in the process, I like to use whatever stock finish I am useing on mine, usually linseed oil/turp spar varnish mix, I have soaked them in kerosine and the above mix but have no way of testing for added flex factor.

 

[gordy]

As was said by others,a good piece of wood will last a long time,a poor piece will let you down anytime.Treating the rod with linseed oil and turpintine will keep it from absorbing moisture and salts from the BP residue in the bore!a quick wipe with linseed oil will keep it clean and moisture free.The oldtimers that put them in "coaloil" most likely did so to keep the moisture out.The Kerosene You buy today is "not"the same as the "coaloil" used at that time.If it were mine I woud not use Kerosene,but then it might not do any harm . /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Ohio Joe]

I like hickory rods. I also like to soak my hickory rods in lamp oil for several months. I don't know if it's period correct and I don't really care if it is. I feel soaking them adds that extra touch of security against breakage while loading. I do not treat a "treated" ramrod any differently then one that's not. I still consider myself a traditionalist but,,, I'm not going to sacrifice what I feel is an added safety against breakage for the sake of tradition... I also seal the lamp oil in after sanding to fit with "Dark Walnut Danish Oil"... It will set for at least a week before I steel wool it, and use it. It will get many coats...

 

[gordy]

The lamp oil is a better idea as it has less chemicals added to it.keeping the rod lightly coated with Bore Butter,Crisco or bear grease will help to preserve and protect it.Most any method that helps keep it from absorbing moisture,and makes it slide through the thimbles will help to make it last longer.As with the cleaning routines,most of us settle on a method that seems to work the best for our guns,It does'nt make it better or worse then others.Unless theres proof that something is damageing or dangerous,Go for it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

Heck, my hickory ramrods are for looks to be honest. I always load and clean with my modern range rod. I just don't feel like I'm seating my ball as well or as consistant as I do with the range rod. Don't get me wrong, I pretty much strive towards authenticity (hence my drilled touch hole instead of a liner) but there is not enough ramrod sticking out during loading for me to grasp and seat with any certainty. It hurts my palm unless I use some piece of leather or a rag to cushion the end of the rod. I've never been on a" woods walk" shoot but I think you have to use the gun's ram rod for that. How many out there use their ramrod to load and how do you overcome the aboved mentioned concerns?

 

[tg]

I like to leave the rods a bit longer than the barrel and with a jag they have plenty of length to seat the ball, I suspect most folks use a much tighter combo than was used in the past so back then it was probably not much of an issue. I have gone towards looser combos and the wood rods eaily seat the ball even if not overly long.

 

[Ohio Joe]

I use my rifle's ramrod when at rendezvous, primitive shoots, doing woods walk (which by the way, this year I get to help out with), doing the mountain man run, and hunting... I haven't experience any problems seating a load as yet,,, but... I build my own rifles and I make sure my ramrod is 1/2" inch longer then the barrel and even with the muzzle... At the range I do use secondary ramrods for loading which are 48" inches long and made of hickory. I own a stainless steel range rod and have it with me for cleaning purposes only. At the range I do swab between shots with a hickory rod that has a guide. (Actually, two guides. One facing the 8/32 brass tip,,, the other facing the 10/32 brass tip). I don't know if this helps you out any, but this is how I do it.

 

[TwoShadows]

All I could do is echo most of the above advise. I do soak mine in "coal oil" and stain them to boot. At the installation of it in a rifle I like to leave an inch and a half of rod past the muzzle. If the rod channel is drilled properly this will allow enough to clean and maintain my weapon in the field. I also like to find the sticks used locally to hang cut tobacco on in the barn. I rive out the rod instead of cutting it, so I have straight grain even if the rod is a tad crooked sometimes....my thought is a crooked rod stays in the rifle better.

 

[Deadeye]

James, buy or make yourself a "T" handle same size as your rod and about 3" long and a guide to go on it. This will turn your rifle rod into a range rod also works well if you ever have to pull a bullet. I do this when I can't or don't want to carry a range rod on walk throughs.

 

[Darkhorse]

When I first started shooting all I used was the undergun rod and for awhile I had a permanent hole in my palm from the end of the rod. I made an aid to seating, it was a piece of about 1 1/2 brass with a hole drilled in it to slide over the ramrod. Carried in the bag it is slipped over the rod for your final seating effort. It really saves the palm. I think October Country sells something like this.
Now almost all my loading is done with the range rod. All target shooting and also the first hunting load. I will only use the undergun rod to load a followup shot in the woods.
By the way, all my undergun rods, even spares are tested before going hunting just to be sure they have "some" integrity. And they all have the threaded tip "pinned" to the rod also, just in case I need to clean in the woods.
It's a bad feeling when the rod pulls out of the tip and leaves it and the patch all the way down.

 

[TwoShadows]

My final seating of the ball is done by bouncing the rod against the patched ball. Might sound crazy, but the rod won't bounce if the ball is not down. When the ball is seated, the rod will jump back a bit and you can be assured of proper seating. There is also a distinct difference in the sound when the balls seats. Try it sometime.....when the rod bounces up about 4 inches I know it is down. It has worked for me over 30 years...so old habits are hard to break.