captaincaveman
40 Cal.
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I finally got to shoot my new GPR today. 6 shots into it the ramrod broke!!!!! That's all I have to say.
Josh
Josh
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#%^&ing Lyman
- Thread starter captaincaveman
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Walks with fire
54 Cal.
Just get a good quality rod to replace it and your good to go. I would not use a wooden ramrod anyway because they are not safe. Your lucky you didn't run it into your hand. Just think about doing that on top of a mountian or something when your hunting. Remove the possibility and get a good solid rod.
windwalker_au
50 Cal.
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Josh i got fiberglass rods on mine they are the stiff fiberglass not those flexie ones. i just use a home made hunting muzzel gurd on my rods,made from 45/70 case cut downand drilled out for the rod.
bernie :thumbsup:
bernie :thumbsup:
Guest
I broke mine on my pennsylvania rifle.
Almost went through my wrist.
Ordered a brass rod from october country.
$20.00
Almost went through my wrist.
Ordered a brass rod from october country.
$20.00
When I am on the range, I leave my wooden rod on the gun, purely coz its ornamental and I am a very lazy person. I've got a seperate solid range rod which I use for loading and cleaning. One of my friends got a wooden ramrod between the pinky and ring fingers when it broke while he was loading....
I agree with air born October counties rod works great, I would add to that a T/C short starer "t" handel, it has threds that screw into the rod > The rod is theaded at each end, also a muzzel protector. Jist my 2 cents. Fisher King.
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A replacement hickory ramrod should suit you and the gun nicely. Fiberglass is very abrasive, and will wear the barrel. I made a flintlock rifle with a hickory ramrod in 1974. I fired at least 20000 rounds through that rifle before selling it last year...and I never replaced the ramrod. I had to put a vent liner in it after several year but the original ramrod was just fine. Hickory is an excellent and authetic choice for a muzzleloader.
With any wooden rod however, you must never grip it more than hands width above the muzzle. If you're applying pressure 14" above the muzzle you'll break the rod.
Order a hickory ramrod, stain and seal it well, clean it after your finished shooting, and you should be set.
With any wooden rod however, you must never grip it more than hands width above the muzzle. If you're applying pressure 14" above the muzzle you'll break the rod.
Order a hickory ramrod, stain and seal it well, clean it after your finished shooting, and you should be set.
jtmattison
70 Cal.
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Ramrods are disposable. You're luck you didn't get hurt.
Don't let a broken ramrod sour your opinion of Lyman.
Get a new ramrod and enjoy that rifle.
:hatsoff:
HD
Don't let a broken ramrod sour your opinion of Lyman.
Get a new ramrod and enjoy that rifle.
:hatsoff:
HD
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I ordered some hickory ramrods from Track back in the 80's, and none broke. I sold out of the guns long before I needed to replace the ramrods. A good hickory ramrod will only last about 150 years
so order 2 just in case your great,great,great,great,great grandson doesn't know what he's doing and breaks one. He'll thank you for it! :haha:
so order 2 just in case your great,great,great,great,great grandson doesn't know what he's doing and breaks one. He'll thank you for it! :haha:
paulvallandigham
Passed On
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The only way you break ramrods is by using them incorrectly. place your hand on the rod no more than 6 inches above the muzzle, and use a hand over hand technique to seat the tall. When you pull the rod out, Then, AND ONLY THEN, can you simply grab the handle, or the rear end of the rod, and pull the rod out in one sweep of your hand. You can do this because removing the rod is not putting any pressure on the wood, whereas when you are loading that ball down, you do have to put pressure on the rod. Get it?
I am not insulting your intelligence. There is so much to learn in using a ML rifle or shotgun, that your mind at first gets cluttered up with just remembering if you put the powder down the barrel first, or did you lube that patch before you centered the ball. Where you put your hands on the loading rod is not something that you would naturally give a high priority. And, if you have shot modern guns, the only time you use a ramrod is as a " CLEANING ROD ", where the most pressure you put on the rod is when you push a new patch in the breech or muzzle on the face of the jag. It is very common for ALL shooters to simply grab the rod by its handle and shove it down the barrel. The same technique with a wooden ramrod can break it, which I suspect is what you did here. I personally have not broken a ramrod, but I had three years of coaching before I bought my first ML rifle. I have seen men break rods on the range. All were new to the sport, and all were using the ramrod wrong. One man bought one of the synthetic rods to use, until the next big Shoot at Friendship, where he joined several members of our club on a trip to get supplies. We helped him pick out a good hickory rod, straight, with straight grain and no run-out, along with the ferrels, and various jags to go with it, so he could make a new ramrod for his rifle. The synthetic rod became his " Range rod", and cleaning rod, but he loaded with his new Hickory rod from then on. And he was very thankful for all the help he got from the rest of us. I do think I was the only man there that had not broken a ramrod the same way he did. And, that is only because I had so many guys nagging me half to death when I finally got my first rifle.
I have a tresso stainless steel rifle I bought from some supplier at Friendship- I am sorry I have forgotten the source- and I now have an aircraft aluminum rangerod for my Fowler that came from Pro-Shot products. I made a hickory Ramrod for my double barrel shotgun, put a doorknob shaped handle on it that I turned on a friend's wood lathe, and it has done everything for me with that shotgun since the beginning. I removed the ramrod ferrels from the bottom of the barrels, and carry the Ramrod into the field located down my back held by the shoulder strap of my possibles bag, and my blue jeans.
Oh, you can find muzzle protectors to fit any size hickory rod you might use, made of either brass, aluminum or nylon. I highly recommend them as a way to keep the contact beteeen the ramrod and your lands to a minimum. And, always wipe the stick after each use down the barrel, to keep the fine grained dust that gets into the rod from getting a foothold. It also helps to keep your hand clean. I now loop a hand towel around my bag strap to use to clean my hands to limit the amount of crud that may get to my mouth, or nose, and to keep my stock also clean, just like skeet and trap shooters are seen to carry during the hotter months.
I am not insulting your intelligence. There is so much to learn in using a ML rifle or shotgun, that your mind at first gets cluttered up with just remembering if you put the powder down the barrel first, or did you lube that patch before you centered the ball. Where you put your hands on the loading rod is not something that you would naturally give a high priority. And, if you have shot modern guns, the only time you use a ramrod is as a " CLEANING ROD ", where the most pressure you put on the rod is when you push a new patch in the breech or muzzle on the face of the jag. It is very common for ALL shooters to simply grab the rod by its handle and shove it down the barrel. The same technique with a wooden ramrod can break it, which I suspect is what you did here. I personally have not broken a ramrod, but I had three years of coaching before I bought my first ML rifle. I have seen men break rods on the range. All were new to the sport, and all were using the ramrod wrong. One man bought one of the synthetic rods to use, until the next big Shoot at Friendship, where he joined several members of our club on a trip to get supplies. We helped him pick out a good hickory rod, straight, with straight grain and no run-out, along with the ferrels, and various jags to go with it, so he could make a new ramrod for his rifle. The synthetic rod became his " Range rod", and cleaning rod, but he loaded with his new Hickory rod from then on. And he was very thankful for all the help he got from the rest of us. I do think I was the only man there that had not broken a ramrod the same way he did. And, that is only because I had so many guys nagging me half to death when I finally got my first rifle.
I have a tresso stainless steel rifle I bought from some supplier at Friendship- I am sorry I have forgotten the source- and I now have an aircraft aluminum rangerod for my Fowler that came from Pro-Shot products. I made a hickory Ramrod for my double barrel shotgun, put a doorknob shaped handle on it that I turned on a friend's wood lathe, and it has done everything for me with that shotgun since the beginning. I removed the ramrod ferrels from the bottom of the barrels, and carry the Ramrod into the field located down my back held by the shoulder strap of my possibles bag, and my blue jeans.
Oh, you can find muzzle protectors to fit any size hickory rod you might use, made of either brass, aluminum or nylon. I highly recommend them as a way to keep the contact beteeen the ramrod and your lands to a minimum. And, always wipe the stick after each use down the barrel, to keep the fine grained dust that gets into the rod from getting a foothold. It also helps to keep your hand clean. I now loop a hand towel around my bag strap to use to clean my hands to limit the amount of crud that may get to my mouth, or nose, and to keep my stock also clean, just like skeet and trap shooters are seen to carry during the hotter months.
DANG them Lymans! If that crummy ramrod broke, the rest of the rifle may be dangerous too!
Maybe you had better send it to me so I can guard it before someone gets hurt! I'm willing to make the sacrifice in order to protect others from possible harm. Just the kind of guy I am.
Seriously, there's good advise here. See the above posts. :v
Maybe you had better send it to me so I can guard it before someone gets hurt! I'm willing to make the sacrifice in order to protect others from possible harm. Just the kind of guy I am.
Seriously, there's good advise here. See the above posts. :v
captaincaveman
40 Cal.
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I did load it hand over hand close to the muzzle. This is my first GPR but not my first muzzleloader. I also have a .54 renegade and a .50 TC hawken that still have the original ramrods. Is it possible that I just got a rod with a weak spot in it? Other than the rod the rifle felt great.
and NO jethro, you can't have it :nono: Nice try though :grin:
Josh
and NO jethro, you can't have it :nono: Nice try though :grin:
Josh
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I've never seen a Lyman but I've noticed that none of the Italian guns are supplied with a hickory rod. Hickory is native to North America and is ideal for ramrods. My guess is the Italians use another type of wood which isn't as resiliant as hickory. Get a good hickory rod, stain and seal it well and you're good for as long as you own the gun.
If your shooting is confined to a range, pick up a tresco or durango rod, with a bore guide and you're set. The only advantages of hickory over a range rod, is that it will fit in the ferrules, looks appropriate on the gun, and goes where the gun goes. A range rod isn't practical for hunting, and of course if you forget it on the next trip to the range, you're done before you start.
If your shooting is confined to a range, pick up a tresco or durango rod, with a bore guide and you're set. The only advantages of hickory over a range rod, is that it will fit in the ferrules, looks appropriate on the gun, and goes where the gun goes. A range rod isn't practical for hunting, and of course if you forget it on the next trip to the range, you're done before you start.
paulvallandigham
Passed On
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The ramrod which came with my .45 rifle made in Spain is still sitting in a box, waiting for a use. It is not hickory. I don't know what it is, but its light enough to be some kind of soft pine.
If your rod was not made of hickory, it could have split along a weak spot in the stick. The only way to tell would be to take a good look at the break and examine both edges particularly where the split began. Pressure actually leaves stretch marks, which tell how much pressure, and from what angles it was aplied to cause the separation. Try taking a green willow limb this Spring, when its green, and then try to break it. It will bend but not break. Now examine the area where it bends. Peel away the bark and look at the bend area to examine the wood grain. Now compare what you are seeing there to that broken stick from your gun. You will soon find that you can read what happened to cause the stick to fail.
If your rod was not made of hickory, it could have split along a weak spot in the stick. The only way to tell would be to take a good look at the break and examine both edges particularly where the split began. Pressure actually leaves stretch marks, which tell how much pressure, and from what angles it was aplied to cause the separation. Try taking a green willow limb this Spring, when its green, and then try to break it. It will bend but not break. Now examine the area where it bends. Peel away the bark and look at the bend area to examine the wood grain. Now compare what you are seeing there to that broken stick from your gun. You will soon find that you can read what happened to cause the stick to fail.
Guest
There is a real good chance that the rod that came with your Lyman was not hickory. Hickory rods are pretty durable in their natural state but if you soak them in kerosene, lamp oil or the like for a couple of weeks they are "almost" indestructable. The other thing I do is put a threaded brass tip on each end, one threaded 8X32 and the other threaded 10X32. That way you can either borrow a jag or thread on a handle to pull a stuck rod. Brass rods are heavy, unless they are just a range rod, and fiberglass rods wear the muzzle. A good flexible super rod is also a good alternative. Just my .02.
Mark
Mark
