Natures ramrod.

[TN.Frank]

I'd been looking at a limb that fell out of one of our maple trees that's sitting on a bush in front of my computer room window for about 3 months and had been thinking to myself "Gee, that'd probably make a good ramrod for my 40 cal poorboy rifle." so yesterday I finally got around to making one out of it. It was pretty easy too. Since it's already got a good taper on it all I really had to do was sand the bark off of it, cut it to length and then sand the tip end down to fit the bore of the rifle and the ramrod thimbles, not all that big of a job either. I then put a bit of stain on it to make it look nice after I cut a jag in the large tip end, put a small piece of spring on the small end to act as a patch worm and waalaa, instant ramrod. It's more then flexable and I don't have to worry about it breaking because of grain runout because it's all one limb, no grain to worry about. Seems like this is how they'd have done it in the "old days" instead of taking all that time to split and turn a piece of wood round. Just use a fairly straight limb off of a tree or a sapling and let it cure then have at it. I did straighten out a couple small bends using a propane tourch to lightly heat the area then tweek it a bit into shape, same way you'd straighten an arrow shaft. Anyway, if you want to make an ol' timey looking ramrod give a limb off of a tree a try. :v

 

[Slake]

Cool, sounds like fun and a nice rod. I took some kinda of chrome cleaner and a little steel wool to my brass range rod and it looks like it's made of gold :grin:

 

[Swampman]

A dogwood shoot should make a good one.

 

[Slake]

that's a great idea!!

 

Now there's a keen eye and a little american inginuity at work. That is the same stuff I think the old boys used to do back in the old days. They had an eye for making things work and that's an exciting part of this hobby. Refreshing post. Thanks!

 

[J.D.]

A friend has been making rammers from arrow wood viburnum and hickory shoots for years, so yep, they work.

 

[trent/OH]

"A dogwood shoot should make a good one."

Especially for a doglock!!! (groan) :rotf:

 

[musketman]

Seems like this is how they'd have done it in the "old days" instead of taking all that time to split and turn a piece of wood round. Just use a fairly straight limb off of a tree or a sapling and let it cure then have at it.

Sure is, the Native Americans have been doing that to make arrow shafts for centuries...

If your limb has a slight bend to it, you can straighten it by using a hot stone (a large rounded rock that is heated in a camp fire, then removed from the coals), rub and flex the shaft at the bend to work the shaft straight using the head generated by the stone...

The shaft will cool to the new shape...

 

[paulvallandigham]

Mother nature does not make many straight lines. There is always some bend to limbs, and to trees. Early man knew this. The ICe Man, whose body was found near the Autria/Italian Border in the Alps a few years ago, and died more than 4500 years ago, was in possession of a bow and arrows in a quiver, with the arrows consisting of straight shafts, and short length shafts that held the arrowheads, with a socket on the back end to fit over the front of the straight shaft. We call these " footed " arrows. The arrow is designed to penetrate the animal, but as it runs away, the shaft comes loose and fall out on the ground, when it hits brush and even grasses. The straight shaft with the fletching could therefore be recovered, unbroken, and reused by the hunter. I believe the Iceman who had about 4 shafts in his quiver, but 6 arrows mounted on short socketed shafts. The short shaft appears to be from 4 to 6 inches long, or about 1/4 the length of the entire arrow, when the point is mounted on the shaft.

If on the other hand, you use a whole, straight shafted arrow, the shaft remains with the animal unless it is broken. Once broken it is useless, and all the labor in mounting the fletchings, making the nock, and even straightening the shaft is lost. Early man could not afford to waste that kind of skilled energy.

 

[Slamfire]

The flexability of your "green" maple shoot will decrease over time. :winking: