Question about Thimble sizes....

[rabjr]

I ordered a set of thimbles for a fowler. When they arrived I noticed one was slightly bigger than the rest and it measures at 7/16, the others are 3/8 including the entry pipe. My first thought, the 7/16 thimble was sent by mistake but then I got to thinking...

Were slightly larger upper thimbles ever used for the upper pipe? I ask this because I have a really nice hand made ramrod that tapers into a nice large tip atm, that someone here at these forums made for me. It needs to be trimmed of course but if the 7/16 thimble is used for the upper thimble, the taper would leave more meat on the rod than a 3/8 thimble.

Is this a possibility or was this just not done?

 

[George F.]

Dear Rat, I use thimbles that are all the same size when I'm using a 3/8 ramrod that flares to 7/16. I start the flare at the entrance end of the first pipe, if this is right or wrong I don't know, but this is what I have seen on other guns. I think if you would use the 7/16 thimble when the others were 3/8 it would throw off the appearance of the forestock moulding, which is one of the nicer features of the long rifle, although you are building a fowler. I'm not an expert on the fowler designs, but I would think that they had this feature too.
Good luck...........George F.

 

[Stophel]

The 7/16" pipe probably was sent by mistake, but having differing sizes on old guns is not uncommon. I always do mine all the same size (though my rods are tapered). You could do the upper two at 3/8" and the lower one use a 5/16"... 7/16" for a single upper pipe looks really big to me. :m2c:

 

[rabjr]

Ya that 7/16 thimble is a bit big lol. Think I'll just stick with all being 3/8. Thanks guys.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I've used a 7/16 upper pipe in the past with the others being 3/8". I usually start with a 1/2 or 5/8 rod in an instance like this.
I don't know how PC this is , but it makes for a stout tapered rod to load the biger bores with.

 

[rabjr]

Aaah hmm so my thoughts were not to far off then...

This is by no means a PC gun, just one suited to me for chasing white tails. Based on the 32" Colerain 12 ga barrel.

 

[rich pierce]

I've gone back to making my own thimbles because I think the standard sizes are wrong. Why use a 3/8 thimble for a 3/8 ramrod? Something has to be made smaller or bigger. This is in addition to using a tapered rod. I make my top thimble about .400 I.D. The rest about .380. My rods taper inside the forearm and at the muzzle starting at the top thimble going to 7/16" for a .50 or larger rifle.

I'm looking to make a nice tapered mandrel sometime, something with a very gradual taper from .325 to .400 over, say, 2 feet, to form the thimbles on. Then they would also have an internal taper and be less likely to ever stick to the rammer. probably never get done.