ramrod damage

[noworries]

Been reading the "pile driving" thread and I guess I am just dense so can someone explain to me how a wooden ramrod and a fairly thin brass ramrod tip can so severly damage a rifle barrel that it will effect accuracy and possibly ruin it?? Also, anyone make a dropin replacement barel for a GPR that doesnt have all the legalise on it? Thanks much.

 

[cowpoke1955]

The ram rod does not damage the barrel. By pounding the ram rod, it could deform the soft lead ball. I've heard the Green Mountain may be able to help you out. Personally, I can't see spending the money. Lyman have very good barrels. If the stamping bothers you, just strip it down, file and polish it and refinish. You can buy a lot of powder for the price of another barrel.

 

[Slamfire]

Rods without bore guides are supposed to be bad for your barrel, especially the crown. Now I've seen worn crowns, but don't know how many strokes they received, nor the composition of the rod used. Some of this gun writer stuff has to be taken with a little bit of salt, for sure none of them has ever conducted a test to see if it really happens or not.

 

[J.D.]

anyone make a dropin replacement barel for a GPR that doesnt have all the legalise on it?

No need to go to the expense of buying a new barrel. Just round the end of a punch and lightly peen the lettering closed.

Run the punch around the outside of edge of the lettering, moving closer to the letter as the peened metal begins to close the gap.

This can take some time, meaning an hour or two, or three, or more, depending on how much lettering there is and how deep it is pressed into the barrel.

Finish off with sandpaper with a hard backing. The only down side is ya gotta refinish the barrel.

OR, just file it off, but then you will have an obvious "swamp" at that site. And depending on how deep the lettering is and how close to the breech the lettering is located, you MAY, or may not, file the barrel wall too thin for safety.

IMHO, I would use the punch.

J.D.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Some people can destroy ball bearings with a feather.

 

[Stony]

What happens to the barrel is the ramrod picks up fine grit and such with grease/lube and this grit acts like sandpaper and wears the crown of the barrel. Not much will happen in a year or even two but give it several years and it can affect accuracy.

 

[Phillip Allen]

I have a .54 with a Green River Rifle Works choked barrel from the 1970's. I have always used wooden ramrods and a hard stainless steel bench rod with bore guide at matches (easier on the hands) and It still shoots well...better than I can hold.

 

[RedFeather]

Been watching these ramrod threads and was wondering what people thought of Sam Fadala's test of fiberglass ramrods. Said he chucked them in a drill, put them down the barrel and let 'er rip. After a good bit of time, did not see any apreciable muzzle damage. Not that I would want to donate a barrel to re-test his theory.

 

[Phillip Allen]

I once took a fiberglass rod and made a knife edge out of it and used it to cut a piece of steel into...nuff said

 

[TANSTAAFL]

First fibber never stands a chance. :rotf:

 

[Phillip Allen]

It's easy to test...

 

[RedFeather]

I kind of thought mine was a legitimate question. :shake: You guys need to get a room! :rotf:

 

[Phillip Allen]

It's not a joke...I actually did it