Ramrod diameter and fit ?

[kyron4]

Helping a buddy with a older CVA Hawken project gun. He bought a 3/8" hickory ramrod and it fits a little snug . It kind of "drags" going through the thimbles and has a slight bind feel when fully seated. I tried the 9mm (.356") diameter rod from my Traditions Hawken and it dropped in slick as could be just from gravity. and floated in the thimbles with no pressure or binding My concern would be that having the 3/8" rod shoved tightly in the rifle will effect accuracy , especially if the wooden rod swells in higher humidity. So just get a 9mm rod or shove the 3/8" in there and keep going ? What are your thoughts ? -Thanks

 

[FPDoc]

Hard to beat a good Hickory rod and just enough bind to keep it secure is what you want. Wait and see if you need to do anything about the fit. I'll bet it just wears in. Spend your time finding a load it likes.

 

[Brokennock]

A little fine sandpaper will work wonders.

 

[Eric Krewson]

All ramrod blanks are over sized, you are supposed to sand them down for the fit you need. I chuck my blanks up in a drill and run 220 grit sandpaper up and down them evenly while they are rotating in the drill to reduce the size so they go through the thimbles snuggly but without force. I follow the 220 with 400 and then a gray scotch bright pad for the final finish sanding.

 

[painter]

I'd get a 9mm rod. CVA uses them, and having sanded stuff most of my work career, it's worth the money to not have to sand.

 

[Artificer]

Helping a buddy with a older CVA Hawken project gun. He bought a 3/8" hickory ramrod and it fits a little snug . It kind of "drags" going through the thimbles and has a slight bind feel when fully seated. I tried the 9mm (.356") diameter rod from my Traditions Hawken and it dropped in slick as could be just from gravity. and floated in the thimbles with no pressure or binding My concern would be that having the 3/8" rod shoved tightly in the rifle will effect accuracy , especially if the wooden rod swells in higher humidity. So just get a 9mm rod or shove the 3/8" in there and keep going ? What are your thoughts ? -Thanks

Did you point the muzzle down with the 9mm rod in place? If so, does it fall right out of the thimbles or at least slide forward a good deal? If either is the case, you DON'T want that as it will be a PITA in the field, let alone on the range.

You didn't mention it, but I suspect the hickory ramrod is not dead straight along its entire length. Actually, a little natural bend in the wood ramrod is a GOOD thing as it will provide a little friction to keep the ramrod in the thimbles and not slide forward when the muzzle is pointed downward even a little.

Sanding/scraping the wood ramrod is the way to go, BUT concentrate first on the rear area that goes INSIDE the ramrod hole in the stock. Look for the wear spots to sand along first. Once that is freed up, you may well find the binding in the thimbles is not very much and just enough to have some friction that will keep the ramrod in place when you point the muzzle down. If it is still binding rather hard in the thimbles, though, then sand/scrape some from the areas that show wear spots.

Once you get it to where there is only a bit of friction, you can rub a coat of Tru Oil or varnish on the ramrod to keep it from swelling up later on. (If you are ever out in high humidity or rain, trust me, you will be thankful you did!) You MAY also want to rub some beeswax on the rear of the ramrod that goes into the ramrod hole and less on the front of the ramrod. Wipe any excess wax off and rub the dickens out of it with an old terrycloth towel or rag. Then you are done.

Gus

 

[Artificer]

OH, in case you are thinking of adding a brass tip on the end of the ramrod that goes into the ramrod hole in the stock, MAKE SURE it is no larger in diameter than the ramrod AFTER you get it down to where it doesn't stick in that hole. To do that, you can use a cut off piece of ramrod in an electric drill, then mount the brass tip on that. You can glue it on the end of the ramrod piece to keep it on. Spin the drill slowly while you finely file or sand down the diameter to where it is as small or smaller than the rear of the ramrod. When you get it down to the right size, heat the brass tip a little with a propane torch and the glue will let go easily. Clean that used glue out of the brass tip before you glue and pin it to the rear of the ramrod.

It could be that with a 3/8" brass tip for screw on accessories on the rear end of the ramrod that goes into the hole MAY go in with some force, BUT gets STUCK IN THERE once inside the stock. I've seen this happen TWICE over the years and it is really bad JUJU and a HUGE PITA to get it out!!

I realize most of us won't have a 3/8" LONG ramrod drill to open up the ramrod holes in the stock and I'm trying to ensure you don't have to get one or have someone have to use one to drill out a stock ramrod.

Gus

 

[sheriff john]

Having the ramrod drop out of the thimbles is a problem if it's too small. Finding them in the dark after walking out of the woods entertaining. Easier to find if it happens while sitting in your treestand. Opt for just the right size.

 

[kyron4]

The rod (both size) doesn't fall out . Has a "spring clip" inside the stock that hold the rod in place. I'm going to try the sanding option first . Shouldn't take much. My brother in law has a small wood lathe I can use.

My only concern was if a tighter fitting rod would effect accuracy and point of impact in different temps./ humidity . Years of centerfire shooting I have learned about barrel harmonics and free floating barrels, so maybe I'm just over thinking this part of it.

Thanks, and I must say this site is a wealth of information.

 

[Brokennock]

I tighter fitting rod should not effect accuracy.

 

[Brazos John]

Has a "spring clip" inside the stock that hold the rod in place.

I was gonna mention that...

 

[FPDoc]

Helping a buddy with a older CVA Hawken project gun. He bought a 3/8" hickory ramrod and it fits a little snug . It kind of "drags" going through the thimbles and has a slight bind feel when fully seated. I tried the 9mm (.356") diameter rod from my Traditions Hawken and it dropped in slick as could be just from gravity. and floated in the thimbles with no pressure or binding My concern would be that having the 3/8" rod shoved tightly in the rifle will effect accuracy , especially if the wooden rod swells in higher humidity. So just get a 9mm rod or shove the 3/8" in there and keep going ? What are your thoughts ? -Thanks

Be sure to cross pin the brass end onto the rod. Once you have the brass end mounted, cross drill it for a small finishing nail. Very slightly counter sink the brass and rivet each end.

 

[Eric Krewson]

If you need to enlarge the ramrod hole you can do it with a simple scraper made from 5/16" rod. Peen a burr on the side, sharpen the burr and use it to scrape the sides of the hole larger. It takes out wood slowly but can make a big difference with 15 minutes of scraping or so.

 

[Billy Boy]

Helping a buddy with a older CVA Hawken project gun. He bought a 3/8" hickory ramrod and it fits a little snug . It kind of "drags" going through the thimbles and has a slight bind feel when fully seated. I tried the 9mm (.356") diameter rod from my Traditions Hawken and it dropped in slick as could be just from gravity. and floated in the thimbles with no pressure or binding My concern would be that having the 3/8" rod shoved tightly in the rifle will effect accuracy , especially if the wooden rod swells in higher humidity. So just get a 9mm rod or shove the 3/8" in there and keep going ? What are your thoughts ? -Thanks

Ideally the ramrod should be snug enough to stay put when gun is carried muzzle down but loose enough so it creeps forward some from the recoil. Works on mine, .40 and up, no soap on my 32, 36.

 

[kyron4]

Okay all good to go now. Heated and removed the ends, then chucked the rod up in a small wood lathe. Ran it at low RPM's and ran emery cloth back and forth down the length. Got it down to around .360"- .365" diameter and tried it out. Perfect ! slides in and out smoothly with no rubbing or binding , and the spring clip holds the rod firmly in place. Muzzle pointed down, I shook it vigorously and it stayed in place. Just have to drill and pin the ends and wipe the rod down with a coat or two of tung oil.

Thanks for all the help guys.