Ramrod for loading in the field...

[Carbon 6]

Oak works very well

Oak does work well, I have several.

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

The rods I have seen that come with factory guns are pretty much junk. I don't care for them so I like to make my own, the way I like them to be. I personally examine each part to be sure it is of good quality and I hand fit everything and pin the thimbles so I know every one will do what it needs to do when it needs to do it. I like maple as a ramrod because it is easier to work and is tough, although a bit heavier, but I think heavier is OK. Oak works well but it is difficult to find a good quality dowel rod. I did find a really good 4 footer one time and made my range rod from it. I've been using it for years. Hickory is the best if you can get it. Knowing the right way to use a wooden rod is the key, as has been said.

 

[mushka]

When I started shooting black powder again I bought a steel rod from totw. 36" long, 5/16" with a 10-32 thread. So far I've used it for cleaning, loading, everything from .32 up to the .62 smoothbore gun. It's the only rod I use for everything. I have used when I get a new gun the existing rod under the barrel to see how it works. I've always preferred the steel. I like to keep things simple as I can.

 

[oldwood]

Only time I had a wooden r/r fail on a hunt was my fault , ......had just killed a large meat doe out of a herd of 18. The herd ran to my hunting buddy , he killed a 6 pt. out of the herd . The remaining 16 ran back to me . I should have had time to reload my .62 Jager , but , I lost my short starter in the 8" fresh powder . W/o the shorty , my 1/2 " r/r was useless.. Was it the r/r @ fault???.....No , just the operator.........oldwood

 

[Dibbuk]

The ramrod that comes with most production muzzle loaders is like the jack that comes with most automobiles: Barely adequate. The ramrod that comes with the rifle is usually just long enough to reach the bottom of the barrel. This leaves very little rod to get a grip on. If you must use the production ramrod, I would get a "T" handle to fit the threaded end. T/C makes nice small folding "T" handle, IIRC.

 

[rp77469]

I have a 44" stainless range rod. I use it to pull balls that have been put down with no powder. I have pulled maybe 2 of mine in the last 30+ years, and dozens for newbies. That is the only thing that rod is used for. Everything else is done with the ramrod that accompanies the rifle.

 

[ohio ramrod]

For my deer rifle I use a fiberglass rod I made from the brown stock Dixie sells. Unbreakable and easy to grip.

 

[toot]

what is the normal range rod made of?

 

[Kansas Jake]

Toot, I made mine from a piece of 3/8" diameter aluminum rod I picked up cheap at a recycle store. Some use brass and other metals.

I tapped one end of mine to accept jags and fit an old brass door knob to the other end as a palm handle. It took me all of a couple of hours to cut to length, tap and figure out how to attach the door knob.

 

[FlinterNick]

October Country sold me a hickory ramrod that was so crooked it wouldn't fit in my thimbles. I contacted them and send them pictures. They told me it would straighten if I put it in my gun for awhile or after it was used awhile. What part of IT IS SO CROOKED IT WON'T FIT IN MY GUN did they not understand? NEVER EVER ORDER FROM THIS OUTFIT!!!! A reputable company would have mailed a new one the same day.

You might want to take some sand paper work it down to a taper, it will take some time but will work. Taper it until it fits the stock. Typical 3/8 taper would start at 3/8 and then taper down to 5/16 for the length of the rod and the small end might be 1/4.

After Sanding, The rod needs to be soaked in mineral oil (you can use lemon oil olde English, or Paraffin Oil) for about a week or two, then take it out of the oil, dry it off. Set it in the rod and it will shape to the thimbles and stock profile. To soak in oil, you just need a cheap pvc pipe and end caps.

 

[jager43478]

You might want to take some sand paper work it down to a taper, it will take some time but will work. Taper it until it fits the stock. Typical 3/8 taper would start at 3/8 and then taper down to 5/16 for the length of the rod and the small end might be 1/4.

After Sanding, The rod needs to be soaked in mineral oil (you can use lemon oil olde English, or Paraffin Oil) for about a week or two, then take it out of the oil, dry it off. Set it in the rod and it will shape to the thimbles and stock profile. To soak in oil, you just need a cheap pvc pipe and end caps.

You shouldn't have to do that. First of all they should ja e

You might want to take some sand paper work it down to a taper, it will take some time but will work. Taper it until it fits the stock. Typical 3/8 taper would start at 3/8 and then taper down to 5/16 for the length of the rod and the small end might be 1/4.

After Sanding, The rod needs to be soaked in mineral oil (you can use lemon oil olde English, or Paraffin Oil) for about a week or two, then take it out of the oil, dry it off. Set it in the rod and it will shape to the thimbles and stock profile. To soak in oil, you just need a cheap pvc pipe and end caps.

A reputable company would never shipped it out that way.

 

[FlinterNick]

You shouldn't have to do that. First of all they should ja e

A reputable company would never shipped it out that way.

that rod looks like unfinished hickory. Unfinished is unfinished

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Newbie question here. I took a muzzleloading course this past winter, and I distinctly remember the instructor saying that you should avoid using the stock ramrod for loading whenever possible, and use a range rod.

Now, does this advice apply when in the field (I would think not)? Should I get an aftermarket ramrod for hunting?

I can only give you what I've experienced...., so here goes...., and I tend to be the guy who everybody points to as solid proof of Murphy's Law in all of its various versions....,

IF the ramrod is a wooden, factory ramrod, even if from Pedersoli, replace it with an aftermarket rod. For some reason Pedersoli wooden ramrods are often not straight grained, and break easily and not in a safe manner. In a semi-custom built rifle or gun, the rod will likely be proper.

If you want to use a wooden ramrod for the field, or for range use, always have a replacement rod ready to go at home, if not in the car along for the ride. For some reason having the backup rod ready to go wards off invisible Gremlins and/or Poltergeists from breaking your rod.

Always give your wooden rod a good dose of oil to keep it flexible. Mineral oil works for me.

If you want to order a rod, order several and keep them on hand. I suggest you get blanks and finish them yourself and save the money....

IF you want to use a "range rod" made of something like brass, or Delrin, or Nylon or something, just to be careful, then do so. It's your muzzle loader, and at the range or in the field the only thing that matters is hitting the target, not being "historically correct" during loading.

I have a great shotgun that had a wooden ramrod, but..., the spring to keep it in place was weak and while hunting the rod moved forward a bit, which I didn't notice, and when I stumbled it caught on a bush and snapped. NOW that gun, which is just for hunting, has a nylon rod with a jag as the ramrod. (Once bitten twice shy)

Slightly crooked ramrods tend to stay put and don't need a spring to keep them... just thought I'd mention that.....

LD

 

[eggwelder]

I have never shot with another Black powder shooter. The ramrod for my flintlock is of red oak, and will bend 90 degrees. it is made of 4 pieces of oak, hard to describe how its glued together, but lengthwise and quartered. Capped with a 3030 case. It is also slightly warped which helps keep it in the pipes
i bounce the rod, as it bounces differently when the ball is seated properly than when it is not. YMMV

 

[TreeMan]

I hunt with an 1803 Harpers Ferry with the steel ramrod. No worries with that one! For my 32 Kentucky (small game) I got October country to make me a brass ramrod to replace the wood one. Adds very little noticeable weight to an already cumbersome rifle.

 

[FlinterNick]

I use a solid brass rod 5/16 at the range, I rounded off the ends. It helps get those last 3-4 rough loads.

 

[FlinterNick]

I hunt with an 1803 Harpers Ferry with the steel ramrod. No worries with that one! For my 32 Kentucky (small game) I got October country to make me a brass ramrod to replace the wood one. Adds very little noticeable weight to an already cumbersome rifle.

I’m trying something different, a 5/16 copper tube filled with epoxy For a ramrod. I saw one guy with one at the range.