Ramrod material choices.

[William O.]

A T handled brass rod when I am at the range and to load with before going into the field, then depending on which rifle I am using it will be either a hollow aluminum tube or the hickory ram rod that came with it. I have a T handle that threads into the end of the rod that I'll use in the field as well that I carry in my bag.

 

[Dave Marsh]

I make my own hickory ramrods out of a straight grained hickory plank I have. I keep them on the gun and use them in the field.

When target shooting I use a stainless rod I got from TOTW with a bore guide. My primary reason is that I have shot out about 3 wooden ramrods over the years when I got side tracked while loading and left the ramrod in the bore. You can't not notice the stainless one with the big handle if you were to forget it in the bore.



Regards,

Dave

 

[Rifleman1776]

All I use is hickory. If it was good enough then, it is good enough for me now.

You don't know it was "good enough". Same with other things that are 'authentic'. Those "good enough" rods may have split and injured many men who bled to death alone in the forest. You don't know. It was what they had.
I use synthetics, mostly Delrin, everywhere except for reenactment or rendezvous. Then it is hickory and smaller ball and thinner patch for easier loading and a safety measure.

 

[Billnpatti]

Good straight grained hickory is not always easy to find. I found a source for some at a place that made wooden tool handles. They had select straight grain wood billets that they used to make long tool handles such as for shovels, pitchforks, post hole diggers, etc. I went in and talked to the general manager and he said that they didn't sell retail but he would sell me a couple of their billets.

A friend gave me a steel plate with several different size holes in it that he said some relative of his had used to make wooden dowels. The holes were coned on one side and you just split the wood down to fit in the holes and pull it through to scrape it down. You moved from one hole to the next smaller hole until you had a dowel of the diameter that you wanted.

So, I managed to make about a dozen hand made straight grained ramrods. Even after all that, I didn't like wooden rods for loading so I gave most of them away. I kept a few to put in the thimbles of some of my rifles just for looks but they are not used for anything else.

I did keep the tool but in our move, it became misplaced along with several other things for which I have been searching for the past four years.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I don't need to be back in the bush and bust a rod at the most inopportune time.

for me that would just be part of the traditional experience. otherwise I would just use a modern rifle.

 

[tenngun]

Keep you hands close to the bore when ramming. Its been better then 30 years since I broke a rod.

 

[OldNo7]

For those looking for an excellent source of custom Brass Ramrods at great prices, look up "ramblinman211" on ebay and check out what he offers. In addition to stock rod sizes, he can also make custom-length rods, as he did for my T/C Hawken with the 32" round ball barrel. He makes many other custom-turned brass items as well.

The delivery lead-time was < 2 weeks, the price with shipping was really reasonable, and the quality and service (Q&A, e-mails) was excellent! I highly recommend Ben for brass ramrods. :thumbsup:

Here are some pix of mine:

Business end:

Back end:

Mounted on the Hawken:

I like the extra weight it adds, plus the stiffness/security I'll get when I'm 1.5 miles out in the deer woods, knowing I won't have to deal with a stuck ball or broken wooden rod.

Tight groups! :hatsoff:

Old No7

 

[Mad Irish Jack]

I use hickory for hunting, reenacting and seminars. At the range, I use both a wonder rod and a hickory rod about 1/6th inch smaller than the bore diameter of the gun it's for. I take about six seating strokes in the 44" barrel. I've seen guys breal a fiberglass using a long pull and he ripped his hand open. He has a nice scar, now, that he refers to as his body charactorization.

 

[sidelock]

I use a composite rod from TC obtained soon after I completed my .50 Hawken build and the original rod split (about 1973). This a great rod but is not available now. Sorry.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I use hickory for hunting, reenacting and seminars. At the range, I use both a wonder rod and a hickory rod about 1/6th inch smaller than the bore diameter of the gun it's for. I take about six seating strokes in the 44" barrel. I've seen guys breal a fiberglass using a long pull and he ripped his hand open. He has a nice scar, now, that he refers to as his body charactorization.

Advice must be taken with caution. I had the good fortune of being taught by some of the greats in this game.
One of them told (taught?) me that the ball must be seated with only one push of the ram rod. Meaning, grab up high and push. And that was when my only rod was some mystery wood that came with the imported rifle. :shocked2: Fortunately, I never broke the rod but soon acquired a stainless steel range rod and changed my loading habits.
Great guy but he was very wrong on that.

 

[coloradoclyde]

That's a good point Rifleman,
I would also add that today it seems that people are loading increasingly tighter projectiles,stuff that you almost need a hydraulic ram to load.I would surmise that breaking a ramrod is a sign of improper technique and incorrect projectile combination. :grin:

 

[Black Jack]

Some say that Delrin, along with aluminum and brass, allow particles to imbed in them and cause undo wear to the bore when used often as cleaning rods.

Actually, I have heard this regarding wood rods more than any other as wood is a softer material and will pick up abrasive material. I would agree that a stainless rod is the best bet. Use of any rod benefits from using a bore protector that centers the rod whenever practical to do so.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Some say that Delrin, along with aluminum and brass, allow particles to imbed in them and cause undo wear to the bore when used often as cleaning rods.

Actually, I have heard this regarding wood rods more than any other as wood is a softer material and will pick up abrasive material. I would agree that a stainless rod is the best bet. Use of any rod benefits from using a bore protector that centers the rod whenever practical to do so.

Say? Heard?..... What? I don't hear that well... you better show me!

 

[Black Jack]

Some say that Delrin, along with aluminum and brass, allow particles to imbed in them and cause undo wear to the bore when used often as cleaning rods.

Actually, I have heard this regarding wood rods more than any other as wood is a softer material and will pick up abrasive material. I would agree that a stainless rod is the best bet. Use of any rod benefits from using a bore protector that centers the rod whenever practical to do so.

Say? Heard?..... What? I don't hear that well... you better show me!

I will rephrase my post to make it clearer for you: Wood is more abrasive than Delrin or metal rods when used for long-term, repeated cleaning due to the fact that it is more porous and particles embed themselves on the surface. If you would like me to show you, mail me a barrel and I will damage the muzzle with one of my old wooden range rods purchased before I knew any better.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Your argument has no merit and can not be validated by data. :bull:
your ramrod must be made out of wood from the South American sand paper tree :rotf:

 

[Black Jack]

You and I may be talking about two different situations. You seem to be describing what looks "nicer" on your rifle, used occasionally while in the field. I'm talking about a rod used as a range rod and frequent use in cleanup after shooting...pretty heavy use. I think wood looks nicer and my rifles all have them, but for continuous frequent use, go with a stainless rod and muzzle protector. Anyways, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Also, still awaiting barrel. :grin:

 

[azmntman]

Oh that I had the time to shoot and clean enough to damage my barrel with my wooden ramrod!

 

[coloradoclyde]

OK! Now you're making sense. I too use a metal range/cleaning rod when not in the field (cold rolled not stainless. I also keep my wood rod clean and use my fingers as a guide when in the field.30 years and the only thing I have worn out is ramrods, and wooden target boards. if a wooden ramrod ever wears out a barrel it is not the woods' fault, but the operators methods and techniques. So as soon as you send me $300.00 for shipping and handling I will glady send you a barrel to destroy. :rotf: :thumbsup: :v

 

[Zonie]

OK. For those that read my last post about ramrod wear I deleted it after I found the article. I'll start over.

Back in the November 2008 issue of Muzzle Blasts, the official magazine of the National Muzzleloading Rifle Association the Bevel Brothers wrote in their "Stump the Experts" column about ramrods causing muzzle wear.

To test this they rigged up an electric drill with a piece of steel mounted in the chuck. This served as a crank to which they attached the ramrod. As the drill ran, the ramrod would move in and out of the test barrels muzzle.

They tested Hickory, brass, stainless steel and fiber glass for the ramrod materials.

A different barrel was used for each ramrod material so they could see what, if any, damage was done.

They coated the wooden ramrod with, "some of the powder residue and set it up in the Wipe-o-Lator to run all by itself. At the end of one hour I came back and smeared another coat of powder residue on the rod and let it run for another hour...."

"Each test got the same treatment starting with a dirty rod and bore, followed by a supplementary application of powder dirt half way thru the two-hour cycle...."

"...the only rod that did any real damage ws the stainless steel, and it was significant. All the other barrels sustained such minor effects that we couldn't even measure the difference before and after with a caliper...although they did take on a polished appearance at the points of contact..."

My only regret with their test is it might have been a little more realistic if they would have handled each rod after handling a few oiled shooting patches and then put each rod on a somewhat dirty bench.

That might have come closer to reflecting what happens a lot of the time.

Cheers.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I wonder what a cermachromed barrel would be like?