Ramrod stuck in barrel blues

[dirt weasel]

Went to the range to shoot my 45 cal TC Hawken today. I must have stuck my rod in the barrel at least 10 times while swabbing the bore w/ a patch of moose milk between shots. Required another hand to pull the rod while I held the gun. Patches were about 1 1/4' square & wet enough to clean the bore. As I pushed the patch done the bore it was easy; as I got to the bottom & twisted the rod as if to clean the breach as I went to pull up that is where it got stuck. I am using a delrin rod w/ a cleaning jag. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Stumpkiller]

Don't twist.

I shoot five or ten shots before I spit wipe. If you're not pushing the grunge down into the breech to begin with you don't have to twist a patch to remove it.

I don't carry (or own) a range rod so I like a load that doesn't need a mallet or beefy rod to load or require wiping every shot. Too much digging into the shot bag.

 

[Billnpatti]

When wiping between shots, I have a procedure that works quite well for me. Use a patch damp with water or alcohol and make one stroke down, pause for a few seconds and then one single stroke out. Turn the patch over, make another single stroke down and a single stroke out. Do not pump the patch. Then use a dry patch one single stroke down and a single stroke out. Turn over and repeat one stroke in and one stroke out. No pumping. Now, you are ready to load your next shot.

 

[dirt weasel]

So maybe the key is DONT TWIST, as twisting is why you get stuck?

 

[necchi]

What's the patch fabric? How thick is it?

 

[dirt weasel]

Im using coton flannel patches for wiping/cleaning. Using pillow ticking for loading.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Stuck ramrods is the reason that when I make a ramrod I always put brass tips on both ends. One end for a cleaning/loading jag. The other straight and taped for 10/32 threads so I can screw on a "T" handle to assist pulling. Once the T handle is screwed on you can put your feet over the handle and use your legs for pulling power. :hmm:

 

[Mad Professor]

If you are bit more creative the ramrod handle can also serve as a short starter. I've got one for each of my hunting rifles I made from old broom handles and brass or stainless parts from the hardware store. Cost less than $1 each, plus my time

 

[Rifleman1776]

The TC breech can be a grabber. If yours is a very old (e.g. ca.1970s) TC rifle there could be a problem with the breech mating properly with the barrel.
I see two things here that might be causing your situation.
Twisting will do strange things with the patch. Ever play with Chinese finger puzzles? Same situation. Don't twist.
And, my guess, your jag may be a bit too large. This is not an unusual occurance. Once you get it out just chuck up that jag in a drill and turn down slightly with a file. A jag does not need to be tight with the bore, in fact, should not be. The cleaning is doene by the patch bunching up in the rebate behind the jag and pulling crud out on the up pull.
Hopefully, your brass is pinned to the rod. If so, just a hard pull should release things. Good luck.

 

[George T.]

I agree that it sounds as though the jag is a little large at least with these patches. You wont need to remove very much material. Funny though I normally twist the rod before coming up.

In a pinch you can put a few drops od water down and it will usually come right out. Geo. T.

 

[stinkyfeet]

I agree that it sounds as though the jag is a little large at least with these patches. You wont need to remove very much material. Funny though I normally twist the rod before coming up.

In a pinch you can put a few drops od water down and it will usually come right out. Geo. T.

My TN MT Rifle used to get the rod hung up in it all the time while cleaning and would require a small wrench hooked on to the end and brute force and sometimes multiple guys to get the rod out. It was looked at by several gun makers and rebreeched thinking it was catching there but no dice. Just had to get used to it.

 

[Bill Hall]

So maybe the key is DONT TWIST, as twisting is why you get stuck?

I don't think there is one single key to a stuck ramrod problem, but twisting the rod is probably a big part of your problem. I'm not even sure I could twist the rod once it's down the bore with a cleaning patch, in any of my guns.

Could be a number of other problems also. Someone mentioned your jag might be to large, could very well be. Or, it could also be too small, allowing you enough room to twist the rod, and then bunching up the patch as it turns. Maybe try smaller patches. 1-1/4" seems a bit large for your .45, depending on the jag shape and how much it's necked above the jag. You need room for the patch to collapse around the jag, and not bunch up around the ramrod. I see that you use moose milk and swab between shots, so fouling build-up probably is not your problem.

Here's what I would do to solve the problem, one step at a time. First, stop twisting the rod, one continuous push down and one continuous pull up and out. If that doesn't completely fix it, check the patch fit on your jag. Wrap the patch around the jag as if in the bore. If the patch folds up to the fat part of the ramrod, you need a smaller patch or a different jag. If the patch is too small though, it could slip off the jag. Next, observe how tight the patch is going down the bore. If it starts out overly tight, it has more tendency to get stuck when pulled back up. Too tight going down will tell you the jag may be too wide, or the patch is too thick, or the patch is bunching up around the ramrod. If it goes down the bore fairly easy, but still gets stuck, your jag may be too narrow. Could be a combination of a few of those things, so check one thing at a time. Hope this helps. Bill

 

[Deadeye]

"What am I doing wrong?" Your using a Delrin rod and moose milk when you should be using a brass rod and spit. IMHO, Deadeye

 

[jamesthomas]

The only thing I use my ramrod for is to check if the ball is seated to the proper depth. I have a stainless steel range rod with a antler T handle for cleaning an loading. Bought it from Eddie May when I was at a shoot up in North Ga.

 

[Rat Trapper]

I would recommend the Knight range rod with the "T" handle. If you stick a patch all you need to do is hook the handle over the edge of the picnic table and pull it out. Always use a nylon bore guide. If needed you can bang the handle a little on the edge of the picnic table to help get it started coming out. I only use the rod on the rifle if I need to reload in the field.

Using anything but a good quality range rod is asking for problems.

 

[chipper c]

Some cleaning jags do not have a tapered neck behind them. The ones that have a taper are harder to get stuck with the rite size patch.Twisting or no twisting :wink:

 

[ihuntsnook]

I use good quality paper towels cut in appropriate sized squares to swab between shots. I don't wet them with anything because they are so absorbent. I shoot a .58 musket with round ball patched via Dutch's system. I scissor my patches about an inch and a half square. If there is a better way to swab more consistently between shots, let me know. I do notice that some dry crud always falls out of the bore between shots. If I don't point the muzzle at the ground and clear the bore of this dry crud, I will get an occasional misfire. All it takes is a light tap on the side of the gun. I'm shooting 3f Swiss. My last range session was 25 shots with good accuracy, no misfires, and an easy clean. I use a steel loading rod and a ball starter, but swab with a glass rod as it's lighter and easier to handle.

 

[Oudoceus]

I agree with chipper c. If you're using a button jag instead of a "wasp waisted" jag you must use a smaller patch if you don't want it to get stuck. Don't ask how I figured this out.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I use good quality paper towels cut in appropriate sized squares to swab between shots. I don't wet them with anything because they are so absorbent. I shoot a .58 musket with round ball patched via Dutch's system. I scissor my patches about an inch and a half square. If there is a better way to swab more consistently between shots, let me know. I do notice that some dry crud always falls out of the bore between shots. If I don't point the muzzle at the ground and clear the bore of this dry crud, I will get an occasional misfire. All it takes is a light tap on the side of the gun. I'm shooting 3f Swiss. My last range session was 25 shots with good accuracy, no misfires, and an easy clean. I use a steel loading rod and a ball starter, but swab with a glass rod as it's lighter and easier to handle.

Sometimes staying kind and gentle here is difficult. First you say you use a patch that is absorbant. Meaning you have wet stuff inside after a shot. To me, that is puzzling. Where does the water come from. Then you say you must dump dry stuff out of the bore by turning the rifle muzzle down. Also, please note, on most ranges, and under NMLRA rules, your not keeping your muzzle up at all times away from the firing line is a safety rules violation. :nono: Using two rods is yer bizness but seems very unnecessary to me. And, personally, fiberglass never goes into my bores.

 

[dledinger]

Delrin rods are ridiculously slick. I think if you put a ball on the end your problems will go away.