Yay!SUCCESS!! thanks Morehops52 - it WAS the front triggerguard screw. The screw was directly in line with the drum, I didn't think the ramrod was that long. There was a dimple from screw tip in the last 1/8 inch of the ramrod, holding it tight. NEVER would have thought of that - but now I remember I did take TG off to check on set triggers, then put it back (with ramrod in place). I think I will turn the screw down tight, THEN put rod back and let it bottom against the screw. Thanks again! you saved me a lot of unnecessary work.
I'm curious... Is this a southern-style iron-mounted rifle? Brass trigger guards usually have a tab for a crosspin, at least in front of the bow, and often behind the bow, too. The forward cross pin can be placed very low, so as not to interfere with the ramrod channel. Traditional hand-forged iron guards are generally screwed on. Old photographs of southern mountaineers with their muzzleloading rifles frequently show the ramrod protruding an inch or two beyond the muzzle when the rod is mounted in the pipes on the rifle. This could be written off as a regional style, a "southern thing," but it is not really a very practical arrangement and the mountain folk were very practical people. There had to be a sensible reason for that excessive ramrod extension. That screw in front of the trigger guard bow was probably it.
Best regards,
Notchy Bob