Ramrod

[sarcasmn]

Looking for a new ramrod for my Lyman Deerstalker. Not real impressed with the whippy plastic one that came with the rifle. Are the custom length brass ones real heavy? Don't need a range rod, need a good rod to carry under the barrel when hunting. Is brass real heavy? Is aluminum good? Should I get one cut shorter to add a jag to the end?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Wood always works for me in the field.

LD

 

[BrownBear]

Wood here, too. Brass will work well, but results in a lot more weight out front, if that's what you want for shooting.

My wife is the Deerstalker shooter in our house and really doesn't like much extra weight out front. For her the 50 is too muzzle heavy, so the 54 is her usual. If I put a brass rod on either of them she'd bend it over my head.

 

[Semisane]

I agree. Steel or brass on the range. Wood in the field.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I use Delrin. On the range my rods are either stainless steel or delring. In the woods it is Delrin. Wood can break and having a piece of hickory rod go through your hand could spoil yer whole day. I use wood only for rendezvous and demonstration purposes.
To answer about brass. Brass tubing is not heavy and is quite strong. Good choice. As it is used and gets dirty doesn't even look bad.

 

[Ken Rummer]

I bought an aluminum rod from RMC Sports for my Deerstalker. The gun is light to start with and the minor weight addition is not a big deal. This is a strong rod with threads on each end which Delron rods don't usually have.

 

[Little Wattsy]

I agree. Steel or brass on the range. Wood in the field.

Exactly!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[S.Kenton]

I had a solid brass RR on mt T/C Hawken. I liked the weight that it added to the nose of the rifle. There's a fella on here that I purchased a couple of "indestructible" ram rods from..he goes by the name of Ohio Ramrod.While I understand these ram rods are neither brass, wood nor aluminum..they are still very good Ramrods and are set up nicely, one end being a permanent a cleaning jag, the other is end is threaded.

 

[Many Klatch]

Solid brass rods can add a lot of weight. My wife's 50 smoothbore was so light that we had to add a brass ramrod to get the weight up to something that she could hold steady offhand.

All I ever use is wood ramrods, I haven't up to now had one snap off and hurt me although I have seen it happen.

Many Klatch

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

Every person I have ever heard say that the ramrod they use is bad and wants to go to brass is because they want to grab the ramrod at the top and ram the projectile down the barrel in one fell swoop. I hope that isn’t the case here and you are using the proper method of ramming the projectile down the barrel. In 2 to 4 inch short strokes, with this method you can almost use a wet noodle to ram the ball down and you lessen the chances of getting a broken ramrod through your hand.

 

[vthunter52]

Both my range rod, and my rifle rods are deldrin. I once tried an aluminum rod in my hunting rifle, but found that in the woods it was noisy if it touched a branch or brush, a little thing but noise is one thing that the hunter can control to some extent.

 

[George T.]

For 45 cal. or larger I use wood. They are not cheap but you can get hickory rods from Dixie and every one I have bought were very straight grained. The builder of my 40 cal. flinter taught me a trick. If you make a trough of foil and let the ramrod soak in kerosene for three days they will bend and not break unless you do something wrong. I have used charcoal lighter when I was lazy. The range rods I use are Delron but I use the wood ones some because those limber raskles make me crazy! Geo. T.

 

[Rifleman1776]

For 45 cal. or larger I use wood. They are not cheap but you can get hickory rods from Dixie and every one I have bought were very straight grained. The builder of my 40 cal. flinter taught me a trick. If you make a trough of foil and let the ramrod soak in kerosene for three days they will bend and not break unless you do something wrong. I have used charcoal lighter when I was lazy. The range rods I use are Delron but I use the wood ones some because those limber raskles make me crazy! Geo. T.

GT, there are several flaws in your 'logic' at reaching your conclusion.
Just because your rods came from Dixie does not mean they sell only good straight grained hickory rods. Dixie resells from their lowest bidder. I have attempted to sell to them and learned this quickly. I started making and selling Delrin rods simply because good, straight grained hickory rods vanished from the market for quite a few years. A bad rod is a very dangerous instrument. (for the record I am no longer in the Delrin rod business, this is not a soliciation)
The kerosene soaking trick has been around a long time. But, unfortunately, the kero quickly dries and you lose the lubricity. Hickory rods pressure impregnated with parafin are quite good. As far as I know they are no longer available. The hickory rods I make I soak in another oil. I use lemon oil but mineral would work just fine. My 'soaker' is a length of 3/4" pvc pipe sealed at one end and with a screw plug at the other. I leave it in as long as possible, never less than a week.
The complaints about Delrin being too flexible first took me by surprise because I don't find it to be a problem. I can only conclude the 'flexy complainers' are grabbing the rod way to high up and trying to shove down in one push. That is never a good practice regardless of the rod material. Delrin is light, soft, non damaging to the barrel and strong. Downside, non traditional. I still use hickory at juried events and for demonstrations. But the Delrin, or other synthetics get the most use for safety reasons.

 

[M. De Land]

I have both and still went to a 5/16's stainless steel bench rod and a brass sleeve muzzle protector.
It never fails and is better in every way that I can see than either delrin or treated wood for range shooting.
Treated wood still gets the nod for hunting and delrin for cleaning on my single shot rifles but the one piece stainless is so superior to either on the shooting range that I don't even bring the others any more.
I do think delrin would make an excellent muzzle sleeve protector,even better than brass. It turns readily in my lathe and is easily cut. MD

 

[George T.]

I can only speak to the last 8 I have bought from Dixie! They were very straight with no areas of cross grain. They send them taped to a 2x2 so that they do not get broken yet their shipping charges are very reasonable. By the way if you buy 5 at a time they are $4 each.

The range rods that I use in 50 and 54 are much longer than the barrels of my rifles. When you follow the short starter you have 4 foot over your head with the grip area waveing all around. They are great rods just pretty limber when this long. I have thought about cutting them but I may buy a longer barreled rifle.

As for the oil soak all I can say is that I have some hickory rods in 40 cal that are 10 or 12 years old and they have never returned to stiff and brittle.

If I found replacemewnt rods for the GPR and T/C's
made of delron I might get them but I actually use the issue rods very seldom. I carry a wooden rod when in the field and use it as a shooting stick if nothing is available.

When I made the first post I was just answering a question and not putting myself forward as a authority. Geo. T.

 

[Claude Mathis]

I can only conclude the 'flexy complainers' are grabbing the rod way to high up and trying to shove down in one push. That is never a good practice regardless of the rod material.

Amen. A mistake often made by new muzzleloading shooters. IMO

 

[Rifleman1776]

I can only speak to the last 8 I have bought from Dixie! They were very straight with no areas of cross grain. They send them taped to a 2x2 so that they do not get broken yet their shipping charges are very reasonable. By the way if you buy 5 at a time they are $4 each.

The range rods that I use in 50 and 54 are much longer than the barrels of my rifles. When you follow the short starter you have 4 foot over your head with the grip area waveing all around. They are great rods just pretty limber when this long. I have thought about cutting them but I may buy a longer barreled rifle.

As for the oil soak all I can say is that I have some hickory rods in 40 cal that are 10 or 12 years old and they have never returned to stiff and brittle.

If I found replacemewnt rods for the GPR and T/C's
made of delron I might get them but I actually use the issue rods very seldom. I carry a wooden rod when in the field and use it as a shooting stick if nothing is available.

When I made the first post I was just answering a question and not putting myself forward as a authority. Geo. T.

GT, I don't want to debate you.......well...yes I really do. :redface: Debating is one of the more funner things in life. :wink:
Anyhow, again I'll hit a couple of yer points. Not wanting to cut a too long rod because you might get longer rifles is just backwards thinking to me. Cut yer rods, use the short ends to make stuff like short starters. Get more rifles, then get more rods. Ye can never have too much of anything in this ml game. I have about 30 rods and, at least that many more in unfinished rods.
Hickory, soaked/unsoaked, dried out or not is never really stiff and brittle. It is quite a flexy wood on it's own. That is why it is the most popular rr wood.
Everybody else here thinks they are an authority or expert. Wats wrong with you? :wink:
Hang in there, I enjoy the exchanges and maybe we will both learn something.
BTW, one more point. The wood only in the woods while hunting does seriously bother me. When hickory breaks it forms a long, very sharp edge and point. A broken rod going through your arm, hand, viens, arteries, etc. while in the woods can be a deadly incident. For safety reasons alone, I suggest leaving the wood at home and using a Delrin, stainless or brass rod in the woods. I used to do the 'authentic' thing while hunting but reason eventually prevailed.

 

[sarcasmn]

I actually use a hand over hand method when pushing a patched ball. Would like a stiffer rod to also use as a shooting stick as a lot of my hunting is spot and stalk.

 

[M. De Land]

Yes, that is the way I do it too. I've never broken a wood rod or even come close to it with that technique. I can see it if you do the long push from the end method and it gives me the willies to think on it much.. MD

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

Sar, it certainly has been done but I would be leery of using such an essential piece of shooting equipment for a shooting rest. If you will permit me a bit of unsolicited advice, a while back I found a collapsible t-handled cane and I have been carrying it in my small pack when I hunt. It has come in very handy as a shooting rest, bino rest, going up and down hills and the best part is that it folds up in couple of seconds and it’s out of the way.