ramrods

[djnye]

just finished a rifle and needed a couple ramrods to go with it. since i am a scratch black ash basketmaker, i went to the soak tank and grabbed some hickory splits that i had prepared for rims and handle blanks for my baskets. a few minutes with a crook'd knife to size and round them some, a hole drilled in a steel plate the size i needed and putting them through the hole, some tapering with a hand plane and a quick rub with a couple spong sanding blocks and i had beautiful, straight-grained ramrods that should last as long as the rifle. then i got to wondering what people do who are not as lucky as i am to have all that split out stock laying around. when i was at friendship for the first time this june i noticed a lot of sawn ramrod material that had some grain runout which i would consider weak and vulnerable to breakage. i am new to this flintlocking and front stuffing firearm stuff. what do you folks do for good straight-grained stock and what methods do you use to size, prepare and finish them.

daniel

 

[tg]

I try to find the best grained ones I can at local events or from a gunbuilder friend who keeps some on hand and soak them in kerosene. I try to keep one "raw" one on hand all the time in case I break one. I do use a synthetic rod whem sighting in or working up a different load. If one uses not so snug loads and a little caution breakage is rare.

 

[AdirondakDD]

Track of the Wolf sells streight grain wood. I save the fancy one that came with the gun and use a synthetic one at the range.

 

[LRB]

Be careful with TOW ramrods, they have little strength in a twisting pressure as in useing a ball puller. Just had one shatter into three pieces doing so. Over the years I have used their rods and common dowel rods and the dowels seem stronger, but nothing beats good hickory. TOW's are not hickory, but some kind of imported wood.

 

[Randy]

I've had the same experience as Wick in using TOW ramrods. They break about as easily as dowel rod I get from the hardware store. I usually make one to go with the gun and use a synthetic rod for all target shooting. I've seen guys bread their rod and push the splintered end nearly through their hand. That's NOT having fun. I split up some hickory last year about 4 feet long which I hope will make stronger more authentic looking rods. Thanks, Daniel, for the idea of pulling them through a drilled hole to help size them.

Horse Dr.