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Ramrod?

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pepperbelly

45 Cal.
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I seem to remember something about not using the ramrod that came with my TC Hawken- something about it breaking and stabbing me with a splinter.
Do I need to avoid using it? Is it just good for looks?

Jim
 
:grin: I guess that would all depend on what you got with the rifle. If it is wood & has no grain "runout" from tip to tip then I would use it. If it has grain runout or any knots or grain inclusions I would make a new one. :thumbsup:
 
pepperbelly said:
I seem to remember something about not using the ramrod that came with my TC Hawken- something about it breaking and stabbing me with a splinter.
Do I need to avoid using it? Is it just good for looks?
Jim
Back when TC's wooden rods were resin impregnated they were virtually unbreakable, and IMO were excellent under barrel rods. But since the plant fire, TC outstourced its ramrod production and I frankly didn't think they'd used any standard barrel wooden rods since...I've seen composites, polymer covered fiberglas, solid aluminum, and annodized aluminum but no wood.

EXCEPT...for the longer rods on TC's longer round ball barrels sold from the TC Fox Ridge store...they've still wood and they're very cheap...I won't risk using them at alll...set them aside for use in the garage or at the range with various accessories permanenty attached like a bore brush, patch retriever, etc...and replace them all with solid one piece brass rods from October Country.
 
Do you understand what we are talking about when we talk about wood grain? Those are the dark lines in the ramrod between the light lines, and represent winter growth rings in a tree while the wider lighter lines represent summer growth in threes.

When we talk about run out, we are literally talking about following a line of wood grain to see if it comes out the side OR " Runs out " the side of the stick! That is " run out".

Run out is no good in ramrods. It represents a shear line in the wood and weakens the stick.

If you can visit a well stocked dealer's shop, where they have huge boxes of hickory stock to make ramrods, you can pick out one that is 1> Straight for as long as you need your rod to be, and 2. one that has straight grain that does not run out. The cost is minimal, but we all learn to take the time to find good wood before buying. Then take it home, cut it to length, put the ferrules you need on each end, glueing and pinning them, and taper the end of the rod that goes into the stock, if needed to pass the front lock plate screw. Some shooters cut a series of grooves in the non-working end of the stick, to help them grab hold of the stick easier. Just don't make them so deep they compromise the wood. They don't have to be too deep to give you purchase with your hands and fingers.

I leave my cleaning jag on the working ferrule end of my rod, so that the end of the jag sticks out beyond the muzzle of my rifle. Its get blackened with powder residue, as soon as the first shot is fired, and the oily residue will get on your bare hands, but in the woods , when hunting, that is a minor problem and I want my jag on that rod so that I can clean the barrel of all the residue, and dry it before reloading the gun for my next shot.
 
How you use the ramrod is also a factor. Grabbing the rod at the top and ramming it down will guararentee breaking it. I grab one handed and thumb out about 6 inches up from the barrell, and work it down (Paul, I think I learned that trick from one of your old posts). I've only broken one rod, the one that came with my GPR. I replaced it with a carefully picked wooden dowel and haven't had a problem with it...
Scott
 
I couple of the ol' boys at the club say they've been stabbed by wooden rods that split with a little too much exertion. They say it hurts.
 
I use a solid brass range rod as much as I can and keep that wood ramrod for looks or hunting
 
the wood rod which came with my T/C didn't last long ( but I didn't get stabed) I ordered their new then impregnated rod and its a dandy but no longer available. A good streight grain rod should last for years. Hope you find a good one.
 
If you are concerned about breaking your wooden rod, but want to use wood, try this link:
[url] http://www.periodramrod.com/[/url]

pretty nifty ramrod.

WB
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You know, I chuckle every time I see the advertisement photos of those rods...you'd think they could have used a new, clean one that didn't appear to be bent, etc :grin:
 
This quote cracks me up.

I don't know how difficult it is to find green hickory logs 44 inches long, but I have a bundle of about a dozen 48 " hickory r rods in the basement.

I seldom use anything but the wooden rod and have only broken a few over the years. A vast majority have broken at the tip, with a couple cracking or lifting a splinter where the grain runs out. That said, I have never broken a rod in two because of grain run out.

None of those broken rods have been hickory. All of those broken rods have been hardware store "hardwood" dowels.

A quality rod, used with care, will last a looonnnnggg time.
J.D.
 
I never got to find out how long a TC ramrod will last,,,SEE,,,loaded her up one day and she really kicked,didn't hit the target neither,went to reload and found my ramrod missing,,,, :hmm: :hmm: :hmm: you know I still don't know where it got to :hmm: :hmm: :hmm: but where ever it went,being shot out of my gun,,,I am sure it didn't CRACK,,, :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
 
I will use a brass ramrod that came with a cleaning kit I bought. It has an aluminum cross handle to help.
The runout of the grain was what I couldn't remember about using wooden rods.
Thanks,
Jim
 
What year did the T/C fire happen? I wasn't aware there was one. My T/C Renegade has the origional wood rod still in it. It looks good and I use a wonder rod for a range rod. I don't want to take a chance on breaking it.
 
Old Sarge said:
What year did the T/C fire happen? I wasn't aware there was one. My T/C Renegade has the origional wood rod still in it. It looks good and I use a wonder rod for a range rod. I don't want to take a chance on breaking it.
March 27, 1997...burned/lost 1/3 of their manufacturing facilities
 

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