New flintlock rifle question

Hello all,

New to the board and looking forward to reading and sharing info on this great sport.

I purchased a new custom flintlock rifle and had a blast shooting it. Can easily say I’m addicted to muzzleloaders!

So my question is for some reason I can’t get the wood ramrod down past the last thimble. I have a range rod that I use to shoot and clean so the wood ramrod did not get wet or warped. I tried to shine a flashlight down the bottom thimble and could kind of see maybe the wood swelled and the ramrod channel seemed tight.

I left the gun in the safe for a few days and I just checked again and I can’t get the ramrod to seat past the last thimble.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Bill

Other than flintlock we know little about your rifle. Tell us the style, caliber, number of lock bolts, diameter of the ramrod, does it have tips on both ends of the ramrod?

I assume your rifle was delivered with the ramrod installed. How easy was it to remove the ramrod the first time? Have you contacted the builder to see what might cause the ramrod to bind?

Is there a retaining spring to hold the ramrod in place that may have moved?

Look at your ramrod. Does it have any bends or curvature? You can try to straighten a bent rod by applying steam at the bend and holding the rod straight until the wood cools and the rod appears straight. I have a rod with a slight bend that I have to be careful to turn the rod as I replace it so the tip enters the thimbles properly.

Are there any scratches on the original ram rod indication a partial obstruction?

Look at the ramrod groove. Is it straight? Are the thimbles aligned?

Go to the hardware store and get a 48" dowel rod that is one size smaller than your ramrod to run through the thimbles. Where does the ramrod stop? If it stops in the thimble, there may be a burr in the thimble that can be removed with a wood file or the entry pipe may not be perfectly aligned with the ramrod hole. If the smaller dowel passes easily into place, then you may want to taper your rod.

Many of us use a tapered ramrod with the small end entering the stock.

Some guns have tapered ramrods, where the bottom 8" to 10" are a smaller diameter than the upper section. My old EAA Kentickian (entry level gun) has a 3/8" section up top, but below the bottom thimble it tapers to 5/16".

But you also said it was a "custom" gun -- so for what you paid for it, you should call the maker directly and get their input.

Good luck!

Old No7

I have found that most wooden ramrods have to be used a few times and messed with before they fit into the thimbles reliably everytime. Possibly a change in humidity has caused the ramrod to swell a bit. Take a knife and scrape it down until it does fit. Then scrape it just a bit more. You may have to do this a few more times before it fits regardless of weather.

I kinda wonder if the ramrod itself isn't the culprit. If it's unfinished there's every chance it swelled a tad and no longer fits. I'd sure do a little sanding on the rod followed by a light coat of beeswax and a good polish before touching the rifle.

That happens. Look in museums. Wood wiping sticks are often (usually) tapered. You can taper yours by scraping with a knife or sanding. One way is to put in a drill which is fastened down and holding the other end with sandpaper until the rod is tapered to your satisfaction. Welcome to the wild world of flintlocks. :applause:

Thanks for all the suggestions! The rifle was built by Nate McKenzie from Pennsylvania. My rifle looks very similar to this one on his website http://www.natemckenzie.com/gun-galleries/southern-rifles/

The specs are:
.40 cal
Chambers lock
Green Mountain barrel swamped
Tiger maple stock, medium dark stain

The ramrod that came with it was finished and it has a tip on one end. It’s 1/4 inch and came with a tip threaded 8/32. I looked at the rod and it does look a little warped. The end of the ramrod does not look like it’s tapered.

I used a flashlight to look down past the bottom thimble and it looks as maybe when I tried replacing the ramrod, I may have pushed the side of the channel inward thereby reducing the diameter and causing the ramrod to bind and not go all the way in.

I sent a email to Nate so hopefully he can offer some suggestions on a fix. It’s not urgent since in California I can’t hunt with lead. :cursing: So it’s a range toy and I have a range rod I use. But it somehow doesn’t look quite right without that wooden ramrod on it.

The ramrod that came with it was finished and it has a tip on one end. It’s 1/4 inch and came with a tip threaded 8/32.

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Keep in mind, a 1/4" rod has little strength. I suggest you look for a brass or delrin rod for your every day use, plus another range rod. Use the wood for appearance. You can still taper yours, I suggest you do.
From the looks of the rifles in his gallery I think you probably got a beauty. Congrats. :applause: Enjoy your shooting.

Did you remove the lock when you cleaned the gun? If so, does the front lock bolt have a notch in it that has to be positioned correctly for the rod to pass?
Also, some Rod's rely on a lite warpage/bend to stay in the thimble. Pics of the rod and gun might help.

Brokennock said:

Did you remove the lock when you cleaned the gun? If so, does the front lock bolt have a notch in it that has to be positioned correctly for the rod to pass?
Also, some Rod's rely on a lite warpage/bend to stay in the thimble. Pics of the rod and gun might help.

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Great point on the notch thing. Rest of us overlooked that possibility. :redface:
And, I agree hotoSmile:

Here are a couple of pictures.





She shoots better than she looks. :grin:

I, on the other hand, just can’t do this rifle justice.

She sure iz purty! Greg

Where exactly is the rod getting stuck again.? If it's right at or slightly behind the entry pipe (where there's a lip of wood) you might try getting a long drill bit the diameter of your rod and reaming out the hole somewhat. You have to pull the pipes before you do this though.

If it's getting stuck on a lock bolt or main spring that's protruding in to the RR channel then you can either notch the bolt, or put a small bevel on the nose of the main spring. A slight chamfer on the RR base would help as well.

It looks like it’s extremely tight right past the last thimble as the rod is entering the stock towards the lock and trigger.

I tried running a pistol cleaning rod with a plastic jag hoping to scrape some wood off. It went in just fine and I did scrape some wood out of the channel but not enough.

I really don’t want to get too aggressive and mess up the finish or something. I’m perfectly fine with leaving the ramrod out for now.

Thanks!

One word: sandpaper. Mine didn't fit either. Wood will swell with moisture and if it's loose in the base, which it usually isn't, a little sanding will make it fit. I use a range rod for my loading and don't really depend on the rifle rod much.

Curious as to what are you doing with the CMP empty chamber indicator under your gun shown in your photographs? .....Ok, to your delema. Like Grenadier1758's suggestion of an undersized dowel to investigate and check out fit. While at the hardware store would also pick up a dowel in a diameter that matches your ramrod. Will give you something to work out any required tapers or fits before you modify your ramrod. A word of caution, do NOT use the hardware store dowel as a ramrod, don't even consider it - unless you need and a desire a nasty stab wound. Different topic, but grain will not stand up to ramrod use.

Interesting to me me you have brought up this topic. Pulled a Green Montain barrel from the back of the safe this past weekend that I purchased years ago, still in original box - new build project. Included GM ramrod and and their thimbles. Ramrod wouldn't pass through either thimble. Used expandable reamer to open ID. Found thimbles out of round. After reinstalling on barrel (LRH for a TC HotRod Renegade) ramrod still wouldn't pass. Final issue was height of screws holding thimble to underbarrel rib. Not the issue with your gun (and I add, a beautiful gun) as thimbles are surely attached with pins, but reenforces the point that you need to systematically determine if you have a ramrod or thimble problem. Once identified, should be easy to correct.

THAT is one NICE looking rifle, congrats! :thumbsup:

Actually there’s a pretty funny story about the empty chamber flag. I’m in California and every range I’ve been to requires these.

Let’s just say I was complying with range rules. :wink:

Anyhow I’m pretty sure it’s not the thimbles as I can get the stock ramrod past the bottom thimble. When I ran the pistol cleaning rod down it would go down the channel as far as I wanted. Just extra snug at certain spots.

I’m going to try the sandpaper option as suggested. I think I just need to remove a small amount to open up the channel.

Critter Getter said:

She sure iz purty! Greg

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Thank you!

azmntman said:

THAT is one NICE looking rifle, congrats! :thumbsup:

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Thanks! Nate builds some great rifles.