I look em' over real well for grain run out, straightness, ect. The 3 that I picked up yesterday are Popular and come 48". I've got a 43 1/2" barrel so it's hard to find a long enough rod. I cut a jag in my rod and put a small spring to act as a worm on the other end. The rods are 5/16" so I think they'll hold up ok since I'm pretty easy on my ramrods. I'd like to find a good hickory dowell some where that's 48" and make up a couple "good" ramrods. But for now I've got to use what I can find. Heck, I may get a Maple limb and round it out, that way I'd not have to worry about the grain.
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TN.Frank
Could you find a Shagbark Hickory there in Tenn ?
That would make a better rod than just about anything else.
I'm thinking if your going to put the time in to make a rod, might as well make one with the best wood rather than make do.
Just a thought.
Regards, Dave
Could you find a Shagbark Hickory there in Tenn ?
That would make a better rod than just about anything else.
I'm thinking if your going to put the time in to make a rod, might as well make one with the best wood rather than make do.
Just a thought.
Regards, Dave
Stophel
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The key to a good wood ramrod is getting a GOOD wood ramrod. Hickory is THE way to go. The Ramin wood dowel rods are absolutely HORRIBLE. The wood is relatively soft, and is NOT very resistant to dings and dents, and when it gets a dent, it will break there...believe me. The wood is very prone to splintering and busting right across the grain, no matter how good the grain runs through the rod. Ash would likely make a good rod, and it would be good if you could get a rod cut out of a solid layer, without the porous layer, but that would be hard to do. Walnut is definitely springy and bends quite nicely, but is probably a bit soft for rod use. Hickory is the only real viable choice.
Now, out of a dozen hickory dowel rods, I can usually pick out only two, MAYBE three that are actually useable. The grain must not run out, though hickory is much more forgiving here than other woods. If we were splitting out little billets of hickory to make rods out of, grain straightness would not be a problem, but most of us, obviously, have to make due with picking out ready-made rods.
Now, out of a dozen hickory dowel rods, I can usually pick out only two, MAYBE three that are actually useable. The grain must not run out, though hickory is much more forgiving here than other woods. If we were splitting out little billets of hickory to make rods out of, grain straightness would not be a problem, but most of us, obviously, have to make due with picking out ready-made rods.
May as well jump in here, everyone else has. :grin:
I mostly use the plain ramin dowel rods from the hardware store. The last time I broke a rod (my friends new fowler) was because I stepped on it!
I run very tight loads in my rifles which people say would break a rod. I don't generally swab between shots, use spit patch lube and those cheap ramin rods don't break.
Now my rods are mostly 3/8" and some 7/16". If I had to go 5/16" it would certainly be brass.
Remember the Navy Arms Buffalo Hunter? That came with a 1/4" wood rod. Imagine seating a .58 ball with a 1/4" rod! :haha:
I mostly use the plain ramin dowel rods from the hardware store. The last time I broke a rod (my friends new fowler) was because I stepped on it!
I run very tight loads in my rifles which people say would break a rod. I don't generally swab between shots, use spit patch lube and those cheap ramin rods don't break.
Now my rods are mostly 3/8" and some 7/16". If I had to go 5/16" it would certainly be brass.
Remember the Navy Arms Buffalo Hunter? That came with a 1/4" wood rod. Imagine seating a .58 ball with a 1/4" rod! :haha:
I may as well jump in here also.
Have had wooden rods break on me before too. Usually the standard old store boughts. Main reason for breakage is grain runout.
Switched to shoots and saplings in local Sugar Maple and Wild Cherry. The grain is always straight on these. May have to tie them straight for drying after debarking. Go a bit larger in Dia. & length and shave them down when fully dried. Burnish the things and carve or install your desired tip for swabbing & etc.
Never had one part on me by ramming or pulling, and they'll take some serious bending before breaking.
If you need to straighten more after finishing it's easy. Just check out a Traditional Bow site and there will be plenty of info (arrow straightening).
Have had wooden rods break on me before too. Usually the standard old store boughts. Main reason for breakage is grain runout.
Switched to shoots and saplings in local Sugar Maple and Wild Cherry. The grain is always straight on these. May have to tie them straight for drying after debarking. Go a bit larger in Dia. & length and shave them down when fully dried. Burnish the things and carve or install your desired tip for swabbing & etc.
Never had one part on me by ramming or pulling, and they'll take some serious bending before breaking.
If you need to straighten more after finishing it's easy. Just check out a Traditional Bow site and there will be plenty of info (arrow straightening).
Gee guys, I wonder how our ancestors ever survived without modern steel/brass/fiberglass/kevlar/aircraft-grade aluminum or titanium ramrods!!??
Seriously, I've been using wooden rods for 30 years and I never had one break unless I picked a bad piece of wood or used it incorrectly. Any time you think you have made an improvement on the long rifle or the way our ancestors used it 200 years ago you simply are kidding yourself.
Seriously, I've been using wooden rods for 30 years and I never had one break unless I picked a bad piece of wood or used it incorrectly. Any time you think you have made an improvement on the long rifle or the way our ancestors used it 200 years ago you simply are kidding yourself.
:hmm:...That might be a bit of a stretch...there's no question about my brass ramrods being an improvement...everyone may not like brass or steel rods, but I'm definitely not kidding myself about how good they areloophole said:
:winking:
Mebbyso, but the wheelbarrow I'd need to carry 44" of brass rammer below a "C" profile barrel that would fit my 7/16" to 3/8" thimbles would be a real nuisance in the woods. :grin:
The military did use metal rammers after 1750 or so. Now they're using Phenolic for stocks. Not because it is necesssarily best, but because it is cheap and any dummy can be trained to care for it. :haha:
The military did use metal rammers after 1750 or so. Now they're using Phenolic for stocks. Not because it is necesssarily best, but because it is cheap and any dummy can be trained to care for it. :haha:
Russ T Frizzen
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Amen!
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Brass rammer, and fiberglass. Sheeese, next thing ya know some feller will come up with some way to encapsulate the powder charge and bullet, or put the igniter at the very end of the barrel. I'm stickin with Hickory, all thet other stuff is unnatural. :rotf: Bill
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"maybe we could even get Claude to start a "Straight-line" forum." Don't even go there, that ain't even funny, That's the dark side, and no one should go there. :haha: Bill
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