NEVER NEVER EVER

Yes those kind work great until they break . No down side to a fine looking Hickory rod with a thin steel core that cant be seen , but for the fact you wont get maimed .

I'm no expert by any stretch, but I've only seen one originalrifle that sported a steel Rammer, and there's no saying exactly when it was retro-fitted.
one thing about this discussion, it makes one painfully aware of the consequences of a broken rammer, and it will happen if one isn't careful.

I think the bottom line is to NEVER force anything down your bore, be it ball and patch or cleaning patch, Don't Force it.

Thanks fer puttin' all us wood rod usin' dummies on the path to enlightenment.

IMHO, I think posts/threads like this are worth airing from time to time as more and more newcomers join in, so they become aware of potential safety or inconvenience issues like this...doesn't mean anybody should stay away from wooden rods, but it's good to be aware that they need to be used in a certain way to avoid potential problems.

Speaking for myself...I'll continue to use strong brass or stainless steel rods, not wooden ones.

:v

Perhaps a bit of overreaction on my part but when I'm told to "never never ever" do something that is traditionally correct and proper I tend to get that way. I once had an accident while driving a car but I still do that.

I guess I been lucky, never broke one yet. Hard to carry around two ram rods, one for usin, and one for showin, when yer huntin.

A lot of Mt. men would carry two. One in the thimbles and one down the bore of the gun. The one down the bore was more of a wiping rod with a Jag cut into it but you could load with it too. Just don't forget to remove it before you take your shot,LOL.

TN.Frank said:

A lot of Mt. men would carry two. One in the thimbles and one down the bore of the gun. The one down the bore was more of a wiping rod with a Jag cut into it but you could load with it too. Just don't forget to remove it before you take your shot,LOL.

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That's interesting...never heard that before...I could see that being a sensible thing to do

Dumb question,aren't most military rods metal? How come? :winking: Rocky

Skagun said:

I'm no expert by any stretch, but I've only seen one originalrifle that sported a steel Rammer

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Not to be nitpicky, but the majority of M/L military rifles and smoothbores after 1750 or so sported steel rammers. :smile:

That said, I use wood rods. Only ever had one break in decades, and that was my fault. I chose a bad piece of wood, missed the grain run-out dead center. But that's the only one I've had break (it split really, didn't break totally in two).
I pin and glue the ends on well, I use short strokes to seat the ball, and I don't force things down the bore with undue pressure.
Jack

If you lived in the back woods in the late 1700's to early 1800's and your ramrod broke I doubt that you'd just pick up a steel one to replace your broken one. Much easier to get a straight sappling or limb from a tree and whittle a new WOODEN ramrod. I normally just use a wooden dowel from the local home supply store. I cut a jag into one end to clean with and in my latest one I'm going to add a small piece of spring to the other end to act as a worm incase the patch comes off of the jag. This is traditional "poorboy" style, no fancy tips and such, just cut a jag in the rod using a hand file.

LOL. I still have the original hickory ramrod in my .45 longrifle I built in 1978. But, I broke the ramrod that came with my custom .50 rifle on first use (it had a flaw, but I was partly to blame). Very Very few if any old rifles still have their original rods... breakage is a matter of life and time. To minimize breakage and maximize wood rod life, I typically use a metal or composite "range" rod [when not reenacting,etc.] when plinking, target shooting, etc. I bought a dandy aluminum rod from an outfit in Colorado that is my basic range rod for larger bores. I have a synthetic flexible rod for my .32 and .40 rifles. Care in loading and swabbing [more than some folks do] will ease rod use and minimize breakage. I dislike the heavy brass rods.

In the back of the Dixie catalog they say to "temper" your wooden rods by soaking em' in coal oil for a couple months. I've always used linseed oil to soak em' in.

I agree. I too glue AND pin the hickery rods. Never had a problem. I use two-component epoxy. However, something I've noticed over the past 30+ years. About three times as I recall, the rod tip would still come loose from the rod, even though it was epoxyed and pinned. (The pin saved me from loosing the tip). But, this took a few years of continuous use. My thought was that over prolonged use of ramming, cleaning solvents, etc. the tapered end of the rod where the tip is installed would shrink. But this took a long time to happen. :winking:

I have broken two wooden rods in about 35 years, both had grain runout.
I will add, I did see an original English trade gun of the so called Wilson's Chiefs grade that had a hand forged iron ramrod in it that looked like it had been there a very long time.

Regards, Dave

Not replying to any specific posting here....
I have been following this thread since it began..
I have been thinking a long time about going with a wooden rod. One of the fellows that shoots in our club..all he uses. Nothing at all wrong with a range rod, of course. Except if you are not at a range. Even there..a little common sense would work with a wooden rod. Now, seems to me I have read somewhere that those in the fur trade carried several "wiping sticks". Reason being I suppose if one broke. That got me to thinking more. Then there was a fellow that posted on this site somewhere that he used just the plain end of his rod to seat the ball. Don't see why that wouldn't work. Wood is a lot softer than brass so one wouldn't need the flared end as on a metal one. Then we come to the jag and patches. Seriously, I have been thinking of using tow. If I decide against tow..and use a patch, then the worm will be used...more patches though, to be sure. So, all in all...methinks there should not be a huge problem. Now, as I said, I have been thinking about it. Maybe as the weather warms I will make the move. One thing is for sure though, carrying just the wooden ram rod in the thimbles would be a lot easier than always finding a place to rest the range rod...we have a very primitive range...no benches behind the line per se, range is not covered, just a straight section of a trail. But, that is the way I like it also.

Rocky J said:

Dumb question,aren't most military rods metal? How come? :winking: Rocky

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Durability and dependability for use in the emotional heat of battle.

Toomuch
..........
Shoot Flint

Rocky J said:

Dumb question,aren't most military rods metal? How come? :winking: Rocky

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:grin: