Failure :’(

Whelp… tonight I attempted to add a brass tip to the bare wood ramrod of my trade gun.

I THOUGHT I made the measurements correct, but it ended up being much too short:



As you can see, the end of the tip is not flush with the muzzle. It’s bothering me tremendously. I fear I’ll have to make a new ramrod from scratch because of this.

Does this kind of stuff bother anyone else? How bad/off does this look to you?

Smokey

How about adding a brass tip to the other end to extend it where you want it? Don't look bad as is to me though.

hawkenhunter50 said:

How about adding a brass tip to the other end to extend it where you want it? Don't look bad as is to me though.

Click to expand...

The other end is a tapered threaded ferrule for a gun worm, otherwise that’d be a good idea!

Smokey Plainsman said:

The other end is a tapered threaded ferrule for a gun worm, otherwise that’d be a good idea!

Click to expand...

Well you could cut off a chunk of the barrel!! Seriously it don't look bad to me. But I get things like that can be irritating. Got any brass stock that you could solder onto the flat to extend it?

Looks unfixable to me. Give ya fifty bucks for that parts rifle.

I think the difference in length between the barrel and rod is unnoticeable. Maybe 1/16”, or maybe 1/8” ? Bear in mind, your load column is going to be close to 2”, or if you have a worm or jag on the rod that will add to its length, so from a practical standpoint your rod will be fine.

If the rod protrudes beyond the muzzle when in its place within the pipes, it can catch on things and be a real pain. I really think your ramrod’s length is fine as it is, and its position just aft of the muzzle looks good.

I get the frustration with things not turning out exactly as planned. In my world, that happens a lot. That’s life.

One other point, which may be a bit peripheral, is that Indians as well as white frontiersman in the west routinely carried a second rod. Maximilian specifically stated this, and I can dig up the quote if you’re interested. We have also discussed “the spare ramrod” at least a couple of times on this forum. It is PC/HC/historically correct to have a spare rod with you in the field. The point being that you can and probably should make a new rod, either as a primary or a spare, and you can make it any length you want.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

What is this, a fashion show!?
I never paid attention to such minor things.

Stuff a small wad of paper down the ram rod hole. (Just a thought)

Odd. I put a spoiler line in that other post saying it looks just fine. It's not showing up in the post but shows it's there in the edit screen. Anywho, looks good to my eye.

Guys are right , it's not hurting anything, BUT I'm like you when it comes to small details, like an itch I can't scratch . It's a curse. That said even I could live with this small difference.

“Much ado about nothing”

I'd like to be 6 foot tall! It looks fine.
Nit Wit

I am wondering if this is a joke thread…
If it isn’t and this is a serious concern, just take a bit of toilet paper or something, ball it up and shove it down the ramrod hole. Then your issue will be solved and things will all be fine again.

Smokey Plainsman said:

Whelp… tonight I attempted to add a brass tip to the bare wood ramrod of my trade gun.

I THOUGHT I made the measurements correct, but it ended up being much too short:

View attachment 288979

As you can see, the end of the tip is not flush with the muzzle. It’s bothering me tremendously. I fear I’ll have to make a new ramrod from scratch because of this.

Does this kind of stuff bother anyone else? How bad/off does this look to you?

Smokey

Click to expand...

Doesn’t look to short to me.

If you wanted it to be level with the muzzle then then just fasten on a longer small end and fit it to length.

Otherwise make a new rod, and make it better, learn from the issue and having an extra rod is a good thing.

PathfinderNC said:

I am wondering if this is a joke thread…
If it isn’t and this is a serious concern, just take a bit of toilet paper or something, ball it up and shove it down the ramrod hole. Then your issue will be solved and things will all be fine again.

Click to expand...

Wine cork works great for that.

I get why it's bothersome, but a little short is better than a little long. It will work for everything you need it to do and the tulip end you fit looks good.

I've had little niggling things bother me about items I have made. The thing of it is, whether anyone else even notices it, it is the only thing you see when you look at it.

I like the wine cork idea, I think it is the best suggestion given. My approach has usually been to just live with my mistake (providing it is minor, as yours is) and before too long I'm not bothered by it.

As the old saying goes "Time heals all wounds". If you just can't live with it and you don't want to accept any of the suggested "fixes" then by all means...make another. And Do It RIGHT this time!

Shorten the barrel to match

Some of the advice on here is down right out dangerous.

Nobody should ever cut a barrel for the sake of matching it to ramrod length.

What happens when or if the wooden ramrod breaks? Shorten the barrel shorten the stock ?

Just make a new ramrod, or get a longer end or stuff the channel.

Done with this thread.

Bad idea to be "bothered " by a r/r too short by such a tiny amount. A fix would be , put something down the r/r hole to fill up the tiny discrepency. Or , go full psycho , and remove the lock , probe for the end of the r/r hole , and fill it w / a booger size chunk of detritis. That'll fix it. Clear yer mind , forget about it.