Dowel for a loading rod.

[JCKelly]

The grain direction is quite important. Dowel grain has no particular direction. Get thee a length of HICKORY and split it to size.
Oak is strong but brittle. Hickory is tough.
Dowell is for pegs of some sort.
Learn about the properties if various woods From a wood site, not a muzzle-loading sitei

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

I was at a hardwood lumber store once and he had 3/8" x 4 foot oak dowels. He let me take them all out and check them for straightness and grain (once I explained why) and I found 4 really nice ones. I made ramrods and a range rod from them. That was over a decade ago and I'm still using the range rod. Guys other than me are still using the ramrods.

 

[FlinterNick]

I’ve tried all kinds of wood for rods. My favorites are Black Locust and Yew.

Yew is the wood that was used to make English Long Bows. Black Locust is pretty tough wood. Neither of these woods takes a stain, but its not needed the natural color is very orange for the Yew and a green brown for the Locust.

Oak is ok, but Ok doesn’t work well below 3/8ths. 1/4-5/16 is just too Thin for Oak.