Kibler SMR ramrod issues

[oncewas]

I was wondering if anyone else has issues with the ramrod holes on their SMR? I purchased two additional rods from Kibler and had to sand them down a lot to get them to work with m SMR. But once I put the ramrod ferrule on the rifle I now can't get the rod to go into the hole bored in the stock. I mean it was tight before but now it's a total no go. Anyone else have this problem? And if so what did you do to fix it. I can sand the rods down more but much more and I'm not sure I'll be able to push a ball down the barrel.

 

[Dwight Rutherford]

When I had questions about my Kibler SMR build I called asked Jim. He took the time to answer all and insisted I call back if I didn’t feel comfortable with any part of the build.

 

[deerstalkert]

i wrapped a piece of 250 grit paper around my rod tip, chucked the other end into a drill motor and opened up the thimbles and the bore into the stock.

 

[Scota@4570]

Call Jim Kibler.

You are expected to sand the rod and create a taper.

I sounds like the entry pipe is not lining up with the hole. Did you confirm the alignment before drilling the pin hole in the entry pipe? You drilled for the pin with the ramrod in place, right?

Do not drill the hole in the stock larger.

Take the entry pipe off and and see if the rod fits. Put the pipe back on with no pin. Assess the rod function. Install the pin. What now? IF the pin hole is off Jim can provide a new entry pipe.

I have assembled five Kibler kits and have not had to fit the entry pipe. They all fell together with no troubleshooting on my part.

 

[Norman Brooks]

My Colonial ram rod took a lot of tapering...

 

[Eric Krewson]

On my SMR the ramrod channel was drilled just about into the lock inlet (one of the early kits), when I did the final inletting for the mainspring I broke into the ramrod channel quite a bit. I opened up the hole in the lock inlet and made a scraper I could use from inside he lock inlet to turn the hole more toward the opposite side which corrected the problem. I didn't want to taper the 5/16" ramrod to make it fit because I feared going any smaller would make it too fragile so I chose to enlarge the hole instead.

I sanded the oversized ramrod some but not enough, in a brief senior moment I pushed it a little too hard into the hole opening trying to make it go in the forestock and cracked the wood at the entry pipe, superglue to the rescue.

A little more ramrod sanding at I had a perfect fit.

On my latest build had a bow in the ramrod groove that I didn't notice until after I inletted the pipes, this put the groove and the drilled hole on the forestock at a bad angle and the ramrod wasn't going in.

This time I peened a burr on the square end of a 5/16 ramrod drill and filed to be razer sharp and used this burr as a scraper to take out the bad angle in my ramrod hole. It took a surprisingly small amount of scraping to remove the obstruction for an easy ramrod fit.

I posted these pictures on another poor ramrod fit thread. I think you would need a 1/4" rod to make a scraper for a 5/16" hole in a SMR, seems like a 5/16" rod would get stuck. I am scraping out a 3/8" hole in the pictures.

My scraper;

Shimming the entry hole with leather to to put pressure on the scraper to make it hit the area that needed wood removal.

 

[Eric Krewson]

More than likely you just need to sand your ramrod down just a bit, I cuck them up in drill and sand and check, sand and check until the ramrod goes in the hole. It takes a surprisingly small amount of wood to hang a ramrod as well as going from a no go to an easy fit. I use the same grit sandpaper I am going to use to finish the ramrod with, either 220 or 400 to make the process go slowly and not take too much wood off. Just don't get carried away with the sanding and check the fit very often during the process.

 

[Big Bubba]

In one of Jim's videos he shows how you need to square uo the wood at the end of the thimbles to ensure the seat al the way. This is because the bit on the CNC machines leaves a slight radius. I had do this on mine to get the entry thimble to line up correctly. It doesn't take much to clean this up.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Take your time here. Make sure you have seated the pipe all the way down into the groove.. Before pinning, run a slightly tapered 3/8" dowel in and out be certain it slides freely. I also slightly bevel the inside edges of the pipes (both ends) and also gently taper the entrance hole of the ramrod hole so it slightly funnels. Be careful not to remove too much! I also clamp the ramrod pipe with the dowel in it in the groove, so it is flush before pinning.

 

[oncewas]

I sounds like the entry pipe is not lining up with the hole. Did you confirm the alignment before drilling the pin hole in the entry pipe? You drilled for the pin with the ramrod in place, right?

And there in lies my problem. No I just assumed it would all line up perfectly like the rest of the rifle. But we all know what assuming does. Thanks for this bit of insight. I'll fix it this morning.
And thank you all for your input some great responses.

 

[Big Bubba]

And there in lies my problem. No I just assumed it would all line up perfectly like the rest of the rifle. But we all know what assuming does. Thanks for this bit of insight. I'll fix it this morning.
And thank you all for your input some great responses.

With the SMR you can flip the entry thimble around so you don't hit old hole when redrilling. Don't ask me how I know this?

 

[Scota@4570]

With the SMR you can flip the entry thimble around so you don't hit old hole when redrilling. Don't ask me how I know this?

Yes!!

 

[Zapadach]

I was wondering if anyone else has issues with the ramrod holes on their SMR? I purchased two additional rods from Kibler and had to sand them down a lot to get them to work with m SMR. But once I put the ramrod ferrule on the rifle I now can't get the rod to go into the hole bored in the stock. I mean it was tight before but now it's a total no go. Anyone else have this problem? And if so what did you do to fix it. I can sand the rods down more but much more and I'm not sure I'll be able to push a ball down the barrel.

Yes, I have had a ramrod issue on a Kibler smr. It was because the hole in the stock was not drilled deep enough, so in order for the ramrod to be long enough to load the rifle, it would stick out six inches past the muzzle. I called Jim Kibler and left a voice-mail explaining my issue, he called me the next morning telling me that yes there have been some problems with the ramrod holes. He apologized and reassured me that he would correct the problem. He sent me a 48 inch long drill bit with instructions on how to use it and also a new ramrod plus a new fitting for the end of it. He had offered me the option of sending the rifle back free of charge for him to fix the flaw. I chose to do it myself because of the current issues with the postal service. Now this is the part that really impressed me, I did not even buy the kit. My brother had purchased it about a year before but could not build it do to illness, so he sent it to me build and keep. I explained all of this to Jim and he expressed concern for my brother and than proceeded to do as previously mentioned. If I buy a kit in the future, it will definitely be a Kibler.

 

[oncewas]

Okay news update for all that are interested and even those who aren't.
Well I took the ferrule off, put the ramrod through the two remaining ferrules and slide the "bad" ferrule onto the end of the ramrod with the narrow end cap Jim sent. Nothing, no. not working. It still will not go any further into the ramrod tube in the stock. I removed the ferrule and the rod slides right in. So something is binding. I could do as a lot of you suggested and sandpaper the inside of the tube but I think I'll wait until Monday and give Jim a call and see what he says.

 

[French Colonial]

I had the exact same issue, I did as Deerstalkert above suggested and taped one layer of fine sandpaper on the end of the ramrod and using a drill worked it in and out carefully.
Eventually it must have gotten hot and the tape failed but it cleaned up the hole nicely and the ramrod now moves in and out freely.

 

[oncewas]

I had the exact same issue, I did as Deerstalkert above suggested and taped one layer of fine sandpaper on the end of the ramrod and using a drill worked it in and out carefully.
Eventually it must have gotten hot and the tape failed but it cleaned up the hole nicely and the ramrod now moves in and out freely.

I'm thinking this is what I'm going to need to do. But to error on the safe side I still think I'll call Jim Monday. I'm just letting the stain rest and will start applying the Tru-oil tomorrow, so there is no rush. But thank you and Deerstalkert and everybody else for your insight.

 

[Scota@4570]

Good, you established the ramrod pipe is small. Chances are it is a little squished.

I would find or make a tapered rod that is 5/16" . You could do this with a 5/16 steel rod and taper it on a belt sander. Make a very gradual taper and polish it. Put the pipe in a vice holding on to the tab. Grease up the taper rod and gently tap it through. Be careful and work slow.

You could also use a rat tail file. Turn it counterclockwise. Or, as I did yesterday a taper reamer.

So, I stopped in the middle of posting this. I just looked at my most recent SMR. The entry pipe ID measures 0.330" with a ball gauge, a 0.323" transfer punch shaft slides through easily. The ram rod is 0.308" diameter where it comes to rest in the entry pipe. The rod is a lot smaller deep in the stock. IT is supposed to be. The ramrod tip is pretty small and the hole deep in the stock is under 5/16" on this rifle.

In light of my 0.330 entry pipe, check yours with drill bit shanks and see what you have before you enlarge it.

I asked Jim about this on my first SMR assembly. I wanted a full diameter rod . He said that tapering the rod is and expected part of the build.

 

[oncewas]

He said that tapering the rod is and expected part of the build.

And I get that but I'm talking just as it enters the stock right at the ferrule and only when the ferrule is used. Without the ferrule placed at the stock the ramrod goes in no problem, once I place the ferrule in front of the stock's ramrod opening the ramrod will not go in.

 

[Big Bubba]

And I get that but I'm talking just as it enters the stock right at the ferrule and only when the ferrule is used. Without the ferrule placed at the stock the ramrod goes in no problem, once I place the ferrule in front of the stock's ramrod opening the ramrod will not go in.

This sounds like the same problem I had, given the ramrod fits through the thimble on it's own. Where the thimble meets the forestock may need to go down a little more. Also, make sure the tab is not hitting the barrel preventing it from seating all the way. When I first did mine I thought it was seated and pinned it before trying the ramrod, only to find out the ramrod would not go in. After refitting, seating it, the ramrod fit with no problems. You could also make a mark across the top of the thimble then remove it to see how close it is to the ramrod hole in the stock. It really does not take much trimming to fit.

 

[oncewas]

I had the ferrule clamped to the stock with a vice on my drill press. It was down as far as it can go. And after people said I should redo it with the ramrod in place I removed the pin and tried as they recommended. But like I said with the ferrule in place the ramrod will not go into the tube in the stock. Remove the ferrule and the rod slides in fine. I think at this time I just need to talk with Jim.