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Ramin for ramrods?

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A now defunct builder used Ramin for Ramrods on two of my rifles I purchased from him. I can say both ramrods were junk... one devoloped a crack and I feared using it, the other broke where the epoxy/ pin was that held the tip... I had to fish that out of my rifle bore. No more of that! I calmly called the builder and told him of my woes, he replied that others stated they were having issues as well. He then dropped that type of wood for Ramrod’s and went back to hickory...
just my experience take it for what it’s worth.
 
Ramin Dowel commonly sold in UK hardware shops . I used it a lot in guns & for arrows , I latterly used Hickory but both can have faults .There is NZ Tawa I made a gun rod for my two grouve it was fine for years till I hit a mountain one day. My W lock has the off cut from under the rod region its Maple been in there 30 years still OK curl & all ..Local Ironmongers seem to stock a wood very like Ramin in various sizes .Phil Ackermann use to sell 'hickory sticks' never said ram rods, I am about out of them so I look to alternates , There was some red stuff that was better or certainly dyed better . Hickory is well enough & befitting US guns but looks poor in European ones .The Black stuff called Ebony isn't, as that wood had many failings as a longer rod . Beef wood & some thing' heart ' being a more likley bet. Balleen yes & the small pipes in best guns likely had that for rods . getting it today would be difficult .I emagine . Rudyard
 
Ramin Dowel commonly sold in UK hardware shops . I used it a lot in guns & for arrows , I latterly used Hickory but both can have faults .There is NZ Tawa I made a gun rod for my two grouve it was fine for years till I hit a mountain one day. My W lock has the off cut from under the rod region its Maple been in there 30 years still OK curl & all ..Local Ironmongers seem to stock a wood very like Ramin in various sizes .Phil Ackermann use to sell 'hickory sticks' never said ram rods, I am about out of them so I look to alternates , There was some red stuff that was better or certainly dyed better . Hickory is well enough & befitting US guns but looks poor in European ones .The Black stuff called Ebony isn't, as that wood had many failings as a longer rod . Beef wood & some thing' heart ' being a more likley bet. Balleen yes & the small pipes in best guns likely had that for rods . getting it today would be difficult .I emagine . Rudyard

Beef wood?

Sounds... tasty. 🍖
 
Used ramin for arrow shafts when I could hand pick them. Those I paid for worked well. Denser than Port Orford Cedar. Recent order from Track was very disappointing. Stocker pulling up order in hurry to start hunting season and threw mostly junk in the order. Some snapped just in trying to dry bend or tweak to straighten without first steaming or grease and heat. Broken pieces may be good for drum sticks or short or straight starters. Bought some for arrows, other for ramrods. Won't order by mail if I can find stuff locally and examine before paying. On the Shrimp lunch in a cup noodles you have to watch out some of the cups leave out the shrimp. Had complaints to super market more than once.
 
Uh! I like SS for wiping cleaning rods, But I do not play dress-up for what it's worth
Hey hey hey!!! ‘Dress up’????
It’s a serious sport. It’s not just dress up and big boys playing cowboys and Indians.
( jumping up and down at this point) it’s not just big boys playing cowboys and Indians it’s not it’s not it’s not:p
 
I made a ramin ramrod years ago out of necessity. Ramin came from a real hardware store, and was hand selected for strength, straightness of grain, beauty and it was available that day. It shortly broke at the tip joint. Operator error no doubt extracting the ramrod from the barrel a tad too quickly. Point being that hickory is much more forgiving than ramin in my limited ramin experience. I made arrows too, but did not use them for that. My bow is rated at 63# pull, and I was not going to risk one of them breaking and going through a hand. Ramin might be ok for kids bows of 25#, but not much more than that. Not all was lost though, as I used those ramin ramrods to make dowels to pin my last set of camp boxes together. They do make good glue dowels. I will use only hickory from now on for ramrods.
 
Ramin wood is absolute garbage. It is anything but dense, tough, or elastic. It is VERY prone to splitting and splintering, and just flat out breaking across the grain. It is also very prone to compression fractures, which will show as little "wrinkles" across the grain. It is dangerous stuff. Useful only for kindling.

My experience exactly. I broke two ramrods around 15 years ago and both were ramin. Unfortunately, after the first one broke, my friend told me to use ramin for the replacement. It broke quicker than the first. The first just broke right across the grain while loading. The second broke across the grain right at the threaded brass tip while cleaning (and it wasn't particularly tight as I recall). For anyone to say that it is superior to hickory as a ramrod is just plain false. There may be decent ramin out there, but even good ramin stacked up against straight-grained hickory is no contest.
 
Yup but I remember building a POV pipe soaker to try it.
stinky rods that aren’t any tougher, butI can’t believe how many time I read it. I think first time I saw it was in a Dixie gun works catalog and that was the Bible for shooters in the ‘70s
 
Yup but I remember building a POV pipe soaker to try it.
stinky rods that aren’t any tougher, butI can’t believe how many time I read it. I think first time I saw it was in a Dixie gun works catalog and that was the Bible for shooters in the ‘70s
Yup. I wonder, how many of us did that back in the day? I think I still have my PVC pipe around here somewhere.
 
Yeah, I still have my pipe around. I think I still have some ram rods soaking in it. Maybe I should check. Been soaking for years. Must have worked since I haven't needed to pull a new rod out for several years.
 
I have a few 4' rods that have been soaking in kerosene for several years, mostly because I forgot they were there. As Grenadier1758 said, I can pull one out and usually bend it so the two ends meet. But once it dries out, it really is no more flexible than an unsoaked rod. You have to put them back in the kerosene after each use to keep them limber.

If you have a good straight ramrod and learn to NOT bend it before you take it completely out of the barrel, it will last a long, long time without breaking. Sometimes simple is best.
 
Ramin is fantastic ramrod wood, superior to hickory. Noted for “outstanding strength/weight ratio by WD and others. Straight-grained Ramin compares equally or superior to straight-grained hickory in all merits. Some will buy. Ramin rod with runnout and it ensnappens, so they curse the wood. The same will happen to hickory or ANY wood.
I have to agree that Ramin is tough and durable. I have one for my .50 Cal. Isaac Haines that I built 20 years ago. I've used it a lot. It has not failed me. It came with the kit that I bought from Dunlap.
Was online with TOTW looking for another for my .40 Cal.. They list Ramin rods for pistol but not for rifle. Drat! I found Black Locust rods online. Cost? $4.00 each. Shipping? $14.95!!!!!! I'll keep looking.
 

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