I have an original Henry E. Leman .40 caliber full-stock Pennsylvania percussion rifle in excellent condition with a beautiful maple stock in excellent condition. When I obtained the rifle over 30 years ago from a 92-year old guy near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, it had a portion of what I think was the original ramrod with it with about half of the wood shaft remaining. The end I had contained a brass jag. I removed the jag by driving the pin out and attached it to a new birch dowel. After staining, the new ramrod looks almost original. However, the other end of the ramrod is just wood. I'm trying to find out what end would have been on the ramrod when it left Henry E. Leman's facility. I routinely shoot it in matches and it shoots quite well out to 50 yards. The guy I bought it from said he shot it in matches up until 1959. The poor guy broke down and cried when he handed me the rifle and made me promise to take good care of it and not sell it to anyone until I was as old as he was. He said that he didn't have any relatives to leave it to except his son and that he was in prison for murder. I really felt sorry for the guy. I want to finish the ramrod correctly.
