Ramrod retention - TC Hawken

[Toneloc]

Have often had issues with Ramrod wanting to slide up when carrying gun with sling. Have pried on the spring some to put a little more tension, but not much improvement. Previously broke a spring doing that on my TC Renegade so not wanting to get too aggressive there. Think I got a replacement at RMC for that one, but seems like it's a pretty flimsy spring (both replacement and original).

Any clever solutions? Could a small detent be sanded into the rod with affecting the strength too much?

 

[morehops52]

I usually look for the easiest solution that will work. If it were my rod I would shim the rod with a little duct tape where the rod fits into the ferrel nearest the muzzle. Will probably need replaced occasionally.

 

[Dave Marsh]

I make my own ramrods out of hickory, and ensure they have a bit of bend in them, so they don't slide out.

 

[Nor Cal Mikie]

Rather than using "duct tape", maybe a short length of shrink tubing?

 

[Toneloc]

Heat shrink tubing, I like that idea. I'm going to give that a try. Thanks guys.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Using a sling places the ram rod against your body and your movements will move the rod in the only direction it can move, out. An other way to keep the rod in is to put a small hole in the rod tip and a short pin in the under rib. The rod snaps onto the pin and can easily be lifted up to draw the rod. Never needs replaced.
This is one done on a shotgun but the rifle can have a hole in the brass and the same type of pin that fits into it.
IMG_0285 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[Grimord]

If you are using the wood ram rod that came with the gun, just suspend the ram rod from the ends between some stacked books and hang a weight from the middle to put a slight bend in the rod. The bend will keep the rod in the thimbles. Another option is to put a couple of layers of electricians tape in the last thimble by the bore. Just tight enough so you can remove the rod and replace it.

 

[bubba.50]

A friend of mine in California drills a hole in the ramrod behind the front thimble and uses a golf tee to pin it in place on his hunting guns.

 

[bubba.50]

Rather than using "duct tape", maybe a short length of shrink tubing?

Just my opinion/observation, I believe the heat-shrink tubing would increase the rod diameter til it wouldn't fir in the thimble.

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

Just put the heat shrink at the point on the rod is at the foremost thimble. But as with many others, a slight bend in the rod does it for me.

I did once see a flat spring with a slight bend placed in the RR channel.

 

[bang]

Double the spring.

 

[Toneloc]

Tried the heat shrink and that didn't work, bubba.50 was right, clearance too tight. Not enough clearance even for tape. I chucked up the end of the rod in my drill and used a chainsaw file to put a slight notch in the rod. Now it clicks into the detent. I'm sure it breaks that it will break right there now...but hopefully won't be too weak.

If that doesn't work, I like the pin idea and will try that.

Thanks guys.

 

[longcruise]

Tie a piece of leather lace through a thimble. Keep playing with the thickness of the lace until you get the fit you want. I did this with a Tc and problem solved.

Another thing that works is to warm the rod up and hold a bend in it until it cools.

 

[Mark Herman]

Don't drill any pin holes in the rod, unless you have a spare when that one breaks. A small piece of duct tape inside either thimble should create enough friction to hold the rod.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Just heat your ramrod with a heat gun or hair drier and give a slight bend, that should keep it in place. I replaced the ramrods on two TCs that had lousy factory ramrods. If you buy a ramrod blank they are always oversized in diameter and need to be sanded down to size. I chuck them up in my drill and sand and check until I have a snug fit, I take the spring keepers off my TC guns because with a proper ramrod fit they are unnecessary.

There was a guy named Dan Putz that sold perfect hickory ramrod blanks with no grain runout, unfortunately he died recently and I am unsure if anyone took over his business.

 

[ScottK]

I had the same issue with the same rifle when I lived in Oregon. Hunting there always involved a lot of walking. I once lost a kill on a quick reaction chance when the rod loudly clattered to the ground as I pulled it off my shoulder for a downhill shot.

I picked up a collapsible ramrod at that point and left the long one off the rifle when hunting. Folded right up into my bag and eliminated the problem.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Put a little dent in one of the thimbles.