Standard thread size for ramrods and attachments.......

[Kmcmichael]

Kiblers are 8/32

 

[FishDFly]

10/32 have more umph and will take more stress when needed.

 

[Grenadier1758]

And the threads for my CVA Mountain rifle (with a USA Barrel) has metric threads in the factory supplied ramrod tips. But I use working rods which have 8-32 threads in the tips except for a T/C ramrod which is 10-32. If you use steel threaded jags and accessories both the 10-32 and the 8-32 are strong enough. If you have brass threads, neither is really strong enough. I made a couple of rods with the different threads used in the tips on each end.

 

[Packrat]

I think larger calibers use the 10/32, and smaller 40 and below use the 8/32
Like as mentioned there are adaptors

 

[French Colonial]

All my guns are 8-32, none of them are imported so I do not know if that makes a difference.

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Also remember that a .50 caliber jag does not always fit a .50 caliber bore. I got a gun or two that needs to be double-patched and a .45 jag that sticks in the breech.

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I have cleaning brushes, jags and other ramrod accessories I have purchased over the years that are both 10/32's and 8/32's. I have several ramrods that came with a female 10/32's on the end and I purchased an 8/32's female adapter and added it to the other end of the ramrod. If you do that, always remember to pin the adapter in place so it won't come off the rod when cleaning.

I have a hankerin' to buy one of the 41 inch wonder rods in the larger 3/8's size from The Log Cabin Shop. They have both size female adapters on both ends and would make a great cleaning/range rod. That rod would last me a lifetime. I think they are made from flexible delrin.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[FishDFly]

Also remember that a .50 caliber jag does not always fit a .50 caliber bore. I got a gun or two that needs to be double-patched and a .45 jag that sticks in the breech.

Why would a 50 jag not fit a 50 caliber bore? That seems stupid.

 

[bat119]

TC ramrods come with 10-32 I thread the other end 8-32 for my tee handle, handy for pulling a bullet in the field

 

[flembo]

Getting ready to order an adapter due to a receiving a jag that has an 8-32 threads instead of the 10-32 threads in my RR.

My Kibler Colonial 50 cal. came with a 8-32 tapped hole in the RR tip. The Jag I bought came 10-32. I chucked the jag in my lathe cut off the 10-32 end and tapped it for 8-32 then screwed in a 8-32 screw and cut to length.

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Why would a 50 jag not fit a 50 caliber bore? That seems stupid.

Yeah, it does, doesn't it? The barrel that I have to double patch is made of stainless steel, which is notoriously difficult to machine. I don't have a bore gauge, but I would guess it is actually a .505 caliber, so a .50 caliber jag is a bit loose. I have a .45 that is a bit larger at the breech, so pulling the patch out can be difficult with at least one of my jags. Gonna have to take that one out and shave a bit off of it when it warms up.n Until then I will use the jag that doesn;t get stuck.

In a nutshell, nothing is ever perfect. Back in the day, a gun was often sold WITH a bullet mold to fit the individual rifle It wasn't until Eli Whitney came along with interchangeable parts that precision machining came into vogue. Prior to that, everything had to be hand-fitted.... and things like certain Colt revolvers are STILL hand fitted.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Getting ready to order a range rod but I must first know what thread size is most standard for .50 caliber and .54 caliber ramrods. All of my attachments are the same thread size. TC .50, CVA .50, Lyman .54 and Traditions .32 Crocket rifle. Also I checked a jag for a unmentionable and it too, has the same thread size.

What size would that be?

Anyone?

I think @ETipp 's question has been pretty well covered... the threads on the rods for the rifles named are likely either 8-32 or 10-32. However, I would not rule out the possibility of a metric thread on the imported rifles. Likely 5mm x .8, if it is indeed metric. Since he has a jag that apparently fits all of them, all he needs to do is determine the thread size and pitch on that jag, and as someone suggested, he can take it to a hardware store and go to the specialty fastener section to try some nuts of known size to determine what it is.

However, one of the most frequently used tools in my shop is a Screw Check'r. This is a steel plate that will fit in your shirt pocket, and it is full of threaded holes. The idea is that you try your unknown male threads in likely looking holes until you find the one with the threads that fit. You can get these for both standard and metric threads. You can get the standard and metric ones for a very good price from Victor Machinery: Victor Thread-Measuring Tools

Brownell's also has their own Screw Check'rs in standard and metric, although the metric plates are shown as currently out of stock: Brownell's Screw Check'rs

Victor and Brownells have the best prices on these that I have found. If you start fooling around with guns on a regular basis, these are a very good investment.

Just for the sake of discussion, I would like to point out that shotgun accessories (jags, brushes, mops...) are usually threaded 5/16" x 27. This is a non-standard thread, but Victor Machinery has taps and dies in this size if you need them. Also, the male threads on military ramrods, even the reproductions, might take you by surprise. I have a couple that are threaded #12 x 24, and at least one that is #10 x 32, and I understand some of the Italian muskets are 6mm x 1.0.

Those Screw Checkers come in mighty handy, sometimes.

Notchy Bob

 

[Grenadier1758]

ACE Hardware also has the screw checker plates. Yes, they are handy.

 

[Bad Karma]

Yeah, it does, doesn't it? The barrel that I have to double patch is made of stainless steel, which is notoriously difficult to machine. I don't have a bore gauge, but I would guess it is actually a .505 caliber, so a .50 caliber jag is a bit loose. I have a .45 that is a bit larger at the breech, so pulling the patch out can be difficult with at least one of my jags. Gonna have to take that one out and shave a bit off of it when it warms up.n Until then I will use the jag that doesn;t get stuck.

In a nutshell, nothing is ever perfect. Back in the day, a gun was often sold WITH a bullet mold to fit the individual rifle It wasn't until Eli Whitney came along with interchangeable parts that precision machining came into vogue. Prior to that, everything had to be hand-fitted.... and things like certain Colt revolvers are STILL hand fitted.

CNC be damned there’s still tolerance stacking to be aware of. I have a 50 jag that won’t fit any of my rifles if I use cotton flannel cleaning patches. If I use the birchwood casey patches, no problem…

 

[mushka]

I use one thread pitch, male female, for everything. 10-32. Never any confusion on what fits anything.

 

[flintsteel]

Years ago the standard was 8-32 and even my .50 machine gun cleaning rod is taped for that size. But the factories turning out thousands of guns chose 10-32 so looks like that is now “standard”. Everything I have is the older size.

 

[Cvkotvkse]

Getting ready to order a range rod but I must first know what thread size is most standard for .50 caliber and .54 caliber ramrods. All of my attachments are the same thread size. TC .50, CVA .50, Lyman .54 and Traditions .32 Crocket rifle. Also I checked a jag for a unmentionable and it too, has the same thread size.

What size would that be?

Anyone?

All of those are typically 10/32. Having to re-equip myself, having gone from a 35 yr.old CVA St. Louis Hawken (10/32) to adding a Kibler Colonial (8/32.) Thankfully, the custom SMR for which I just traded has a ramrod drilled for 10/32.
What was the most "standard" thread ('if there WAS such a thing...)for original eighteenth century guns? I ask this because Jim Kibler does his ramrods all with 8/32 fittings, and my impression is that he doesn't do much of anything without some historical basis...

 

[2 shots]

do the kibler ends have enough room to redrill and tap to 10/32 ?

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

On my homemade rods, I have one end 8-32 thread and one 10-32. I also keep one of each adapter (and a shotgun adapter) in the tackle box. Never know what you might need.

 

[TDM]

I finally have all my jags for my 3 .50s and 12 ga New Englander in 10-32 but have 8-32 jags for the .45. Hard to stay standardized over a range of calibers. But I prefer 10-32.