RANGE RAMROD

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  • Last Post 05 February 2015
Longone posted this 17 December 2014

What do you use for a BP rifle range rod? I see brass, Stainless, and Aluminum but don't really see a clear cut advantage to one over another. I'm leaning towards brass with a muzzle guide and “T” handle. I'd like to hear what you use and if your happy with it. Longone

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R. Dupraz posted this 17 December 2014

Depends on what you want to use it for.

Rifle:

Length of 3/8” cold rolled steel rod threaded on one end for a jag and the other with an old brass door knob. And a brass bore guide in between.

12 gauge double:

Length of 1/2” hard wood dowel with a wood ball on one end. Sides of ball flattened.

Both have served well over the years.

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Pentz posted this 17 December 2014

I carry a 1/4” by 3' brass rod, square cut on one end and beveled on the other, as a range rod along with my Dewey in my Plano airglide case

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Tom Acheson posted this 17 December 2014

Stainless Dewey. A friend made a couple of 3” long nylon “tubes” that are force fit onto the rod to serve as rod guides. Also have a delrin rod for wiping between shots if I'm not using a blow tube.

http://www.sagebrushproducts.com/catalog/item/7274279/7655152.htm

I too transport those along with the rifle in a Plano Airglide case.

Tom

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tturner53 posted this 17 December 2014

D. None of the above. Currently use plastic which I think they called Delrin. I'll be making up a wood 'barracks rod' as I progress learning to manage my new old Trapdoor.

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onondaga posted this 17 December 2014

I am phobic of wood ramrods and still have a nasty scar from one that broke and stuck in my arm when I was a young boy. I like plastic, resin or glass rods with an add on extension handle for length and enclosed tools like a drill, ball puller and patch worm. Dixie still sells a nice rod extension with tools that I like:

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gnoahhh posted this 17 December 2014

I just use the hickory ramrod I made for the rifle I built in 1995. 20 years now and untold thousands of shots and cleanings and no problems.

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RicinYakima posted this 18 December 2014

I too use Hickory ram rod. I built the rifle as a reproduction of French and Indian War rifle, 54 caliber. I always load from the bag and use the ram rod on the rifle. I did a lot of research for the two years prior to starting the rifle and the five years it took me to build it. (No power tools ever used, including the lock.) In those days they did not use “tight patches” as that is a 20th century method. I can seat a ball with thumb and two fingers. FWIW, Ric

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pat i. posted this 18 December 2014

I use a brass rod I got from October Country with a Spin Jag and a Delrin guide.

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Longone posted this 18 December 2014

RicinYakima,

All I can say is WOW!!!!!

That is gorgeous, what beautiful workmanship and beautiful wood. I'm sure when you pull that rifle out of your case you draw a crowd. Good for you, I wish I could have 1/2 your talent.

Longone

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R. Dupraz posted this 18 December 2014

Aw shucks Rick, Bridger would never have dared to carry that purty thing over the Mountains!   A Dakota plains 50. The Hawken

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RicinYakima posted this 18 December 2014

Thanks RD and Longgone. I built that during the end of my second career. I lost a bunch in the market crash of 2008 and ended up having to work another 5 years beyond what I had planned. It was good therapy working with the files and stones on the lock for a couple of hours every evening. Ric

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argie1891 posted this 19 December 2014

for my 1853 Enfield I use a piece of 3/8 inch 416 stainless. as they were issued with a steel rod I figured I would just stick with steel. one time I had a ram rod break, no scar visible but it hurt enough to be imprinted on my brain so that I don't want it to happen again. I chose 416 stainless as it is about the easiest stainless steel to drill and tap for jags. I have been shooting Minnie balls and seating them is very easy.

if you think you have it figured out then you just dont understand

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Longone posted this 19 December 2014

RicinYakima wrote:It was good therapy working with the files and stones on the lock for a couple of hours every evening. Ric

Well it certainly paid off, you can cherish that beauty forever. Have you ever shot it? For the fellas that have had a rod break, what diameter were they and were they Home Depot “hardwood"? I see Hickory dowels are available and I was thinking that if I got a 7/16” dowel that should suffice, I'm really not a big fan of shoving steel down a bore, but then aging I don't need any extra perforations. Longone 

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Dirtybore posted this 28 January 2015

I normally have a long wooden range rod along with a steel rod. The wooden range rod is used for everything except pulling a ball or helping somebody jam a stuck ball down onto the powder. Those last two chores fall to the steel rod. The steel rod won't break as in a twisting failure and it can take a beating if and when a ball needs to be forced down onto a powder charge.

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Eddie2002 posted this 05 February 2015

1/4 inch steel rod with a brass bore guide for range shooting and pulling a ball if needed. I also have a wooden rod which is a replacement for the one that came with the Hawkens .50 caliber flinter. Broke the original while trying to pull a stuck patch.

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Longone posted this 05 February 2015

I ended up buying a brass rod from RMC, good people to deal with and a nice quality rod with a “T” handle.

http://www.rmcoxyoke.com/inc/sdetail/brassrangeramrodwithteehandle/6546/215

The rod has some heft to it so getting the ball down the bore is not a chore.

Longone

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