Some of the properties of native woods relative to their suitability for ramrods are shown in
Table 1. (Reviewer's note: The reader is cautioned that test results may not always be
applicable. This is particularly so when the test is done on a piece of wood much larger in cross
section than that of a ramrod. Or, if a ramrod is smaller in diameter than the thickness of the
annular rings of a specific species, the test results won't apply to the use of that species for a
ramrod. Commercial tests often conclude that curly woods are just as strong as straight grain
woods. This is true of large samples, but when the sample gets to be thinner than the amplitude of
the curl, the results are completely wrong. This would apply to thin cross sections of forestocks as
well as to small diameter ramrods.) It is no surprise that the hickories have high compression and
shear strengths (although black locust beats hickories in both categories). However, one of the big
surprises is that birch (the dowels you find in hardware stores are often made of birch) is close to
the hickories in both categories. The elasticity of the wood is also important since you want a
ramrod that will resist deflection and return to its original shape (one of my early attempts at using
a synthetic polymer ramrod was like trying to push cooked spaghetti through a keyhole).
According to the ``Wood Handbook,'' (Agricultural Handbook no. 72, 1987) which rates the
modulus of elasticity calculated from a simply-supported center-loaded beam, birch is more elastic
than many of the other hardwoods such as ash, beech, elm, and nearly equals hickory and locust.
Although the common hardware store dowel has been dismissed by previous writers as unsuitable
for ramrods, yellow birch dowels would probably make excellent ramrods if carefully selected for
grain. Another surprise from Table 1 is that longleaf and slash pine rate right up there with most of
the hardwoods and beat some of them in both compression strength and shearing strength.
Furthermore, they are more elastic than all the hardwoods except birch, hickory, and locust. If the
top ten woods were rated in decreasing order of combined strengths (compression and shear), we
would have to put locust first (although I bet that osage orange would rival it for first place if
comparable data were available), followed by shagbark hickory, pignut hickory, sugar maple,
yellow birch, longleaf pine, slash pine, white oak, white ash, and beech.
Exotic woods such as ebony were used for ramrods on some of the more expensive
European muzzleloading arms. Unfortunately, I could not find comparable data to compare the
exotic woods to our native American woods. Using such exotic woods may seem snobbish and a
bit overdone; however, I must admit, after viewing fine arms collections in Britain, Germany,
Lichtenstein, and Austria, that ebony does make a statement in elegance. Ebony ramrod blanks
have been available commercially from time to time; if not currently available, a reasonable
facsimile (Fig. 2) can be made by staining a nice hickory ramrod with a water-soluble aniline stain.
While exotic woods may be obtained from a variety of sources, be wary of those not cut
specifically for ramrods, no matter how visually attractive they may be. Ask yourself (and the
potential supplier!) if you can get a straight piece long enough without significant grain run-out.
Heavy duty use of a ramrod with grain run-out like the one shown in Fig. 1 is a sure invitation to
disaster. Stain acceptance (some close-grained woods resist taking much color whether you use
water-, alcohol-, or oil-based stains) is also important. It would be nice if the wood used for the
ramrod could be of the same species as that of the stock since it should take finish to a comparable
degree. The three most popular stock woods, cherry, maple, and walnut, might all make decent
ramrods if straight-grained and dense. However, they are considerably less elastic than birch,
hickory, or locust. And remember, don't yield to the temptation of making a curly maple ramrod
for anything but a wall hanger! However, I have made durable ramrods from curly hickory (which
seems relatively rare).
Whatever its composition, the strength of the ramrod is limited by the caliber of the rifle.
Commercial ramrod blanks come in fractional sizes: 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, and 1/2 inch being nominal
diameters. Unfortunately, getting truly round blanks is like looking for an honest politician or a
cheap neurosurgeon. The simple device shown in Fig. 3
was made from a piece of discarded 1/4" steel plate which was used as a practice piece in a welding class. It can be used to true up the
diameter as well as reduce blanks to the proper size. I drilled my holes as I needed them, therefore
the random arrangement along the plate. The holes are in 1/64" increments; I like to make the
ramrods at least that much smaller than the ramrod thimbles. You simply drive the ramrod blank
through the hole in the sizing plate using a wooden mallet (I put a pistol cartridge case over the end
I am striking to prevent mushrooming). Shavings will curl off the blank on the near side and a
smoothly downsized rod will emerge on the other. Sometimes tapering the rod will be required; the
clearance between the forward lock bolt and the ramrod hole is often quite limited and therefore
the ramrod must be tapered at that end to clear the bolt. If you want to taper the shaft, then drive it
only part of the way through the sizing plate, decreasing the travel with each smaller hole until the
desired taper is obtained. The little steps in the rod that result from going down in 1/64"
increments can easily be smoothed by sanding. If you are going to taper lots of ramrods, then
consider buying Michael Lea's nifty little ramrod tapering device advertised in Muzzle Blasts.
A ramrod should be more than just a stick to seat a bullet, although some ramrods (which
are probably not the originals) I have seen on old rifles qualify for little more than that. Ramrods
currently seen on most rifles, new and old, seem to be constructed bass ackwards, with the
ball-seating cup on the muzzle end when in place in the thimbles. This means that every time you
load, you must reverse ramrod direction. That can be cumbersome when you are in a hurry,
particularly in dense brush which can snag the rod every time you reverse ends. When the rifle is
in normal loading position, the ball-seating cup is better on the lower ramrod end. The radius of
the cup should approximately fit the ball: I use a 5/16" ball end mill for .32 caliber; 3/8" for .36
and .40 caliber cups; 7/16" for .45; 1/2" for .50; and 5/8" for .54, .58, and .62. This fitting is best
threaded for 8-32 to accept most commercial ramrod tools. And there are a lot of them! There are
straight cleaning jags, as well as ones tapered or stepped to swab specific types of breeches. There
are bore brushes for every caliber, as well as collared ball pullers, tow worms, patch retrievers, and
breech plug face scrapers. Looking for one of these out of a loose assortment in a shooting bag
would be like trying to find the spare house key in the wife's purse. Tom "Ol' Bear" Harbin and
his Upcountry Rangers used a neat little work station arrangement
(Fig. 4) to keep everything
together. They generally started with a five inch section of 3/8" square steel bar stock. Holes were
drilled and tapped one half inch each side of center for 8-32 and 10-32 screws. This let the bar do
double duty as a strong handle for pulling a ball and stuck patch. Other holes were tapped to
accept various fittings as shown.
The muzzle end of the ramrod should be pretty as well as practical. Putting a removable
cleaning jag
(Fig. 5)
aids in gripping the ramrod (however, I have never liked the looks of a
cleaning jag permanently attached to the visible end of the ramrod. As an alternative, the tip on
that end could be rounded and flared a bit (also in Fig. 5) as I have seen on some Jaegers, so as to
be easy on the hand during loading. This particular ramrod is 7/16" shaft diameter with a flared
1/2" tip threaded 10-32; it sure feels better than most when pushing that big 0.610 ball down a
fouled bore of a Jaeger rifle on a dry day. Remember that whatever tip you put on the ramrod, it
must be fixed firmly in place. I first thread the inside of the tip to provide good adherence for the
epoxy (which doesn't hold well to smooth brass surfaces). If the end of the tip is threaded for an
8-32 or 10-32 jag, you can turn in a screw on that end, clamp the head of the screw in the vise and
run a tap three or four turns into the other end
(Fig. 6). After the tip is in place and the epoxy is
set, I drill a 1/16" hole through tip and ramrod, slightly countersink both sides and peen in a piece
of welding rod. On brass tips, brazing rod might be more desirable.
Jaeger rifles and muzzleloading scatterguns of European origin often had horn tips on the
muzzle end of the ramrod
(Fig. 8). Personally, I don't believe that horn tips are all that practical
(horn has a tendency to split under pressure and does not hold a thread well), nor is it easy to make
a tip from horn. Still, if you cannot sleep at night until your prized Jaeger or continental shotgun
has a nice horn tip on its ramrod, here's how to proceed: choose a horn tip which is at least 1.5"
long and which has a color compatible with your nosecap (most horn tips are black or
brown-to-tan, but sometimes you can find a cream-colored one). If you have made powder horns
in the past, you probably have the horn tips lying around in your ``miscellaneous'' drawer. Square
off the large end of the tip, locate its center with a vernier caliper or other means and centerpunch
a mark there. I then use my lathe to chuck up the tip in the headstock chuck with the large end
stabilized by a live center in the tailstock. After you true up the large end (take off only enough to
get that section round), chuck on the trued section and part off to the proper length where the
small end is to be trimmed by cutting at the point where the tip diameter will match that of the
ramrod, plus about 0.025-0.050" extra for good measure. Part off that section and then drill the
hole for the ramrod; I usually use a 7/16" rod on my big caliber Jaegers and drill a 5/16" hole to
allow for adequate wall thickness of the tip to avoid splitting. Scoring the tip of the ramrod a bit
with a file as shown in
the
Fig. 7 will help the epoxy to hold the rod firmly in place. I also taper the tip
about 2-3 to create a flare at the end as shown in
Fig. 9, but this can be overdone, with the result
that small bits of horn will gradually shed off the front end. The tapering and final shaping can
usually best be completed after the tip is glued on with epoxy, since you don't have a lot of
gripping surface for the lathe to hold the unmounted tip. Cup the large end using a ball end mill or
router bit of the appropriate size if it is for a rifle, but leave it flat if it is to be used in a scattergun.
Again, don't overdo the cupping, or it will weaken the edge of the horn excessively.
On some rifles, it just doesn't seem appropriate to have all that fancy a ramrod tip showing.
A plain alternative is shown for a trade gun in
Fig. 10. Here, the ramrod has no tip, but simply a
1/8" transverse hole. A four inch section of drill rod (or a big nail) can be inserted to serve as a
handle for pulling if the need be. If you drill the top jaw screw on the lock to accept this little rod
(nail) also, you have an effective way of tightening down on that flint.
One final reminder: when wood grows, it incorporates a small amount of silica into its
tissues which is abrasive enough to eventually cause bore wear, particularly at the muzzle. Before I
was aware of this consideration, I gradually ruined the accuracy of several fine barrels (as I am
sure the old timers did also over their lifetimes). At events where authenticity is not required, leave
the wooden rod in its thimbles and use a 1/4" or 5/16" stainless steel rod with a plastic collar to
protect the muzzle.
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