Where can I find a real high quality 48" 3/8 dia. hickory rod with 10-32 tip>>

[1911tex]

I am tired of stainless rods bowing and scratching the inside of bbls.  Forget fibreglass rods.  The hickory rods I have found are warped....I am afraid of a shattered hardwood from a hardware store going into my palm....suggestions for .50cal?  Anyone ever heard of a carbon fibre ramrod?

[rhbrink]

There are guides for cleaning rods?

RB

[Paul Griffith]

Wood RRs have a tendency to warp. Not a problem, you just take a heat gun & heat up an area say 6" long & bend it straight. Repeat the length of the rod til you have it straight. Buy the worst one you can find & fool with it.

[Daryl]

Now 1Chunker- showing off your trail-walk rifle, are you?  Nice sight radius on that one!

1911Tex - I hear you on the stainless. My own brief test of various loading rod materials showed stainless was next to a fiberglass whip antenna for abrasiveness - not even close to that file-like substance, ie: fiberglass, but next - then tool steel after that.  Least abrasive, only wearing off bluing, thewere nylon and hickory which were tied, seems to me.

I get straight, tipped rods from my brother - maybe every 15 years or so if/when I break one.  I don't use loads that are tight enough to require a range rod.   Everything I load goes down with 5/16", 3/8" or 1/2" tapered to 3/8" hickory - whatever happens to be the rifle's rod.  Taylor does a wonderful job of making tapered rods as well, using one of Tom's rod tapering taper tools. He makes double tipped, or tipped only at one end- the small one, so the rod goes straight into the bore as it comes out of the gun, no flipping rods around.  I'm sure there is someone here on the site that makes rods, closer to your home.

[SleepyHillBarrels]

You mite look in the back of M.B there is a fella making long rods for short barrels
like yours he made 10 for my 63" barrels and they look fine. I soak them in linseed oil
in a pvc tube with a cap on it till I need one. You can also put shrink Teflon on it. And it
 will add a smooth surface that wipes off well. Mite even give you some help with splitting
add a guide and tip and it mite be just fine.
jim mc

[roundball]

Anyone ever heard of a carbon fibre ramrod?

NOTE:
Since you're not locked into 100% PC/HC mindset, FWIW, brass is also an excellent alternative.
For about 20 years now I've replaced every wooden ramrod with brass as soon as I'd get a new ML and all range rods are solid brass as well.
I wanted the strength for safety and the rigid seating / pulling power a brass rod has, plus no worries about having to abort a hunting trip a mile / miles from the car.
You can get them is solid brass or very strong/stiff tubular if solid creates a weight problem.

[WaterFowl]

Bore guide with solid brass or type in" Period rod" wood exterior with a steel solid core..made to order.

[ohidan]

Round Ball : Where can I buy these brass ram rods ?

[roundball]

I've bought most of mine from RMCSports:
http://www.rmcsports.com/catalog.htm
Specify diameter, finished length, 10/32", etc.
 

And I've had some special ones custom made by October Country:
http://www.octobercountry.com/

ie: having them made for long barreled MLs, solid 3/8" brass was too much weight out front.
So I used 3/8" tubular brass until it disappeared just inside the entry pipes to hold down weight.
Then used 3/8" solid brass for the remaining 10-12", so it could be tapered on a lathe down to 5/16" or 9/32" to slide under the front lock bolt.
Sections joined together using threaded steel like on any good quality jag, with a couple drops of blue Loc-Tite.

Photo:
2 piece 3/8" tubular + tapered-solid rod on top.
Normal 1 piece 3/8" rod on the bottom.

 

[fdf]

Steve Bailey

573-768-6545

[1911tex]

What can I say?  You fellas are great!  Thanks for all the excellent info.  Now it is decision time.