Here's the starter I use, except I changed it to put the shaft coming out one end, with the 'stud coming out the side. The stud is for putting tight fitting combos just below the crown of the muzzle. From there, the shaft puts the ball down 5 to 7', however long it is. This allows having a good amount of ramrod in the bore, which helps prevent breakage. I've been using the same rods now for about 3 years - they are wondrous and have saved my bacon several times over. I use a .005" 'under' bores size ball with a .0215" patch in .010" deep rifling. At times, I'm loading balls that are .002" over bore size with a .020" patch. The 3/8" hickory rod is all that's needed when a starter like this is used. By the time the ball is 6" down the bore, it's groove diameter with it's patch & loading is easy. We use moose antler as it's more dense than deer or elk near the base. it's also heavy enough to add weight to the starter, which helps. I've used sections of axe handle with good results as well as the round or egg-shaped maple 'apples', pears, eggs, etc that you can find in woodworking hobby stores. they're OK, but appear the same as what's sold commercially."
The leather 'cushion is just that - a cushion for the muzzle. The brass tip is hollowed out to fit the ball 9close enough) a 3/8" drill works fine. the short stud is made from a .30 M1 carbine case. Everybody's got thousands of those. the hole in the side is for putting over the end of the rod for the last 1" or so of push to seat the ball onto the powder identically each time. This aids in accuracy.
