Periodramrod.com

[Virginiarifleman]

Has anyone on the Forum used or have any information on a new Hickory Ramrod with a steel core ? available from Periodramrods.com Priced at $45.00 each.

[Tim Crosby]

 Did you try a Search on, ramrod steel? Here is one I found.

    http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=31522.0
 


  Tim C.

[skillman]

I have seen a number of ramrods made with steel or brass cores over many years. Some better than others. I'm not familiar with the one being discussed here.
In my opinion all I have tried (none in my own guns) are heavy and add significant weight to the fore of the gun. When loading like myself and most of the people I shoot with, if you use good wood and make a good ramrod in the first place, they are unnecessary. Just my opinion and worth exactly what you paid.

[Virginiarifleman]

I also figured the weight would be a factor. I like my plain hickory. was just curious about these.

[Virginiarifleman]

Thanks Tim, I found the site that makes and sells them. its Periodramrod.com if you want to check them out.

[axelp]

Sometimes the extra weight is a good thing. When I broke the wood ramrod in my Chambers English Short Rifle. I replaced it temporarily with a brass rod I had lying around. I liked the added weight to the gun so much I have used it ever since. It hangs better when shooting offhand with the heavier ramrod.

Why not just go with a brass rod and be done with it?

K

[skillman]

Then don't spend the money on a swamped barrel.

Steve

[Ryan McNabb]

HAND SPLIT hickory wiping sticks are amazingly resilient.  The machine turned, glorified dowel sticks you get from mail order give wooden wipers a bad name. 

[bob in the woods]

I split ramrod blanks out of ash that I cut on my property. The ramrods that are made from these blanks are far superior to any of the hickory "dowels" that I have purchased. It would take more than normal use to break one, or at least I've never had one break to date. 

[axelp]

Steve-- if you look on the Jim Chambers website, the Short English Rifle kit is an early style and only comes with a swamped barrel. It is also historically correct swamped and would not be with a straight sided barrel.

My other long rifles are swamped but they are much longer so they hang fine for me. All of them have traditional wood ramrods.

My choice to use a brass ramrod was out of convenience and thrift at first, because it happened to be handy and cost me nothing. But after using it for a while I decided to keep it. It makes this short gun shoot better --for me at least. The brass ramrod might not be historically the norm… but it does not bother me… the way a straight sided barrel might.

K

[wet willy]

At my age, added weight in the field is a negative, as I don't enjoy lugging things around I don't need. For a field reload when hunting, I much prefer hickory. I can't think of a reason I want one with a steel/brass core. For range use, I'll use the SS rod with a bore guide.

There is a person who has a running ad in Muzzle Blasts classified who sells very nice hickory ramrods. You'll need to buy 10 or so, that they can be bundled together for shipping, but sizes can be mixed. I suppose you could shatter a wooden rod when reloading by grabbing it 2' above the muzzle and bending it way off-center. Just because someone thought of it doesn't mean I need one. Your needs may be different than mine!

[axelp]

My little ol' English Sporter is a delight to carry even with the brass ramrod. I think the brass rod makes it weigh closer to my other long rifles, but certainly is not to be confused with being heavy. My son when he was small, carried it on 12 mile treks in the woods along with a bedroll and haversack.

Now my 1874 Shiloh Sharps at around 10 lbs? That is heavy. But I do not mind carrying it either… its too fun to shoot.