Ramrod channel too tight

[smokepole45cal]

The person who drilled my 5/16 ramrod channel on the most recent project seems to have slightly undersized the channel. It was just uncomfortably tight so I used a 5/16 round file/rasp to widen and deepen what I could reach. I can't get further inside the lower forestock and I do not own a long 5/16 drill bit for channel drilling. TotW is out of stock. I dont think tapering the rod tip is an option because theres still 7 &1/8" further to go.

My other current project with 3/8 ramrod channel from same person acceptes ramrod easily all the way down so something is not right.

Short of redrilling I dont know what to do. Nobody in my part of NC near Charlotte except maybe Chambers 3.5hrs west or maybe Vogler Shop at Old Salem. Not willing to mail back a fragile work in progress to redrill.

Who else is selling ramrod drills? This scenario ever happened to anyone else? Not sure I would get anywhere opening a "WTB thread" for a drill bit here, so if you guys have constructive ideas I would appreciate.

Thank you.

[smylee grouch]

You might be able to make a scraper to clean up the hole for that little bit.

[Stophel]

Take a quarter inch steel rod of sufficient length, cut a slot in the end of it, about an inch deep, and drill a cross hole in it.  You can then tear off a piece of sandpaper, fold it over and slip it into the slot. Take a small nail and shove it through the hole to hold the sandpaper in, and you can run it up and down inside the hole with a cordless drill to sand the hole out some.

That said, if you're trying to stick a 5/16" ramrod into a 5/16" hole, it WON'T FIT.  Two objects can't occupy the same space.  To get a 5/16" ramrod to fit into a 5/16" hole, it must be taken down so it is smaller.  Same with a 3/8" hole.  To get a 3/8" rod to fit into a 3/8" hole, the rod must be made smaller.

[davec2]

You would not need to put a pronounced taper on the last 7 or 8 inches of the rod.  Just reduce the diameter slightly by sanding or, better yet, scraping with one of Acer's ram rod scrapers.  Good tool to have around anyway.

[Mike Lyons]

I don’t think any of my ramrods have ever fit my rifles.  I had to sand and scrape them until they fit. The 5/16” ramrods wouldn’t fit in the thimbles.   This .32 caliber I’m doing now is the same only it won’t fit in the bore.  It’s going to take a lot of scraping and sanding.

[rich pierce]

Do what Taylor suggests (think it’s him)  for fixing a ramrod hole that was off center. Take a 5/16” steel rod if it will fit. If not you’ll need to reduce it by 0.20” or whatever till it slides in. Now hit the end on one outer edge with a hammer till a raised protruding lip is made. Slide that in and out. It should start scraping wood. In this case keep rotating it, maybe 30 degrees each few times. Eventually the hole will be larger and fairly round.

[Long Ears]

taper the rod

[FlintFan]

taper the rod

+1.  Taper the rod.  It is not difficult and you probably only have to reduce it about 1/64" to 1/32"on its diameter.  If you only have to do less than 8 inches in length just simply use a block with sandpaper wrapped around it.  Hold the rod with the section of it that needs to be tapered on your bench and slowly rotate it with your fingers while lightly running your sanding strokes the length of the section that needs to be tapered.

Go lightly and check it after a couple rotations of sanding. It will take less than 5 minutes.

[oldtravler61]

  Not sure if this helps. But I have used a gun cleaning rod. With the tip for patches that slide through. Then I put the rod in my drill an VIOLA... a cleaned up ramrod hole...! My kit does from small caliber to large with the rods to match. Piece of cake.....  Oldtravler

[LynnC]

In the first Karate Kid mr M said “Sand dah rod” or was it floor....anyway a tapered rod is certainly historically correct and the easiest fix. By far the least expensive too if a mistake is made. Good luck

[Scota4570]

I agree with the sand the rod advice.

That said I have drilled holes larger.  The harbor freight bit  I use tended to drill a bit undersize and bind.  I ground relief on the shank.  I also used a piece of drill rod to kick up a burs on the cutting flutes to make it cut a smudge larger.  It worked.  Not sure I accomplished anything.  I suppose if one want to use a non-wood rod the hole would need to be fitted to the rod. 

[thecapgunkid]

Smokepole45cal.... I dont think tapering the rod tip is an option because theres still 7 &1/8" further to go.

Unless there has to be a brass fitting on the tip of the rod that enters the stock, tapering is your best bet.  If there is a brass fitting, some emery strips and your vice are your friends.

I wish I could remember who taught me this trick because it works every time;

On the back 7 inches of your rod, draw a line going all the way around at seven inches and at three inches.  Then, bracing the tip on your bench,  use a knife to scrape the rod all the way to the tip and  around the rod  in firm strokes so that the lines you marked are scraped away.  Touch it with some sandpaper and fit the rod into the gun.  You may need a couple of passes, but this seems to work well.

Never had a 3/8ths rod fit too loose.  Sorry

[Jim Kibler]

This is a common question customers with our kits have.  The call or write with the concern that the ramrod won't fit in the hole.  Our tips are just slightly smaller than the rod, this allows the rod to be tapered just a touch so the 5/16" rod will enter the 5/16" hole in the stock.  It just takes a bit of sanding or scraping to get a good fit.  Remember that finish will swell it some so it's good to go a little further than you think you should.

All the best,
Jim

[Clint]

It is always possible that the inside of the ramrod hole has changed shape from the atmosphere after drilling. If the hole is drilled to depth and you want a little more room, head down to NAPA car parts and get a long peice of 5/16" brake line. I have filed the end of small tubes to resemble a hole saw and taken the egg shape out of air dried stocks. The nice thing about a tube, although you can't actually drill a hole, you can carefully expand the diameter of the 'saw' with a tapered drift and adjust the inside diameter.
Clint

[smokepole45cal]

Thank you everyone

[Marcruger]

As I noted in another post, modify the cheapest, easiest to replace part.  As was posted here, that'd be the ramrod. At least that is where I'd start, but I am no gun builder.  God Bless,   Marc

[Mike from OK]

I was having the same issue... My ramrod was incredibly tight when pushed down in the channel.

The ramrod OD was 3/8 so I bought a 3/8 x 48" Bell Hanger's bit from Harbor Freight... I'm sure it was made with the best Chinesium money can buy and set me back a whole $8.00... I clamped my T-handle tap wrench on the end and turned it slowly by hand. Took me 5 minutes and worked like a dream.

The ramrod now slips in and out with the perfect amount of snugness.

Mike

[flehto]

I don't like to taper RRs so for 5/16 dia RRs {312} a 1/64 oversized drill is used {.327}. For 3/8 dia RRs I go size and usually have to remove no more than .010 from the dia  of  the RR to achieve a nice fit.....Fred

[Birddog6]

Buy a drill bit 1/16” larger than the ramrod & braze or weld a 40” piece of rod to it. Then drill out the RR hole.  I’ve built dozens of them & the first thing I do on All of them is drill out the RR hole.
Nip it in the bud from the getgo & go on.

[mikeyfirelock]

Fold a piece of sandpaper over your ramrod and clamp the ends in your vise. Push and pull the ramrod back and forth thru the sandpaper till  it will enter the hole.  If the ramrod goes thru the thimbles, you only need to reduce the length which enters the hole in the stock.   Won’t take much time or effort, and produces a nice even taper, hitch is not noticeable without any flat spots.

[draton2681]

I use a 1/4" rod hammered flat on one end, then file a bevel to a sharp edge on each side
. Taper it slightly towards the front. Chuck it in a drill and drill your hole out. I use mine regularly and it works great. This method allows you to file the flat to any diameter. Most of my ramrods are tapered but sometimes that's just not enough.

[BeanStationgunmaker]

Jedidiah Starr had ramrod drills in stock last time I looked,got mine from them,did need sharpening before use.