Range Rods

[eagle24]

Anybody use the fiberglass or delrin rods that TOW sells?  I need a longer rod and they have both in 48" without handles.  Is one better than the other?  Do you need to use a bore guide with them?

[Dogshirt]

If it's for a range rod check out your local farm supply/co-op.
I use fiberglass electric fenceposts. Cost about $1-$2, 48" and may come longer.
Most are white, but I've seen brown and green.

[SCLoyalist]

I used to use one of the brown synthetic rods (delrin) in a 40 cal flinter, without a bore guide.  It was pretty flexible, so to get it down the barrel I pushed it down in a series of 8" or 1 foot increments with my hand that far above the muzzle each time.   I've heard that fiberglass rods would cause wear at the crown, being somewhat abrasive.  However, I think I remember a Muzzle Blasts/Bevel Brothers article where they tested that, but couldn't find any evidence fiberglass would harm the gun.    Were I going for a 48" rod, I'd go w/ Delrin.   Track should have 48" hickory blanks available from 5/16 to 3/8", and there's a company in San Diego that sells a 48"  "virtually indestructible" wood rod with steel core and choice of tip adapters and custom taper.

[hanshi]

I have a couple of fiberglass rods as well as a number of glass rods not yet made into ramrods.  Since a muzzle guard is the norm I don't see much room for damage.  Also all the glass rod material I have in stock has a coating and the glass, itself, never touches anything.

[bgf]

I have used both the fiberglass and the plastic.  The fiberglass is very good short term, as it is very stiff, but it can get abrasive if the coating wears off.  If you used a bore protector (for frequent use) and/or replaced the rod at the first sign of wear, it might be OK; they do not have handles, so I wouldn't want to use one as a range rod for long without handle, and you would have to replace the handle every time.  Like above, the electric fenceposts come in 3/8"x 4ft, and cost very little, but you have to add ends/handle, so it may not be that much cheaper. 

The plastic (Delrin) rods are a little "wilty", but they hold up well over time and don't abrade the bore (as far as I can see), even without a protector.  I use one for cleaning.  There again, no handle, and they're probably not stiff enough for a range rod, although I have used a pair of vice grips as a handle in an emergency (no wonder my shooting bag is so heavy . 

I was lucky to win a brass range rod at a blanket shoot and use that for shooting at the range -- really is ideal for that.  You should be able to make a nice one quite inexpensively, also, using rod or tubing; you can buy the protector or turn one yourself if you have a lathe. 

[Daryl]

Guys, check this thread out first.  It is an old thread, same subject.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=6600.0



On the far right, we have a deep groove cut by a bare fiberglass rod (whip antenna), stainless steel and drill rod- each rubbed 40 times with the same felt pressure.   The groove cut by the fiberglass rod is easily seen, as-are the grooves cut by the steels.

[Stormrider51]

Any rod will cause muzzle wear unless a centering device is used.  Given that the most important part of a barrel is the muzzle which releases the projectile into free flight and must do so evenly for best accuracy, it would seem that using a centering device is necessary.  Having said all that let me add that the relative "hardness" and "roughness" of the rod is a big factor if a centering device isn't used.  When it comes to shooting in the field I like simple.  I don't carry a centering device.  I load using my hickory ramrod and clean using the same.  I use my fingers to prevent the rod from rubbing on the muzzle.  Hickory rods soaked in oil have served me well for many years. 

Storm 

[Bill of the 45th]

MBS has brass range rods with wood handles 48" long, they also have 4" extensions to make them longer.  No problem out to 50 plus inch barrels.

Bill

[Daryl]

Storm, hickory showed the least amount of wear, over all the different materials I tested, including brass and nylon. The hickory rod barrely removed the bluing from the piece of early TC barrel - pretty sure it was 12L14 or whatever it is, it's soft.

I've never usd a centering device.  My .69, which has shot 3 times more shots than any other rifle I have, shows just a touch of wear. Having such a large muzzle allows a good inspection. The tich of wear in the middle of one groove has not hurt accurcy one iota. It still shots 1" to 1 1/2" at 100 meters for 5 shots, rest shooting. This barrel has fired off close to 500 pounds of lead, betwen 6,500 and 7,000 shots, mostly loaded with it's tapered hickory rod. I have used a 1/2" nylon rod on occasion while at the range.

As in the thread I supplied the url for, I did have a .50 bullet barrel I used an unprotected fiberglass rod in. I had to shorten and recrown the barrel every 200 to 250 shots - like clock work. That is the number of rounds it took to double it's groups from 1" to 2" at 100yards, rest shooting.

[Dogshirt]

I've used a fiberglass fence post with my CVA (yeah, yeah, stow it, I don't need to hear it!) kentucky
for over 25 years, and it will  STILL shoot 1 1/2" groups at 100. Fiberglass is NOT the problem!

[Daryl]

Coated fiberglass and bare fiberglass are two entirely different entities - until the coating is worn off the plastisized one.

 

[Dogshirt]

Yeah, the ones out around the horse pasture I won't touch without heavy leather gloves.
The nice slick surface breaks down under UV rays and the elements, and will give a NASTY
bunch of slivers, many you can't find til they fester up.

[Dphariss]

Wear marks are interesting.
I use stainless rods a lot since I make them. But I use a guide of one kind or another.  A 45-70 cartridge case works well as a guide for 50-54s.
Steel or stainless is far more likely to ding a muzzle than wear it in actual use.
But this require some level of abuse.
A brass starter will ding muzzles too and it more likely to cause problems than a rod.
Fiberglas rods have been known to be very abrasive since people started making them.
Harry Pope recommended drill rod.
Dan

[James]

Like Bill I have a brass one from MBS and it is of the highest quality and worth the price.

[Roger Fisher]

Wear marks are interesting.
I use stainless rods a lot since I make them. But I use a guide of one kind or another.  A 45-70 cartridge case works well as a guide for 50-54s.
Steel or stainless is far more likely to ding a muzzle than wear it in actual use.
But this require some level of abuse.
A brass starter will ding muzzles too and it more likely to cause problems than a rod.
Fiberglas rods have been known to be very abrasive since people started making them.
Harry Pope recommended drill rod.
Dan

Well now I do agree with Dan..,,,,I use a ultra smooth hard stainless range rod (only use a wood rod when I must), with a nylon guide, also use a nylon starter and a nylon short starter with a guide.  I refer here to my ole tyme offhand rifle.  I will admit using one of those wood rods with the steel innards with my smoothy and I managed to break said rod while running a Seneca (a few yrs back) by squeezing the snot out of it.  Had a good run going and I suppose I was a little excited...    BTW I got several old fiberglass rods around here somewhere.  Anybody want them