I need a .50 cal. flat faced cleaning jag

[Ky-Flinter]

I had a flat faced cleaning jag on the end of my range rod and some how managed to lose it at a shoot this past weekend.  I bought the jag at Friendship a couple of years ago, but I don't know which vendor.  I've checked every ML supply website I can think of and they only have the jags with a concave end for loading.

Anyone know where I can get a .50 cal. flat faced jag with 8X32 male threads?  Friendship in June is too long to wait.  Thanks.

-Ron

[smokinbuck]

Ron,
Out a concave faced jag in your drill and make a flat one with a file. Shouldn't take 5 minutes. I've got the one you're looking for right here but the postage is more than the jag is worth.
Mark

[rhbrink]

I bought some from www.muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com

[Bob Roller]

What are the dimensions of that jag?

Bob Roller

[Ky-Flinter]

Ron,
Out a concave faced jag in your drill and make a flat one with a file. Shouldn't take 5 minutes. I've got the one you're looking for right here but the postage is more than the jag is worth.
Mark

Thanks for the suggestion Mark.  I have a concave jag, but the body of it is tapered and the threaded stud is short, so there's no good way to chuck it up.

-Ron

[Ky-Flinter]

I bought some from www.muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com

I checked their website and all I saw were the concaved jags.  Thanks anyway.

-Ron

[C Wallingford]

Ron-
Come up here and I can make one in about 20 minutes.

[galudwig]

I got mine from Flintlocks, Inc. (The Eders) in Nineveh, IN (317-933-3441).  They are the guys in the first shed on Commercial Row, facing the main entrance to Friendship.  They have all the powder horns hanging from the ceiling and also sell wads, etc. for shotguns.



galudwig

[Ky-Flinter]

What are the dimensions of that jag?  - Bob Roller

Hi Bob,

The dimensions of the concaved tip jag that I have are as follows:
Overall length of the brass body is 1.900".
The jag "head" is .465" diameter and .450" long.  The head has 3 grooves and 4 lands.
Immediately behind the head, the body is turned down to .265" diameter, from there it flares out to .425" where it attaches to the ramrod.
The .425 end is drilled and tapped to accept an 8x32 steel stud.

-Ron

[Ky-Flinter]

Ron-
Come up here and I can make one in about 20 minutes.

Thanks Charlie.  I may do just that, if I can't find one mail-order.  Thanks for the offer.

-Ron

[Ky-Flinter]

Thanks galudwig.  That's the exact one.  I had forgotten about the paint on the end.  I knew someone here would know who had them.  I'll call the Eders tomorrow.  Thanks again.

-Ron

[Daryl]

I got mine from Flintlocks, Inc. (The Eders) in Nineveh, IN (317-933-3441).  They are the guys in the first shed on Commercial Row, facing the main entrance to Friendship.  They have all the powder horns hanging from the ceiling and also sell wads, etc. for shotguns.



galudwig

I chuck those up, turn off the threaded end,  then drill and tap for a steel screw - either 8x32 or 10x32 - whichever I need.  I have a habit of breaking off the brass screws ends.  Making your own using  POOR-MAN'S lathe was the way I made mine in Smithers- electric drill held in a 5" bench vise was my lathe, then. Drilling and tapping by hand teaches & builds skill in using hand tools.

[Pete G.]

Fill the concave end with solder and file it off flat.

[WadePatton]

And also, if you're a "master filer" you can lay a file on the bench and file off the concavity holding the jag in your fingers-or make a fixture to hold it (hole in a chunk of wood mebbe). 

The steeling of the threads, that's a great idea.

[Old Bob]

And also, if you're a "master filer" you can lay a file on the bench and file off the concavity holding the jag in your fingers-or make a fixture to hold it (hole in a chunk of wood mebbe). 

The steeling of the threads, that's a great idea.

On occasion I run off a batch of jags for spares or a special order. Unless they're specifically for loading and the end needs to be concave for a particular bullet, I make them all flat so they can wipe the breech face better. I've even made a few to fit convex breech faces where a patent breech was drilled out. As for the threaded shanks, I drill and tap the jag and thread in a steel screw. I use a starting tap only and crank the screw in tight after putting some red Loctite on the threads. So far they've held up for me and others. The problem with selling these things is that a feller can't compete price-wise with retailers. It costs more for the material, especially for large jags, than what you can buy one for. I've never made any labor and barely covered costs. But they're fun to make (up to a point) and you can make any shape or length you want as well as custom diameters for odd calibers and cleaning patch thicknesses.

[FRJ]

I was too shy to ask in an open forum why Ky Flinter needed a flat faced jag for so I sent him a PM and he  answered me without laughing in my face. The answer  was simply that the flat face does a better job of cleaning the breech face!! Guess I should have figured it out for myself but thank you Ky Flinter for your courteous answer. FRJ

[Old Bob]

I always give my ramrod a twist or two when the jag is sitting on the breech so that the jag can wipe the face but I discovered some time ago that this step doesn't necessarily do what I intend for it to do. I still do it out of habit. The standard jag simply spins around inside the patch while it just sits there in most cases. Sometimes it'll grab and you can feel it turn, but in my case that's a rarity. I made a couple of knurled jags and they grab the patch better so you can scrub the breech but I don't like the looks of them. I'm thinking of scoring the jag face with a couple of ratchet style grooves to grab the patch enough to make it turn with the jag and do a better job. A feller could also score the lands of the cannelures on the side of the jag and get the same effect. But, the drawback to this is scouring the breech real good results in tearing a hole in a patch real quick.

[Leatherbark]

Tip Curtis only sells the flat faced jags.  He pointed that out to me at Friendship a few years ago.

Bob

[Candle Snuffer]

I have three breech scrapers I bought years ago, .40, .45. .50 caliber, that I use for my main cleaning.  I also use flat faced jags that I got years ago.  I think the only reason we see cupped jags today is because I see many shooters using them to load and wipe with.

In the following picture below I've been using this set up for years as a one step "loading & wiping" rod, and it works just fine.

[WadePatton]

Won't a wad a tow on the worm wipe the breech corners/face?

The cross hole looks like a great option too. btw.

[Candle Snuffer]

Yes, tow would work as well, Wade.

Towards the end of my cleaning process, I run a 1/2 cotton ball down the bore to the breech, give it a few turns with the patch retriever and pull it out - then check it for anything I missed.  If needed, I run the other half of the cotton ball down - then check it.

The above rod is what I use mainly when I'm shooting primitive matches and feel / find that I need to wipe between matches at times.  I've went up to 25 shots at times without ever having to wipe the bore of my flintlock, but I think weather conditions played a big part in that.  My normal is more like 15 shots.