Router ramrod hole, what to do?

[oldarcher]

A few years ago I purchased a beautiful tiger stripe 1/2 stock blank which I made into a very nice Hawken. With the tiger stripe blank I also received a birdseye semi formed 1/2 stock that had the barrel channel cut and the ramrod channel routed, not drilled. I have always used blanks for stocks and drilled the ramrod hole after I routed the barrel channel. I really don't know much about building rifles from precarves that have the ramrod hole routed. Certainly I can easily finish the stock, my question is: how do I deal with an open channel for the ramrod, do I wrap the ramrod in wax paper and Acura Glass the ramrod "trench" closed, or what? Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Acer Saccharum]

Some builders inlay a floor patch over the channel. Glue it in, re-inlet any barrel that you need to, and touch up the hole with a re-drilling, and you're good to go.

[Mtn Meek]

I have a few GRRW Hawkens that are near 40 years old that were made with the ramrod hole routed into the forestock.  After all this time, I see no ill effects in the shape of the forearm or the fit of the barrel in the barrel channel due to the lack of web over the ramrod hole.  You can do the floor patch as Acer suggests for cosmetic purposes or you can leave it open and not worry about it.





I believe James Turpin's video "Building Muzzle-Loaders II - Percussion Edition" has a demonstration of the floor patch that Acer mentioned.

[Tom Currie]

As Tom suggested put a patch in place that would add stability to the stock. I would have my RR done and in place and then then push the patch right down to the RR . 

I have done this on several rifles after routing out the RR groove in the  forestock. One thing that does for me is allow me to have the RR exactly where I want it.  I wish I were a better RR hole driller but when an 1/8 or even  1/16 matters I will route out a groove and patch it over. 

[Acer Saccharum]

Dave Rase can drill the rr hole to within .001 of requested location. 

[Scota4570]

Hobby shops have telescoping brass tubing.  You can get 3' lengths.  The size with a 3/8" ID was just right.   I once glassed a tube inside the ramrod trench.  I soldered a little plug over the lock side end to prevent the glass from getting in there

[Gaeckle]

Many old originals had their ramrod channels done that way.....build the gun

[T*O*F]

.....build the gun

Agreed.  That channel doesn't hurt a thing.  Most of the naysayers are nitpickers.

[bama]

I did some restoration work on a iron mounted Alabama half stock that was dated 1858 that had a routed ram rod hole and the forstock was in great shape, much better than the lock area which required a good bit of restoration to make that area sound again.

[oldarcher]

Thanks to all. I think that I will just build the rifle and worry about the ramrod hole only if it seems to be a problem when the rifle is built...