Ramrods: Alternatives to hickory?

[homerifle]

I have never tried American Gum. I know its very tuff and it won't split straight because of the grain. My grandfather fashioned a splitting maul from it to drive wooden gum wedges for splitting out fence rails. So maybe gum would also be an alternative for ramrods if it were sawn and then shaped.

[bjh83]

Hi. Im new to this forum this is my first post.  I have used switch cain for ramrods and am very happy with the results.  I also make bows and have made a lot of arrows from switch cain.  I stumbled upon this one day when my ramrod broke so decided to try some of the switch cain that I had cut for arrow shafts.  I have two rifles with switch cain rods and have not had one brake.  I have never seen or heard of an original rifle with a switch cain rod butt I find it hard to believe that some on in the past did not come up with a similar solution.  I have never met any one else who uses switch cain rods ether.  As far as I know I'm the only one.       

[knapper]

Hickory is probably one of the best woods, but what about black locust, the stuff gets harder with age.They used to make fence post out of it because of it strength and doesn't rot, we still have fence post that have stood
for over 35 years.You can work it when its green but forget it when it's seasoned

[sloe bear]

the chokecherry has a nice straight shoot, they were used to make arrows so why no a ram rod, I think I'll go out and cut some ,bind the up and let the dry just to see how they work, the red river Birch growing along the streams also has a nice straight sucker shoot they are easy access so maybe I'll cut a dozen or so of them as well,and bind them to dry might as well there here to get, oh by the way I live in Cache valley so both spices might have been used . who knows.

[WadePatton]

Since i need a new wiping stick and I dearly love the hand whittled stick I made for my ball starter.  Looks like I'm about to experiment with what I can get my hands on.

The fellow above who posted about "switch cain" should know that if he is referring to river cane or bamboo, that it is quite abrasive.  Not what I want in/out my bore much.

Persimmon is the North American version of Ebony.  I know a guy who says he has some Hophornbeam/Ironwood I can have, but it hasn't happened yet (i have looked for it, but haven't learned to positively ID it yet.)  I have lots of hickory and access to plenty of Osage.  I'm rather fond of Osage for some things.

Split, resplit, scrape and scrape...here we go!

[CARROLLCO]

I have often pondered using other woods also, specifically, dogwood. In the South, dogwood was used for mauls, and half-soles on sled runners. We don't have much snow, but sleds were pulled by horses, mules or oxen in agricultural work. Anyone ever heard of dogwood being used?

[Kermit]

Interesting discussion. I'm wondering about hazel (filbert) shoots. They grow fast, long, and straight, and are pretty tough. I've used them for walking sticks, bark on. I learned about them in Scotland where it's the preferred wood for "sticks." You guys in hazelnut country could give it a shot--ummm, I mean--try.

[Daryl]

The larger the bore and ram-rod pipes, the greater the number of viable options.

Greenhart is/was also used, I believe for English gun rods- rifle and shotgun.

[PPatch]

I second Wade's remark on river cane and bamboo, abrasive, they both have a lot of silica as part of their make up. You sandpaper the bore as you use those. "Shoots" (and branches) off trees will check excessively as they age, not saying don't use them but know that going in. If I had access to hickory that is what I would use, there is a reason it is the standard ram rod material.

dp

[HAWKEN]

How about Sycamore?  It is very dense and has to be worked green.  After it has dried you need a star drill to make a hole in it.........Keep yer powder dry.....Robin   

[Kermit]

Greenheart is about the stiffest wood on Planet Earth. The grain is interlocked as well. Those two properties conspire to make good ramrods. It does move a good bit with humidity variations, so I wouldn't make it a tight fit in the pipes. Makes for good pilings, so if you shoot underwater a lot...

[WadePatton]

huh huh, check dis out:

http://www.wood-database.com/about/the-periodic-table-of-wood/

[Virginiarifleman]

Ash was used where available also.

[eddillon]

What do you mean they got the baleen from the Alaskan whaling industry? the American whaling fleet sailed out of New England in the mid 1800's and made its new home port  Benicia California. Should have been plenty of baleen available for ramrods.
 One of the high end late 1800's double barreled muzzleloaders in a friends collection has a rosewood ramrod.

                      Hungry Horse

Benicia!  Home to me.  Lots of history here in the former capitol of California.  BTW, I use rosewood and water buffalo horn for ramrods and tips  on my English builds.

[longcruise]

Serviceberry shoots are a possibility.  I'll harvest some this year during hunting season and give them a try.

[LRB]

   Here is a good reason to be careful of your chosen wood. The RR that did this was a hardware store dowel. I was on a hunting trip out of state, broke my rod and had no spare. Drove 25 miles to the nearest hardware store, picked out the straightest grained dowel rod they had and scraped it down to fit. It seemed to be good, and I used for four years. Then at my range one day, for no apparent reason, it broke. Went all the way through. Felt like my hand was hit with a hammer. Soaked it that evening and the next day in Epsom salts. Day after the soaking I was back to work in the shop with no pain and full usage. It really only hurt bad for maybe ten minutes when it happened, but it was no fun.

 

[Bob Roller]

I saw this happen at Friendship many years ago with a 1/2"dowel stuck thru the web between thumb and forefinger. Bill Large and others told me to avoid these hardware store dowels for this same reason.

Bob Roller

[WadePatton]

OUCH! 

I'm going to Bodock land today doo dah!  Maybe fight the thorns and the heat to get some packin' stick stock.

[Virginiarifleman]

I was told years ago by an old timer who built longrifles to take a hickory ramrod or tomahawk handle and soak it about a week in kerosene.take out and let air dry. he said it strengthens the hickory wood .

[LRB]

 About  all that soaking in kerosene will do, is help to tip the deer off to where you are, and originally, it was coal oil to soak a RR in rather than kerosene. I don't believe either would be of any benefit, but that's just my thought on it.

[bob in the woods]

I just split out some more ash for use as ramrods.  It is nice and flexible and strong. Pretty close to hickory. If it works for snowshoes, and my dog sled frame it must be good. Just make sure it's split and not sawn.  I'm starting to lose my ash trees to the ash borer, so I hope they don't all die off 

[WadePatton]

I just split out some more ash for use as ramrods.  It is nice and flexible and strong. Pretty close to hickory. If it works for snowshoes, and my dog sled frame it must be good. Just make sure it's split and not sawn.  I'm starting to lose my ash trees to the ash borer, so I hope they don't all die off 

Local state foresters recommended we cut all marketable Ash when logging.  And i saw lots of borer damage.  I still have a good bit of under-market-size Ash.  Hope it survives the borer cycle.

[Virginiarifleman]

About  all that soaking in kerosene will do, is help to tip the deer off to where you are, and originally, it was coal oil to soak a RR in rather than kerosene. I don't believe either would be of any benefit, but that's just my thought on it.

 Coal oil Kerosene................Same thing my friend. Older folks called it Coal oil. and I suppose the stain on your rifle tips there deer off also ?

[James Rogers]

IIRC they are different in they come from 2 different oils. Kero or paraffin comes from crude and coal is from another source.

[Kermit]

Coal oil, kerosene, not the same thing. Common misconception.

http://www.bumgarneroil.com/oil-fuels/coal-oil-kerosene-oil-thing/