Bill, for your ramrod, consider a steel one. That's what is on my original old 4 bore percussion rifle; it works well and allows smaller ramrod pipes. I'm too much of a wimp to fire a 4 ounce ball out of mine, but with blank loads, it sure makes a major boom and lots of smoke. I'm interested in following your videos as this is a unique build. Have you decided on express sights for this monster, or? As an aside, I noticed your Green EDGEWOOD T-shirt. Is this the same as the old Edgewood Arsenal that was south of Aberdeen Proving Grounds? If so, I spent most of my army days in the mid-1960's there in the Toxicology Division of AEHA