Rod/Thimbles - Rule of Thumb

[Top Jaw]

What are some of your thoughts on when to jump up from a 5/16” to a 3/8” ramrod and thimbles?  Would any 50 cal put you there?  45 cal?   Or do some of you ever use the smaller rod for both these until you get to a 54 cal?   Does barrel length play into your consideration?  38” vs 42” or 44”?   Hunting vs range gun.  Thoughts?

I have a B Wt 44” 50 cal barrel that I will be getting parts together for.  I have both sets of thimbles in a drawer.  Although truth be told, I like the smaller ones better, and it’s making me wonder. 

[J. Talbert]

I would always go with the 3/8 if it will fit in the bore, unless my overriding concern was to build the thinnest rifle possible.  So if I'm planning to actually use the rr in the gun, rather than say a steel range rod, then I'd go with the thicker rod.

Jeff

[Daryl]

Tapered 7/16" down to 5/16". The large end wooden with a threaded, cupped brass ferrule on the small end.

[Lucky R A]

I definitely agree with Daryl on this one.  I start with the largest ramrod that will fit the bore and taper it down.  You can still build a nice slim rifle and have a ramrod that is usable. 

Ron

[FALout]

I’ve been using 5/16 for .40cal and smaller, anything larger in caliber will get 3/8 or even 7/16. 

[David Rase]

For the longest time my standard was .45 caliber and under use a 5/16" ramrod.  .50 caliber and larger, 3/8" rod.  That thinking still  seems to be the norm for many.  Lately I have been using 5/16" ramrods in .50 caliber and below.  I started doing this so I could keep the forestock of the rifle slim.  Most of the original American longrifles I have observed had fairly small diameter ramrods.  It is amazing what a 1/16" here, a 1/32" there makes in the lines of a longrifle.  I used to taper my rods as well like Daryl mentioned but stopped that as well.  I can't recall seeing many originals with progressively larger pipes starting from the entry pipe.  A nice straight slender ramrod and a little finesse when loading and I have no issues.
David   

[Mike Brooks]

For the longest time my standard was .45 caliber and under use a 5/16" ramrod.  .50 caliber and larger, 3/8" rod.  That thinking still  seems to be the norm for many.  Lately I have been using 5/16" ramrods in .50 caliber and below.  I started doing this so I could keep the forestock of the rifle slim.  Most of the original American longrifles I have observed had fairly small diameter ramrods.  It is amazing what a 1/16" here, a 1/32" there makes in the lines of a longrifle.  I used to taper my rods as well like Daryl mentioned but stopped that as well.  I can't recall seeing many originals with progressively larger pipes starting from the entry pipe.  A nice straight slender ramrod and a little finesse when loading and I have no issues.
David

I believe the old timers loaded with a far looser patch/ball comb than we do today.

[BOB HILL]

Mike, I agree with you. I've always felt this way
Bob

[smallpatch]

It's all about the architecture of the gun for me.  If a 5/16" will make for a slimmer profile, the that's what I'll use.  I use a pretty tight load, and a 5/16" rod in a .50 works great.  No way I would try to pull a dry ball with either one.

[Not English]

I tend to use a 3/8th ramrod on almost everything. I do usually taper it down to 5/16ths on the end that goes into the forestock first. It makes it easy to put the ramrod in. If you ever brake a ramrod and shove it through you hand, you'll only do it once. I only use a 5/16ths ramrod when a larger one won't fit down the barrel. There are a lot of other ways to make the forestock look slim. A moulding along the ramrod channel will often make a forestock look slimmer and longer

[Daryl]

I believe the old timers loaded with a far looser patch/ball comb than we do today.

Absolutely, I'm sure they(for the most part) did.  However, by the mid 1800's there were gun clubs around, in the West as well as the East, where
accuracy was of utmost importance and I am absolutely positive, tight loads are nothing new in that realm of shooters. There are accounts of exceptional
shots who put 5 balls on top of one-another at 50yards. I've not seen that level of accuracy occur with loose loads - maybe some day, though I wouldn't bet
on it.
If the barrel is smooth and not pocked by poor cleaning regimes, then loading tight loads with a thin rod is not all that difficult.  However, if the load is loose
enough that fouling builds up, or the bore pocked by fake powders at some time in the past or through poor cleaning regimes, then indeed, a slim rod can be
difficult to load with.

[thecapgunkid]

Daryl...Tapered 7/16" down to 5/16". The large end wooden with a threaded, cupped brass ferrule on the small end.

Yup.  Between starting to use tow to clean and finding out that a lot of older guns had this feature I have been tapering rods for the last four projects.

I draw rings around the wood and scrape through it, repeating and graduating the rod until I get what I want.  This seems to work well but is tedious.