Alternative wood for ram rods

[Goo]

Is anyone using straight grain white oak for ram rods? l am having trouble getting a piece of hickory to cut ram rods from but have white oak.

[rich pierce]

The thing about hickory is that it has some intertwining of fibers and so is less prone to splitting when bent. It’s one of the few woods where a board can be used for making archery bows without worrying much about grain direction.

I’d do a test on any wood intended for ramrod use by taking a 4’ long piece about a half inch in diameter and bending it like a drawn simple bow.

Eric Krewson and other bow makers here could comment because the whole issue is will it bend repeatedly without splitting.

[smart dog]

Hi,
White ash is another commonly used wood for ramrods.

dave

[Dphariss]

Straight grained Hickory will last for decades. I don’t use anything else.

[Levy]

"Sparkleberry Jim" says Sparkleberry shoots (Vaccinium Arboreum).  It grows commonly here in the southeast.  I'm in Tallahassee, FL.  It is very fine grained and tough with good flexibility.  James Levy

[Eric Kettenburg]

Ash works very well and also - if you can get a reasonably straight piece - ironwood (hop hornbeam) seems quite tough. 

I've seen quite a lot of old guns with what were clearly saplings worked down into rammers - not split pieces, in other words.  Impossible to tell the wood type though.  I've done quite a few like that myself with ironwood because I'm loaded with it and for the purpose (I don't know of anyone loading U-shaped barrels) they work quite well.

[Jim Kibler]

No hickory in Europe, I'm guessing common ramrods were made of Ash.

Jim

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

If you can find a straight grained piece of Osage Orange, (bois d'arc), it will make a wonderful ramrod.  I made one for my Hawken that's 1/2" tapered to 3/8" that I've been using for years, and one for my brother's English rifle 69 cal.

[Eric Kettenburg]

If you can find a straight grained piece of Osage Orange, (bois d'arc), it will make a wonderful ramrod.  I made one for my Hawken that's 1/2" tapered to 3/8" that I've been using for years, and one for my brother's English rifle 69 cal.

That stuff is indeed awesome but you'll have to fight the bow guys for it!

[Daryl]

Osage above, the original hickory rod from my rifle when it was made by Taylor in 1986.
I split the hickory rod some time in early 2000's and repaired the split with cyanocrylate glue. It held for 20 years
but when offered a piece of Osage, I jumped at the opportunity.
both rods tapper from 7/16" to 3/8".

[Daryl]

No hickory in Europe, I'm guessing common ramrods were made of Ash.
Jim

Seems to me, many rods in England were made from green heart and purple heart. Most rifles there with these rods were of large bore, thus the rods were quite large as well.

[Joey R]

How about Purple Heart?

[Joey R]

Daryl beat me to it. I also use Purple Heart for English guns because you can darken it to resemble ebony.

[Eric Kettenburg]

Am I the only one who has never broken a rammer?  I can't really see how one needs to flex much (personally) because I'm not trying to hammer super tight balls down the bore, and also, once the ball gets going the bore itself acts as a guide and really keeps the rod from being able to flex much anyway.  I can certainly see problems if someone is grabbing it 2 feet above the muzzle and trying to force it from there but if you're grabbing it just above the muzzle and working it incrementally I really don;t see the need for something made of kryptonite.

I like whale baleen for rods but good luck ahahahahahahahahaa.

[Birddog6]

I have made several from Purple Heart for Double barrel shotguns.

As for breaking them, most I've been told of them breaking over the past 40+ years were straight
rods that wiggled out & got snagged on something, vine, etc.

I broke one back in 1978. I got the bright idea to cut a ring around the rod & it would show me if I had
the ball down all the way. Snagged it on a grapevine while deer hunting & it broke at the line I had cut.
Fortunately rifle was loaded & I hunted the day but it held me up a week, as the only place I knew to get
stuff for ML was Turner Kirkland at the time.

I know a guy in Ohio that has huge Osage orange trees on his property & he burns it for firewood.
Burns pretty good & hot.  He has a big Osage log for a fireplace mantle too, looks great.

[john bohan]

The dogwood we call red brush here in Pa makes a dam tough arrow,I would think it would make ram rods too. Plus when you make it from a shoot you don't need to worry about the grain.

[James Rogers]

No hickory in Europe, I'm guessing common ramrods were made of Ash.
Jim

Seems to me, many rods in England were made from green heart and purple heart. Most rifles there with these rods were of large bore, thus the rods were quite large as well.

By the 1760s at least, Virginia was shipping out hogsheads of hickory staves to England specifically for ramrods.

[Swede Creek]

Interesting Thread.

I'm looking to make a ramrod to replace a crappy one that came with an OLD hawken kit.   

I do have some good well cured Osage Orange that I can work down (hadn't thought about it for ramrods).   Question is:   Would you want to do the Coal oil soak for Osage Orange?    Or would it do fine with a liberal application of Linseed Oil?

[Daryl]

Mine has a paste wax finish is all.  It is just fine. You rod, being likely only 3/8" in diameter, make it as straight grained as possible. When loading, choke up on it every
stroke- maybe 8" at most. Lifting the rod an inch off the ball, then driving it down, will make the movements much easier and easier on the rod as well. If the rod tip is
cupped, it will not damage the ball.

[Dphariss]

Am I the only one who has never broken a rammer?  I can't really see how one needs to flex much (personally) because I'm not trying to hammer super tight balls down the bore, and also, once the ball gets going the bore itself acts as a guide and really keeps the rod from being able to flex much anyway.  I can certainly see problems if someone is grabbing it 2 feet above the muzzle and trying to force it from there but if you're grabbing it just above the muzzle and working it incrementally I really don;t see the need for something made of kryptonite.

I like whale baleen for rods but good luck ahahahahahahahahaa.

I had not ever broken a straight grain hickory until last month in a combination of stupid and the rifle moved. I started shooting about 1966. I have since fixed the “stupid” part and made a new rod…  I did run a shotgun rod that was cross grained through the edge of my hand about 1967-68.  It was a learning experience.

[jmf]

Back in the 70’s I made one out of red elm. It held up well.

[BOB HILL]

I’m with Sparkleberry Jim Levy. This makes a great ramrod. We’ve been using his sticks for a couple of years and are very pleased with them.
 Bob

[alacran]

I like hickory but all my rods have at least a 1/8th inch stainless steel core. Don't worry much about breaking them. I have made them with a 1/4 inch stainless core on a 7/16th rammer. But really over the years I have found that 5/32nd core is the best. have trouble getting it in small quantities.

[Robby]

Any wood that was used to make bows and arrows will make a pretty good ramrod, hickory, red or white ash, hop hornbeam (ironwood), and osage orange are what I have used. I think overall, considering ease of manufacture and durability that hickory is the best, hands down.
Robby

[Pukka Bundook]

It might surpize som, but I have used straight grained hardwood dowels from the hardware shop and can't think I ever broke one. Sometimes coal oil, and sometimes linseed /turpentine mix  soak.
I Did do the bend test one time inadvertently!
I had looked long and hard at doweling in the hardware shop, selected about six, bought them and leaned them up against passenger seat in the old F 150.
Bought something else someplace, and went to put it behind the seat.
Yep, rods got crinked as seat went forward, and bust a couple.
I figured the ones that stood the bend test should be good, and they were!