Rod for Driving a slug - needed one for 9mm

[Case Stuffer]

So I needed to reslug my SAXD 9 Sub Compact and my 5/16" brass rod was nowhere to be found. One of my Hobbies is Ham Radio so I just happen to have some lengths of 1/4" dia. solid fiberglass rods which were used to make beam antennas. cut off a 5" length ,chucked it up in a hand drill and used coarse sand paper to turn it down to be a sung fit in a fired .25APC case ( from one of my misc. brass boxs) ,taped cases on both ends.

Lubed up a unsized cast dia. .358" 125gr. LRN and bumped it thru like it was nothing. Turns out it slugged to 0.3552 which is what I remembered from doing this two years ago but sometimes I get a bit confused . My mind is like a steel trap , old and rusty.

[tazman]

That rod was a good idea. The brass caps eliminate the problems due to it being fiberglass.

[mold maker]

"My mind is like a steel trap , old and rusty."
Shamelessly stolen and will be used, If I can remember it.

[Bzcraig]

Great fix

[.22-10-45]

Even better than fiberglass is a short piece of Delron.. I have been using these for starting slug 5"-6" into bore..once started doesn't take much to move slug thru. Most plastic supply places will have a stash of odds and ends for sale.

[3006guns]

Even better than fiberglass is a short piece of Delron.. I have been using these for starting slug 5"-6" into bore..once started doesn't take much to move slug thru. Most plastic supply places will have a stash of odds and ends for sale.

Did you mean "Delrin"? I use Delrin for many applications......machines beautifully, tough as nails and always has a smooth, slick surface.

[gloob]

Lubed up a unsized cast dia. .358" 125gr. LRN and bumped it thru like it was nothing.

I bet it did. High rigidity and low weight. When I pounded out a bore obstruction, I used a wood dowel, which worked fine. But I tried my 3 lb sledge, first, and that didn't get me anywhere. Too heavy, too slow. I think I would have damaged my bench or twisted my revolver into a pretzel before the bullet moved. I guess, if I had smacked it hard/fast enough, I could have gotten the bullet out with one single swing and maybe even had some muzzle velocity on the slug! Tap, tap, tap, with a 14 oz hammer, and no problem. The bullet moved a little with each tap, and it was out in no time.

Similar to the difference I had with the hammers, I think the light weight of the fiberglass rod would help transmit the force to the bullet more instantaneously, rather than a heavy rod more slowly getting up to speed and allowing more of the momentum to transfer to the barrel/gun before the static friction of the bullet was overcome.

[Shooter6br]

"I got a mind like a sieve and I dont like to strain it" OR "Dont let your mind wander it's too small to be out by itself"

[gloob]

Ok, then. When it comes to a squib rod:

Light and incompressible/inelastic = good.
Heavy and compressible/elastic = bad.

Think of it like this. You can pull the table cloth out from under a plate all quick-like, without moving the plate. That's a light rod with fast blows with a light hammer. Or you can pull the table cloth slowly and make the plate fall off the table. That's the heavy rod with slow blows from a heavy hammer.