Hickory rod conditioner

[dondiego]

I recently received some hickory ram rod blanks from Track of the Wolf. I have heard of soaking these in kerosene to condition them but I also recently read of someone recommending another liquid for conditioning that supposedly lasts longer. I can't find the thread that mentions that liquid. Could one of you fine gentlemen please enlighten me?
Thanks

Don

[johnson1942]

when i first got into muzzleloading over 30 years ago i met and man and wife who shot muzzle loader and was very knowlegeable about it. they took a pipe about 4 inches in diam. and welded a base on it. they then welded a flange on the top. it was long enough to fit a ramrod in for their guns. they then took another plate and drilled holes to match the top flange. in the center of the plate they welded a small pipe with a valve on the end and a fitting on the valve to accept a air pressure hose. they filled the pipe with kerosene, put a some ramrods in it, capped it tight and put about 100 lbs. of air pressure on top of it. they would leave them this way for a week. when they took out the ramrods they claimed they would last for ever, were very strong and flexable. they looked good to me. i know canadian made infield rifles had their gun stocks treated this way in world war two. i dont know what liquid they use but on the gun i had it seemed close to kerosene. the stocks were tough and water proof. very hard to refinish. your on the right track. let us all know what you all find out, thanks for the post.

[Rick Hodges]

I remember reading about soaking them in "coal oil"....whatever that is? I have no idea where to get it either. I am interested in hearing other suggestions.

Ok, I just looked it up. Coal Oil is an old time name for Kerosine. The same stuff.

[mooman76]

I have heard coal oil is basically kerosene. I have heard it works and also that it doesn't help and you are stuck with a ramrod that smells of kerosene which is not good for hunting. I think there must be something too it but I have never tried it.

[johnson1942]

if you want the right smell for hunting i have a native american friend who is a tremendous hunter. deer and moose, he has a small farm on the canadian border. what he hunts in is a pair of coveralls that hangs in his barn and smells of cows and horses. he says the deer never smell him comming. he wears them over the top of his winter clothes. i dont know if kerosine offends deer. i know that wd40 isnt offensive to fish but deer arent fish. i know we are talking about ramrods but would like to hear also about smells and deer.

[mooman76]

When I was in Alaska and went deep sea fishing the guy running the boat used WD40 as an attractant for fishing. He swore by it and we did do better than anyone else that day so maybe something too it or maybe not. I don't know. I like the smell myself.

[Rattus58]

if you want the right smell for hunting i have a native american friend who is a tremendous hunter. deer and moose, he has a small farm on the canadian border. what he hunts in is a pair of coveralls that hangs in his barn and smells of cows and horses. he says the deer never smell him comming. he wears them over the top of his winter clothes. i dont know if kerosine offends deer. i know that wd40 isnt offensive to fish but deer arent fish. i know we are talking about ramrods but would like to hear also about smells and deer.Yer supposed to be hunting into the wind with the sun to your back...:grin:

[johnson1942]

their is no wind in the deep woods along the canadian line and the sun is hard to see, they arent plains indians up their.

[waksupi]

I use bear oil, penetrates completely through the wood. Good substitutes are pure lard, or raccoon oil.

[dondiego]

My dad always told me that he read and did his homework by his "coal oil" lamp when he was a kid. He still has that lamp. My grandparents didn't get electricity until the mid 50's. Yep, we threw the bucket into the 10 foot deep well to get water and used an outhouse. This was in rural Texas.

I like the barn clothes idea. Even if you hunt into the wind, and are in deep woods, the wind can swirl. I like to get them in close.

I think maybe mineral oil was recommended for the ramrod soak. I just saw my cutting board oil and it is 100% mineral oil. Would that work?

[ogre]

My experience has been that these "conditioning oils" don't do a dang thing other than to smell up the ramrod.

[johnson1942]

the barn smell coveralls work. ive got a few moose antlers in my little shop given to me by that native friend. up their they sneak up on them eating willow bushes and shoot them behind the ear. believe it or not the old natives use only a .22 on moose this way. to dondiego, my two youngest cant comprehend no lights, i didnt get power untill 1946. we played a lot of cards in those days by lamplight. i learned my numbers before i went to the rural school with a horse barn next to it, from cards. it is a diff world to day. my dad and grandfather rode a small indian pony to school every day. i guess its ok to get off subject as their are a lot of older shooters out their who can relate to all this. never wash those coveralls and keep them hanging in the barn.

[fouronesix]

I imagine the deer will think something like, "sniff, sniff, sniff, that one smells like he dipped his ramrod in diesel and he's wearing those charcoal lined boots from Cabela's and I can smell that Chinese coat, Shanghai plant I believe, all the way across the canyon" or "let's see, that nimrod last bore cleaned with Ballistol and Hoppes 9 but dang I wish he'd change bath soap from Dial to Ivory, that Dial always makes me sneeze" :)

[dbosman]

I may be wrong, as I've done that once or a thousand times, but I seem to remember that really pure kerosene lamp oil doesn't have an odor.

[gnoahhh]

Quite honestly, I have never treated a hickory rammer with anything. Getting it made from nice straight close grained wood so it starts out straight and semi-flexible is 90% of the battle. I feel that one get a rammer too flexible- I wouldn't want it to flex so much when ramming a tight ball/patch combo so as to also rub the rifling as pressure is applied the length of the bore.

[Rattus58]

their is no wind in the deep woods along the canadian line and the sun is hard to see, they arent plains indians up their.:grin: so no worries then.... :grin: However.... and I'm no expert of the deep woods, I've never been anywhere where there is no wind. Oftentimes I tie a thread with a feather attached to my rifles for a quick wind indication in that I'm a spot and stalk hunter and this is a trick I learned with my bows that I carried over to the muzzleloader... in light winds it's fairly evident with the feather.

[Rattus58]

Quite honestly, I have never treated a hickory rammer with anything. Getting it made from nice straight close grained wood so it starts out straight and semi-flexible is 90% of the battle. I feel that one get a rammer too flexible- I wouldn't want it to flex so much when ramming a tight ball/patch combo so as to also rub the rifling as pressure is applied the length of the bore. I have Hickory ramrods made from dowels that I have stained and sealed with various sealers in the past. I prefer steel or fiberglass while hunting however... whether aluminum or some other material. So far my Hickory Dowels don't flex much being roughly 100 to 125 pound spine.. :grin:

[Hanshi]

Most of my rods have been soaked in kerosene. I won't swear it helps but I do know it hurts nothing.

[Rattus58]

Most of my rods have been soaked in kerosene. I won't swear it helps but I do know it hurts nothing.Doesn't it keep them from drying out and getting brittle in the long run?

[waksupi]

Fiberglas WILL ruin a barrel.

[Rattus58]

Fiberglas WILL ruin a barrel.I've heard that too... but I've used fiberglass for over twenty years... :grin: I think its the operator that ruins the barrel, not the material... in my opinion. :grin:

Aloha.. :cool:

[JMtoolman]

I used to soak ramrods in a mix of 1/2 turpentine, and 1/2 linseed oil for a week or so, and it made them act like a plastic ramrod. They were tough and flexable and never had one break. The toolman.

[mooman76]

I coated my ramrod from my first ML with a polymer coating. I've heard that helps plus I don't get the glass going into my hand when running it up the rod. I am careful when I use it so it doesn't touch the barrel when running the rod up and down. I'd replace it but I don't really shoot that one much any more.

[Big Rack]

I think that in the info section of Dixie's catalog it talked about soaking hickory ramrods in kerosene for a period of time. Once all the fibers were soaked the ramrod would bend instead of break. Wether it's still in there I don't know.

[SamTexas49]

For fiberglass rods some sort of barrel collar (brass or plastic) to keep rod centered. The fiber glass can "cut" or wear on the metal at muzzle. For the last 45 yrs. all I've used on my hickory rods is good ole Johnson paste wax, rubbed in with a soft cloth till I can feel heat in my hands from rubbing. All 4 rifles and extra rods still workable and no breaks yet.

[wch]

I remember reading about soaking them in "coal oil"....whatever that is? I have no idea where to get it either. I am interested in hearing other suggestions.

Ok, I just looked it up. Coal Oil is an old time name for Kerosine. The same stuff.

Kerosene was produced by heating coal in a retort- thus "coal oil".

[Old Scribe]

I've used kerosene for years. I have a 48" PVC pipe, glued cap on the bottom, and soak the ram rods in it. I have several ramrods and rotate them into the kerosene. After a few days of air drying, I apply Burchwood-Casey Barricade and don't worry about the smell. Never had a buck turn a nose at me for the smell. Like the previous poster said hunt down wind with yer back to the sun.

[OverMax]

I remember years back when there wasn't a whole lot of gun care products found in the market place other than Hoppe's #9 and 3-In-One Oil. My father at times used Neatsfoot oil in a pinch on just about everything. From our boots to his gun stocks up to and including the old plugs harness. Not much odor and to a degree water poof and no doubt it would soak into just about anything porous. Unlike linseed oil and animal fats. Neatsfoot oil doesn't get sticky or turn rancid. Being most ram rods are made of straight grain hardwoods. {Hickory, Rmin and such.} I would suggest trying it for a Ram Rod soak.

"I also recently read of someone recommending another liquid for conditioning that supposedly lasts longer."
I wonder if this could be the liquid your thinking of: thinned lacquer stain.

[pietro]

.

FWIW, I too have been soaking my ramrods in kero - for over 35 years.

I never broke one, and the smell of the kero disappears after a few days out of the bath.

I use a capped PVC tube, and soak them for a full month.

The only RR's I haven't replaced with kero-soaked hickory are the one or two front stuffers I bought used, that already had the old T/C impregnated wood RR's.


.

[mooman76]

.

FWIW, I too have been soaking my ramrods in kero - for over 35 years.

I never broke one, and the smell of the kero disappears after a few days out of the bath.

I use a capped PVC tube, and soak them for a full month.

The only RR's I haven't replaced with kero-soaked hickory are the one or two front stuffers I bought used, that already had the old T/C impregnated wood RR's.


.

Well which is it? Do you soak them for a month or 35 years?:bigsmyl2:

[longbow]

I am with Ric on the fiberglass ramrods. Haven't used one myself but know a couple of guys who got them years ago because they were unbreakable. They may well be but these guys wound up with oval muzzles on their rifles.

If the fiberglass can touch the bore it will cut the steel. If you use a bore guide or the fiberglass is coated they may be fine. I wouldn't use them myself.

Longbow

[Rattus58]

I am with Ric on the fiberglass ramrods. Haven't used one myself but know a couple of guys who got them years ago because they were unbreakable. They may well be but these guys wound up with oval muzzles on their rifles.

If the fiberglass can touch the bore it will cut the steel. If you use a bore guide or the fiberglass is coated they may be fine. I wouldn't use them myself.

LongbowBy the time a fiberglass ramrod could hurt your bore, you'd have done a ton of shooting and would still be grinnin whilst you attached a simple brass screw and some cutting compound to a hand drill to clean it back up again... some couple of years later.... decades for most... :grin:

I believe in bore guides however for all ramrods to keep the elements out of the bore. Centering the rod with your hand otherwise is in my opinion quite necessary... and this is where fiberglass is/can be more of a pain than recrowning your barrel. :cool::grin:

[Hanshi]

I have a coated fiberglass rod I use with my Crockett. I used the wood rod that came with it for years with no problem. I still have the original rod but use it mostly for display, nowadays. I have a home made muzzle guard on the fiberglass rod to prevent damage.

[waksupi]

By the time a fiberglass ramrod could hurt your bore, you'd have done a ton of shooting and would still be grinnin whilst you attached a simple brass screw and some cutting compound to a hand drill to clean it back up again... some couple of years later.... decades for most... :grin:


Start running a drill in the bore, unless you are going for a smooth bore, will finish ruining the barrel. What do I know, though? I've only built a couple hundred ML's. and replaced barrels on maybe a dozen from misuse.

[fatboy]

had a friend when I first started buckskinning who had been in it for a long time then. he swore by soaking his ramrods on neat's-foot oil in a pvc pipe. my experience has been over the last almost 30 years is it works ok as long as the grain is straight. I quit the practice after having the grain slip on a new ramrod I had just put together, creating a quite effective spear which hurt like hell going in. though I believe the extraction was easier since the oil made it a little more slippery on the way out. now I just use them as they come and rub a little RIG into them when I clean the rifle to keep the surface smooth.

[longbow]

I won't argue that a bore guide might have prevented the damage but the damage was done in an amazingly short time... like maybe a couple of years at most and more than a re-crowning job was required as lands were about removed for a bit down the bore.

It may well depend on the type of fiberglass used and the fact these guys were sloppy using their ramrods but these rods were ABRASIVE and quickly damaged the barrels. As Hanshi says, a coated fiberglass rod may be fine.

If you want an unbreakable ram rod that looks traditional, I bought one from a guy at a shoot in Oregon many years ago. He used a piece of about 3/16" steel rod encased in hickory. He slotted two strips 1/2 depth each to take the rod, glued the strips together with the rod inside then doweled it and added brass fittings. Maybe not necessary but it looked good and worked. Not hard to make if you have a table saw and/or router table.

Not sure if it was truly unbreakable but I never broke it... mind you I haven't ever broken a hickory ramrod either.

YMMV

Longbow

[Rattus58]

Start running a drill in the bore, unless you are going for a smooth bore, will finish ruining the barrel. What do I know, though? I've only built a couple hundred ML's. and replaced barrels on maybe a dozen from misuse. Where did you get that tidbit from.. hahahahahaa how do you think old time "gunsmiths" recrowned their barrels...... you can recrown with almost anything from brass slotted screws, abrasive stones, to case trimmers... I don't know what you know.... but I do seek information when I need something and you'd be surprised at exactly what is out there if you ask.

[Rattus58]

I won't argue that a bore guide might have prevented the damage but the damage was done in an amazingly short time... like maybe a couple of years at most and more than a re-crowning job was required as lands were about removed for a bit down the bore.

It may well depend on the type of fiberglass used and the fact these guys were sloppy using their ramrods but these rods were ABRASIVE and quickly damaged the barrels. As Hanshi says, a coated fiberglass rod may be fine.

If you want an unbreakable ram rod that looks traditional, I bought one from a guy at a shoot in Oregon many years ago. He used a piece of about 3/16" steel rod encased in hickory. He slotted two strips 1/2 depth each to take the rod, glued the strips together with the rod inside then doweled it and added brass fittings. Maybe not necessary but it looked good and worked. Not hard to make if you have a table saw and/or router table.

Not sure if it was truly unbreakable but I never broke it... mind you I haven't ever broken a hickory ramrod either.

YMMV

LongbowI use hickory for my arrows and for those thimbles that they will fit on several of my muzzleloaders. I have aluminum ramrods as well that came with my Whites and a couple of other guns I've tried as well as Delrin.. pliable and useless on tight bores and only probably suited to the slip fit affairs of the Whites. I've also used fiberglass and I think the hit on fiberglass is oversold! The main reason I don't like fiberglass is that any damage to the rod leaves you with long lasting memory if it ever runs through your hand or fingers. If you're into wood... I'd definitely stick with Hickory since its so easy to acquire.

I'm still also convinced beyond any doubt, that you use a ramrod guide which on guns that I have a long enough ramrod, I have affixed permanently.

That idea of channeling a half inch square shaft and inserting steel is an interesting one and quite doable for anyone with router.. I might try that just for grins.... :cool: :grin:

[waksupi]

Where did you get that tidbit from.. hahahahahaa how do you think old time "gunsmiths" recrowned their barrels...... you can recrown with almost anything from brass slotted screws, abrasive stones, to case trimmers... I don't know what you know.... but I do seek information when I need something and you'd be surprised at exactly what is out there if you ask.

The crown isn't the problem. It's the first six inches or so in the barrel that gets unevenly funneled and destroyed. If the fiberglass bows at all, it also creates wear in the middle of the bore. Knock yourself out, I don't care what you do to your guns. Give me a fiberglass rod, and your rifle, I can most likely cut through the barrel into the bore in under an hour.

[Rattus58]

The crown isn't the problem. It's the first six inches or so in the barrel that gets unevenly funneled and destroyed. If the fiberglass bows at all, it also creates wear in the middle of the bore. Knock yourself out, I don't care what you do to your guns. Give me a fiberglass rod, and your rifle, I can most likely cut through the barrel into the bore in under an hour.yer going to have to prove that to me somehow.... hahaha.... one hour through my barrel hey... took me 20 minutes with a hack saw.... but an hour with a fiberglass rod.... and bending rods... you know... I just couldn't duplicate that... tell me how does that happen...

[gnoahhh]

I think the whole reason behind the idea for having an über-flexible hickory ramrod (and for the advent of synthetic- fiberglass, delrin, aluminum, brass,etc.- rods) is that the average Joe doesn't 'choke up' enough on his rammer before pushing down. A couple inches at a time is all you need, but I constantly see guys at the range starting out a foot or more above the muzzle. The chance for breakage (and injury) is undoubtedly increased dramatically with such practice, hence the 'need' for high flexibility. A flexible rod is the answer to a question that need not be asked, in that regard.

Waksupi and I don't always see eye-to-eye, but in this instance he's 100% right. The abrasive effects of fiberglass are phenomenal, and any bowing, whether at the muzzle or halfway down will cause friction wear that will degrade the rifling to one degree or another. That goes for a super flexible hickory rod too, just not as much as with a fiberglass rod.

Centering a rod with a bore guide is all well and good, but is it flexing/rubbing way down beyond the bore guide? Probably.

Just make the thing out of premium quality hickory, make it straight, and don't worry about the alchemy of making it flexible.

[johnson1942]

saw a very heavy barreled original hawken rifle that had to be fired from cross sticks and was used in the bufflalo hunts. it was in very good shape in all areas except one. the muzzle had deep grooves in 3 or more places from the ramrod. it must have been fired thousands of times and reloaded with soot and grime on the wooden ramrod to do such muzzle damage. im sure the steel is soft in a barrel in those days but as some one posted a while back soot and grime acts like sandpaper. i have seen 100/s of other old muzzle loaders in both cody wy. and at out local fur trade museum and none had a worn out muzzle like that hawken did. i have range rods with bore guides in several lengths and cal. i use the ram rod on the gun as decoration and the range rod to reload. it may not be traditional but it is practical.

[Rattus58]

I think the whole reason behind the idea for having an über-flexible hickory ramrod (and for the advent of synthetic- fiberglass, delrin, aluminum, brass,etc.- rods) is that the average Joe doesn't 'choke up' enough on his rammer before pushing down. A couple inches at a time is all you need, but I constantly see guys at the range starting out a foot or more above the muzzle. The chance for breakage (and injury) is undoubtedly increased dramatically with such practice, hence the 'need' for high flexibility. A flexible rod is the answer to a question that need not be asked, in that regard.

Waksupi and I don't always see eye-to-eye, but in this instance he's 100% right. The abrasive effects of fiberglass are phenomenal, and any bowing, whether at the muzzle or halfway down will cause friction wear that will degrade the rifling to one degree or another. That goes for a super flexible hickory rod too, just not as much as with a fiberglass rod.

Centering a rod with a bore guide is all well and good, but is it flexing/rubbing way down beyond the bore guide? Probably.

Just make the thing out of premium quality hickory, make it straight, and don't worry about the alchemy of making it flexible.

I have a White Muzzleloading barrel that I'm working on at the moment and as soon as I heard that I sayed to myself... hmmmm maybe so.... and promptly attempted to see if that in fact could happen.... Well... imagine my surprise.... You all are of course free to show me how that happens.

Further, you all are going to have to show me exactly how abrasive fiberglass rods are because I'm now flat out telling you it aint happening. I've a couple of old fiberglass rods that are 15 years old maybe from Dixie Gun Works... and you know what..... in my opinion... you all are persuing old wifes tails. Here is what I'm saying. 1. If you use a bore guide, you are safe with fiberglass. 2. If you use a bore guide you will have NO PROBLEMS with fiberglass ramrods. 3. With slip fit bullets, the only thing that I use, you will have no problems with with fiberglass ramrods "bending, bowing, or otherwise abrading the sides of the bore affecting rifling" moreso with a bore guide. 4. Patched round balls. You will have no problems pushing a patched ball down the bore with a bore guide if properly fitted. Now with sabots... I have no idea.

I'm not buying your horror stories of fiberglass.. I'm sorry... I know you all have way more experience than I do, but I'm not convinced by your anecdotal pronouncements especially the the bowing in barrel stories of fiberglass when properly handled and one uses a bore guide. Frankly, I don't see aluminum to be any less a threat to a bore than your perceived fiberglass issues... I don't see ANY ramrod wood, glass, steel, to be free of issue nor simple solution... which all of the experience here don't seem to either a) be aware of (crowing solutions) or b) reject because it doesn't fit your storyline.

In the old days, barrels used to be "shot out" quite regularly. Why is that? Was it the ramrod? I wasn't around back in them days, but black powder residue in the form of carbon, sulfur and such are I would expect, abrasive. Cleaning between shots I'm convinced helps minimize that abrasion. An over powder wad for patched balls in particular but all bullets in general, I also am convinced, help minimize those abrasion by to some degree gently wiping the barrel back to the breech. I could be wrong on that... but perception is reality.. :grin: Lots of shooting, poor barrel maintenance all contribute to barrel health... as does just shooting it.

Lastly.... EVERYTHING THAT YOU PUT IN YOUR BARREL affects its health and performance. Greasy conicals with dirt on them.... are no less important.

You all are going to have to prove to me that fiberglass ramrods of the type I have from Dixie Gun Works are any threat... to a barrel with a bore guide in use and am I the only one that finds laughable that you can saw through a gun barrel with a fiberglass ramrod... :grin:

Aloha.... :cool:

[waksupi]

Okay, take your fiberglass ram rod, and start sawing back and forth on the outside of the barrel. Let me know how long it takes to show visible damage.

[Rattus58]

Okay, take your fiberglass ram rod, and start sawing back and forth on the outside of the barrel. Let me know how long it takes to show visible damage.I'd be happy to. I don't see me getting 10 thousandths of an inch in a day. Personally, I think you all are embarking on chasing vapors. While I don't disagree that you can create barrel damage with ANY ramrod, to emphasize fiberglass as a culprit is just folly. I don't doubt that if my rods wore past the protective coating that encase the rod now and exposed a more serrated sort of surface, I presume that it could possibly wear the crown, but not if one uses a bore guide, which I do religiously. Two, and I mentioned this earlier, but you conveniently seemed to ignore, once fiberglass is damaged, you the shooter have a more serious threat from the glass than the gun does.

I use all kinds of ramrods. I can find something wrong with ALL OF THEM. Wood to me is the more aesthetic and HICKORY IN MY OPINION is about as good as you can get... which I also said previously. You can engage here with me in a pissing match, but I warn you, I'm a pilot of 40 years having to spend hours in a cockpit between rest stops.... my bladder I assure you is superior to yours. I think we as shooters, and YOU as more experienced shooters and muzzleloaders should be promoting the safe handling of firearms, the safe treatment of firearms, and ways to overcome shortcomings of what are presented us as shooters.

Fiberglass is no manufacturers first choice today, so the issue is almost moot. But ramrods wind up in strange places... so keep your banter on the firing line down to cease fire/ range clear periods... people look for alternatives to expensive factory offerings. I agree with a previous poster about the dangers of wood with improper loading technique and that too, to me, is a more serious threat than what little damage you can do to the muzzle crown with a properly employed any other kind of range/ram rod.

Aloha.. :cool::grin:

[waksupi]

Okay, try it with an UNCOATED rod, and report back.

[Rattus58]

Okay, try it with an UNCOATED rod, and report back.So far... barrel 1.. rod 0. :grin:

[waksupi]

I believe you are full of something I can't mention here. Have fun.

[johnson1942]

probably the problem isnt the material of the ram rod it is the grime and soot on it. i suspect all of here are so anal that it couldnt happen to any of our guns because we are here because we love our muzzle loaders. we wouldnt let a speck of soot or grime remain on anything. im know my self im not as carefull as i should be with the stocks, how ever when it come to the barrel and other metal parts they are clean and grime free, inside and out. you guys are to, we all like our equipment and besides most of us are not rich here, who could afford to neglect their toys.

[Rattus58]

I believe you are full of something I can't mention here. Have fun.My my..... hahaha..... well then Waky baby... you know... you are FREE... I tell you FREE.... to prove your point. I went to the trouble to actually take one of my barrels and start sawing on it. When they about the character of a man Waky... hahahahhaa..... well you can post your youtube saw job at anytime then..... it surely will be of much interest to the entire muzzleloading world... yup... saw through a barrel in an hour.... Love it..... I was on my way to actually show you what I learned.... but you are now free to prove your points on your own... hahahahaha..... and yes there are words that describe your behaviors.... hahahaha..... one barrel in an hour...

[waksupi]

This is about 100 strokes with a fiberglass rod. The edge of the octagon is already rounded over.
Just to cover another discussion, this section of barrel had been polished bright, and hydrogen peroxide applied.
84894

[gon2shoot]

Try Mink oil on your hickory and see what you think.

[dondiego]

Ok, I will try some different things on my hickory rods and see what happens. Thanks for all of the info........well most of it. I will only be using peroxide on my cuts I can see that for sure! (Don't know how to add those smiley face things)

Don - my first thread to go to 3 pages!

[gnoahhh]

Whoo boy. Mr. Rattus may be on to something. Without knowing it, he perceived the answer and warped his evidence to support it. Sort of ***-backwards scientific method. I guess 40-year pilots can be as hide bound as anyone else.

Granted, a slip-fit projectile (which I suppose is normal for most inlines) doesn't offer much resistance to a rammer and likely won't cause it to bow and in turn scuff the bore of the firearm. The only concession I'm willing to make is that I never considered that, never having owned an inline (and never will). My experience is with traditional rifles, all of which give/gave me best accuracy with tight fitting patch and ball combos- and therein lies the crux of my biscuit.

If this thread turns into a pissing contest, it is because of gentlemen who immediately start ridiculing others in their posts and thus raising hackles.

I'm outta here. My bladder's not so reliable anymore!

[Rattus58]

Whoo boy. Mr. Rattus may be on to something. Without knowing it, he perceived the answer and warped his evidence to support it. Sort of ***-backwards scientific method. I guess 40-year pilots can be as hide bound as anyone else.

Granted, a slip-fit projectile (which I suppose is normal for most inlines) doesn't offer much resistance to a rammer and likely won't cause it to bow and in turn scuff the bore of the firearm. The only concession I'm willing to make is that I never considered that, never having owned an inline (and never will). My experience is with traditional rifles, all of which give/gave me best accuracy with tight fitting patch and ball combos- and therein lies the crux of my biscuit.

If this thread turns into a pissing contest, it is because of gentlemen who immediately start ridiculing others in their posts and thus raising hackles.

I'm outta here. My bladder's not so reliable anymore!
It may surprise you to learn that the 58 in my handle refers to the 58's that I shoot... all of them traditional. The two 54's of mine are flintlocks. The 45's I own are pistols and a volunteer, all traditional, the 40 I own is traditional. 2 other .41's are inline, 3 other 45's are inline... all based upon the Whitworth/Henry rifling... the point is, I have many thousands of rounds in sidelocks and the patched ball. I was early on taught to use a bore guide or if that wasn't available (and there is no reason for them not to be) to use my hand to guide the ramrod. There is not a shred of evidence that in my shooting style a ramrod may touch the rifling except at the muzzle, and a bore guide minimizes that opportunity. My 58's use roundballs and minies.... undersized bullets... so this isn't an inline question on its own. I don't fight my firearm, not with a bullet, and not with a roundball. Hammering a roundball with a tight patch and a barrel not whistle clean means what to you... :grin:

Anyways.... apparently it all a lie ... so waki or whatever his name is can have this thread to himself.

[waksupi]

Sorry to bring some truth and proof to the topic.

[Rattus58]

Sorry to bring some truth and proof to the topic.laughable... you're afraid of the truth

[waksupi]

The picture doesn't lie.

[Rattus58]

The picture doesn't lie.No... and neither do mine... that you considered bull chit before you even saw them..... you are laughable

However... how far have you gotten on the barrel.... halfway yet?

[Maven]

No horse in this race, but has no one seen the Bevel Brothers' column on this, i.e., ramrod composition and muzzle abrasion, several years ago in "Muzzle Blasts"?

[waksupi]

Didn't see that Maven.

Rattus - You know we are actually arguing the same point. I'm saying it will damage the bore. You say you are using a muzzle protector, so are acknowledging that you are aware of the problem, or wouldn't be using the protector. So, I guess we just approach the problem in different ways.

[Rattus58]

Didn't see that Maven.

Rattus - You know we are actually arguing the same point. I'm saying it will damage the bore. You say you are using a muzzle protector, so are acknowledging that you are aware of the problem, or wouldn't be using the protector. So, I guess we just approach the problem in different ways.Ok... I apologize! Better we be on the same side..... :grin:

84957

[Kilroy08]

This is about 100 strokes with a fiberglass rod. The edge of the octagon is already rounded over.
Just to cover another discussion, this section of barrel had been polished bright, and hydrogen peroxide applied.
84894

More like 100 strokes with dull half round bastard file.

I've got a fiberglass rod for range use, it hasn't hurt any of my guns or my father's in 35 years.

9 times out of 10 it's the mechanic, not the tool.