Load indicator mark on ramrod

[Whitesmoke]

I was at the range and observed a shooter who was unsure if he had a loaded as he got distracted by talking with someone.
I was able to assist by lending him a rubber tube to push over the nipple and blow through it to prove it was not loaded.

It came to me to put an indelible mark (with a small triangular file) on the range rod to indicate the unloaded position.
The thing is I have not been aware of anyone in my twenty something years of experience of others doing it, nor I have I seen it mentioned online.

I just wonder why it is not a common practice.

regards

Whitesmoke

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Whether common or not I have done this for years. My dad did so also.
Mike in Peru

[dromia]

Common practice with me and most of the M/L shooters I know, been doing it for 40 odd years now and it certainly wasn't new when I started.

Probably been done since the first ramrod was used.

[Taylor]

One of the first things I learned about muzzleloaders.

[00buck]

I mark my ramrod on a fully seated boolits so I know it is on the powder charge

[KeithL]

I've heard it recommended many times. Try making a mark with a pencil or sharpie. The file could weaken the ram rod.

[tigweldit]

I have a .41 cal John Henry and Son, from 1860, with the original ram rod. The rod has two very light knife marks on it. One for empty the other for loaded. This rifle has not been fired since the early 1960's. So this practice has been around for a while.

[C. Latch]

I've never had a range rod, just the standard-length rods, and I've always found that once I know how much of the rod is sticking out of the barrel when it's empty, and deviation from that is a reliable indicator that something is already in the barrel.

On a related note, I have seen the effects of loading a muzzleloader twice, and it isn't pretty.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

I normally use tape or my special range rod. I never carve into a ramrod simply due to the fact that loads change all the time and you'll have half a dozen marks on your ramrod before its all said and done.

[waksupi]

Everyone I know marks them. Usual method is to just lay a knife blade on the ramrod when it's in the barrel, give it a spin, and you have your mark. No need to use a file.

[pietro]

.

Blowing one's breath through the ignition channel, to see if the barrel's loaded or not, has been known to add enough moisture to the rear of an empty bore to occasionally cause a misfire.

:holysheep

It's very simple, to determine if a muzzleloader is loaded or unloaded - just drop the RR downbore until it stops naturally, and grasp the RR with your thumb against the muzzle before withdrawing the RR from the bore.

W/O shifting the thumb, place the RR along the outside of the barrel, with the same thumb at the muzzle.

If the rear end of the RR reaches fairly close to the nipple or (flintlock) vent, the barrel's unloaded. :bigsmyl2:

If the rear end of the RR reaches to a few inches short of the ignition area, the barrel most likely has either a powder/boolit, or just a boolit (dry-balled), seated. :rolleyes:


Once a fixed hunting or target loading is determined, the RR can be scribed at the muzzle, when it's downbore after seating that load's powder/boolits - as a reference to ensure that the boolit's fully-seated against the powder charge.

:drinks:


.

[idahoron]

I have always scratched a line on my rods. The only rods I use are aluminum for my rods in my rifles and I use a brass range rod. Marking your ram rod is one of the fundamental SOP's of Black powder hunter Ed. I am surprised that you had never ran into it.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

we teach the 4-H kids that is the first thing they do , we often mark the ramrods with tape when using a range rod , but all of my factory ramrods that stay with the guns have a line scribed or are the same length as the barrel

[bubba.50]

a sharpie has always worked for me. if the load changes a bit of nail polish remover on a cotton ball "erases" it so ya can make a mark for the new load.

[.455 Webley]

Thanks for the nail polish remover tip Bubba.50!

[Mk42gunner]

Everyone I know marks them. Usual method is to just lay a knife blade on the ramrod when it's in the barrel, give it a spin, and you have your mark. No need to use a file.

This is the way I have done it since I built my first CVA Kentucky pistol kit in 1977 or 78. It doesn't take much of a mark, so weakening of the ramrod really isn't an issue.

Robert

[NSB]

It's called a "witness mark" and it's been done as long as they've been using muzzle loading rifles.

[rfd]

amongst the first things ya need to learn about front stuffers and this is why ml newbies need to talk to us olde tymers. :grin:

[Whitesmoke]

Thanks for the comments ,
I commonly use a range rod which now has a small line - a thou or two lathe engraved engraved on the 5/16" diameter rod. No worries , I am confident it won't break in my lifetime.No I won't do the same to a wooden rod.I have seen a split one go through a shooters hand. That is why I drag around mt stainless steel r/rod with nylon muzzle protector.The file was what I had and just made a scratch mark

Other muzzleloaders may use the gauge line but truly,in 20 years of shooting in Australia I have never noticed a example, nor recall any shooter speaking of it.
I have shot quite a few other peoples ML rifles "Here, have a shot of this" and surely would have have noticed during the load process.
Possibly our blokes just mentally take note of the distance between the muzzle and end of the ramrod /range rod, I can't say for sure.
I know loads can be variable but the distance of bottom of empty chamber to muzzle end is consistent,that what I am using.

I have downloaded muzzle loader rifle instruction sheets- surprised to find no mention in the ones I did.

Most of the good info I gained over the years came from yarning with the experienced guys. Crikey.I have missed rendezvous matches ,because of yabbering with an older fellow and not keeping an ear out for a shooters to the line call.
No doubt its a question I'll be asking shooting companions when I encounter them next.

Thank you for your responses

[waarp8nt]

I use the Sharpie if I am uncertain as to whether or not I'm going to keep it and use the pocket knife method if she is a keeper. Guess my smoke poles have to earn their knife mark.

[leeggen]

The marking of the ramrod was in the owners manual of my TC in 1987. I have done that ever sense.
CD

[oldfart1956]

Putting a witness mark on a range rod (metal I assume) would be fine but I'm advising against using a knife to do the same on a wooden hunting ramrod. Did that to the small dia. ramrod for the 42inch .36 cal. I built and sure as **** out in the woods 1 1/2 hours away from home that ramrod snapped right on the line. Now mind ye...I handsplit that ramrod out of hickory I cut down myself. No grain run out in that rod. So after driving all that way I got to spend several hours with a ramrod flush to the muzzle and the load a couple inches off the breech. Hunting with some friends and wasn't gonna spoil their hunt so I had a fancy walking stick for the day. Never again. Now all my flintlocks have non-period correct custom made aluminum ramrods. Almost as light as wood and nearly indestructible. My range rod is a Belding&Mull steel rod that I could drive railroad spikes with using a sledgehammer. Audie...the Oldfart.

[Tom W.]

If you can "bounce" your ramrod you'll be hitting your breech face. If it "thuds" there's a ball down there.......

[Petrol & Powder]

I've seen everything from file marks, paint, nail polish, sharpie marker (probably the most practical), tape & burn marks. My favorite was a steel ramrod that had the last few inches polished and the end carefully blued to indicate the required line.

[OverMax]

Marking the rod is old school. Many shooters don't see the marking of his/her rod a necessity. >But they should. < Double charges in the heat of the moment are a real possibility for anyone. And no doubt are dangerous to say the least.

There are many ways to mark a rod to make it look really cool too. For instance. The ram rods on all my T/C Traditional's are made of Brass tubing. I marked those rods with a light indent made with a pipe cutter. Circled the rod 3 times to make 3 separate indentations. Quite easy to see. And feel in those late afternoon hunts. {Especially to these old eyes.} How one could mark their rod is simply up to ones imagination. Brass welding rod. Ring of stainless. Poured pewter even. What ever. It's all good. Just so long as you get er done is the main thing.

[fouronesix]

Very old idea. I heard about it and been doing it in some form since 1968. I used to file or carve a thin line around the rod at the muzzle. OK to do that for a load that will not change, however decided it was kind of stupid for a gun and/or ramrod that may be used with different loads and projectiles. I usually just wrap a thin strip of masking tape around rod at the muzzle now.

[lobogunleather]

Are there still people out there using front stuffers without an index mark on the ramrod?

[Whitesmoke]

From what I can discern the majority don't seem to make this a practice .

I spoke to one man who told me his rod is not marked , but he uses 2 fingers width as the measurement from muzzle (with muzzle guide) to to the handle of the range rod, to indicate an empty unloaded chamber .

Bear in mind that traditional muzzle loaders shooters in Oz are pretty thin on the ground and not likely to be more than a couple of thousand. In a twenty mile radius of the city I live maybe theres only a dozen or two.

Conversations and questioning of fellow shooters will continue as I have only spoken to a few so far.The rest are probably still on their annual holidays,

Best wishes for the New Year.

[rfd]

geez louise, it makes perfect sense to mark yer ramrod for an empty barrel. you'll be glad ya did .... eventually. just do it. marking for a specific load is another matter, and can be helpful. but the empty mark is critical.

[fouronesix]

It pays to know how your gun is put together. Run your ramrod with whatever jag or tip or whatever down an empty bore when you first get your muzzleloader. Pull it out while holding the empty depth location @ muzzle with your fingers and compare to outside of barrel. There is NO substitute for knowing how your gun is put together. Geeze is right, this isn't rocket science.

[rfd]

.... It pays to know how your gun is put together. ...

absolutely. some, maybe even most, folks don't even know if they have a patent breech plug in their trad side lock's barrel.

[heelerau]

I was at the range and observed a shooter who was unsure if he had a loaded as he got distracted by talking with someone.
I was able to assist by lending him a rubber tube to push over the nipple and blow through it to prove it was not loaded.

It came to me to put an indelible mark (with a small triangular file) on the range rod to indicate the unloaded position.
The thing is I have not been aware of anyone in my twenty something years of experience of others doing it, nor I have I seen it mentioned online.

I just wonder why it is not a common practice.

regards

Whitesmoke
Mate, I have just started doing just that with my .451 Volunteer, as it is a fairly unfamiliar rifle and I DO get distracted somewhat easily. Works fine, I also have used the same indexing method on my long rifles for years to help with keeping the loading pressure consistent.

[waksupi]

It pays to know how your gun is put together. Run your ramrod with whatever jag or tip or whatever down an empty bore when you first get your muzzleloader. Pull it out while holding the empty depth location @ muzzle with your fingers and compare to outside of barrel. There is NO substitute for knowing how your gun is put together. Geeze is right, this isn't rocket science.

Good point on knowing how a gun is put together. Recently, a member sent me a flintlock pistol to have fun with. When I unbreeched it, I hoped he hadn't shot it much. VERY poorly breeched, I would have hated to shoot it! Certainly nothing I would have ever let out of my shop. I cut off the breech end, rebored and threaded for a new breech plug.

[10 ga]

As a longtime ML shooter I can say marking your loading rod is very import! Shot black from 1962 until 2007. Then got a Savage MLII and now shoot almost exclusively smokeless ML. Have 5 SML now and building another. A marked loading rod is a must, a mistake with any ML can yield catastrophic results. I have seen 3 different black powder guns blow up, not a good thing, but no smokeless ML. Experienced SML shooters check load integrity religiously and a marked rod is the fool proof way to do it. I use heat shrink tape to mark my rods and have dedicated rods for each gun. Safety 1st, accuracy 2nd. 10 ga