Load indicator mark on ramrod

[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