I found in Lowes ,and [probably]Home Depot too, seperate from thier regular dowels,in the area where they have thier oak staircase parts,they have oak dowels in all diameters. These dowels,however'are not as long as the common dowels and so for most longrifles they won,t cut it but for Hawkins/plains rifle styles they would be great Ramrods.Not as good,I'm sure as a choice hickory rod but definately better than the common ''hardwood''/poplar dowels found elsewhere.I think about a buck [$1.00] hard to beat,I grabbed one for my renegade!
You just have to be careful of runout on the grain. If the grain is straight all the way, you're ok.
Oak is not nearly as flexible as hickory, that is why it is not chosen for ramrods. It's density and tight grain make it unsuitable for what you want to accomplish and nearly impossible to tell if it has runout or not. Use a brass rod, real hickory with no runout or something that won't break and puncture your hand or arm while ramming a PRB down.
Try this if you want the look of hickory but unbreakable nature of metal; http://www.periodramrod.com/
I had mentioned the same thing on Traditonal muzzleloaders assn. forums and recieved the same instructions so I would remove my recomendation for thier use. thanks,It pays to be safe.Shootrj
Quote from: shootrj2003 on December 07, 2010, 05:12:01 PM
I had mentioned the same thing on Traditonal muzzleloaders assn. forums and recieved the same instructions so I would remove my recomendation for thier use. thanks,It pays to be safe.Shootrj
You know, as a short starter you could use oak, just be sensible about the length.
I've just been wondering since shootrj2003 brought it up anyway. Would it help a lesser quality rod to (1) soak it in kerosene (2) bind it in thin rawhide strips (or something similar) soaked in water so it would tighten as it dries? I know it would have to be a large caliber bore and would be an awful lot of work just to get a decent ramrod but most of us ARE tinkerers, craftsmen and experimenters. Just curious if it could be or has been done.
Soaking a wooden rod in kerosene does absolutely nothing except darkening the wood a bit, but the raw hide wrap might be a good idea, never seen it done though.
All my rods were soaked and still have an "interesting" odor. A friend offered to do it and I figured it couldn't hurt.
Oh, no doubt that it can't hurt.
other than the website mentioned by william, where else is a good place to get a ramrod built to your specs. was also thinking about a brass or steel rod to keep it looking old and handmade. but does brass or other meatals stay in the thimbles ok or does it slide out??
They stay in the thimbles fairly well, but the solid rods (as opposed to hollow tubes) are heavy and can inch their way out while you are treking or due to recoil.
There is probably a lot of ways to make it work but in this we're getting away from the fact that we want strength,longlife and flexibility with simplicity and you would easiest get that from the correct wood or metal[in a traditionalists point of view ]there are OTHER ways and materials but I tread on dark ground and secrets bordering on witchcraft and sorcery,I must go ,I have said to much now ,pilgrim.
Dixie Gunworks Says that soaking helps but the method is to soak them for three months in a container of coal oil[kero]Now I..I.. really must go!