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mykeal · February 13, 2012, 08:23 AM

First - all guns are always loaded. Bouncing a ramrod off the breech face doesn't prove it's unloaded - it just means the gun can leave the line pointed in a safe direction and be secured in it's case. Yes, I know the rod will react differently to loaded and unloaded conditions. The point is the first sentence in this paragraph.

Second - ramrods are not all the same. A light hickory rod will react differently to bouncing than a heavy solid brass rod. The key is to get to know what YOUR rod will do in a specific situation (seated, short, AND empty) in YOUR gun. IMHO, one really should know that.

February 13, 2012, 08:23 AM	#11
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	First - all guns are always loaded. Bouncing a ramrod off the breech face doesn't prove it's unloaded - it just means the gun can leave the line pointed in a safe direction and be secured in it's case. Yes, I know the rod will react differently to loaded and unloaded conditions. The point is the first sentence in this paragraph. Second - ramrods are not all the same. A light hickory rod will react differently to bouncing than a heavy solid brass rod. The key is to get to know what YOUR rod will do in a specific situation (seated, short, AND empty) in YOUR gun. IMHO, one really should know that.