Excellent tips. I will look for the book, Stan. When upland hunting, is there a consensus about whether to carry the ramrod in the loops under the barrels or somewhere else? I purchased a new hickory ramrod so as to not damage the original ebony example. The gun is a good bit lighter without the rod and it would be nicer to carry that way.
If the original is important enough to not risk losing, or damaging, I'd make me up another that will fit in the pipes under the barrels, and use it when hunting. You can buy the bell shaped end for it from Track Of The Wolf. And, I'd carry it under the barrels where it belongs. Only a few ounces in weight.
I made a loading rod for dove shooting many years ago. Since you're on a stand when shooting doves it works very well. Also nice for shooting a round of skeet, or trap. It's a piece of conduit that I "funneled" on the top, and cut and hammered into a point on the other end. I push it into the ground at my stand and drop the loading rod into it. The loading rod is a hickory rod with a "bell" wad pusher on one end and an old solid brass door knob on the other. When walking, as in quail hunting, I just use the ramrod under the barrels.
I have pics of it I could send you by email but, until I find another free photo hosting site (jpgbox doesn't work for me anymore), I can't post them here.
