how hard should the bullet be pushed down to seat it against the powder charge? I use pyrodex grains powder and powerbelt bullets ....
thanks guys

Push it down as far as you possibly can.......you cannot push the charge too far down the barrel, but you can push it not far enough (which is a VERY bad thing). Basically, I compress the charge until it hurts my hand.....my ramrod is hollow on the upper end and the indentations it leaves in my hand make me look like I was attacked by an octopus by the end of the day.

T/C makes a screw-on, folding T-handle that screws into that hole in the ramrod and I really like using it at the range........it doesn't leave the "octopus" marks and gives me all the leverage I could ever want.


"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)

Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!

Like Mark stated I push the bullet down far as possible then I tap the thing a time or two by pulling up the ram rod up and tamping it hard on to the bullet to make sure that it is seated.Practice and Be SAFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seat the bullet to the depth mark on your ramrod (which you make the first time you load a clean barrel with the specific charge) then apply 40 to 50 pounds of pressure, IF USING PYRODEX. For other substitutes and black powder, not as much seating pressure is required. I am very much against "tapping" or pounding the ramrod onto the ball or bullet. The idea, for accuracy, if to fire as pristine a projectile as possible. Tapping or pounding deforms the bullet, reducing accuracy. In the movies, you often see the "mountain man" whanging away with his ramrod after the ball is all the way down. This is nonsense, and is never done by anyone who wants to hit anything!!

Keep yore powder dry!!

I seat the ball or bullet with a hard steady pressure to the mark on the ramrod where the gun was loaded when it was clean. This is also a good indicater of when to clean the barrel or swab a little better. As eldeguello pointed out, slamming the ramrod against the projectile is foolish and will not accomplish anything other then to deform the thing. I have even seen people at the range, after they have the ball seated, they take their ball starter, and tap a little on the top of the ramrod to get that extra measure, as they call it. They have probably put a nice dent in the soft lead round ball, or bullet. I also use pyrodex RS grains, although I have been playing with Clean Shot, and kind of like the stuff...<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

I have to laugh every time i see some one do that at the range. I seen a guy do that one time and then forget to take his ram rod out and then shoot it. Typical

Steady firm consistant pressure is recommended!
I never tap or tamp the rod! I've been shooting BP for
better than 25 yrs, built my own guns and hunted alot of PA's rifle season with a Hawkins 50 cal. I have read and been taught NEVER tamp the rod! I see lot's of guys doin it and they refuse to listen when
I try to help.
Good luck

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
I have to laugh every time i see some one do that at the range. I seen a guy do that one time and then forget to take his ram rod out and then shoot it. Typical


<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>That was ME! Or maybe im not the
only dummmy whos done that. Havent seen my
fiberglass ramrod since.

jerseyboy said it well.Tapping,tamping,rapping the ram rod on top of bullet is a NO-NO.The only thing it does is deform bullet.If your using powder,lightly tap the butt of gun on ground 2-3 times to settle powder.Push the bullet FIRMLY onto powder charge using exactly the same pressure every time you load.

If your groups at range don't improve I'll buy you somthin nice.