sabotloader

L. Clement

Breaking the stud off a jag certainly is not new, that little brass stud is very suseptible to breaking when it becomes loose on the rod... been there done that....

The jag works loose because of your pumoing action of patchingthe barrel with a solid rod... when you draw it back up it will tend to unscrew... A couple of ways to beat this... 1 tighten the jag into the end of the rrod or purchase a swivel jag like the spin jag. I use a spin jag on my range rod and it is a terrific device...



http://www.spinjag.com/

It is expensive but it works great, and notice there is a steel screw stud for screwing into you rrod...

L. Clement

Yep I went out and got a swiveling jag and that has taken car of the problem. I think it even seems to clean slightly better then one that broke. Great little piece of equipment.

lemoyne

When you use the extended jags like the one the end spins on it is very easy to bend it on the small end if it loose annd you dont notice. Also the small end has to go in the gun, if you want to leave a jag on the push pointed bullets down for reloading while hunting you have to put it on the big end. Of course you can always ignore the fact that damage on the nose of the bullet can make them fly eraticly. Lee

Tahquamenon

After bending and breaking more factory rodsand jagsthan I can remember [:@], I switched a few years agoto using a range rod at both the range and in the field. Sure, it's somethjing else to drag along but it works better than any flimsy factory rod ever will.

Omega's and Encores have fairly tight bores and I find that they typically load much happier and shoot more consistantly accuratewhen they are clean.
[ol][*]Loose the No 13 cleaner. First of all it does not effectively clean for the field (does it effectively clean anything?). Second, it can leave moisture in the bore which can cause a sabot to stick like it was welded. Try swabbing the bore after each shot with a damp (not wet) patch or 50/50 Mix of 99% Alcohol & Windex. Short stroke the patch down and up, flip and do again followed by a dry patch. Then the bore will be clean and dry. The two most successful elements to happy sabot loading. If you are a clean bore POI type like me, then you are set. Otherwise then you will need to occassionally clean the bore when loading becomes miserable. Again, I would forget about the No.13 cleaner.[*]Get a decent range rod. Nothing is more frustrating that trying to manhandle a stubborn sabot with the factory rod. I only use range rods in the field as well. Cabelas or XS Sight Systmes have nice collapsing range rods that are easy enough to tote in your shooting pouch.http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=srchdx&id=0037514216136a&a mp;navCount=1&podId=0037514&parentId=cat20 819&navAction=push&catalogCode=IG&rid= &parentType=index&indexId=cat20819&has JS=true[*]http://www.xssights.com/store/blackpowder.html[*]Short starting helps a bunch to get things on their way to the breech and helps to prevent breaking jags at the fragile threaded portion as short starting gets the load into the bore past the jag. Equip a quality short starter with a spire point loading jag (along with the range rod). Gently tap the short started Shockwave with the palm of your hand or a small nylon hammer. Knight has a nice short starter. http://www.knightrifles.com/productDetail.aspx?id=324600[*]You should be also using a bore guide with a range rod or short starter: 3/8" rods are common. Track of the Wolf has bore guides. www.trackofthewolf.com[*]Lastly, some companies also have replacement rods for the factory rod. Frankly, I would rather have my hands on a meaty range rod to deal with a tough to load projectile. I have yet to bend or break a range rod.[*]Lastlier still, I would also forget about the mythical fast followup shots. It's when you are in a hurry is when you break rods, forget critical loading procedures (like priming,dry balling (loading without powder)or removing your rod before shooting - all of which I have done at one time or another). Take your time and make your first shot count. I have let more deer go because the shot placement opportunity was not there. There is time to reload, and if not all the hurry may or may not result in actually getting off a faster followup shot. For a faster follow-up than a sabot, I carry a speedloader with a measured charge and a large slip-fit conical or powerbelt. These can be loaded without much wrestling and at least give you something to shoot for a faster follow-up.[/ol]Brass or aluminum rods will not harm your bore in the least. As mentioned above, a bore guide is how you prevent premature wear of the muzzle.

Good Luck!



Tahquamenon

Gimpy

I have a Spin Jag on my ramrod. Stays on there all the time, even when hunting.Never had any problems.