16th and 17th Century Ramrods and Their Tools

Matchlock · 26th May 2014, 05:31 PM

Hi everybody,

Early wooden ramrods, especially those of 'military' guns, were generally fitted with one or two threaded iron finials (German: eiserner Setzerkopf mit Innengewinde). As these finials were made of rolled up sheetiron, they mostly show traces of copper or brass welding over their entire length. They were geared up like that to receive small tools for cleaning the barrel, like a scourer, or to extract a ball with the help of a worm.
Such iron finials on wooden ramrods were in use for at least 500 years, and right up to the late 19th century.

Please see attachments depicting wooden ramrods with threaded iron finials, for various little tools to screw in. It was in the famous and unique Landeszeughaus in Graz (Styrian Armory, Austria), that I took hundreds of photos of ramrod finials of 16th century matchlock muskets. (All in all, and over two decades!, I documented their firearms in more than 3,600 images!).
There, those screw-in tools are preserved in literally 'untouched' condition, and in the so-called 'patch' boxes of the buttstocks of thousands of long guns treasured, with most of them stored on their original racks for at least 360 years ....

I also attached an early 16th century drawing, from the Löffeholz ms., '#2' (only a preliminary term which I assigned to that - generally unknown! - early 16th century jewel of historic weaponry). It was obviously authored in either Nuremberg or possibly Swabia, and in about 1520-30. There, inter alia, is depicted a wooden ramrod with an iron finial to both! ends, together with a vast selection of tools to screw in - see attachment.
Furthermore attached are images of an incredible number of those very rare 16th to 17th century worms and scourers in my collection, some scourers even being combined with a turnscrew!

Now please don't expect me to explain, let alone prove how that might have worked, both possibly and actually - especially when that little tool was screwed to the short iron finial of a wooden ramrod that was at least 120 cm long. For that was the average length of a wooden ramrod for a 'military' long gun of the late Renaissance period of ca. 1600 - like a matchlock or wheellock musket ...

Moreover, may I impress you with the fact that an average musket of that period was about 160 to 170 centimeters (63 to 67 in.) long, meaning a - usually attuned - barrel/ramrod length of about 126 to 135 cm (ca. 50 to 53 in.)!

Attached find images of my comprehensive collection of 16th and 17th worms and scourers.

Please also see:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18557

Have fun studying!
Best,
Michael

26th May 2014, 05:31 PM	#1
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	16th and 17th Century Ramrods and Their Tools - Worms and Scourers Hi everybody, Early wooden ramrods, especially those of 'military' guns, were generally fitted with one or two threaded iron finials (German: eiserner Setzerkopf mit Innengewinde). As these finials were made of rolled up sheetiron, they mostly show traces of copper or brass welding over their entire length. They were geared up like that to receive small tools for cleaning the barrel, like a scourer, or to extract a ball with the help of a worm. Such iron finials on wooden ramrods were in use for at least 500 years, and right up to the late 19th century. Please see attachments depicting wooden ramrods with threaded iron finials, for various little tools to screw in. It was in the famous and unique Landeszeughaus in Graz (Styrian Armory, Austria), that I took hundreds of photos of ramrod finials of 16th century matchlock muskets. (All in all, and over two decades!, I documented their firearms in more than 3,600 images!). There, those screw-in tools are preserved in literally 'untouched' condition, and in the so-called 'patch' boxes of the buttstocks of thousands of long guns treasured, with most of them stored on their original racks for at least 360 years .... I also attached an early 16th century drawing, from the Löffeholz ms., '#2' (only a preliminary term which I assigned to that - generally unknown! - early 16th century jewel of historic weaponry). It was obviously authored in either Nuremberg or possibly Swabia, and in about 1520-30. There, inter alia, is depicted a wooden ramrod with an iron finial to both! ends, together with a vast selection of tools to screw in - see attachment. Furthermore attached are images of an incredible number of those very rare 16th to 17th century worms and scourers in my collection, some scourers even being combined with a turnscrew! Now please don't expect me to explain, let alone prove how that might have worked, both possibly and actually - especially when that little tool was screwed to the short iron finial of a wooden ramrod that was at least 120 cm long. For that was the average length of a wooden ramrod for a 'military' long gun of the late Renaissance period of ca. 1600 - like a matchlock or wheellock musket ... Moreover, may I impress you with the fact that an average musket of that period was about 160 to 170 centimeters (63 to 67 in.) long, meaning a - usually attuned - barrel/ramrod length of about 126 to 135 cm (ca. 50 to 53 in.)! Attached find images of my comprehensive collection of 16th and 17th worms and scourers. Please also see: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18557 Have fun studying! Best, Michael Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 27th May 2014 at 11:01 AM.