Range time!

[MaIIIa]

You don't need a brass ramrod, rather a safer technique for seating the ball. When I teach people to load BP rifles I always give the instruction to NEVER hold the rod more than 6-8 inches above the muzzle. Holding close to the muzzle, give short firm downward strokes, then slide the hand up another few inches, and repeat until the ball is seated. This should be done with metal rods as well since they will tend to bend and you don't get the full force of your strokes.

Your two inch splinter is a good reminder to all of us to be careful, to always practice safe procedures and to never let our safety guard down no matter how experienced we are!

If you don't mind, the next time I do some ML training I'll use your accident as an example of what can happen. Summer brings a number of training events for me and I always look forward to it a lot.

MaIIIa