Let's talk Field Rods

[Londonshooter]

Some years ago my mentor encouraged me to make a field stick for loading so I did that, starting with a straight-grained black cherry dowel from Lee Valley. I plan to use my MLs afield this fall but to date have not been loading from a bag and have only been shooting from a table with my gear in a shooting box. I do use the field rod loading at the range but it is too large for my 20 bore and for that one I use one of those steel range rod (abominations?)
As I understand it though a person would fit their field stick through a hole in the strap of their bag so that it is suspended behind their non-shooting shoulder.
Last year I added to my vintage tool collection thanks to a good friend I met through CGN. So definitely I can say that field sticks were traditional. Both have ebony knobs and brass fittings. The rod with bamboo shaft has a gutta-percha tip.

 

[tiriaq]

A rod like that could certainly be useful, and carrying it suspended from the strap of the bag behind the shoulder would be practical.

Some guns have no provision for a rod. Some target rifles, live pigeon guns, some heavy waterfowlers.

 

[Londonshooter]

A rod like that could certainly be useful, and carrying it suspended from the strap of the bag behind the shoulder would be practical.

Some guns have no provision for a rod. Some target rifles, live pigeon guns, some heavy waterfowlers.

Yes, it makes sense that the traditional thing to do would be use the rammer that your gun is equipped with if there is one. My BP guru is an advocate of loading with a field rod instead of a slimmer rammer because he's also recommending non-traditional loading methods like tight patched balls. And for shot, a heavy tight-fitting over-powder card. These need more force applied when the barrels soot up than one might want to exert on their original or period-replacement rammers. Here's the ramrod from my 11 bore alongside the field sticks. I'm wondering what would have attached to the screw off tip on the ebony rod? This gun is going grouse hunting next week. Range day tomorrow to pattern some different hunting loads.