Thanks for posting this as it is something to learn from... As a new guy, what is a mississippi rammer?
Stuart,
These are rules and procedures from one of the American artillery orginizations.
VI Load Powder
A. Use a crooked shaft U-shaped rammer if available. If not, use a plain wooden pole without a head, or with a smoothly tapered head (made like a U.S. Model 1841 "Mississippi Rifle" ramrod), so that it might force the hand open should premature ignition occur.
B. Mark the rammer in advance in two places, one to show the amount of shaft which should be sticking out the muzzle when the charge is seated and the other to show when the projectile is seated.
C. The ammunition chest should be located 25 feet behind the gun and 25 feet forward of the spectator line. Powder charges should be prepared in advance as specified in Safety Rules 1 and 2 below, wrapped in heavy-duty aluminum foil.
D. Open the chest only long enough to remove one charge in its safety container. (Do not open chest following warning that a gun is about to fire until 10 seconds after that gun has fired to prevent hot vent debris from falling into the chest.)
E. Carry charge to gun in fireproof safety container. Do not proceed to load unless 3 minutes has elapsed since the gun was last fired. Check your watch.
F. Open safety container. Remove foil-wrapped charge and place it in the muzzle with one hand while wearing heavy leather gloves (see above).
G. Wearing heavy gloves, stand to the side of barrel with as much of your body as possible behind the plane of the muzzle. Grasp rammer underhand, with one hand, thumb to the side. Seat the charge lightly with smooth strokes. Do not pound the rammer against the charge.
H. Immediately upon feeling the charge reach the breech, drop your hand away, releasing the rammer. After 10 seconds and after ascertaining the charge is fully home (according to the rammer marks) remove the rammer, one hand, underhand, thumb to the side. This may require grasping and releasing the shaft a few times. Never two hands on the rammer.
Three types of rammer are described here: The first listed is the safest; it's sometimes made of steamed bent wood to form the U shape, it can also be made with bent metal, or pipe fittings to make the U, with the two elongated ends of the U forming the handle that you hold, and the rammer that goes down the bore of the barrel. With this type of rammer your hands and arms never have to be placed in front of the muzzle of the barrel. The descriptions of the other two rammers pretty much makes the reason for their shapes known. The Mississippi rammer is usually turned from a solid piece of wood, and the narrow pole/handle part gently flairs to form a smooth transition to the wider rammer head, so that if you were loading the gun and experienced an accidental discharge, there would be no sharp angles to grab and tear your hand as the rammer went sailing.
