The Spinjag: One Great Muzzleloading Accessory
There are many little gizmos out there in frontloader-land, but comparatively few are worthwhile let alone valuable in any meaningful way. I’m delighted to say that that is not the case at all with the “Spinjag,” that goes for about fourteen bucks and can be seen at http://www.spinjag.com .
For the last several years, the Spinjag has been used by Knight Rifles’ World Championship shooting teams, and is personally endorsed by H. P. Gregory, renowned NMLRA competitor who has won “top overall shooter” at the Friendship, Indiana matches, and is considered not only one of the best Knight Rifles team shooters, but one of the very best individual competitors in the country today.
For years, I’ve used the range rod sold by Knight Rifles with the rotating “T” handle, that makes sabot seating a breeze, and lets the rod rotate naturally with the saboted bullet going down the bore. This allows seating of the bullet without canting it, and protects the nose of the bullet from being scored or otherwise being damaged by the jag tip.
The Spinjag does an even better job, as the jag itself rotates, and there is a bore guide built in to the back of it to inhibit canting or tilting of the bullet as well as scratching of your rifle’s bore. No other jag I’ve seen has this. The nose of the Spinjag is a generously deep well, and accommodates Barnes Spitfires, Hornady SST, Barnes Original, Buffalo SSB, and every spire point bullet I have here with ease—as well as most of the flatter nosed bullets. As the jag rotates, it also helps prevent losing a cotton patch in the barrel when swabbing between shots. If that has ever happened to you, you sure wish you had a Spinjag instead. The Spinjag has a 10-32 external thread, so it quickly attaches to most factory ramrods. It is easy to carry in your pocket or range bag, or you can permanently attach it to your ramrod if you wish.
Whenever someone comes up with a really good new idea, unfortunately there are bound to be inferior knock-offs from less scrupulous folks. In the case of the Spinjag, that has been out there for some three years—that has already happened. The “Precision Rifle Extended Swivel Jag” as sold by Cabela’s is an inferior rip-off, where only the head spins in wobbly fashion, and there is no bore guide. The Precision Rifle rotating jag also has a threaded portion that easily backs out, and not only is a poorly made two piece copy—it has no one piece bolt that goes down the length of the jag as the Spinjag does, just a fragile little screw in the nose that not only wobbles, but is easily broken. Shame on both Precision Rifle and Cabela’s for their shameless rip-off.
In any case, the original Spinjag is far better product, better made, and better performing than the rip-offs. With a one piece jag that rotates without wobble, a stronger bolt assembly, and a bore guide—it is one of the very best accessories I’ve ever used, and when you start using one you’ll be sorry you waited for so long to make things so easy.
The Gunn Innovations “Spinjag” gets my highest recommendation, is available for both .45 and .50 caliber muzzleloaders, and can be quickly obtained from Gunn Innovations by dialing them direct toll-free at 1 888-271-2323, or see their “where to buy” list at: http://www.spinjag.com/wheretobuy.html . It is an outstandingly well-made, innovatively useful accessory that every inline muzzleloading enthusiast will just not want to be without.
© December, 2005 by Randy Wakeman
Email: randymagic@aol.com
