Cleaning rods > Maintenance & Cleaning

Posted: 9/17/2007 12:46:34 PM EDT

Guys,

I want to treat my new Bushy right. As a noob, I'm not sure if what I read today in a catalog is true.

Will a standard aluminum rod damage the barrel/bore? I also read that they might damage the muzzle tip as well.

Thoughts?

Posted: 9/17/2007 12:50:43 PM EDT

[#1]

Unless you are doing scoped bench rest from an accurized custom barrel, don't worry about it, get a 4 piece GI parkerized cleaning rod, insert from the muzzle, put a patch at the breech end and pull.

Posted: 9/17/2007 12:54:32 PM EDT

[#2]

Sectional aluminum cleaning rods, like the cheap ones found at WalMart are shied away from by most. GI steel sectional cleaning rods if used properly are safe for cleaning and I always carry one in the field. The most popular and safest cleaning rods are the one piece cleaning rods. They come in a few variations from plain steel, to coated steel to some made from composites. I personally use a plain steel, one-piece rod with no problems.

Posted: 9/18/2007 3:59:00 AM EDT

[#3]

If you want to "treat your rifle right", don't clean from the muzzle.
Over time, you WILL damage the rifling at the muzzle end of the barrel; maybe damage the muzzle crown as well.

Do yourself and your rifle a favor and learn how to properly clean a long arm; from the breech.
Buy your rifle a good one piece cleaning rod like the nylon coated Dewey rods. I'd recommend that you use a rod guide, too. Dewey also makes good ones of those, so does Sinclair.

Posted: 9/18/2007 4:15:28 AM EDT

[#4]

Do yourself and your rifle a favor and learn how to properly clean a long arm; from the breech.
Buy your rifle a good one piece cleaning rod like the nylon coated Dewey rods. I'd recommend that you use a rod guide, too. Dewey also makes good ones of those, so does Sinclair.

For home a one piece rod is the best.

Posted: 9/18/2007 8:05:02 AM EDT

[#5]

I use the aluminum sectioned rods and don't have a problem. Hoppe's makes a brass version which is a little nicer and stronger. Barrel steel is quite hard so it takes some real effort to damage it.

Clean from the breach end. I've never found a need for the guides.

Posted: 9/18/2007 1:27:45 PM EDT

[#6]

Some "food for thought".

I agree with some of the following. This was also my understanding regarding aluminum cleaning rods.......................

You can limit this damage easily. It just takes a commitment to avoid the normal and understandable desire to get by with budget gear. For example, throw out that segmented aluminum cleaning rod you bought at X-Mart. When you finally meet your timely demise, the first thing you will notice in Hell, alongside the guys who invented polyester slacks and vinyl seats, will be the rat bastard who convinced the powers that be to market an affordable aluminum segmented rod. These rods, due to their nature, pick up all manner of abrasive debris, which can become embedded into the rod material. Each and every pass through the rifle bore will act to cut into the lands and groves, forever scoring that once mirror finish. The segments also become a culprit in chaos as they can carry foreign material into the bore. Worse, if you ever suffer a stuck patch, the rods can bend and break at these segments, driving a jagged edge into the rifling. And the segmented steel rod issued to the military isn't much better. This rod serves a purpose - allowing infantry to carry the necessary tools to maintain their weapons, while limiting bulk. For those fielding assault rifles where pin point accuracy is not necessary, this is fine, but the segmented rod has no place in a tuned tactical rifle designed for superior accuracy.

www.snipercountry.com/InReviews/BoreTech_Cleaning.asp

Posted: 9/22/2007 11:34:51 AM EDT

[#7]

couldnt you take an aluminum sectioned rod and dip it in some plastidip or some other rubberized coating?

Posted: 9/22/2007 9:09:18 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
couldnt you take an aluminum sectioned rod and dip it in some plastidip or some other rubberized coating?

You know you could do that but how long will the covering last? I would hate for it to flake off and end up with more of a mess than I bargained for. Coated cleaning rods isn't all that expensive.

Posted: 9/24/2007 7:17:06 PM EDT

[#9]

There have been some problems with certain chemicals attacking the coated rods so I bought a 36" Dewey Brass rod, it had a little too much flex when cleaning my 6920 so I removed the rod from the handle, cut off about 5" (if I remember right), and re-threaded the rod and put it back together.

Before you attempt this make sure you have an 8-36 die as they don't use 8-32 like they do on the other end. (at least not on the Dewey 36" brass rod)

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