I went to my gun range this week end and saw a guy pounding a cleanning rod in his AR-15 from the muzzle! Querious I asked if he needed some help ?No he stated I got a patch stuck in my barrel and almost got it out .I siad I am no expert but I don't think you should be going in from the muzzle to which he stated it was the only way to get the patch out because he had broken two sections of his cleanning rod . He went on to say it was a brand new gun he bought this weekend at the gun show.Well after about ten minitues he got the patch out and Throwed away the rod.I asked him what kind of patch was it ? He said the he didn't know he had been useing them on his 308 with no problem.I then showed him one of my old bore snakes and showed him how to use it .I felt bad for the guy and let him have the old bore snake as I had just bought a new one .He then asked me about my AR-15 so I let him shoot it and he said his would only shoot about 1 MOA .It was a DPMS with the 18 inch Bull Barrel . I didn't say anything but I wondered if he had damaged his new barrel with just that one bad cleanning?He was shooting wolf ammo and had a simmions scope of some kind.After he left I noticed his rod in the trash can when I went to throw away my old targets .I picked up the old rod it had lots of scratches and burs at two ends .Is it possabe he damaged his barrel with just one bad cleanning or is 1 MOA from a 18 inch bull Barreled dmps normal with the wolf ammo?Oh yea the range was 100yds.

I'll call BS that he was shooting 1 MOA....

Your probably right .It got me realy worried .I was planning on buying a Dewy rod and guide for home cleanning but after I saw his old aluminum rod I think I will stick to bore snakes only .I just wondered if he messed up that new barrel  with that one bad cleanning.

I cant see wolf shooting 1 moa.

You should have told him to chamber a round and just shoot it out.

You should've slapped some sense into him!

Seriously though, that was nice to give him the bore snake.  

If it was aluminum it will not damage the bore?So if I buy a rod I should get aluminum and not a carbon fiber type?

What type of metal are the dewey rods made of? They're coated, right?

Quoted: What type of metal are the dewey rods made of? They're coated, right?

They are made of steel and you can get them coated and uncoated.

I have a dewey rod; how do I know if it's coated or not?

Quoted: I have a dewey rod; how do I know if it's coated or not?

Is it black or steel?

Black=coated

Plain steel= uncoated

carbon fiber is strong, but i am 99% sure it can't damage steel.  

The issue with cleaning rods damaging the bore isn't so much about the material of the rod itself directly.

Aluminum is definately "Softer" than any barrel steel, however aluminum oxidizes.
Aluminul oxide IS an abrasive that is commonly used for "Sand paper" and other grinding/ polishing applications.

Aluminum also is "Soft" so it is succeptible to becoming embedded with all manner of detrious that can be abrasive(It was hard enough to become embedded right?) and the effect is the same.

Hardened steel rods do not get embedded, and they do not oxidize in the same manner aluminum does. They are also stronger and do not flex as much in the bore.

The teflon coated rods are simply (In the case of the better makes anyhoo) hardened steel rods with a non-stick polymer coating, that will not embed.

As to the question at hand.
As long as the goober didn't nick the crown, the barrel should be OK.

Next time you see such a thing, tell the guy to drip some lube down the barrel and rest the rifle upright for 10 min. or so to let the oil soak into the patch.
THEN push the patch out from the breech without using the hammer.

Yep. I done stuck a patch or two.

S-28