Do I want a Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod?

[RM]

Do I want a Tipton carbon fiber rod or Dewey rod for my new AR? I plan to use it for breaking in the barrel and general cleaning. Do I have to be concerned about damaging the crown with carbon fiber? Thank you.

Yes, I know you also have to shoot the gun as a part of the break-in process!

 

[dmftoy1]

I'd use ammo for breaking in the ar and a rod for cleaning it.

I don't know about the benefits of carbon fiber, but I've got a dewey nylon coated stainless cleaning rod that I use that seems to work really well. I think using a bore guide and cleaning from the breech is probably the most important. I doubt that carbon fiber would damage the muzzle but I'm not an expert. (Isn't carbon fiber softer than steel? I know it's stiffer, but I thought it was softer)

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[Jim Watson]

I just started using a Tipton on my .38-55 BPCR; they were on sale when I decided I needed rods for both home and range. They are smooth and stiff and when used with a bore guide should be fine. My other rods are Dewey steel. They are stiffer than coated rods and are harder and smoother. I just don't use a patch so tight as to make the rod bow and whack the rifling.

I think any one-piece rod will be ok if you clean from the breech and use a guide to protect the throat.

 

[Matthew748]

The advertising I have read always states that carbon fiber rods are safer and will not damage the crown or rifling. I don't know if it is true, but it seems reasonable. I can tell you that I have a Tipton 1 piece carbon fiber rod and consider it one of the best purchases I have made. It is a really nice cleaning rod. It seems to me that they make 2 models, one for larger diameter bores and one for smaller. I bought the smaller one and it works fine with all my rifles which range from .22 to .45.

I have never used a Dewey rod, so I cannot comment on them.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Carbon fiber rods vs. coated steel

As I understand it, Dewey-type coated rods are completely safe for yr bore. With muzzle-loading blackpowder guns, the standard wisdom is DON'T use carbon fiber or fiberglass rods as they will slap against the bbl in the middle and could damage the lands.

Seems logical to extend that to cartridge arms.

So I use a Dewey to clean my cartridge rifles, and another one for my handguns. I use a brass rod, at the range, for my BP muzzleloader, with a bore guide. It is stiff enough that it doesn't slap the bbl.

When hunting, in the rare instance that I have to reload in the field, I use the fiberglass rod that stores in the thimbles beneath the bbl. I'm willing to risk that the few times it occurs.

But as a regular thing? No way.

 

[KaceCoyote]

The otis cleaning kits are, in my opinion far superior to any rod.

 

[ocabj]

Otis cleaning kits or Bore Snakes are field expedient, but will never replace a rod.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

I think that if you have the slightest bit of caution and don;t clean with reckless abandon, you shouldn't have to worry about what rod you get. I have a one pieceTetra .22 rod to clean my 5.45 which works great, and i also have a coated screw-together rod for .30 and both work perfectly fine.

Also, as mentioned above, you should try to break in the rifle by shooting, not by cleaning.

 

[Jim Watson]

The conventional wisdom on rifle barrel breakin is to shoot with frequent cleaning for a number of cycles. I just last week got a new Krieger barrel on a rifle and I followed their instructions:
Shoot one round and clean.
Repeat five times.
Shoot three rounds and clean.
Shoot five rounds and clean.
Check for copper fouling throughout the process and if it is not building up less as you go on, do more short cycles. I had several more two, three, and five round cycles, not because it was fouling but because I was working up loads, only had a few of each and wanted to test them out of a clean barrel.

They say that since the barrel is lapped, there is no real breakin to do to the rifling; what is going on is that you are eroding the tool marks out of the chamber throat, the frequent cleaning keeps them exposed to the powder flame.

 

[Telperion]

Otis cleaning kits or Bore Snakes are field expedient, but will never replace a rod.

What can a rod do that an Otis kit cannot? The only thing that comes to mind is clearing bore obstructions, which is hardly routine cleaning.

 

[nipprdog]

I think using a bore guide and cleaning from the breech is probably the most important.