I really don't want to spend $60 on cleaning rods

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rduchateau2954

rduchateau2954

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Broke my brass 3 piece el cheapo cleaning rod today. The handle snapped right off.

I have been looking at tipton carbon fiber one piece rods. Everything I see is .22-.26 or .27-.45.

The problem is that I own 3 .22s and a .270.

What can I do? At $30+ each I really don't want to buy two rods.


*******************


Guys please read the entire thread before posting.

- I have decided on tipton carbon fiber rods.
- The rods on my wishlist have gone on sale.
- 40" or 44"?
 
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Winchester makes a nice set that comes with everything you need to clean just about everything except a shotgun (and even then, you could probably make it work). There are 3 extender rods, so you can clean your 2 inch snubbie, 5 inch 1911, or your 24 inch .270. It costs $18 at Walmart and comes in a nice wooden box.
 
You've got three .22's so I'd buy that rod first if those get shot more than the .270. If it is listed as fitting .22-.26 I would see how well it would work for your .270 as well. Perhaps the smaller one will be too light to take the strain of pushing the .270 patches and brushes without flexing too much and then you may wind up with a broken $60 cleaning rod.

What size brass rod did you have that you were using on both sizes until it broke?

If it was me, I'd just spring for a new brass rod.
 
I had a universal kit from fleet farm. Sound pretty close to what WoodChuckAssassin posted. A thin brass rod for every caliber.

Reading through threads about brass and multi piece rods bending into rifling and picking up grit scares me about getting another cheapo kit. It's not like they are not gonna get used.

Now that I think about it, I will actually need 3 rods. 1 for my 2 .22 rifles, one for my .22 pistol, and another for the .270.
 
Save your money and don't buy any of the Winchester junk. I bought a single rifle rod just to have as a spare backup that was marked "for .17 to .30 cal use". The rod measured .200" and has a swivel permanently attached to the the business end that measured about .260". Good luck getting that through a .22 bore (much less a .17 bore). Tried to return it and the dumb Walmart people kept insisting tha "it SAYS it will fit a .22 bore" and refused to issue a refund. No more Walmart junk for me.
 
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I've been using one of the winchester all caliber/gauge kits from walmart for over 5 years. I think I paid $20-25 for it and it has served me well. I also have several outers and hoppes kits laying around as well.
 
Hoppe's Elite has a system with a removable handle that snaps onto the rods -- The rods are a little cheaper.


Optics Planet has them -- http://www.opticsplanet.com/hoppe-s-9-elite-cleaning-rod-system-and-handle.html-- and since they ship free with order of $30 or more you can get 2 rods for about $50 shipped.


I have the system -- the only issue I have is that the handle gets stuck on the rod every once in a while and takes a little effort to get it off.


If your .22 are 22 Rimfire I do not even rod them -- you could get a Bore Snake for the 22's and then get a rod for the 270. With my 22 rimfire I just pull patches through the bore with a line till they come up clean.


I would never recommend a pieced together rod for a rifle -- just not worth the risk of the rod breaking and causing damage to the bore -- I have one in my kit for emergencies but would never use it for normal cleaning.


UK
 
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Drail: what Walmart? I have NEVER heard of or had Walmart refuse to allow ANYTHING to be returned for ANY reason.

To the OP: what about an Otis cleaning system? They have nylon coated wire and pull cleaning out the muzzle instead of "ramming it into the action". I have heard nothing but good things about them and they are typically priced between $40-$50 for the "do all pistol rifle and shotgun" kit. Which is cheaper than your two rods.
 
For $45 you could get a complete Otis 750 mulitcaliber kit and not have to worry about overly expensive rods or cheap junk.
 
I don't think snapping a brass rod is going to damage the bore of your rifle...if you think you are seeing brass scratch steel, you are probably just seeing brass transferred onto the steel- not actually scratches in the steel.
 
Yeah, I've left marks on steel in places I didn't want to with brass brushes, stubborn to remove, but 0000 steel wool does the trick. :)

I use a tipton rod and chamber guide tube on my bolt guns. My autos just get the boresnake treatment, with an occasional run of bore foam to get rid of the copper deposits.
 
If you think $30 is too expensive to spend, price new barrels for those guns when your cheap rod gouges the rifling........ ;) Don't be penny wise and pound foolish
 
Another thing worth mentioning, the high quality one-piece rods DO give you more "feel" as to what's going on inside the barrel.
 
How do you guys think brass is gouging steel rifling?

A steel rod can scratch steel; brass and aluminum cannot scratch steel. They.are.not.hard .enough.

I guess you could have grit of some type on the end of a brass rod that could make a scratch, but otherwise, it is not happening.

Let's try not to disseminate bad information...
 
My problem with piece together rods is that they break while cleaning a bore -- and a part of the rod is stuck in the bore and can not be removed.

If you want to use a piece together rod -- Good -- I do not want to go through the hassle of trying to get a rod section with patch out of my barrel.


Spend extra money and get good rod for the big bore rifle -- you can get one for under $30

Use a Bore Snake -- Even Cheaper

Get an Otis kit -- I have used them and they are decent -- I have the all purpuse kit that does rifles and pistols in all calibers.


Would not waste my time with a piece together rod -- except for emergency purposes -- I would use to knock out a stuck case.


UK
 
1. Brass cannot scratch steel the softest steel is still harder than the hardest brass alloys (my boss is a metalurgist I just checked with him).

2. If you manage to break a rod in a barrel your doing something wrong, and even if you do I can think of several fairly simple ways to get it out. Including using another rod.
 
Other than a cheap Outers kit I keep in my gunbox in case of a stuck bullet, I use nothing but Dewey coated rods.

They're expensive.

A new barrel is a lot more expensive.
 
The tipton carbon fibre 30 cal rod is the best firearms related investment I've ever made.

I have a lower budget 22 one piece rod that will get replaced with another tipton.


The Chinese made segmented wal mart grade cleaning kits are garbage




posted via that mobile app with the sig lines everyone complaints about
 
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Just get a good one piece stainless .22 cal cleaning rod. They usually have an integral muzzle/chamber protector/guide. It'll clean everything but a .17/.20 cal and last a lifetime.
 
I'm curious as to how you guys are breaking rods off inside a barrel? Using it to clear squibs and stuck casings? I have been punching bores for many years and I've never had a rod break.:scrutiny:
 
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