One-piece "steel" rods are
not an issue unless you treat your tools with zero respect/intelligence. Only folks with either no Clue or no Care damage muzzles with "steel" one-piece cleaning rods.
If I were going to buy what I think of as a "barracks cleaning rod" (a.k.a., one-piece) I would look for one in stainless steel that accepts standard tips.
I would also acquire an appropriate vise to hold the longgun while I cleaned and/or performed maintenance. The vise does not have to be a ""cleaning-specific" fixture, it just has to reliably hold the longgun. For decades I have used my
Lohman Sight Vises as cleaning & maintenance vises.
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Just went down to check the rack. I use 6 different one-piece longgun cleaning rods ... used to be 7 but then there was that incident that turned #7 (now-tip-less carbonfiber) into a pointer.
2 coated
Deweys, 2
KleenBore (carbonfiber & stainless), 2 unbranded (brass & stainless).
I have found the
Deweys to be fine
so long as I (remember to) use a bore guide. On 2 occasions after shortening & re-crowning a barrel I have found that the fresh, sharp edge of a newly-crowned bore (especially) can peeeeeeeel the coating off of a Dewey.
OOPS!
My shortest longgun rod is 24" and the longest, 44" (needed for my SVT-40s).
They all do an adequate job.
Just be aware that if you opt for a carbonfiber rod, you might want to avoid tiiiight pulls thru bores.
Enjoy!
[EDIT] Sight, not Site