Cleaning rods: Would someone please explain...

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  • Last Post 28 July 2009
JimmyDee posted this 10 May 2009

...why it is that segmented rods are evil and one piece rods are divine?

I may be exaggerating a little bit -- but not much.  And I just don't get it.

Anyone who offers advice about cleaning seems to recommend one piece rods.  Some insist that every segmented sleaning rod  should be thrown away, whether aluminium or brass.

For most of my rifles, I clean with a one piece rod.  But not all.

I've got one bolt gun with an 18 inch barrel and I think the handiest bit of kit I've got is two lengths of aluminium rod behind a jag and another with a bore brush.  Sure, the handles on the one piece rods are nice -- but I like pushing the brush or jag all the way through and pulling the rod behind 'em.

Why is what I'm doing so wrong?  What's the problem with screw- together cleaning rods?

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CB posted this 10 May 2009

I think the jointed rods flex more which might cause it to rub against the inside of the barrel, the joints aren't going to be perfect and might have an edge to scrape against the inside of the barrel, and aluminum and brass are relatively soft so abrasives might stick to them and cause unnecessary wear. Get a good coated one piece rod and it'll at least minimize some of the cleaning wear problems. There's a pretty good number of brand name shooters and barrel makers that think a lot more barrels get cleaned out than shot out.

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KenK posted this 10 May 2009

No reason a jointed rod can't be as good as a one piece.

The only trouble as I see it is the sections coming partially loose and allowing the rod to flex a lot at those joints.  My jags want to come undone periodically.

FWIW, I like the one piece, uncoated,  Dewey rods.  I've got one in .22 Caliber and one in .30 and they pretty well meet my needs.

I always use either a plastic bore guide in the breech end or one of the brass cone dillios in the muzzle.

 

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cityboy posted this 10 May 2009

Be sure to use a rod guide when cleaning a barrel. Also, make sure the rod is long enough so the handle does not have to be raised to clear the comb.

I speak from experience on this score. When I got my first good rifle I knew enough to get a good rod (a coated Parker Hale). But I made one BIG mistake: it was not long enough. So to get the rod end to exit the muzzle,the handle had  to be raised to clear the comb.This put a curvature in the rod and caused it to rub the bore in the throat area. In time this caused significant throat wear.

This ruined accuracy and I had to spend a lot of money to replace a Hart barrel.

One more thing. I don't think it matters much if the rod is coated or not; the important thing is to use it correctly. I am amazed at the number of shooters who will lay a rod down on a gritty bench and then use it to clean the bore.

Jim

 

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CB posted this 10 May 2009

I'm no cleaning rod expert but most of the premium barrel makers recommend a one piece coated rod and bore guide so I'm sure not going to argue with them since there must be a reason.

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hunterspistol posted this 10 May 2009

While it's entirely possible to damage a barrel with a cleaning rod, the brass is still softer than the steel, and by quite a little bit.

      It's evil because they own a business selling those bore guides and one piece carbon fiber rods at a very premium price.

  So, exactly which buffalo hunter in history pulled out all this paraphenalia to clean his old rifle? And which General Store stocked 'one piece cleaning rods'?  Although there's a modern way to do it, I doubt they had access back then.

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38_Cal posted this 11 May 2009

Aluminum rods are a no-no in any rifled bore for the main reason that they are coated with aluminum oxide, a very effective abrasive.  They can also pick up grit relatively easily and hold it in the surface.  Same reason that I don't care for brass rods.  Rod joints on multiple piece rods never fit perfectly together, and can knock against the throat. 

When I pick up any rod to use, I also pick up a clean patch or paper towel and run the rod through it to wipe off any dirt, grit or whatever.  Then I fit a clean patch to the jag or wrap it around an undersize nylon brush, use a pipette to put solvent on it, and run it through the bore. 

On my large action Martini rifles, I use a pull-through cleaning system to clean from the breech.  It's a bit inconvenient, but much less so than replacing a barrel.

One tip for those who don't know it...buy 2 1/2” or 3” square patches and keep a pair of scissors or tinsnips at the bench when cleaning.  I cut patches to fit the bore/jag/brush combination I'm working with.  In the long run, I do save money! 

David Montezuma, IA

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Campchair posted this 12 May 2009

Good advice on the one piece rods. I might add, if you have a good one piece rod with a plastic coating, and happen to tear the coating (like I did when cleaning a Marlin lever-action with the bolt removed. The receiver bolt channel has VERY sharp edges.)  an excellent repair can be done with a length of heat shrink tubing. This is primarily used in the electronics industry to insulate wire splices. It is available from several sources on the 'net and comes in various grades. Get the heavy duty type. I removed the vinyl coating completely from my prized Parker-Hale rod and degreased it with acetone, then shrunk it with a hot air gun. Been using it for 5 years since and the tubing has served very well.

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R. Dupraz posted this 12 May 2009

Along with cleaning rod wear at the throat end, it can also occur at the muzzle when the jag exits the muzzle. As the patch exits the muzzle the jag and rod can/will fall down onto the bore at the muzzle and can cause wear there.

I use one piece steel rods with layers of the heat shrink tubing near the jag end for my BP rifles. This keeps the jag centered in the bore so that niether it nor the rod rubs the bore at the muzzle when pushed out or pulled back through.

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Von Gruff posted this 12 May 2009

R. Dupraz wrote

I use one piece steel rods with layers of the heat shrink tubing near the jag end for my BP rifles.

That is a good tip. Thanks.

Von Gruff

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barney posted this 13 May 2009

Back in the 30's & 40's when the Germans were carrying the K98, their “cleaning rod” was a length of brass link chain with a patch loop on one end and a weight on the other. The weight was dropped through the chamber, a patch placed in the loop and the whole thing was pulled though the barrel from the muzzle. This is a bit akward, but it saved a lot of space in storage and it never resulted in a rod broken off in the bore. Pulling a resistance always requires less work than pushing a resisitance. I have several rods in my shop and can't tell you the last time I put my hands on one. All my cleaning is done now with “pull rods” made of either plastic coated steel cable or small diameter brass chain.

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JetMech posted this 13 May 2009

Ron has a very good point. There's a BP shooter who markets a cleaning rod that uses 2 patches. One on the tip, and a slot an inch or so back. The second patch slot keeps the rod from falling on the rifling as the first patch exits the barrel. I just wrap the rod about 1 inch from the jag with electrical tape, wrapped to just under bore diameter. As it wears, I just cut off  a wrap. Works good, lasts a long time.

JimmyDee, before I could buy a one piece rod, I did use a multi-piece GI rod, but matched pieces so I had a straight rod and wrapped the joints with electrical tape.

I agree that more bores are probably ruined from improper cleaning than from being shot out.

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WILDCATT posted this 13 May 2009

when did the one piece cleaning rod come out? the old timers must have worn out their barrels rather quick.I have a 1903 barrel marked 1914 and I shoot lead in it.because the bore is shiny.and I dont want totake a chance as it is under 500,* I read about the low numbers but later found out all were pulled or gone. I fire low number in service Navy.and they were used in the pacific in WW2.the guard always cleaned with brass one piece barrack rods.like posted its a great selling point and may help in super accurate guns.

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CB posted this 27 July 2009

Jimmy

I wouldn't purposely seek out a jointed cleaning rod but they are not as scarey as they sound. Locate a MTM bore guide take things easy. For patches start with a wet one. If you have some experience with that barrel and the first patch is always extra snug do not repeat until you cut off all 4 corners off before you add solvent. The first push should be smooth with some resistance. All susequent patches can be full size.

For a brush with a jointed cleaning rod I suggest a not new brush not off the floor. Less resistance and promotes a straight push-pull. You want to avoid a bowed rod wnile stroke ths barrel because what you see in the bow is what is going on in the barrel.

I like short rods to avoid the bowing. Besides that I feel a jointed rod will usually be stiffer than a 1-piece rod. Also easier to pack on a camping or hunting trip.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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Campchair posted this 27 July 2009

At home I use the Parker-Hale one piece rod, but also, I take about 10 sections of .30 Cal. Garand (or .30 MG) steel screw-together rod sections with me when I go for a week's hunting in the fall. I carry the extra sections so I can get others with long barrels out of a jams like mud, twigs, etc. in the bore. I carefully deburred the sections at the joints and I turned a brass “button” about 3/4” in diameter that screws into the end of one of the sections with the end rounded with a file to a knob shape (It doesn't hurt my hand when pushed) and left the front flat so I can pull it easily. I carry all them and a GI squeeze bottle of Hoppe's and oil in in a little leather belt pouch. Commercial nylon patch jags fit as does .308 / .375 brushes, but  I usually use Parker-Hale  jags (with the adapters) and carry a bag of absorbent cotton balls that I wrap aroung the jag; works like the old British “tow” the P-H jag was designed for. I clean from the breech - chamber first with a short section and the knob, and I have a chamber guard made out of an old case drilled through the primer pocket for each caliber. I simply catch the rod as it as it exits the bore where it won't “fall” down against the rifling. Lever actions & autos, I make a little brass muzzle guard that centers the rod. The plastic-covered wire type “pull-throughs"s are excellent IF you have a muzzle guard. My Schmidt-Rubin has one with the linen cord like the old Springfield one, as standard equipment. Detailed instructions on how to use it properly so as to not wear the muzzle in the Swiss Field Manual (I have a copy as .pdf; can send)  According to my sources, the Swiss didn't ever issue rods except at the armorer's level. The S-R is noted for excellent accuracy.

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CB posted this 28 July 2009

Campchair

I also have Parker Hale and Dewey Rods. I am using a set of Parker Hales in my .222 and 6x47 barrels right now. They go in easier and allow me to use a standard patch as opposed to using my Dewey's. More solvent stays on the patch than on the groond when I wet patch. I use my Dewey's in my PPC barrels. Besides my BR barrels and Factories I cleaned barrels for my owner/friend at his shop for 25 years. Lots of shotguns.

I like your 10 piece Garand rod it must be stiff no bow in that rod while cleaning. we also balance and blueprint the joints on sectioned rods I also have some brass ones too. Thanks for the comments.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

 

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