I take 3 rods to the range. The one I hunt with stays in the gun. Some guns shoot differently with and without the rod. I do all my loading with a wooden rod. I don't want metal contact with the crown, ever, if possible and don't feel like messing with an alignment guide. I carry an aluminum rod in the event I have to extract a bullet. I've never broken or felt close to breaking a wooden rod in the process of loading, though I knowsome here have. Guessmy times commin'.