My gunsmith says that he sees more barrels that are damaged by people with cleaning rods then any thing else !!!

A Bore guide and a "good" cleaning rod is a must .............................


http://www.6mmbr.com/catalog/item/1433308/954882.htm

http://deweyrods.com/

My gunsmith tells me the same thing (Yes Nomercy I talk to myself on occasion) By "good" cleaning rod he means BRASS! Not aluminum, not steel of ANY sort. They do make them from carbon fiber nowadays too. Never used one so I can't recommend or negate the use of them.

I used coated steel rods for many years, now all I use is carbon fiber. I have 4 rods for myself and 3 for my wife, mostly Tipton's but a couple others (I'd have to look to remember who made them).

Multi-piece rods present the greatest risk for instantly damaging your rifle. Just consider what the edge of a seam might do as it catches the delicate corner of your chamber throat. 3piece aluminum rods might fit nicely in a workbench drawer, but they are poison for rifle chambers. Even if a one piece flexes, as long as it can't touch the corners - i.e. supported by a bore guide, it's hard to rub enough to do damage. But a blunt seam will peen a corner in one pass if you're irresponsible with it.

Never used the coated steel ones. Was always told the golden rule of NEVER STEEL. But yeah I should have mentioned the one piece rule too. So those carbon fiber jobs are good? Haven't needed to buy a cleaning rod in a lotta years. Have probably 10 or so brass one piece in my long bench drawer. Along with 5 or 6 T-Handled range rods for ML'ing. Naw Imma notta packa ratta

How can I tell if I have already messed up the throat or crown? I've been cleaning without a bore guide but with a one piece coated and cleaned about 10 times ?

Again, in that few of times and since it was a coated piece then it's doubtful that you have harmed anything. Visual inspection of the crown should do. Use a magnifying glass and give it a close inspection to make sure you haven't worn a spot in it. The bore side (throat) is harder to detect sometimes. Just look for anything that might look "off" using a bore light or a flashlight shining down the muzzle. I buy a LOT of Mil Surp. rifles and invested in a bore cam. Makes life MUCH easier at trade shows and such. Again, in the few times you have done that, it is EXTREMELY doubtful that you have damaged anything. Many people go for years without using a bore guide and don't really hurt their rifles. Like Mercy said, most damage in the throat comes from the joints "clipping" the edges and damaging that way. Damage to the crown comes from rubbing the rod along it . Most crown damage I have seen from cleaning rods was at around 7 o'clock from right handed shooters and 4 to 5 o'clock from lefties. And usually from years of improper cleaning methods.

I have gradually switched over from Dewey coated steel rods to Tipton carbon fiber. They seem to flex a bit more than the coated steel but I like them better. I still use both type of rods at home but when I pack a rifle case for a trip it is always the carbon fiber.

For most models - including your Marlin 17 and your Rem 700 - your crown should be safe, unless you're irresponsibly pulling the jag back into the muzzle like an ape. Run the rod in the back end, push everything out the muzzle, and your crown will be safe.

To check your chamber and bore, you'd need a bore scope, which is typically more than most folks want to spend, and honestly, not a good investment if you only have a couple of factory rifles.

However, if you HAD done damage, your rifle might have told you by letting your groups open up, or by fouling faster.

I started with brass rods, converted to coated rods, and now all of mine are carbon fiber. They all work, but I like the carbon fibers more.

LOL Mercy, I have some Brass T-Handle one piece rods that are probably older than you! Hell I think one of them is even older than ME (I know they didn't have Brass back then It was bronze )

This thread got me to thinking.


Just got "everything" J.Dewey (complete kit - for each caliber)

http://deweyrods.com/


Plus Otis Technology's new "Ripcord" and brush for each caliber.

http://www.otistec.com/pc_product_de...B5A96A5A4F27A5

These are best used while your barrel is still warm !

Better than bore snakes IMO.


I recently sold some guns, so now only own; .17 HMR (rimfire), .223/5.56 (boltgun & AR Platform), 7MM RM (big game).

Did not invest in any .338 WM cleaning stuff (only use when hunting in bear country).