doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Aluminum Cleaning rods ?

Anyone have opinions re: using aluminum cleaning rods or heard of anyone actually damaging a bore by using them?

Serious rifle shooters avoid them especially those composed of several pieces. That is enough evidence for me. I don't think these would damage shotgun bore but coated one piece .22+ rods were <$10/piece so I bought couple.
I read supposed damage to barrel lands comes from aluminum oxide which forms one outside surface of the rod.

For shotgun barrels, I use a bore snake. I bet the type of cleaning rod doesn't matter much since the cleaning rod makes practically no contact with the shotgn bore, and doesn't affect shotgun performance when it does make contact.

For rifle barrels, I use a one-piece graphite rod. For rifles, keeping the lands pristine does matter.

For the 20ga and larger, I like the fuzzy rods with a threaded end to afix a bronze brush. I spray some Rem oil in the bore and let it work a few minutes.

On the smaller bores I use aluminum rods.

Aluminum?? That will never catch on, must be a
FAD! Wood is pretty

In reality, they should be just fine if you are not
over zealous.

Mike

They are esthetically shallow, so I use wood rods (sniff). However, give aluminum credit for being straight, stiff, and inexpensive. As for the bore wear, aluminum is not going to chew up a lot of steel. The greater risk is of using a dirty rod (any kind) that holds abrasive materials on its surface.

Forget the rod beware the Turks head. I saw a set of Briley 20 gauge tubes destroyed with one

bill

I actually made a one piece Al rod from a four foot piece of a really hard and stiff alloy. It's threaded for a Brownell's 'double tuff' brush and has a door knob on the other end.

You gonna clean guns, or you gonna screw around?

I mean honestly.... cock around, cock around. Clean the equipment, put the stuff away, and go to the bar.

I have been listening to the "damage" caused by aluminum rods for the better parts of 50 years. While I have many different types of cleaning rods I have absolutely no issues with using those of aluminum. I also have NEVER detected any damage whatsoever from their use.
I'll let the detractors in on a little secret. If you clean the rods periodically with a good metal cleaner any crud on the rod comes right off. BTW: I'd also recommend you clean rods made from other materials as well for precisely the same reason.
Jim

My reason for not wanting to use Aluminium cleaning is two fold the first reason was once I stupidly decided to hold an Aluminium cleaning rod in my mouth so I would have both hands free. The resultant effect between the Aluminium and the odd Mercury Amalgam teeth filling is rather unpleasant possibly only us Brits can understand this effect. Secondly I do not like the resultant micro swarf if you rub the rod against the gun�s breach which seems to get every where.
So I personally prefer to use wooden rods of which I have a number to choose from, in the picture are some of the rods I use regularly and a couple of others that are now considered collectors items but I still use occasionally. The two sets at the bottom of the picture are the modern versions that see most use covering all the sizes up to and including .410.
The Ebony rods are pre 1900 each a two piece the top set will fit in a standard 30 to 34 inch barrel gun case in the normal fashion stowed under the barrel. But the Pear handled set will not fit a case at all though I believe that this rod was more at home in a gun room, the main reason for the short pear handled section was to take a chamber brush though I have never seen a chamber brush with a 3/8 inch 18 tpi fitting, it also came with the Turks Head brush with the longer shank in the picture seized in the end fitting. Though using them is a direct connection to the past and I always wonder about the guns they have cleaned and the people who have used them before me. In the other picture are the Boogiemen of the gun cleaning world �THE DREADED TURKS HEAD� their only crime is that they are manufactured from steel rather than Bronze, but I have walked on the wild side and used them for cleaning gun bores though I must say at this point it was a 1950s Baikal shotgun that seemed to be manufactured by the same company who built our �Stone Henge�.