i am looking for cleaning rods for my handguns, one for 22 another for big bore
A search at midway shows $30 for a short rod with handle or 15 for one with a loop at the end
Are my expectations unreal wanting a non ball bearing handle for$15?
Hopefully I am just looking in the wrong places

As my coffee starts to kick in this morning I am finding some options but I am still interested in what you are using

I use either a Dewey brass rod with a looped handle or a brass rod of unknown heritage with a ball bearing handle. The rod I use depends on length of barrel or what I can lay my hands on first.

Sir,

I use a single 12" carbon fiber rod by Tipton for all my guns from .22 to .44. I just increase the size of the patches to match the bore size. The carbon fiber rod is the most expensive kind but it won't scratch the bore or mar the crown, and it won't lose its coating like the coated rods. It also will flex some without bending. I'm satisfied.

Best wishes,
Andy

I do a lot of cleaning, and I've found Dewey are what I reach for, coated and I have a few brass. Only downside is for standard brushes they need the adapter that they come with. It's not so much a downside until you lose it.

I also suggest Parker hale style jags, they are not for everyone but they work for me.

I use Dewey brand for everything.

I use the Dewey Brand exclusively. I do not use black coated rods because as they chip and wear they defeat the whole purpose of the coating. I use the Stainless Steel rods for all rifles, pistols & revolvers and the solid one piece Brass for Shotguns. They are reasonably priced and their customer service is excellent should you ever have a problem.

Quality cleaning rods last a lifetime so a few bucks more at the time of purchase is meaningless over the years.

Also just wanted to add:

If a Stainless rod should get scratched or dinged a quick hit with some fine emery cloth will remedy the problem and restore it back to perfect condition in no time.

I like Tipton carbon fiber rods for high quality rifle barrels and Dewey coated rods for all the rest.

I happen to like the Pro-Shot products.
They are naked polished stainless but that has not caused me any problems.
I also have a long 22 rifle rod that I think was sold by RIG many years ago that still works for me.
The Tipton jags are good too.
I try to get brushes with a brass center wire but they are hard to find.
Leaves fewer marks on the recoil shield of revolvers.

===
Nemo

I prefer the Tipton rod for my long guns. I've been told they will break, but I can't imagine what you would have to do to break one.

Dewey for everything. A bit expensive but a one time purchase. Coated, brass tips and ball bearing handles. Brushes follow rifling tracks which is important to proper cleaning. Especially in rifles. I have an 8" for pistols and revolvers. A 15" for my TC Encore barrels and 2 rifle length for 22 and 30 bore thickness. Look no further.

over the years as like everyone, have several for handguns. for cleaning after a range trip, @ the club house, bought at cabelas or now at walmart, the alium. knurled handle which holds/ contains the brass rods, different lengths, brushes, swivel head. not sure maybe $10 at walmart now. the different sized rods for different sized barrels.

I also use Pro-Shot with no problems. An added plus, they are USA made.

I invested in a couple of Tiptons, a .22 and one for larger calibers. They're a little bit over-long, but far superior to the cheepos I'd always used before. I like them well enough I just bought a .22 rifle length.

Plastic Glock rod ..........

I use the Military 45 acp rods for every thing but 22. I use the S&W 4inch rods for my 22's and a long Hopppies pistol rod for my Mod 14. For about almost 30 years.

Another Pro Shot fan here. 1 thing I really like about it is that you can buy 12" and 6" extensions so you can lengthen or shorten for any barrel length. I bought a 22 cal one so it would work for anything I might get in the future. Love how it handles too (but that's me. )

Their customer service has been wonderful too. I called to see about getting an extension for a rifle and they took my info/payment and sent out the extension I wanted. Very nice people! As someone else said, they're American made as well.

__________________
L'LS

I took an informal poll a few years ago asking some of biggest names in the industry what they personally used and just about all of them answered they used coated or aluminum(segmented was fine) with a couple saying they liked brass. Just about everyone also specifically recommended staying away from steel rods.

????????????????????

I've never seen one recommend it print anything other than one piece stainless steel or coated, except maybe one piece brass for handguns.

I asked them directly.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't see the harm in gently using a stainless steel rod especially one with a bore guide. Seems a whole lot less destructive than running a lead or copper projectile thru it using hot gases at several thosand PSI.

Stainless Steel rods have gotten a bad rap undeservingly IMHO! The reason that Brass, Aluminum and sectional rods are not good is that they are soft, scratch up easily and drag debris and crud back and forth through your barrels. Sectional rods are the worst as they always loosen up between the sections! Hard Stainless Steel rods stay straight and true and won't scratch up and drag debris through the barrels. If for any reason a Stainless Rod should get a slight scratch it can easily and quickly be removed with a fine piece of Emory Cloth. They should be checked from time to time and if they have any defects hit them with a small piece of very fine emery (I use 1200 grit) and clean off all dust.

The key to successful cleaning without damage is to use the proper size rod. Some guys use one rod for everything - I don't. They make rods in different thicknesses for different reasons. For novices or guys who lack finess a rod guide is a helpful accessory especially when cleaning a barrel from the front (some guns can not be cleaned from the breech like revolvers). The Stainless Rods are extremely rigid and I have not bent one yet. bent rods (IMHO) should be discarded BEFORE they damage a gun.

Maybe they have improved coated rods since the last time I've tried one but they always seem great in the beginning and seem to chip and flake shortly thereafter. When you get these chips and flaking this creates crevices for dirt and debris to be dragged in and out of the barrel - defeating the whole reason of using a coated rod in the first place.

I use a 5/16" thick solid Brass Dewey Rod for my shotguns only.

Again, coated rods are terrific as long as they stay in pristine condition. After they get worn, they actually are self defeating IMHO. Like I said, maybe the newer coated rods are miracle rods and stand up better, but the ones I've tried in the past didn't. I also clean a LOT of guns. Dewey Stainless works for me.

I'm just relaying the responses of several high profile instructors, writers and bloggers in the industry which included Massad Ayoob's and Chuck Taylor's preferences. I conducted my informal poll back in 2007. I'm aware of the theory of the softer material dragging material along with it through the bore and included it when presenting my question, but it was dismissed by all who all felt the harder steel rods will likely do the damage. If segmented aluminum rods are good enough for Massad Ayoob's precision rifles, I feel they're probably good enough for my guns although I do currently use coated. Basically I'd feel comfortable using anything that's softer than the barrel itself which pretty much only excludes steel. YMMV.

I have never heard Ayoob say that he uses segmented aluminum rods (they are known to be very bad for barrels) and I'd have to see that with my own eyes to believe it, but if that's what he uses then it's his choice. Also remember, Ayoob and other "professionals" make their livings from the gun industry and it is just possible he could be steering buyers towards a specific item (it wouldn't be the first time). I do know he has his name on certain Holsters and more than likely gets royalties from them. Not faulting him for that - it's the American way, however I have no vested interest in any Company's products because they aren't sending me a penny.

All I can tell you is that I am 61 and have been cleaning guns since I was 11 years old (so that's 50 years of cleaning). I've used pretty much every type of rod and cleaning system available and I only recommended what I have found is the best to me. I can tell you that more GI Rifles were ruined by segmented rods than by the bullets being shot through them. During WWll the segmented rods came in 4 or 5 segments and had to fit in the butt stock compartment of their M1 Garands so I suppose they did not really have much of a choice.

Anyway, use what you believe to be the best and check it often to make sure the coating on your rods is not becoming chipped or porous, otherwise it will become a liability.

I use Tipton graphic rods with ball bearing handles for cleaning. I have them in two diameters for .22 and up to .45, and three lengths, 36", 24" and 12", the last for handguns.

They flex a lot starting the first patch after shooting. I uses the shortest possible rod for that firearm. Some people thread the patch in a loop then pull it through. I use jags for better cleaning, and start them at the breech if possible, or at the muzzle for lever guns and revolvers.

I find it rather odd that I'm basically being called a liar over repeating what kind of cleaning rod Massad Ayoob told me he used.

My correspondence with Mas regarding cleaning rods was via several emails in 2008. I have them saved and just reviewed them. My questions were general, not endorsing any particular brand. He said he uses coated or aluminum and has used both one piece as well as segmented ones even on his precision rifles.

No one is calling anyone a liar. It's just hard to believe that a guy like Ayoob would use something that is a well known and generally accepted problem for gun barrels. If that is what he uses - again it's his choice but in my personal opinion..... it's a bad one. I don't personally know any other target shooter anywhere using segmented rods - but again, it's their choice if they do.