Why don't they make wooden cleaning rods?

[wdyasq]

I have a stack of brass rods threaded for bore brushes and patch holders. I do have some 'small bore' rifles ..... For me, small bore is less than .35 caliber.

Ron

 

[JohnBT]

I have never needed a bore snake. Cleaning rods do the job better and faster. And you don't have to launder them.

You know, I pulled a bore snake through a rifle once. It was so filthy I couldn't bear to pull it through a second time.

 

[jcwit]

Cleaning rods (and ram rods) used to be made out of wood because that was all they had at the time. Back then most everything was over .50 caliber and wooden rods did a reasonably good job because they could be thick enough to be sturdy.

Most common caliber for eastern "Pennslyvania, Tenn., Kentucky, etc." was .36 to .45 caliber. Far from being .50 caliber. Hickory being the most common wood to use.

 

[brickeyee]

And those old rods are often very strait grain split out from a larger piece (as opposed to sawn or turned from a much larger piece).

Straight grain hardwoods like hickory have remarkable strength in compression.

 

[il.bill]

After reading the above replies I feel like a goofball, but I have been happily using wooden rods (aka 'chopsticks' from a Chinese takeout) to do a significant portion of my handgun cleaning for quite some time.

When it gets drty or impregnated with debris I throw it away and use a new one. It has worked fine to push through patches soaked in solvent to coat and soak the bore prior to running through a brass brush on a threaded cleaning rod. They also seem to work well for pushing through an oily patch prior to storing the handgun. I have to be careful that I do not shave off any wood splinters, but the small diameter even works well in my .22LR revolvers. I also like using them to push a cleaning patch down the magwell or inside a magazine when cleaning.

Other than watching out for scratching a bore with a dirty chopstick, carelessly wearing down the muzzle, or leaving shavings behind, am I missing some other downside to using my 'wooden cleaning rods'?

 

[win71]

This old Parker would'd know how to behave if anything more modern than wood was used.........

 

[Elkins45]

I can't.
Ever try to push mud out of a clogged muzzle, or a stuck case out of a chamber with a string??

If you ever need a jointed cleaning rod, you will need it then for sure.

rc

Well, I was assuming the bore snake was to finish the "de-mudding" after you poked out the plug with a whittled stick...not that I've ever used a stick to clear a muzzle

 

[JohnBT]

"This old Parker "

Those aren't plastic shotshells, are they?

 

[larryflew]

One reason not to use a rod is voiding the warranty on a target rifle like Volguartsen

 

[jcwit]

Heck, you'll void the warranty of most new firearms by just firing reloads.

 

[win71]

Actually, yes

[/Those aren't plastic shotshells, are they?QUOTE]

They aren't as old as the gun but they are older than the gun case.