Are you one of them who are tired of 3 brass cleaning rods that come with the gun cleaning kit? If yes, you are not alone then! We have suffered the same. To be honest, those 3 rods are just terrible. However, relying on them is not a wise decision instead get your hands on the best gun cleaning rod of the market.
Don’t know which one to pick? We have aligned 8 best rods for gun cleaning and have reviewed them thoroughly as well.
Here You Go!
Top 5 Gun Cleaning Rods at a glance
- Tipton 1-Piece Deluxe Cleaning Rods.
- Hoppe’s Bench Rest Stainless Steel 1-Piece Cleaning Rod.
- Dewey 1-Piece Cleaning Rod.
- Hoppe’s Elite One-Piece Carbon Fiber Cleaning Rod
- Tipton Max Force Cleaning Rod
Best Gun Cleaning Rod Comparison
1. Tipton 1-Piece Deluxe Cleaning Rods.
Starting with the best carbon fiber gun cleaning rod, the Tipton 1 Piece deluxe cleaning rod. Tipton is a popular brand for gun cleaning products, they have produced some incredible bunch of cleaning rods that are satisfying the user’s need pretty well. This brand is a part of the Battenfield technologies family, it is mostly known as BTI and they have been around the market for many years now.
Anyways, let’s get into the details now! The very first thing we noticed about this cleaning rod is, it is made of carbon fiber which is known as top-notch material for cleaning rods. This is the only material that keeps you stress-free because other materials such as Aluminum and all can scratch or damage the throat, muzzle, or barrel rifling of your gun. So with this Topton deluxe cleaning rod, your gun is safe.
Moreover, this cleaning rod comes with the brass end so even if anyhow the rod hits the barrel, nothing will happen, it is the same as a bullet coming out of the barrel. The handle of this rod has two bearings and that makes cleaning highly smoother. This rod is extremely durable and comes in different sizes so that it can be chosen for different firearms.
Features
- It comes with two ball bearings.
- Highly durable and strong.
- Heavily constructed with carbon fiber.
- It comes in different sizes.
- Wouldn’t damage the gun.
2. Hoppe’s Bench Rest Stainless Steel 1-Piece Cleaning Rod.
Do you need a cleaning rod for all the gauges and calibers of shotgun and rifles? Then we have the Hoppe’s Bench Rest Stainless steel cleaning rod is for you. This is a single piece cleaning rod, so it is only suitable for long firearms such as shotgun and rifles, not for pistols and other handguns. As the name suggests, this is a stainless steel cleaning rod, this material is extremely popular for its strength, extremely durable.
With this cleaning rod, you get the ball bearing swivel handle that will allow you to clean the gun bore pretty easily and effectively. And like some, with the ball bearing wouldn’t stop working, it will last long. This cleaning rod is weather-resistant and chemical-resistant as well, so don’t worry about using the toughest cleaning solvent with this rod. Including the handle, the rod is 35-3/4-inches long.
However, when cleaning the barrel of your rifle or shotgun with this cleaning rod, be as gentle as possible. Steel can scratch the barrel if not used properly.
Features
- Single piece stainless steel rod.
- Extremely strong and long-lasting.
- Ball-bearing swivel handle.
- Weather and solvent-resistant.
3. Dewey 1-Piece Cleaning Rod.
Like Hoppe’s and Tipton, Dewey is a top-class brand for gun cleaning items. This very brand has been serving the market from 1975 and till now, they have held the reputation, actually, it has been increased. Dewey cleaning rods are highly famous in the market for their strength and effective cleaning. US Navy seals, Olympic shooters, etc. rely on Deway’s products. However, let’s get into this product.
It is an aluminum gun cleaning rod that offers good durability and with this cleaning rod, you will be worry-free because the rod wouldn’t scratch the barrel. Moreover, this cleaning rod got top-quality nylon coating. With this single piece rod cleaner, you can clean all rifle/shotgun gauges and calibers. That being said, this cleaning rod is not for pistols because it is long.
It also comes with a single bearing screwdriver type handle which allows you to clean the gun barrel pretty easily. The rod features 22j brass jag and SMBA brush adapter, these increase the cleaning efficiency. And lastly, you can use a cleaning solvent with the rod, it would be safe.
Features
- Features top-quality nylon coating.
- It comes with brass jag and brushes.
- Aluminum offers good durability.
- Wouldn’t scratch the gun barrel.
- Single bearing handle.
4. Hoppe’s Elite One-Piece Carbon Fiber Cleaning Rod
Let us tell you, you are going to see a couple of Hoppe’s cleaning rod in the list and that is so obvious because their quality and design are always extra-ordinary and their quality is always up to the mark. Not only cleaning rods, whether it is a cleaning solvent or bore snake, but they are also leading in all. Moving on, here comes another single piece cleaning rod, the Hoppe’s carbon fiber cleaning rod. Undoubtedly, one of the best cleaning rods of the market right now.
This rod is constructed with carbon fiber material which is the best of all the materials. Carbon fiber doesn’t scratch the gun barrel when cleaning and it doesn’t flex much and is strong. Do you know what is the best part of this cleaning rod? From handgun to rifles, you can clean all of them with this very carbon fiber cleaning rod. The handle is screwdriver shaped and has ball bearing that makes cleaning very easy and fun. You would get a good grip in handle as well.
Features
- Premium double ball bearing handle.
- Suitable for all kinds of firearms.
- High-quality carbon fiber constructed.
- Doesn’t scratch the barrel.
5. Tipton Max Force Cleaning Rod.
This is the second and the last Tipton cleaning rod of this list. It is also a carbon fiber cleaning rod and gives excellent gun cleaning. Who telling this? Us? No, the users who have been using it long! With this very cleaning rod, you can clean firearms of different calibers. Whether it is a shotgun, pistol or rifle, this Tipton cleaning rod is going to be enough got all.
The handle is extremely versatile. Obviously, it comes with ball bearing and that makes cleaning effortless. Plus, the handle has a switch that engages and disengages the rod. If you are about to clean a long rifle, don’t worry, you can slowly and easily put the entire rod inside the bore. The rod might feel a little soft but be gentle and keep pushing the rod in.
Features
- Ball-bearing swivel handle.
- Carbon fiber constructed rod.
- Highly durable and long-lasting.
- Solvent resistant.
6. Hoppe’s Elite One Piece Carbon Fiber Cleaning Rod.
And another Hoppe’s mate! What an incredible design, it looks simply great. It is also a carbon fiber cleaning rod and that makes it suitable for cleaning handguns since carbon fiber doesn’t hurt the gun’s barrel. This rod isn’t flexible and is highly strong. Plus, it is solvent resistant as well, so don’t worry about using the toughest gun cleaning solvent with this cleaning rod.
It comes with a handle that looks like a screwdriver but it looks cool. The handle grip is highly comfortable. Moreover, it has two balls bearing handle so that makes cleaning the gun bore effortless. The rotation of this cleaning is rod is extremely smooth, you will find it very fun to clean your gun with this cleaning rod.
Features
- It has a double ball bearing handle.
- Comfortable handgrip.
- No flex carbon fiber rod.
- Highly durable and suitable for handguns.
7. Birchwood Casey Coated Cleaning Rod.
Well, this one is a very basic cleaning rod, there isn’t much fancy about this very model. But yes, for shotguns and rifles, this cleaning rod does a good job. The handle of this rod is screwdriver type and it doesn’t come with ball bearing. So you definitely wouldn’t get the seamless cleaning experience with this. It is coated with Birchwood Casey and serves for a decent time.
Features
- Suitable rod for shotgun and rifles.
- Highly durable.
- Solvent-resistant rod.
8. Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Cleaning Aluminum Rod
If it is about cleaning a big shotgun, then you might not mind picking an aluminum cleaning rod or do you? Anyways, this Hoppe’s 9 gun cleaning rod would be a great pick for you if you are looking for a shotgun cleaning rod. And top of that, this is a three-piece cleaning rod, so you can use this cleaning rod on handguns as well. Plus, it is extremely easy to store, you just disassemble and store. Way too convenient than a single piece cleaning rod.
This aluminum cleaning rod is less flexible, way too better than the brass cleaning rod. And if we talk about durability, you can expect that as well for this aluminum rod. Moving on, with this cleaning rod you get the ball bearing swivel handle as well that will enable you to clean the bore of the gun very easily.
Features
- Ball-bearing swivel handle.
- Less flexible and durable aluminum rod.
- Three-piece cleaning rod.
- Very easy to store.
- Suitable for all firearms.
How to Choose the Best Gun Cleaning Rod?
There aren’t many but few things you need to consider before you purchase a gun cleaning rod. The rod you pick needs to be suitable to your firearm and the material needs to be top-notch so that it will serve you for a long time. There are a bunch of materials used in gun cleaning rod but we have found out 4 to be worthy of investment. Not only material, but we also have mentioned some other factors as well, take a look!
Materials
We are going to discuss 4 materials, these are the materials you should look for but among these 4, there is one which is best.
Brass
Brass is the most common cleaning rod making material and the cleaning rods found in the cleaning kits are made of brass material. However, brass material is only good for 3-piece cleaning rods, for a single piece, you better don’t go for brass material. Having that said, brass material wouldn’t harm your barrel as steel does but the bad news is, this material is the weakest among these 4!
It can break anytime because it bends a lot. Though people who don’t want any scratch on their gun barrel, this would be a good choice. Lastly, though brass material is the weakest, it is expensive and that is because of its safe cleaning.
Aluminum
Compared to brass material, aluminum is stronger and durable. And this material is soft as well but not as soft as brass. You can use this in cleaning your firearm without any worry, it wouldn’t scratch your gun barrel. But the bad news about aluminum material is, they are best for cleaning shotgun or other large bores. It is very hard to find good aluminum constructed cleaning rod for pistols or other small bore firearms.
Steel
For cleaning rods, this is not a good material and the reason is it can scratch your gun barrel. But if you have an old firearm and you don’t care about scratching as long as it operates fine, then a steel cleaning rod would be an excellent choice for you. However, we wouldn’t recommend steel gun cleaning rod to everyone, even though they are extremely cheap.
Steel Cable
This is something new that started to show up in the market. Steel cable is extremely flexible and they can be coiled up so that you can store them easily. Moreover, this cable is nicely coated with soft plastic that will prevent all kinds of scratching to the gun barrel. The price is low and the product is pretty durable as well. Cleaning with this cable is pretty effective, you pull the cord through the gun bore and it will clean off every dirt and grime inside the bore very easily.
Carbon Fiber
Remember, we said that there is one material among the 4 that is the best? Carbon fiber is! This is the most popular and expensive material for the cleaning rod. If you see a carbon fiber gun cleaning rod, don’t even look at other materials, you have got the best. This material is durable and you can push/pull easily and effectively. You wouldn’t find carbon fiber rod in cleaning kits, so don’t even expect. For better cleaning, there is no rod better than a carbon fiber cleaning rod.
Bearings
If you want easy and effective gun bore cleaning, then bearing on the cleaning rod handle is a must to have. The brushes and patches need to contact the rifling if you want effective cleaning and that contact makes the cleaning rod rotate as the user pushes it through the bore. Having a fixed handle wouldn’t give you the effectiveness you want. And you will have an uncomfortable grip since you have to try to rotate the cleaning manually by hand. So it’s better if you go for a bearing handle cleaning rod.
Having that said, there are some models which come at an extremely cheap price and most of the time they don’t work. Even if they do, they don’t last even a decent period. So invest in top-quality models if you want uninterrupted service.
Number of pieces
The last thing you would want to consider is the number of pieces of the rod. Single piece rods are great, they are string and for cleaning large bores, they work incredibly. Having that said, what about small bores like pistol bores? Single piece cleaning rods aren’t suitable for them since single piece cleaning rods are long. Then the only solution for cleaning the pistol bore is to buy another short one, isn’t it? This is the disadvantage of a single piece cleaning rod.
On the other hand, three-piece cleaning rods are suitable for all kind of bores. If you need to clean the shotgun bore, you can assemble three of the pieces together and make a long cleaning rod. And then, if you have to clean pistol bore, you can detach the other parts of the rods and make it small. Then finally when it comes down to storing, 3-pieces cleaning rods strikes there as well. You can disassemble and store even in a very tight place.
Lastly, we would say, single-piece bore cleaners are stronger compared to 3-piece bore cleaner. On the other hand, 3-piece cleaning rods are versatile and flexible. Now it’s up to you!
Conclusion
These are the best gun cleaning rods you will find in the market right now. All of them come from well-reputed brands and users are having a pretty good time with these models. So we hope, you will have satisfied with one of these. Please do let us know the experience.
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