Proper Diameter Cleaning Rod & Surface Treatment

[savagedasher]

I never have wore out a barrel from cleaning rods. All mine the chamber goes first. Larry

 

[waldo1979]

OK. From my limited experience, getting the rod/patch down the bore was always a fight in my Krieger 223 AR15. I used 22 sized patches and just waaaay too big, even name brand ones. I made my own but will try Pro-Shot. I had no idea the resistance to rod movement was low enough to not trigger rod bending. This was why what Butch said made no sense to me. Push hard enough, and it WILL bend, even over a short distance between jag/patch and bore guide end.

Phil

Yes that can be a challenge with a 1 1/8" patch. A 1" patch will slide down pretty loosely. This is where a Parker hail jag comes in handy. I wish someone would make these with a copper free metal.

I really like Boretech's coated cleaning rods.

 

[Uthink Uknow]

I haven't had the tight patch problem but have been told you can pin the patch off center and it will fit more loosely. I still have a large quantity of the old David Wick jags and the proper patches fit just fine.

 

[danny]

As I said, "...I used 22 sized patches and just waaaay too big, even name brand ones...". The patches were NOT the wrong size, plainly evidenced by the package saying what it did (22). Could the packaging be wrong? Maybe, but on another brand of patches, the same problem. The jag was a name brand of some type that I can not recall. The jag that seem to present the least problems was the Parker-Hale style.

I use a Lucas bore guide with the AR.

Just from having done this a long time, going by the descriptions on the package of what the patch is for is just a starting point or suggestion. It is in no way a guarantee of a specific patch fitting properly with all combinations of jags, cleaning rod tips and in all bores of that size. If it does fit perfectly, consider that luck. You are going to have to juggle patch sizes, jags and other rod end accessories, maybe even trimming patches to get the proper fit.

Danny

 

[Deleted old_dood]

Dewey rod with 22 cal aluminum jag. round patches from Brownells. 1 1/4" for my 223, 1 1/2" for 6mm. I bought a jag for 6mm but don't use it since switching patches seems easier than jags.

 

[ireload2]

The packages only provide ball park sizes. The fit of the patch is also influenced by the size of the spear point plug and the thickness of the material.
There are instances where you may need to cut down the size of the patch or use a smaller plug. On larger bore rifles you may need a larger plug and use 2 patches. I have used synthetic patches and they range from very thin material to very thick coarse material. In some cases I have used 3 patches on a large bore plug.
Why don't you find an old t-shirt and scissors and cut your own patches and see how size and thickness alters the fit. Clean your rifle without resorting to a store bought patch. You should have a full set of cleaning rod plugs so you can pick the smallest diameter and work up.
If you don't like the fit change plugs, change patches and use scissors if you have to.
Remember there is NO patch material calibrated for the difference in .22 rim fire and .22 centerfire or the differences between 6mm, .257, 6.5mm and .270.

I have used 6mm patches to clean both 22 and .257 bores by changing the plugs. I have also used 30 cal patches on every thing from 7mm up. I will use .30 cal patches to clean up to .45 cal if I have to by changing plugs on my rod and by using 2 patches if necessary.
I use .22 patches only for .22 rimfire most of the time. But all of it can vary a since I don't always use the same band of patches and the rifles I shoot vary a lot from one range trip to the next.

You have to use you head a little. Scrounge up scissors or get a Swiss Army knife with scissors.

As I said, "...I used 22 sized patches and just waaaay too big, even name brand ones...". The patches were NOT the wrong size, plainly evidenced by the package saying what it did (22). Could the packaging be wrong? Maybe, but on another brand of patches, the same problem. The jag was a name brand of some type that I can not recall. The jag that seem to present the least problems was the Parker-Hale style.

I use a Lucas bore guide with the AR.

 

[butchlambert]

Trying to remember where I got my SS jags. They work great.

 

[LHSmith]

I went to using Pro-Shot patches because of their consistency in quality and size and they don't have the tendency to fray leaving cloth fibers behind. Once you size them to the right jag in a certain caliber they will give the same feel with patches bought today as the last batch bought years ago. It's called quality control, not a vendor searching for the best price on surplus cloth goods and offering up random thickness/ thread count / or type of material with each lot offered.

 

[savagedasher]

I have no problem with my own jag and my wife cut patches. Larry