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Tipton Carbon Fibre rods problem

243jimb

Some time ago (over a year) I bought two Tipton Carbon Fibre cleaning rods one in .243 and one in .17/.20 calibres. I have used the .243 one extensively without any problems. I have only recently begun using the .17 rod. When I was pushing it in the bore (which was a little tight but not excessively so) and using a bore guide as recommended, the rod snapped cleanly in two. It says on the labelling that This product is warranted to withstand reasonable blows, torque pressures and shaft flexations during the course of normal firearm service operations. This to me was not abnormal by any means, I was only pushing on it not hammering on it. When I contacted Tipton (BTI) they simply stated that their warranty was only for a year and even when I explained that I had only recently started using it they still were not interested in replacing it. So much for " The finest cleaning rod money can buy" So be very careful before spending any hard earned money on this product! Has anyone else had problems with this calibre/type of rod?
Jim.
 
Greetings,

I wouldn't be too harsh on Tipton. One year warranty is plenty... too bad it did not break in that time period.

I use Tipton carbon rods EXCLUSIVELY in .17-.22 caliber and .30 range as well. These ARE the best cleaning rods on the market with the exception that the handle diameter can be a bit smaller. Never had a problem over years of service in smallbore and highpower despite many tight barrels or heavy patches requiring LOTS of muscle.

Blackie
 
I had a 17 cal Tipton carbon rod snap during use. It was not unusual use and it did occur shortly after purchase. It was replaced at no cost to me. I use the replacement much more carefully.

You will find that any 17 cal rod is delicate regardless of material. The carbon rod snapped, chances are a steel one would have bent.

DougF
 
Bore Tech, Dewey.

Not interested in a rod that if it broke could leave me with a hand full of carbon fiber splinters. Yeah, yeah, it's never happened to you. Not interested in "lucky so far" stories.
 
Just a safety warning. Be very careful in how you handle the broken carbon rod. Getting even the tiniest fiber stuck in your skin can be very serious. I urge you to do some research and find out what to do to protect yourself and how to dispose of the rod properly.
 
As I posted earlier, the carbon fiber is harder than the barrel material. I am a Manufacturing Engineer on the F-35 (and previously on the start up of the B-2) and have access to alot of specialist. Because I am one of the few "metal heads" left I have become friends with the metalurgist at work. I asked them the question of hardness, and they came back with the answer above. If these rod keep the carbon fibers(we call it graphite in the aerospace community even though carbon fiber is more accurate) embedded in the matrix(meaning the epoxy or polyester. Don't fall asleep just yet) it is safe on barrels.
 
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Do you believe that ccg? Have you ever machined graphite. I have and a lot of it for EDM electrodes. It eats up tool steel end mills and drills. We had to use carbide cutters for tool life.
Butch
 
Cost cutting and saving bucks on a cleaning rod in a good barrel doesn't cut it. i used coated and carbon and i find none are as easy on the barrel as a good ground stainless rod,try an ivy and never look back......jim
 
I have 4 or 5 Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rods and for the most part have been very happy with them. I have broke one that was my fault. I bought them from Mid-Way usa. They said if I sent it back to them they would replace it free of charge. The problem is that it cost almost as much to send it back as it did to buy a new one. When I contacted Tipton I was infromed all service work was done through Mid-Way usa which leads me to believe that Tipton is owned by Mid-way. Either way I have been over all very happy with Tipton.
 
My Tipton rod the cleaning fluid cleaned the glue from the rod threaded end cam off----end of rod--they said it was my fault……. so much for that rod--now have a walking stick steve
 
Fwiw, I ran a pretty good test of ss vs carbon fiber a few years ago.
I chucked rods of both materials in a mill chuck, then spun them against a ss barrel stub.
I forget the details but did all I could to make it a "fair" comparison in regard to abrasion. Speed was a few hundred rpm, as best I can recall.

Suffice it to say, it wasn't even close. Stainless galled in seconds and cf ran several minutes against the stub before I shut it off and looked at the rod and the stub.
Both looked PERFECT!
This opposed to a seriously galled condition of ss on ss.
 
beak said:
My Tipton rod the cleaning fluid cleaned the glue from the rod threaded end cam off----end of rod--they said it was my fault……. so much for that rod--now have a walking stick steve
Click to expand...
Box that sucker up and send it to me. I've got some jb weld and am not afraid to use it. ;)
 
I have the remnants of a .17 cal cf Tipton rod a friend broke. Damn lucky it didn't impale him! Watched it happen & the reason was he's heavy fisted. Almost cost him.
Having said that I still prefer my cf Tipton's to my ss, or coated rods. Get the right size patch & all is well. And when it doesn't feel right stop pushing!!!

Keith
 
Nice try. Ask Cabelas how many fishing rods are returned due to broken tips.......the problem is almost always the failure of the joint transition - CF to another material. Having said that, CF is not indestructable, nick the outer layer of the shaft and try to bend it like that ....and viola- SNAP.
Besides the ideal cleaning rod stays straight and should resist flexing ......sort of like what quality hardened steel is capable of.
 
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