Does one brand of brush stand out over the rest for quality? Troy
Yes, I think so. I don't recall the name and don't know if he still carries them or not, but look up a guy named Bill Gammon on BRC. At least I think that's who I got them from. I need to do the same, as I need some brushes now.
Anyway, I ran into him at a shoot in Ohio several years ago. He was peddling what he claimed to be the best bronze brush ever..or something to that effect. I bought some and IMHO, he was right! I have to admit that I didn't really believe him until I saw the difference for myself. They are very good and last longer than others, to boot. I've not found any, before or since, that I like as well as his. Generally speaking though, just stay with a brush with a brass core with a closed end and smooth near the threaded end..as possible and it won't hurt a thing.
A premium lapped barrel is lapped with something between 240 and 320 grit abrasive. A bronze brush just isn't comparable to that. Anyone that cares to can take a new brush and scrub the outside of a polished ss barrel stub or similar to see what happens. Then do the same with some 240 grit paste! Lol!
I'm of the opinion that bronze won't ever hurt a barrel but that the dirt and debris that gets on the brush when using it, can. The other side to that is fewer rod strokes up and down the bore because you are using a brush is a good thing. I'm not a fan of uncoated ss rods either. There's no way to avoid rod contact with the bore from ever happening. The worst thing, IMO, is hitting a ss rod with the palm of your hand or similar. That rod WILL flex and slap the lands! That is not a good thing. I truly believe that more damage occurs from over cleaning and especially improper cleaning, than anything short of just plain burning up a barrel.
The only visual evidence I've seen of a brush is gradual dulling of the crown with time. By that time, most 6mm barrels are done anyway or very close to it. Touching up a crown periodically is cheap and is a good practice, IMHO. Like every 700-800 rounds.