Which cleaning rod company to turn to?

[Domonlord]

Was told earlier that Tipton's better than Dewey. Who's the best?

I'm also going to end up buying cleaning rods for my shotgun and ak47 from them, so hopefully they make rods for those too.

Oh... and what's a good foaming bore cleaner? I was told to get those to clean the barrel with.

[maximus83]

Otis. I love the pull-through concept. Your patches get a tighter fit in the bore, so if you combine the Otis system with good cleaning solvents, you don't even need traditional cleaning rods any more. I keep a couple of my old Delrin-coated Dewey rods around, but I can clean ALL my guns better and faster using a combination of the Otis pull through cables, good patches, and the right set of solvents. Get the Otis Tactical cleaning kit (http://www.midwayusa.com/Eproductpage.Exe/showproduct?saleitemid=788293), and you can use it on all your guns, including pistols .22 to .45, rifles .22 on up to popular centerfires, and shotguns.

As for your question about the bore cleaner, I think the best thing going is probably the Sharp Shootr Wipe-Out (http://www.sharpshootr.com/wipeout.htm). You can get it in either a shaving cream-like can, or simply as a liquid that you put on a patch. You just get some of this stuff in your bore, let it sit for half an hour, patch it out, and you're done! I don't even use brushes anymore, just very rarely if I get a build-up or something that I need to clean out. With Otis and Wipe-out, cleaning has never been as easy or as fast.

However, if the Otis approach doesn't work for you, then I'd say that either the Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod (http://www.gunaccessories.com/Tipton/CleaningRods.asp), or the Gunslick carbon fiber rods (http://www.gunslick.com/products/accessories/cleaning_rods.aspx), would be good choices.

[KACSR15]

This is my preference, I vote for Dewey. They were recommended to me about 10 or 12 years ago and have served me well. I've used them for cleaning everything from my .22 benchrest rig, to my bolt guns and AR's.

The only thing I do recommend is go with a 40" rod though. It may seem long but is nice to have. I do have both 36" and 40" rods for different applications and find myself using the longer one more unless I am dragging stuff to the range.

I can't recommend any foaming cleaners though. I am a Shooters Choice guy.

[deercop]

I had a Tipton carbon fiber rod. I liked it well enough, until it broke. I replaced it with a Bore Tech Bore Stix, which so far I like even better than I did the Tipton.

I have the Otis "tactical" kit, but I can't say as I've used it more than a couple of times. I keep saying I'm going to give it another try, but I just seem to like using a traditional cleaning rod.

Beware of some rods that use a different thread for attachments. Not that one thread is better than the other, but they're just different, so if you have (or are buying) suitable attachments, it's something to keep in mind.

I concur with the Patch-Out. It works really well. I also use a good bit of M-Pro 7, which works primarily on carbon fouling. I also use a lot of Kroil. For lube, I use Eezox, Militec, and an OLD pint bottle of CLP that someone was tossing out to us at a qualification many years ago.