Use of currently available military cleaning rods

I notice that there are quite a few sets of .30 screw-together cleaning rods for sale on ebay and at gun shows. They come in a rubberized cloth pouch with a brush and grease as well as a loop end, and are advertised as for the 03 Springfield or Garand. You can't clean a Springfield properly from the breech end with them as one set is too short. You really have to buy three kits to get two good rods for that (I did), but they are nice for the range because they screw together, are quite solid, and can be used with a variety of rifles from the breech end. Though I don't have a Garand, I imagine that the proper way to clean that is to use a pull through to avoid ruining the crown. I like these rods for range use, but I wonder what their original military use was. I am sure somebody here knows.

To clean rifle barrels.

screw together rods are bad news. fine to have one in the butt trap for the collection, or emergency use only.

I was taught to use them to clean the M1 Rifle and the M14 Rifle by the U. S. Army. They were used to clean from the muzzle.

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Originally Posted by Herschel

I was taught to use them to clean the M1 Rifle and the M14 Rifle by the U. S. Army. They were used to clean from the muzzle.

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Yup, me too, when I was in the Army from 1966-69 we cleaned our M14s from the muzzle with those old steel jointed rods. Fortunately the flash suppressor/muzzle brake on the M14 limited muzzle wear some. One way or the other they aren't good for the weapon. The pull throughs were a better idea even though the cord on the vintage American ones was a weak spot. According to our son cleaning rods are used with the M16/M4 weapons state side and Otis Kits are used on deployment. A lot of guys like him who were sort of gun savvy would buy their own Otis kits and use them stateside as well.

I have an Oiler and Thong kit (USGI pull through) in the butt traps of all of my M1903s and M1 but they are purely for authenticity/display purposes. I've never used one to actually clean any of my rifles. I use an Otis kit for my M1(s) and M1 Carbine and a carbon fiber one piece rod for all of my rifles I can clean from the breach.

As leftyo says, they're a nice addition to your accessory collection but definitely for emergency use only! My M1 butt trap combination tool is another matter entirely, a useful tool that does get used.

Jointed cleaning rods are fine if used with some common sense. I have used them with various .30 cal. bolt action rifles to clean in the field and even at home. In my M-1 Garands, I use them to pull a cleaning brush or patch from the chamber. They are not my first choice for heavy cleaning, but they are fine when one needs to wipe out a barrel, etc. For very heavy cleaning, I much prefer a one piece rod w/ a bore guide to protect the barrel. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

Why do people worry about muzzle wear when simple 'bore guides' can be had. A funnel shaped thingy that fits over the rod and slides into the bore a slight amount!?

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Originally Posted by bruce

Jointed cleaning rods are fine if used with some common sense. I have used them with various .30 cal. bolt action rifles to clean in the field and even at home. In my M-1 Garands, I use them to pull a cleaning brush or patch from the chamber. They are not my first choice for heavy cleaning, but they are fine when one needs to wipe out a barrel, etc. For very heavy cleaning, I much prefer a one piece rod w/ a bore guide to protect the barrel. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

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Thanks guys. So it looks these which are currently for sale are probably from the M14 era. I like to use them at the range. The segments screw together precisely, and if used from the breech should not wear the barrel. Of course, nothing beats a solid rod for use at home for final cleaning.

I use those cleaning rods at the range when shooting corrosive ammo and clean the barrel while it's really hot. No rust in any of my guns.