[Inspector3711]

I'm recently returned to shooting and hunting after a 14 year break. Things have changed some, prices and equipment have changed alot.

I've always used Hoppes or Outers aluminum or brass three piece cleaning rods. These days I hear that I should be using a bore guide to avoid causing undue wear on the rifling. This seems odd to me because for one thing I'm quite certain aluminum and brass are a bit softer than steel. For another thing copper which is harder than either gets fired through the barrel with what has to be thousands of time more force. I would think that you could cause a little localized fouling is all. Of course I suppose the rod could drag abrasive materials along the rifling, but the bullet does too once the first round leaves burnt powder behind.

Before anyone schools me on this subject, I do plan on buying bore guides and better cleaning rods in the future probably through Sinclair. I just wonder how many older shooters here still do it the old way. Seems to me there are probably plenty of very old rifles that were cleaned without a guide many times that are still as accurate as ever.