I have both Dewey coateds and various stainless rods, all SOLID rods, no joints, the main thing is to keep them squeaky clean and/or lubed clean and DON'T ever force them, which can be a difficult thing to guess sometimes. Also, get the right diameter rod, 30 for 30, 45 for 45, 25 for 25 (kind of a crapshoot finding one) 22 for 22, etc....it gets more critical the smaller the hole, 17 and 20 rods are pretty whippy.
As for forcing, I also keep "worn" brushes around just for that reason, especially on a barrel I've never worked before. No matter how bad a bore might be, it's stupid to start by making things WORSE. There's nothing that spells trouble more than inserting a shiny new brush and oops, it's too tight. How do you "cam over" the bristles?
Also really helps if you have a bore guide that actually fits well in the chamber. Sometimes the brush will bind first in the guide depending on the neck and you can "withdraw" before you've screwed yourself.
