I did not start this thread to convert anyone to Dewey. If anything, it's a criticism. I would suggest though, that you pick up a one piece rod of some kind if you don't have one.

I bought my first Dewey stuff in the late 70s. It was a new company and I got some very good deals because I was in the military. They appeared to be well made, and that was good enough for me. Their products are still good today, but...

I went to clean a couple of rifles, but couldn't find the bag containing their proprietary brushes, jags and an 8-32 adapter. I left it at the trailer. I checked at Cdn Tire and Cabelas, but neither had the adapter, so I had to clean them with the Real Avid kit.

Not wanting this to happen again, I decided to order some spares from Dewey this morning. I have two of their coated rods - a 22/6.5mm and a 27 and up. Both have different threaded male tips (see FAQs below).

If I needed a new rod today, I would probably get some Tipton one pce. carbon rods because they use an 8-32 threaded pitch - except for 17 and 20 cal.. No worries about buying odd sized brushes, jags or adapters for the Dewey rods. Some might say that these different sizes are needed because of the different bore diameters (for strength), but I dunno...

From the Dewey site:

What is the thread pitch on J Dewey cleaning rods?

.17 and .20 caliber, both coated and stainless – 5/40 female
.22 caliber coated – 8/36 male
.22 and .27 caliber & up stainless and brass rods – 8/32 female
.27 & up coated rods, including .35/.50 caliber – 12/28 male
Coated shotgun rods – 5/16 x 27 female
Brass shotgun rods – 12/28 male
Copper eliminator series rods – 8/32 female
22CF rods – 8/32 female
6-HDB rod – 8/32 female

The stores I deal with down south have Dewey rods so whether I head south I make a point of stopping in ,
But I have also ordered their products from Plenty ‘O’ Patches with no problem .
I also still use some Parker Hale rods as well as Tipton 😎
Cat

I have some more brushes and jags on the way.

When I tried out the Real Avid kit, it appeared like the bore hadn't been cleaned since Hitler was in power. I thought I had a bottle of CR-10 on the shelf, but remembered that I gave it away to a friend. I am going to soak the barrel for a day or so in Hoppes. I started with No 9 and later, some Lucas CLP. There's a lot of crud in there, so I've decided to give the Hoppes a chance to work its magic.

Initially, the patches were coming out full of powder, changing to powder and copper. I have some rubber corks lying around somewhere to plug up the business end of the barrel.

I wish the Deweys were more standardized. For heavy fowling and copper I like an abrasive like JB and alternate it with a copper remover and carbon remover. Usually much faster than soaking with solvents.

This is all leading toward the mythical "completely clean patch" carried by a leprechaun riding a unicorn that Diogenes has yet to find.

Nah, a little dirt never hurts, unless you shoot competition.

Years of build up however, that's another matter. When a rifle bore begins to look like a shotgun, it's time to remove some of the crud.

Thanks for the info, Steve.

I know Parker-Hale is English, hence the strange threads, but I've never understood why Dewey uses bastard thread dimensions too. They also made changes along the way, so jags and brushes that will fit one generation of Deweys won't necessarily fit those made at a different time. And why are shotgun rods threaded with the odd 5/16x27? I make many of my own rods and jags on my mini lathe, and my 5/16x27 taps come from some eastern European country. You sure can't find them at your local hardware store or machine supply.

Brands of rods are not all the same or equal. Handle ergonomics and bearings differ. The early Dewey handles would bind up, the reason being that the ball bearings were loose balls in the plastic handle, not steel-in-steel bearing units. I've dissected a few rod handles. Tipton has good bearings, as does Bore-Tech, and maybe another brand or two that I can't recall.

Paul

No problem, Paul.

I think Dewey used different threads because of the different rod thicknesses. I can''t really say for sure. I will check out the Tipton rods at Cabelas next time I go to Barrie.

Have a couple of Dewey rods and see pluses and minuses. That's why I have a number of Pro Shot rods. Mostly use the latter these days but on occasion will grab a Dewey. Since the day I purchased the Dewey rods I routinely curse their bearings. Loudly.

I've never tried Pro Shot rods.

My grandson and I just finished cleaning the Swede. Years of build up had to be cleaned out. I showed him the difference between a sectional almuninum rod and the one piece Dewey. He tried the aluminum rod first, and I had to stop him from pushing too hard. The rod began to bend, despite having a rod insert installed.

This is what we took out of the Swede. This was the second cleaning with no shooting in between. When I went to Cabelas a couple of days ago, I got some Hoppes Copper Cleaner. It doesn't smell as strong as the other copper cutters I've used, and it took a couple of hours. Mind you, my grandson and I were working in the yard and letting the copper cleaner soak.

When one finds a product he likes, always buy a lifetime supply or some backups.

Had a Ruger 77 .358 Win some years ago that was absurdly accurate; handloads or factory ammo. It was good for about 15 rounds before it started shooting patterns. Copper fouling was the problem and I learned much about dealing with such things. I assume the reason was the groove diameter at the muzzle of .356".

Only gun I ever had that issue with and I truly don't wish to travel that road again.

I know that what I'm posting was not the reason for the leading problem, but what possessed you to buy a Ruger?

It was a .358...at a good price, longing for a caring hand.

I own a couple of Rugers, an American and a No. 1. It was hard for me to admit to, or talk about, until I started therapy.

I think I'm going to get a Tipton 17 cal rod for my Hornet.

I had several in days gone by. Couple of #1s, the 77 previously mentioned, a 77/44 and a 10/22. Still have the last two only because they shoot lights out. The #1s shot well enough and their long barrels were what prompted my purchase of the Dewey rods (back on topic?).

FWIW, I don't like to clean barrels from the muzzle at all, but in some cases it is necessary. The Pro Shot rods are equipped with a conical muzzle protector that works well and easy enough. I cheated with the 10/22 and drilled a 1/4" hole in the back of the receiver....remove the bolt and clean it the simple way. Make sure the hole if centered with the bore if you do this.

The 10/22....3 times


The 77/44 with 320 grain cast bullets....5 times.


It like paper patch more better.

DD

I have a 30 cal muzzle protector that I got with my Dewey. That was the only one I ever needed until I got the 17 Hornet. I have the Birchwood Casey three pack because it is the only company I found that had a 17 cal protector. The set cost $22 Canuckian Dinars. Expensive for what I got.

Lo and behold, when I went to the lgs yesterday, they had a couple of Pro Shot one pce cleaning rods on the shelf for cheap...well, cheap for Canada anyway...$35. It even came with a jag, but I have a couple of them already.

I received my Dewey adapters, jags and other things today. I also got some cork and rubber stoppers. I needed some smaller stoppers for the 17, so I ordered up some slightly larger stoppers that will fit my 22 to 6.5mm muzzles. If you cannot find them at your local hardware store, you can order them from here. Widget Co. is in Houston.

Tomorrow, I will soak a couple of bores with Hoppes and clean them on Sat or Sun.

https://www.widgetco.com/epdm-rubber-stoppers