RAPID ROD Reviews & Ratings

I bought this tool at the last minute before heading to a guided elk hunt in colorado. on the third day, I dropped my gun in the mud and filled the end of the barrel with mud. Thankfully i had this rod. by cutting a piece of shirt off to use as a pad, I was able to clean out the mud and then shot a nice bull that afternoon. I haven't had any problems with the rod being too flexible once I tightened the handle down. In the future, I will be storing a brass brush and a few patches in the case with the rod so I have what I need rather than cutting my shirt next time. All in all I think this is a great product that every hunter should carry with them. Its light and and the one time you need it, you will be happy you have it.

This is a great take-along emergency rod for clearing a stuck bullet or cartridge case or an obstructed barrel from mud, snow, etc. It's light and handy and easy to pack. It is not rigid or sturdy enough for routine barrel cleaning use but that's not it's intent.

I spend many days wing shooting and have toyed with the idea of carrying an old 3 pc .22 rod just incase I would need to dislodge a wad (happened at trap/skeet range) or to clear a shell/dirt/etc. A couple years ago my dad took a bore snake on a pack in hunt in Wyoming but knew that wasn't gonna be the MacGyver tool. Last December on the closing day of duck season it happened... The plastic hull seperated at the brass and became lodge in my forcing cone when a flock of ring-necks roared thru our spread. The shell sounded funny so I held off on the third shot (fortunately). Examining the aftermath I had to disassemble my gun to confirm the hull was still in the barrel. Needless to say birds were flying an my buddies weren't eager to go home (nor was I). Tried a stick (nope), finger (nope), pocket knife in a granola wrapper (nope), oh a stray piece of rebar with a candy bar wrapper (now your cookin' with gas)! It was not one of my finer moments sliding a rusty piece of metal down a $1,000+ shotgun barrel - but I was back in business. While I will likely never have to use it, atleast I can now elect to oil my bore on multi-day trips. I rated it a 4 because the rod has a little flex which could drag on rifling (but this could be explained because I haven't reefed on the theads to tighten it too much) and the package lacked deployment direcitons. Other than that I would give it a 5/5 for an emergency field tool. Heck it may even serve a an emergency magazine plug??? for those folks who don't assemble their new guns with the factory plug (you know who you are as I have met many in the Indiana Dove Fields...).

Looking for a take along lightweight 'takedown' cleaning rod, and this is a pretty good solution. It is a 'shock-corded' sytem rod, that packs into a little cordura case, about the size of a typical folding knife case--handy! You twist the handle counterclockwise, and it draws the 'shock-cord' tight and you have a rigid rod system. I was motivated to find a prodcuct like this due to a friend sticking a fired case in his rifle at the field sight in, and it was a real pain getting his rig back up to speed. If we had a rod like this with us, it would have just taken a few seconds to get him going again--a boresnake ain't gonna cut it for dislodging a case or clearing your bore of something like snow or mud either... The only two things I can think of that could be an issue, are that you could have a longer barreled rig, and this might not be long enough, and it doesn't rotate, like a good cleaning rod with ball bearings, having said that, this is just supposed to be a field expedient solution, and I like it a lot. Not sure how durable it will be, but I think it will be pretty decent for the occassional use it will see. I'm gonna get a few more, and give one friend in particular one as a gift! Lightweight and simple, good quality, would like to find a rotating tip like the Birchwood Casey multi-piece rod has--kind of cool.

This product seemed like a good idea at the time given the reviews. In fact the first time I received this I assembled it and it seemed fine. The second time I assembled it it broke right at the crimp in the handle before I could actually use it. Not a good design.