I received this kit as a gift from my father, who picked it up at a local gun show and haven't used traditional rods and patches since on my .22LR and 9mm handguns. The pass-through/breakdown design and flexible, plastic-jacketed 'snake' lets you make one-way passes through the barrel, so there's absolutely no chance of damaging the muzzle. The weird patches take a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, there's almost no going back. Highly recommended.