Also avoid the wooden dowel if you can.

While I have no doubt that Rod knows what he is doing and could probably use a wooden dowel till the cows come home and never have a problem, there are lots of postings around various gun forums of people getting wooden dowels stuck in their barrels.....I mean really stuck......like needing a gunsmith to get the dowel out stuck.

Stick with a brass or aluminum rod (softer than the barrel) and you should be good to go.