Can’t they be cleaned after use to remove the crud? I would think that the nylon would be much easier to clean than the USGI brush.
I don’t really know. But I doubt normal cleaning would remove something embedded in a nylon bristle. It’s not a matter of flushing away the crud or using chemicals to break the bond; it’s a matter of physically extracting something embedded in the bristle. When repairing small motors, I have seen nylon sprockets where you could never remove all the grit embedded in the teeth (unless you were willing to spend hours upon hours digging away with a dental pick). I’m thinking the same thing happens with nylon bristles.
My avoidance of nylon brushes may be an overreaction, but bronze wire brushes aren’t that much more expensive.
If you get something that wont come out of a nylon brush toss it in the trash and grab another.
True. However, keep in mind that the bits of crud that can cause damage are often difficult to see because they are so tiny, plus the crud can be just about the same color as the bristles. IMHO, having to minutely inspect my brushes each time before or after I use them is more effort than its worth. Bronze brushes are much easier to visually inspect - not much more than a simple glance - and you know immediately when a bronze brush is worn out.
But to each their own. If you prefer nylon and haven’t had any problems, go for it.
I got a set of nylon brushes at a fun show last summer. There was a chamber brush, a carrier brush that fit in where the bolt goes and has a skinnier tip that gets back where the cone of the bolt goes and a large brush that fits snugly in the upper receiver and cleans where the carrier rides.
I like them but I haven’t been known to wear out brushes. I don’t shoot my rifles that much…