Head to Home Depot and purchase 3/4" white plastic pipe in the plumbing section. (Match the dia. to your rod.) Get a cap for one end and a screw thread joint and cap for the other. Glue it up just like you're plumbing.
I used an old GI foam sleep pad for end buffers, but an old mouse pad, neoprene wet suit scraps work fine too.
Cut to length. Custom fit, durable, good looking, and they run only a couple bucks -- which is what you'd pay for shipping from an online source.
I've been using Pro-Shot stainless w/ a bore guide. The rod never comes in contact with the bore. That's a technique thing.
