I don't think it's new. Personally, I would never use a brush before I started that method, but let me tell you why I do it.
When I spent two days with Bill Calfee as he built my Turbo, I asked him his opinion of the best cleaning method. I got a surprise by his answer, but after him explaining it to me it makes sense.
He told me to never, I repeat never "push" a brush through the bore of my new rifle. Most bore damage by cleaning is when a brush is pushed through the bore.
Bill said to remember this: only a new brush will clean. And a new brush is extremely difficult to push through a bore. If you can easily push a brush through your bore, he said it ain't doing nothing.
Bill told me what others do is their business but he wants the bores of his rifles protected.
Bill told me to only use new 22 cal. centerfire rifle brushes. He said to keep track of the number of passes with the brush and after 12-15 passes to throw the brush away. He said a new brush pulled through the bore one pass will clean the leade of combustion/lead, if it's not allowed to build up excessively, and the crud will not be pushed through the bore. Try this and use a loupe to look at the brush when it's new and after 12-15 passes. You will see it has very little cutting power left.
As far a hurting the crown by pulling the brush back through it, he said to put the rod, sans brush through the bore, screw on the brush, add solvent, then gently bring the brush back to the crown, allow the brush to center up in the crown. slowly, then come on back with it. No one is going to hurt their crown if reasonably carefull.
Bill said he's had to replace several damaged barrels through improper cleaning and a bunch of them, after discussing in detail with the customer, was when a brush was pushed through the bore.
That's what I do. It works for me. I don't want to start a war on cleaning and refuse to engage in an argument over it. If others want to clean their rifles with a power drill, the rifles belong to them.