Bore Snake Questions

[Cygnus]

OK
I bought bore snake a whike back bt haven;t used it yet.

Is this just for a quick cleaning on the road/range?

Do you put Hoppe's or oil on it?

When do you wash it (how many cleanings) ?

Learn me......

 

[LPMan59]

i spray it down with breakfree and run it thru my AR. then i put it away.

 

[Cygnus]

^^^^Do you ever clean the boresnake?

Or when do you need a new one?

 

[LPMan59]

i dont shoot my AR a whole lot. and when i do, its not a lot of rounds- i've only used it twice. i would be interested to know how often cleaning is recommended as well.

i would think every few gun cleanings depending on level of gun dirtiness.

 

[Astrocreep]

Some people clean every rifle, every time. Some people swear by getting every last bit of fouling and gunk out of their action and barrel to improve accuracy. Others believe that fouling and lead build-up helps improve accuracy and seldom/never clean their rifle.
Truth is probably somewhere in-between.
*unless you're shooting corrosive military surplus ammo, of course.

Boresnakes are awesome. You can use/abuse them just about however you think you need to. If they get messed up, they only cost $15 bucks or so to replace.

I put a little hoppes-9 on mine and run it through a few times after a trip to the range. If you're wanting a pristine barrel, you'll need to use standard patch/rod as well. The Boresnake is great for breaking up gunk and getting the 'bare minimum' cleaning done. They're also great for cleaning while at the range.

Boresnakes won't mess up your barrel or scratch your rifle. (I use a boreguide with my rod and patches on rifles I care about protecting.

A little dish soap + hot water will clean them right off.

They are also great for breaking in a new barrel on your rifle. I was taught that for the first 10 shots or so, you should take the shot, adjust sights, take out the bolt, bore snake once, bolt back in, repeat.

Try to pull the boresnake through from action to muzzle, not the other way around.

Hope that helps.

 

[aclark]

The only thing I use my boresnake on is my 12ga. For my pistol, and .308 I clean everytime, and the .22 I clean every few trips to the range. I find it work pretty good for the shotgun, and I'll give it [the 12ga] a good once over about every 10 times out, and it doesnt take much to get it pristine after using the boresnake in between cleanings.

 

[antsi]

You can throw a dirty bore snake in the washing machine. I run it by itself so the wire bristles don't get hung up in other laundry. You can also wash them in a net bag or something.

They can get quite dirty and still do a decent clearning job, though. You don't have to do this very often - only wash it if it is so dirty that you see it is leaving filth in the bore.

 

[Jay]

I have a bore snake in my range bag, but it's for emergencies only. I use a Patchworm 90% of the time, and a coated rod with a boreguide for the rare stubborn issue. I view cleaning firearms like taking a shower. Each of us has his/her own method, and that's as it should be.

Bore snakes........ I don't really like 'em because once you make the first pass, the first couple of inches will carry any debris back through the bore on the second pass. Then the first three or four inches will carry debris down the bore on the third pass..... and like that.... Patchworms use the same principle, but you throw away the patch after each pass, instead of re-introducing potentially damaging debris with each pass.

Not gonna suggest how you should take a shower, and I'm not gonna tell anyone how to clean their firearm. This is just my take on one aspect of how I look at cleaning my firearms.

 

[243rem700]

I've used my boresnake a couple of times and as was said it does not get the barrel as clean as a patch and rod. It is very convenient to run through a dirty barrel on guns that you don't necessarily need extremely clean. I use one for my AR and my shotgun. For my bolt guns I always use a rod and patches.

 

[JetGirl]

Once upon a time I used Bore Snakes exclusively. I'd put solvent on the bristles and oil on the tail just before the "loop".
I'd clean it about every third or fourth time by putting it in a jar of hot soapy water and literally shaking the crap out of it, rinsing it and hanging it somewhere to dry.

I still have one for each caliber, but haven't used them in awhile. I've seen the error of my heathen ways:

once you make the first pass, the first couple of inches will carry any debris back through the bore on the second pass. Then the first three or four inches will carry debris down the bore on the third pass..... and like that....

That ^, to be specific.

and I'm not gonna tell anyone how to clean their firearm.

Well, he will if you ask him enough. Or not. Sometimes you have to beg and plead and tug on his shirt tail and whine and stomp your foot... and maybe even resort to handing him a really cruddy gun.
I mean _REALLY_Cruddy. Then he'll pay attention.
Don't ask how I know.

 

[2ADMNLOVER]

Unlike my truck when it comes to my guns I'm a clean freak and clean them after EVERY trip .

I don't use the boresnakes because like Jay , I don't like the idea of re-introducing the gunk back into the barrel .

IndyGunSafety turned me onto some killer stuff called RUSTEPRUFE , Nitro Solvent . It cleans and rust proofs at the same time , now I swear by it .

 

[Svart]

I use breakfree on mine, run it thru the bore until the lans/grooves are clean & put it in a ziplock bag for next time. =)

 

[Indecision]

I love them, they do a good enough job for most stuff. They are especially useful for a field cleaning kit.

 

[zky]

I had the same types of questions...thanks for all the good replies. I've got a bore snake that at times I think it is putting more dirt into the barrel than loosening or removing. I didn't know you could clean these things. I'll try that before using it again. Thanks again for all the good information.

 

[Jay]

I mean _REALLY_Cruddy

Understatement......

However, she's learning, and taking what advice she feels she can accept under her definition of "clean" Can't ask for more than that.

 

[JetGirl]

Yeah, I believe the first words after "I have a bone to pick with you" were something like "how on earth can you stand down-wind of that thing!??"

 

[Principal Skinr]

The Bore Snake has a surface area some 64 times greater than a patch. I'm not sure how you run a patch without dragging the gunk back through the barrel the other way, unless you make a one way pass and take it off at the other end.

I use Break Free CLP liberally on the first 4 inches or so and on the brush bristles. Then, a little afterward to collect anything the bristles dislodge. The CLP and the cotton in the Bore Snake hold the crap and debris in suspension, so they are NOT re-deposited in the barrel. One pass is enough. If you are OCD, you could use two bore snakes, following the first with a clean one. I do clean my Bore Snakes frequently, but they rarely show visible crud. I just hand wash them in a plastic tub in laundry detergent, and then rinse them using a drop of fabric softener.

The most impressive display of the Bore Snakes effectiveness was on my Mosin Nagant. When I bought it, the rifling was barely visible, due to the cosmoline and whatever other crap was in there. Much of the crap was black. One pass with the Bore Snake, coated liberally with CLP, revealed a very clean barrel that shoots straight as an arrow. Even with the cosmo and gunk, that Bore Snake only showed crud in the first couple of inches. I've never seen a barrel that bad. The Bore Snake transformed it. I keep one in the stock compartments of 2 of my AR 15's, along with a little tiny bottle of CLP or Rem Oil.

 

[JetGirl]

they rarely show visible crud.

How can you tell? They are colored.
Maybe they should make a white Bore Snake.

Not trying to be racist...just sayin'.

 

[BurninBrass]

IMO Bore Snakes have a place in everyone's range bag. Great for field cleaning, but not as a replacement for the rod and patch once you get home.

I wash mine by hand in the sink with a little dishwashing soap and hang to dry.

 

[Principal Skinr]

I have a 12ga shotgun Bore Snake that is white.