It's nice to see that I'm not alone after all. Guys, we need to pull our wagons around in a big circle before the snake lovers show up. It's going to get UG_LEE in a few more posts....
Bore Snake v.s. Patch
- Thread starter luckey
- Start date
It's nice to see that I'm not alone after all. Guys, we need to pull our wagons around in a big circle before the snake lovers show up. It's going to get UG_LEE in a few more posts....
They are both useful. I try to clean with patches as, like has been mentioned, I'd rather a clean piece of cloth each pass through. However, I find bore snakes very handy and use them occasionally when I'm into heavy shooting at the range. I still patch afterwards once home however.
I personally wouldn't rely only on a snake. Use them when lazy or when you're in the heat of things and can't be bothered to break out the cleaning equipment.
I personally wouldn't rely only on a snake. Use them when lazy or when you're in the heat of things and can't be bothered to break out the cleaning equipment.
It's nice to see that I'm not alone after all. Guys, we need to pull our wagons around in a big circle before the snake lovers show up. It's going to get UG_LEE in a few more posts....
Yep, you called it! Do you honestly believe that your bore gets any more contaminated using a snake than it does when you...oh I dunno, shoot it!? If your OCD gets flaring with a dirty snake, how do you keep your hands from trembling at the thought of shooting!?
Bore snakes/pull through's have been used for at least 100 years, and yes the old hemp twine pull through's could score the crown but only with excessive and careless cleaning techniques. Pull it straight or relatively straight and trust me you're fine. You'll do more damage to the barrel squeezing a round through than you could ever do with 1000 pulls of the snake.
For me it's a time saver. On the rare occasion that I put a gun to retirement for a while, I will run my regiment of long term storage which includes patches and ultimately spray grease. Not a speck of rust yet.
I really think the debate is much ado about nothing. BTW, rods can damage chambers worse than any bore snake could hope to if care isn't taken, crown too.
Did I break through the wagon encirclement?
- Location
- West Quebec
This sounds more reasonable to me .. I like snakes for cleaning when the guns are not too dirty and a patch if I find it beyond that.. I'm good with both.
This here, best of both worlds.
Flexibility of a snake with the easy breach to muzzle cleaning.
Runs with patchs, can run new ones till it shines bright.
Got the huge Otis kit 3 years ago, I have yet to shoot a caliber that my Otis multipack wont take care of.
I use the BS for my Win 88 & 94 and pump shotguns. For others such as my bolt actions I use bore- guide and rod and patches.
However, I also use rod and patch on my 88/94 but use a crown protector when storing in for the years hunting end.
However, I also use rod and patch on my 88/94 but use a crown protector when storing in for the years hunting end.
Even before the first key stroke I knew that this thread won't change anyone's mind. But at least we're seeing both sides of the story. Some of us won't use them while others sing their praise.
I still wonder if there are any serious accuracy bench rest types that use snakes. I doubt it and that might be a good point for the rest of us.
One precaution we should all be able to agree on is that the snake needs to be kept clean and out of contact with anything other than the barrel bore and the shooter's hands. And even those hands should be washed to remove any sandy grit before handling the snake. A lot of the ranges I shoot at have gravel or sand and when windy it gets just about everywhere. The shooter's hands end up picking up a lot of it during a shooting session because it's on the table and sticks to the outside oil on the rifle's metal and just from generally handling targets and other items around the range during a session. That grit will transfer from the shooter's hands to the snake and become embedded in the material. So it would be a good idea to wash the hands before opening up the zip lock with the snake in it. Or bring along a "Wet One" or similar packaged cleaning pad to wipe off the hands before using the snake. This along with coming up with a method that ensures that the snake never touches anything but the rifle and the shooter's hands will greatly reduce any possible risk of picking up grit that could then become embedded in the weave of the outer material.
Frankly I don't trust myself to maintain that level of control and cleanliness at the range. So I'm just not a snake fan as a result.
By the way, the fouling from shooting is not abrasive. If it were then our barrels would be shot loose within at most a couple of hundred rounds. Look up "fire lapping" to see what I mean. So comparing table or hand borne grit picked up and transferred to a bore snake isn't at all comparable to the fouling in the bore.
You use surgical sterile gloves to load your ammunition? Shoot your firearms in a vacuum? Does not the grit and sand blowing about that you mention get into the mag, on the ammo, in the chamber? Show me a bore that has been worn out from bore snake usage. Relax, and I wish you tight groups.
Well, no I can't. And you're right on that count. But neither would I push fate by wiping off my dirty hands with the cleaning patches before I run them down the bore.
Like I posted earlier those of us that like them are not going to be converted. And those of us that don't like them are not going to see anything here to encourage them to convert either. What both sides have done is give the folks in the middle something to think about.
So I move on. I bid you tight groups as well.
Like I posted earlier those of us that like them are not going to be converted. And those of us that don't like them are not going to see anything here to encourage them to convert either. What both sides have done is give the folks in the middle something to think about.
So I move on. I bid you tight groups as well.
