Bore snakes
- Thread starter kirwan6.5
- Start date
- Location
- London, Ontario
Why not? People either love them or think they are the black death...
Bassmaster
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- WMU 48 - Whitetail country
Bore snake? Why not just pour some sand in the barrel then find a string/rope that fits the barrel and drag that through a few times? Will save the cost of the fuel to the gun store and the cost of the bore snake itself with the same results.
Bassmaster: How many rounds you put through a barrel in camp that it needs cleaning? My guns go 100's of rounds between cleaning, and these are full on custom rigs.
Hunting rifle will get cleaned at the end of the season and oiled for storage.
Well I guess you never get rain or snowed upon at you camp, huh?
Well I guess you never get rain or snowed upon at you camp, huh?
The OP was asking about using a boresnake for cleaning, which is bad news IMO. Using it to get moisture out of your barrel after a hike/swim, sure.
Elaborate please
A pristine barrel after one shot may have copper fouling, unburnt powder granules and carbon fouling and we send another bullet up the pipe right after yet the same shooter will swear that one should never ever use a brush of any kind to clean a barrel? There are 2 extremes when it comes to views on barrel longevity. I believe in shooting and enjoying my firearms alot. I don't feel the need to clean the barrel after each session and when I clean them, I don't think of the bore as being that fragile. A steady diet of hot loads concerns me more and even then, some gun parts on some guns (like barrels) I view as consumables. I enjoy shooting, things wear out and I replace them. Interested on hearing more negatives about bore snake and why.
I wonder what dragging a grimy bore snake over the crown does.
I can only imagine what the answers would be if this was asked in the "Precision Rifles" section! Not trying to start anything here, as I'm always open to new ideas if I understand why? I don't see a problem using a clean (cleaned to start with then wiped with a cloth after each pass) snake from breech to muzzle with care being taken to pull the snake straight out and not across the crown. Anyone using grimy dirty never cleaned bore snakes like a caveman will tend to be the type that'll do more harm with cleaning rods etc., non? I think snakes are great for applications like military, LE and others where the shooter may not own the firearm.
A pristine barrel after one shot may have copper fouling, unburnt powder granules and carbon fouling and we send another bullet up the pipe right after yet the same shooter will swear that one should never ever use a brush of any kind to clean a barrel? There are 2 extremes when it comes to views on barrel longevity. I believe in shooting and enjoying my firearms alot. I don't feel the need to clean the barrel after each session and when I clean them, I don't think of the bore as being that fragile. A steady diet of hot loads concerns me more and even then, some gun parts on some guns (like barrels) I view as consumables. I enjoy shooting, things wear out and I replace them. Interested on hearing more negatives about bore snake and why.
MudChucker
Regular
- Location
- Niverville, Manitoba, CA
I dont use a snake, not because I dont like them, but I like taking time to clean up my gear out in the shop, drink a few, sit out in the shop with the music on and just tinker with my hobby.
I cant see what damage a cotton or nylon type of rope can do to the bore of the gun, anything it pulls through was put there under considerably harsher conditions (heat and pressure for example) then your creating simply by tugging a rope through. I understand that these ropes also have brass bristles either woven into the rope itself or in the form of a brush along the length... would it be possible to even mar the surface of a hunk of steel with a small brass bristle ? I just cant see it.... perhaps it might but without actually seeing some sort of evidence Im going to think that the bore snake is the crescent wrench of gun cleaning - will it work ? yes, is it the best tool for the job ? likely not, but if used correctly will it cause any damage ? I seriously doubt it.
Cheers folks.
I cant see what damage a cotton or nylon type of rope can do to the bore of the gun, anything it pulls through was put there under considerably harsher conditions (heat and pressure for example) then your creating simply by tugging a rope through. I understand that these ropes also have brass bristles either woven into the rope itself or in the form of a brush along the length... would it be possible to even mar the surface of a hunk of steel with a small brass bristle ? I just cant see it.... perhaps it might but without actually seeing some sort of evidence Im going to think that the bore snake is the crescent wrench of gun cleaning - will it work ? yes, is it the best tool for the job ? likely not, but if used correctly will it cause any damage ? I seriously doubt it.
Cheers folks.
Just wondering how much crud gets pushed down the barrel with each shot? That bullet has to be pushing a certain amount of grit and fouling out the end everytime the trigger is pulled.Can't see that being awhole lot different than using a bore snake. Not to mention when you push a patch caked with fouling through the entire length of your barrel. And as for the crown being damaged maybe try pulling it straight out the end not over the crown and back down the side of the barrel. Just my thoughts.
I use a Boresnake in .22 LR and think it works great. The only risk I see is pulling the snake sideways out the muzzle. You do not want to round off the edge of the bore at the muzzle. But, if you watch and pull straight out, this is not a problem.
To those who say the Boresnake drags dirt through the bore, I would ask what they think the bullets they shoot do. The "dirt" is only the stuff that is in your bore after every shot. A barrel is lapped by pushing a lead slug not unlike a bullet through the bore. So if that is really bad, then shooting bullets would kill your bore in no time. My point is that dragging a Boresnake through the bore once every 300 shots or so, is insignificant compared to actually shooting the 300 rounds.
I'm not so inclined to use a Boresnake in my centerfires. I like to use a patch on a nylon brush so I can monitor copper and carbon removal with each patch, and only clean enough to get the job done. That said I've heard of some soaking a Boresnake with copper removal solvent, pulling it into the bore and letting it sit. Probably not a bad idea, and should work. May require a lot of solvent though.
In summary, if they work for you then use them. Hard to do any harm.
To those who say the Boresnake drags dirt through the bore, I would ask what they think the bullets they shoot do. The "dirt" is only the stuff that is in your bore after every shot. A barrel is lapped by pushing a lead slug not unlike a bullet through the bore. So if that is really bad, then shooting bullets would kill your bore in no time. My point is that dragging a Boresnake through the bore once every 300 shots or so, is insignificant compared to actually shooting the 300 rounds.
I'm not so inclined to use a Boresnake in my centerfires. I like to use a patch on a nylon brush so I can monitor copper and carbon removal with each patch, and only clean enough to get the job done. That said I've heard of some soaking a Boresnake with copper removal solvent, pulling it into the bore and letting it sit. Probably not a bad idea, and should work. May require a lot of solvent though.
In summary, if they work for you then use them. Hard to do any harm.
The Bore snake will NOT hurt your barrel. The steel your firearm is made of is much stronger. Is it going to get "properly" cleaned?, probably not but good enough if that's all you want. I will say this though always check the condition of your snake before passing it through, I say this because I have had the luxury of having friends bring me their firearms with the bore snake broken and stuck in the bore. Removing the snake is an absolute pain in the a@#, only consistent way to get it out is with an arbour press.
Just food for thought
Just food for thought
I have one for every gun i own. I love em, way better then using that brass rod imo. Just wash your bore snake after a few cleanings to keep it clear of harmfull buildup of debris. I just throw mine in the dish washer and then hang them to dry.
I am just curious to know from all the nay sayers on here what your affliction is with a simple tool like the bore snake? All this is is a piece of cloth..... with a brass brush attached to it.... THIS WILL NOT RUIN your rifle... for the ones that don't want to pull a dirty snake through their rifle then CLEAN IT!!!! Folks its a tool use it as it was designed to be used... Mine will never replace the tipton carbon rods but they do get used if something is obstructing the bore of my rifle. And BTW it takes many many uses to get them dirty to the point where you would need to be concerned with cleaning the snake under normal circumstances. If you drop your gun and its full of dirt etc when the snake comes through just use a bit of dawn dish soap and hot water to clean it... simple as that. So don't get your trousers in a bunch and your A$$ cheeks can let go of the chair your sitting in now..... GEEZ.
Oh and I am curious to know just exactly how you get this stuck in the bore of your rifle if your using the correct one???
Now let the flamin begin
Oh and I am curious to know just exactly how you get this stuck in the bore of your rifle if your using the correct one???
Now let the flamin begin
Agreed.... I left that out because i thought everyone on here would know that trick already....
So when you use your Tipton rod and patches to clean your rifle, do you keep pushing the same patch through over and over and over? Or do you use a new clean patch for every pass?
Just askin...
