Is a bore snake enough to clean your gun all by itself?

I ONLY use Dewey coated one piece rods to clean the bores of my handguns and rifles. I consider anything else to be inadequate for serious cleaning.

I use snakes often, but have learned through the years that even though a bore often "LOOKS" really clean after a bore snake's use, it is really an illusion. Pushing a tight solvent-soaked patch through a snake cleaned bore with a good rod and jag is usually absolutely startling! Filth galore!

I always run a boresnake after training with my pistol three times in each direction through the barrel and do a through cleaning a few times a year. As far as precision rifle I follow this guys advice:
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Bore Snakes and Rip Cords are okay for a quick cleaning if you're concerned your barrel is getting dirty at a match or at a multi-day shooting event but I do not like them for general cleaning. I go old school when I clean my guns with rod, patches, brushes and jags.

I did an experiment with Bore Snakes on my revolvers and the Otis Rip Cord on my Glocks and my ARs for several shooting session. I followed the directions to the letter for my experiment. Then I cleaned the guns with my old school method after using the bore snakes and rip cords. It was almost as if I hadn't used the snakes or cords at all. So now I stick with what works for me and leave the snakes and cords in the range box.

But, there is always a "but" isn't there? If you ask a dozen guys what is the best way to clean a gun you'll get at least 9 or 10 different answers.

bannockburn said:

Pretty much old school and set in my ways I still use a cleaning rod, bore brush, toothbrush, patches, Hoppes No. 9, and a light coating of RemOil to finish the job. And this goes for cleaning the whole gun not just the barrel.

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I'd substitute Shooter's Choice and ClenzOil for the Hoppes and RemOil, but the principle's the same.

Good for the bore, but insufficient for overall cleaning. I use bore snakes, but not exclusively.

Using a boresnake is like using and reusing the same wad of toilet paper... It's okay the first time but gets messier with each successive wipe, just spreading the mess around..
However, I do keep one on hand for emergencies, but no way am I gonna use it for regular cleanings.

I actually use the bore snake BEFORE shooting. I keep them in my range box and run it through to #1 check for obstructions and #2 remove any excess oil from my last cleaning.

In a word 'NO'
For a quick bore clean an Otis pull thru with brush and then a couple of patches is fine.
If one has to clean from the breech as in a lever rifle or most all semi-auto rifles. Better to get a bore guide and a proper size one piece cleaning rod.

I carry a small assortment of bore snakes in my truck, along with a bore light ...

... just in case I come across a rifle-for-sale in my travels that interests me.

I would not be comfortable using only a bore snake for bore maintenance.

For cleaning & maintaining my firearms, I use one-piece cleaning rods.

I also keep one of those rods on the rack loaded with a clean patch so that I can quickly run it thru the rifle bore before leaving the basement for some shooting fun.

I'll run one through a time or two before I switch to patches. They definitely leave residue. If you're okay with that or just looking for a quick clean, they're fine. If you want something more thorough, patches are hard to beat.

Likewise, I do use a bore snake occasionally just after shooting rounds thru a rifle, never have used one for a pistol as for reasons previously addressed. Do note that once my rifle has the bore snake ran thru it, shortly thereafter I follow thru with the brass brushes and Hoppes No.9 as well as cotton swabs, and old tooth brushes used to remove any carbon deposits that may have crept into the crevices. The end procedure involves placing a very thin layer of oil on the metal parts. If it has a wood stock as many of my rifles have, I carefully wipe those down with a clean cloth, So to answer your question absolutely "no".

Bore snakes can clean the barrel. What about the other 80% of the weapon?

This:

huntsman said:

How about a Boresnake, paper towel, old toothbrush and a bit of Remoil. That's all I use for handguns.

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And this:

GunnyUSMC said:

If your only cleaning the bore it works good but that's all it for. To clean the gun you will need a little more. Get an AP brush (nylon brush) and a good rag. Add some good gun oil and you will have the basics to get you by.

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As for the rag, I keep a bin of old cloth at my workbench old t-shirts/socks that are too worn to wear get washed one more time and thrown into the bin. A pair of scissors cuts whatever size I need. It comes in handy for things other than cleaning guns too, like when I spill my coffee or shoot it out of my nose after reading something here. About half the time the bin is already full and these things go straight to the trash. I also steal bit of scotch bright pad from the kitchen for getting carbon off of an AR bolt, and a few qtips from the bathroom for tight hard to reach spots, but do that only at your own peril. Some worry they might leave a whisp of cotton behind. I am sure some extreme long range precision shooters would need to worry about that. I do not. I am sure someone will speak up and say that the scotch bright is the Devil too.

Short answer:
"Boot Camp clean"? No
"Average Joe clean"? Maybe
"Better than left uncleaned ata all"? Probably

I really do not like the bristle section on any of mine--I find it's too few bristles to do much good, and just enough to stab you a good one right in the hand. None of mine ever seem all that "happy" to get a good soak in Hoppe's; they seem to be better suited for a very light coat of lubricating oil. But, that's just my 2¢

I voted yes.

I use them in between cleanings with an annual dose of foaming bore cleaner.

A Bore snake, a rag, and an old tooth brush can usually get you by until you can find a real cleaning kit.
My preference for a rag is a new, laundered, cotton cloth baby diaper. I use these on my guns, my car, my saxophone and my camera gear as it leaves behind no lint.
I go through a pack of Gerber Birdseyes every year.

vtsteve said:

All I ever use is a bore snake and my guns shoot just fine with bright and shiny bores. I put a bit of oil/solvent on the snake before pulling it through. They may not get out every last little bit of residue, but I've found that it's really not necessary to get a barrel squeaky clean as long as it's got a light film of oil in there.

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Same here

I have been using a Boresnake at every outing, only going for a solvent, brush, and patch cleaning when I felt that the gun needed a general clean and lube.

I cleaned a 9mm barrel as thoroughly as I could today and will give it the Schuemann treatment. No bore cleaning at all, clean the chamber only. Clean and lube the action as usual.

In my own experience and opinion, a boresnake is good enough for a chrome lined barrel. For an unlined barrel, you need to break out the patches and rod.

Boresnakes work great until..........one gets stuck in the barrel and will not come out.

Absolutely. But maybe not everytime and for always. But a bit of solvent on a boresnake and a few pull thru's seems to do a good job on my handguns, plus just a wipe down of the chamber and anything else I can reach without taking the gun apart. Some of my handguns are so easy to take apart, however, such as my Ruger Mark IV, that I take it apart every few hundred rounds. But remember that for some people cleaning guns is a critical and essential part of the enjoyment of gun ownership. I know of folks who clean their guns every few months even if they have not been fired since the last cleaning and are stored in a good gun safe with a dehumidifier, etc. They just LIKE the process of cleaning guns. And I understand that, because everytime I open the bottle of Hoppe's #9 I get nostalgic for a time 60 years ago when my Dad first had me help him clean his firearms. My dad is long gone now but Hoppe's makes me think of him.So a boresnake is good, but a full cleaning is better if that is your thing.

I think it depends on personality a bit. To expand, I ran my bore snake through the barrel of one of my 1911s the other day. I usually run it through 5-10 times. Then, for good measure, I applied my favorite cleaner to the barrel and let it sit for 1-2 minutes while cleaning the other parts. I then sprayed the cleaner through the barrel, and ran a brush through the the barrel. Guess what color the previously clean brush was...yep, black.

Now, was the barrel clean enough that it could be safely fired again? Sure, but for me it's not clean until I can run a patch through the barrel and it comes out white on the other side. The point being that, for many people, the gun was clean and was range ready. For me the gun was still filthy and needed to be cleaned. That's just how I am though, if it's not as clean as it was when it was out of the box, then it's not clean. To each their own though.

I use boresnakes primarily for the range before and after. Light and easy to carry in a range bag. I have been switching out to the otis ripcord instead of Hoppes boresnake because I am less worried about one coming apart in the bore--the Otis ripcord end also is threaded for using their handle to pull it through but is not available in all calibers yet. If I had to have only one system, Otis makes darn fine products.

I have one piece stainless rods for heavy duty cleaning used with a chamber protector/guide--deweys coated rods did not stand up to old milsurp barrels without flaking and collecting crap.

To clean the bore of a modern firearm using modern, smokeless powders, a Boresnake is more than adequate. It may not get every little bit of fouling, but as long as the weapon is shooting accurately, there is no need to remove every little bit. In fact, some firearms are more accurate with a bit of fouling in the bore, or if you don't clean the bore at all.

Try the Boresnake for awhile and see if it works for you. If it doesn't, try something else