Bore snake or cleaning rod for my Colt 6920?

Just get a nice coated rod like a Dewey or a carbon fiber Tipton and you will be fine.

It's not that easy to damage the bore, but it can be done. I would return or toss the bore snake; I don't find them useful. Instead, I would get either an Otis kit, which is the current military standard, or a "Patchworm" which is similar in concept but different in details. I have both and both work very well. I find the Patchworm more convenient for most cleaning, but it doesn't have a brush while the Otis system does have a brush.

I think the answer is both--the Boresnake has its place for swabbing out the bore when there isn't time for a complete and proper cleaning. The Dewey rod (or similar) and appropriate brushes/mops/jags etc, with a proper boreguide is the answer for complete and thorough cleaning. The boreguide, as well as a solvent-port gadget which is very handy are available from Sinclair International (now a Brownells company) for a few dollars.

Note: there have been so ugly stores on the forums about getting Boresnakes stuck in the bore. Don't even remember how they got them out, but it wasn't a trivial issue. If you use a Boresnake, make sure its properly stretched out before you pull it through and not about to get "bunched up" in the barrel.

the boresnake leaves the bore completely clean after 2 passes watch run a patch down the barrel after the boresnake the patch will be completly white and it doesnt damage the crown like a cleaning rod can.

i love my boresnakes, i also have a tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod for cleaning up after corrosive ammo and it works but it was like 30 bucks and the boresnakes are 10x more convenient and seem to work really well

Boresnake sounds like a good idea, but you still need a cleaning rod to lubricate the barrel after using the Boresnake. Or am I missing something?

its set up with a brass brush about 1/3 the way down the snake, so i do solvent on the first 1/3 then theres the brush and then oil on the 2nd 1/3 and leave the last 1/3 dry to absorb excess oil

LSD,..... You can follow all the good tips but being a easy breakdown rifle just crack the unit open and run the normal bore rod through the rear of the chamber the damage most is of concern is the crown of the bore (when the bullet leaves the barrel it can be off therefore not hit the intended target) you should be good to go with rear cleaning as you do with the bolt type rifles as well......

As this is asking for an opinion, then a cleaning rod is my choice. Using a brush/patch combo. And of course..........old #9.

You push the rod through? seems the barrel would keep the rod straight while the rod is being pushed through, if there is damage, it is done when the cleaning rod flexes and bends before the brush exits, I push the rod through first then attach the brush and pull, pulling will keep the rod straight, then again I make my own version of a bore snake.

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John Wayne, John Wayne toilet paper and Hoppes #9:

Hoppes #9 reminds me of John Wayne toilet paper, neither one takes crap off of anything

Marvel Mystery Oil and Reslone sold by the quart not in ounces, and they do not spend most of their money telling me it works, for me.

F. Guffey

Seems the armed forces issue a jointed steel cleaning rod with every M-16!

There is absolutely positively no way to properly clean the chamber of an AR-15 with a bore snake, and that's the most impotent part of the barrel to clean.

Get a cleaning rod.

rc

personally, i like both. i use the cleaning rod and brush to loosen the gunk, then patches (wet and then dry) to clean with. when it is pretty clean, i finish with 3 pulls of a boresnake. it would take a long time to get that much surface area through the barrel with many small patches.

I find bore snakes to be good for initial cleanings, such as right after I finish shooting, but are not good for thorough cleanings. They seem to work best when the gunk in the barrel is still warm.

Rc,

IIRC, you can clean a 16 w/a bore snake. Except for the fact the military would not,did not let me.

Chamber......is the key word. What did you use to clean the chamber?

Please forgive my dumb.