Is the jury out on the boresnake?

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lovesbeer99

Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2006
Messages
1,413
So when the bore snakes came out it was praised for it's simplicity but also demonized by people who swore it would destroy barrels.

Well its been a few years so what's the feedback? I bought one to use in my milsurps orginally, but now I use one in my pistols (XD9, GP100), my 22's (all of them), and my Winchester 94, M1 Garand, 03-A3, and AR15. . I still haven't used it in my Rem700 Pss though.

I haven't noticed any difference and it's easy and quick. It hasn't effected accuracy and I'm not sure it will at this point.

FYI, my only other method of cleaning is a patch on a nylon string (weedwacker). Sometimes I'll use a bronze brush, but hardley.

Thanks in advance. :eek:

(My daughter saw the avatar and now she wants me to add a few more. :banghead::neener::what::D)
 
I use it on most of my rifles and some pistols, it works and I can't really see that it would damage barrels...
 
Its all I use until I need to do some copper cleaning. I have not been able to see a difference in one pull from the snake and 20 passes with a rod and patch.
 
They are all I use except for a once or twice a year thorough cleaning. They are cheap enough that I'll replace them once every 2 years so as not to get one stuck in the barrel, they do excellent work for keepin guns "combat clean", and if the bore snake hurts your barrel, stop using it in your airsoft guns:D! Seriously, that would a very soft barrel to be hurt by a bore snake.

Still 2 Many Choices!?
 
I recently started using a snake on my .22 and enjoy it...honestly it's so much easier than trying to assemble a rod (or prep/apply patches). I'm thinking about getting one for my 12 gauges, too
 
It's the sanest way to clean a 12 Gauge. I have them in a bunch of sizes, but for some reason, they seem to work best on the largest (12 Gauge) and smallest (.22) applications. I like them to do a quickie cleaning of a revolver, sometimes, too. An auto pistol is neither here nor there. I'll use what's closest to my hand.

WRT damage, that's hard to see, compared to a steel rod. There's lots you can do to screw up a bore with a steel rod, if you work at it.:)
 
I've never used one. I keep thinking about how cruddy it would get after cleaning a few rifles and it would have to be washed. My wife would kill me if I ran that thing thru the washing machine and I wonder how long it would last. I'll probably stick with the rod and patches.
 
My wife would kill me if I ran that thing thru the washing machine and I wonder how long it would last. I'll probably stick with the rod and patches.
Click to expand...
When mine gets dirty, I just soak it for a few minutes in a small plastic container with hot water and a little dish soap, agitate it for a few seconds, then rinse it well and hang it to air dry. I think putting it through a washing machine would ruin it, and it wouldn't be so great for the washer either.

I don't care for the tedium of using traditional cleaning rods, so I really like the boresnake as it makes routine barrel cleaning go so much faster.
 
I forgot to mention I need to GET one for my 12g shotgun. Don't washing machine them! It would probably make it easier to break it off in the bore.

Still 2 Many Choices!?
 
When mine gets dirty, I just soak it for a few minutes in a small plastic container with hot water and a little dish soap, agitate it for a few seconds, then rinse it well and hang it to air dry. I think putting it through a washing machine would ruin it, and it wouldn't be so great for the washer either.
Click to expand...
Yup, easy way to clean it.

They are washable in the machine, though they are recommended to be put in a 'machine bag' during the wash so it doesn't wrap around the agitator or itself. I personally think simply soaking it in a tupperware or the like works fine.
 
Cleaning rods are what destroy barrels! many guns simply cant be cleaned from the bore. That means cleaning from the muzzle. With a metallic rod, say hello to crown damage.

I use bore snakes exclusively. The only time I've had to use a rod in the last 5 years was to remove a particularly stubborn copper deposit in one of my handguns.

Bore snakes promote more regular maintenance by saving time. I hand wash my snakes occasionally to keep them free of abrasive particles. No problems with keeping my guns clean, and no problems with my barrels or accuracy.
 
They are fantastic. A great solution to cleaning milsurps after shooting corrosive ammo. I just dip the first few inches in a jar of Hoppes #9 then give it a few passes through the barrel.

To wash them I just wash them in the sink with hot water and and little soap.

I couldn't think of an easier way to clean my guns.
 
I think they can be real useful
have a few, mostly unused though
ok for handguns and shotguns, been leery of getting one broken/stuck in a rifle barrel
though I do favor pull-thru vs rods for "routine" cleaning, including many rifles, always clean from chamber end, not muzzle end, but use homemade variant high test strength mono fishing line w/ pull patches in smallbores
 
I've never used one. I keep thinking about how cruddy it would get after cleaning a few rifles and it would have to be washed. My wife would kill me if I ran that thing thru the washing machine and I wonder how long it would last
Click to expand...

that is why you use a 5 gallon bucket of water and some dawn dish soap. Spin em around in it for a few minutes then rinse and let dry.
 
i use them for my .22's and my shotguns. honestly, i'd rather just use the old tried and true patch and rod on my pistols and milsurps
 
I have a bunch of 'em ranging from .22 up to 12ga, and use them all the time - they're all I use on my rimfires, and as AB noted, they're the sanest way to clean a shotgun. I use a few squirts of Windex (or water, or Gatorade, or whatever else I have on hand) and a .30 boresnake on the Mosins to tide me over until I can get home and give them a proper cleaning. I can't afford to shoot my centerfires enough to get them really dirty, so it's boresnakes for them as well. As far as I'm concerned, there is effectively no difference (unless you get your guns horrendously dirty and leaded) between a rod and a boresnake; they certainly get my bores shiny and clean. Best thing since sliced bread IMO.
 
I like them. They are great for quick cleaning of rifles and my primary way to clean pistols and shotguns.

Using a 20 gauge BoreSnake is the easiest way to clean the gas tube of an AK.

Ditto on cleaning them in some hot water and dish washing soap.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

mcb
  • Locked
Mini Review: Bore Blitz a brushless bore snake.
Replies
2
Views
925
wiscoaster
W
Dave DeLaurant
  • Locked
A rifle action's strength -- what's the current test method?
Replies
11
Views
991
lysanderxiii
L
Dave Markowitz
  • Locked
Chinese Horsebow
Replies
10
Views
1K
Texasjim
T
X
  • Locked
How to keep rifle ammo at the ready?
Replies
22
Views
1K
jpwilly
J
L
  • Locked
revolver cleaning
2
Replies
44
Views
2K
tactikel
T
Back
Top