Otis flexible cleaning snake

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Is the plastic coated brass(I think?) ended cleaning snake from Otis safe to use on precision rifles? I know one should stay away from using the GI issue steel cleaning rods because they can nick the bore and such. But I do not own any aluminum rods or a bore guide. I do have a few of the Otis snakes though. Would they be safe to use without fear of scuffing or nicking the insides of the barrel?

 

[briansmithwins]

The ends are brass and swaged onto a plastic coated steel cable. The only way I can think of you could hurt a bore with one is if you glued abrasive onto the cable and then rubbed it against the bore. BSW

 

[Z-Michigan]

I've read that Otis kits are used by US Army and USMC snipers in their bolt action rifles...

I reached the conclusion that it was safe enough to use for cleaning anything I own. One plus is that since it isn't rigid, you won't be rubbing it on the edge of the crown or edge of the throat, any wear on either of which would harm accuracy.

 

[Fumbler]

I use them on my 22 cal rifles.
They should be as safe as a coated rod.

Just make sure you wipe the cable clean after every pass. It would theoretically be possible for dirt to embed into the soft coating and you don't want to drag that down your bore.