Removing a stuck snake

[rustymaggot]

hey, i got one of those, i never knew what it was for. i forgot all about it.

so, to the guy with the rifle, wanna borrow mine? you pay shipping costs both ways and ill mail it to ya.

mine is 6 and a half inches of reach with a 3/4 inch long corkscrew making it reach 7-1/4 inch down the barrel total. is that long enough?

 

[Troutman]

Sounds like the owner got caught with his boresnake out, when he was not too. And the wife came along and did a Lorena Bobbitt on it. Both ends no less. Lucky the barrel is still intact.

 

[dfariswheel]

Due to the increased use of Bore snakes, and reports of snakes breaking off in the bore, I contacted Michael's of Oregon about what they recommend as an extraction method.

Their answer:

I've heard numerous extraction methods, but the only thing that we
recommend is for the individual not to put any oils/solvent down the
barrel if the snake brakes. It will cause the snake to swell, thus
becoming harder to dislodge. We haven't found a recommended extraction
method yet.

Jeff Redding
Bushnell Performance Optics
1-800-423-3537 ext. 6193

 

[jrhines]

And the winner is......

MEK... Yeah, yeah, I know, MEK is the most dangerous substance known to Western man. Well, not so, you produce ketones in your body, and while I would not drink the stuff, it has a fequent and useful place in my shop. It does not appear to dissolve nylon, or at least the nylon in Bore Snakes. What it does dissolve is the bronze in the brush, or at least it appears to, when I pulled the offending critter out the brush was not in evidence. I fed MEK into the bore for 48 hours, going into the shop 8 or 10 times to dump another 2-3 tablespoons into the bore. I had a wad of paper towles on the floor and after about 12 hrs of soaking the MEK started to drip on the towles. It had turned a bright green. On the second day I used a very eager thread sheet metal screw brazed on a steel rod to pull the snake partially out, kinda making it lay straight along the bore. More MEK, wait another 1/2 day, grab the end with a long thin pair of hemostats, out it came. The nylon was neither dissolved or swollen.
Be aware of all the precautions in using any solvent, especially flammable solvents. YMMV

 

[Bobshouse]

Was this a boresnake designed for the size of bore it was stuck into, or someone trying to take a shortcut and using a boresnake for a larger caliber?

 

[rustymaggot]

so, did ya ever get it out?

 

[Ian Sean]

Read above again rusty,

grab the end with a long thin pair of hemostats, out it came

Good to hear you finally got it, I will be keeping an eye on the condition of my boresnakes from now on myself.

 

[don]

M.E.K?

Mek aka cancer in a can. Yes continued exposure can be detrimental to your health years from now. It will not dissolve bronze, but can play havoc with the finish on your stock. Definitely not good for synthetic stocks.

 

[jrhines]

MEK is not a recognized carcinogen !!

...and I love the way some folks mouth off without doing any study of the subject. This may not be very high-road, but I wish that before some folks open their mouths they would put there brain in gear. Specifically, Don, cite the study that says MEK is "cancer in a can". I belive I suggested in my note that folks be wary of any solvent they choose to use. Likewise, MEK does attack copper, and wouldn't 'cha know it, there is copper in bronze. My advice/technique stands. Use at your own risk.

Here is what I found at scorecard.org:

Chemical: METHYL ETHYL KETONE
CAS Number: 78-93-3

Risk Assessment Values or Standards


Inhalation cancer risk value (potency) Not a recognized or suspect carcinogen

Ingestion cancer risk value (potency) Not a recognized or suspect carcinogen

I will add, it IS a TOXICANT, bad for lungs, livers, eyes. i.e., not suitable for bathing in. If you are going to use it, BE CAREFUL!

 

[Jim K]

How about a good cleaning rod? Definitely not a recognized or suspected carcinogen.

Jim

 

[orionengnr]

This is the third different thread I have read on this subject. Lots of different approaches, lots of Thinking Caps, good suggestions.

I think, having read all of these epic struggles, that any chance of me buying/using a BoreSnake is pretty much nil...

 

[MaterDei]

I have boresnakes for all of my weapons and just love them. I can't imagine, frankly, how you could get one that stuck unless you were trying to run a 12 GA snake through a 22 or something. Sheesh!