Removing a stuck snake

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J

jrhines

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No, I didn't put it in there! It came into the shop that way, a Boresnake stuck in a Winch 30-30. Of course it has been broken off from both ends (this was done about a month ago, I'm just getting it today, along with the plantive looks...) so nothing is hanging out the barrel (too easy, no style points). Anybody got any bright ideas???? Something that dissolves nylon & brass but leases the bore untouched. I have it soaking in Kroil right now.:confused:
 
Heat, maybe? Nylon melts at a fairly low temperature, so you might be able to get it to break down enough to get it out at a temperature that won't anneal the metal. A nice weak dose of phosphoric acid might eat it, although it may have a detrimental effect on the finish.

Maybe a nice long pair of needle-nose pliers from the breech end can grab it?

What size boresnake is it?
 
Undo a metal coathanger. The end towards the top thats twisted, corkscrew it into that snake and pull er free! Just a crazy thought, be careful of the bore.
 
Plug the bore and fill it with copper solvent and let it sit for a few days.
Most of those bore snakes were made with the cheap bronze bore brushes and with a little luck the solvent will disolve it enough to be easily pushed out with a dowel rod.
 
how about a 32 cal ball worm for BP rifles if it will fit? Maybe a good fitting plug in the bore and some air pressure?
 
I have to chuckle at this.
If somebody produces something that is designed to go into or through a gun barrel, somebody else will manage to get it stuck in a gun barrel,,,,,

Turn and thread for a cleaning rod a smaller than the bore 2" long brass wood screw.
Run this down from the breech and see if you can grab the end of the Boresnake.
When you get the Boresnake good and caught with the screw, secure the rod in your vise, grab the barrel and yank.
The Kroil should have loosened everything up enough to come back out.
A brass screw won't score the bore if it slides along the rifling on the way out. HTH
 
What about trying to tap it out (gently but firmly, like drifting out a tight pin) with a piece of brass tubing just a tad smaller than the bore? It should be able to bend the bristles in a bit, and help get the thing moving.
 
This may be way off the wall but after all the soakings with all the bore cleaners and what not. May be you can half fill the bore with grease and then with a close fitting dowel push the dowel with enough force to force the stuck bore snake out. If the firearm had a muzzle brake that was threaded, make a device that screwed on with a grease fitting , then a grease gun would pump anything out of a barrel.
 
Got a compressed air nozzle? Use a rubber washer to make a seal, jam it into the chamber, hit the trigger, see if the snake flies.

(aim it at something that won't break)

Regards.
 
If all else fails use a compression fitting on the muzzle end and use a grease gun . Hydraulic force from a grease gun is a bit on the messy side but garanteed from the get go.
 
As a public service, I've emailed Uncle Mike's for their advice on how to extract a broken off Boresnake.

I'll report back when I get their response.
 
I'd charge an extra $50.00 for waiting a month and bringing it in so close to hunting season!

As for the grease issue, just fill the barrel with as much as you can, and put a close-fitting wood or aluminum dowel sealed with a ring of tape in the barrel, then give it a good whack with a mallet. We remove stuck dowel pins like that at work all the time...
 
I can tell you what works, but try it at your own risk. Just load about 10 grains of rifle powder into a case with some toilet paper filler (NO BULLET!!) and shoot the snake out. No, the gun won't blow up. No, the barrel won't burst or bulge.

Then have the gun owner take every damn one of those snakes, throw them away and get a good cleaning rod.

Jim
 
Not to keep anyone in suspense...

...but I'm in Maui now, so the gun is ageing in my safe. When I do get the BS out I'll let you all know the winning combination. I told the owner that I would simply mill a slot into the barrel about 2" beyond the chamber and pick it out with needle nose pliers. Cover the slot up with some duct tape and we are good to go. Now you know when I return the gun it's gonna' have some duct tape on the barrel.;)
 
Forget anything that dissolves anything. That'll leave you a horrendous mess to clean. Wouldn't even think about shooting it out either. S&W 24's idea about a BP worm is the best idea. Or, and I don't know if they're still available, the tool used to put plants into a glass bottle planter. It's a thin spring affair with a push open claw.
 
well, since im such a redneck id just fire off a primed casing in it to blow the junk out. a primer wont be enough to blow up the gun and should be enough to toss that old boresnake out. if that doesnt work then add minute bits of powder each attempt and work up to a good pressure that will blow it out.

im not saying this is safe, im just sayinhg its what id do. its how we got some dirt out of my friends gun after he fell down a hill and stuck his rifle in hard mud. it was so stuck in that a awl would barely scratch it.


dont try to melt it cause then its molded in perfectly. drive it out with a wood dowel maybe. i wouldnt risk using metal to get it out. unless the owner already bubba'd the bore trying to get it out.
 
Irom Bottom hit it, a packing puller.

Has a "t" handle usually a thin flexible shaft, definately fit in a gun barrel and a steel corkscrew on the end for pullling packing out of valves through small holes.

If you have a welder, I'm sure you could make one with an old cork screw laying around and a piece of steel rod.

Picture goodness for ideas:

c03.jpg
 
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