I just purchased bore snakes for my .22 and .30 caliber rifles. What is the regiment for cleaning with these? How about copper removal? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Sorry! I posted BEFORE I searched. I see there are many previous posts regarding bore snakes. I'll read those and if I still have a question, I'll ask.
Barry - Welcome to the forum. As you will see, there are no dumb questions... well there are some, but we won�t go there at the moment.
Bore snakes are great for field use. They also have a place if you are a molybdenum coated bullet shooter or a .22 rim fire shooter.
However, for copper fouling which comes from copper jacket bullets, they are not so great. Nothing beats a strong copper solvent, a bore guide, and a dose of cleaning patches. (Do a search on bore cleaning and solvents. You will find tons of information.)
There are two major problems with the bore snake - 1. they do not hold up well to copper solvents. The bristles will be gone in no time. 2. Dragging abrasive powder fouling repeatedly down the bore is never a good idea.
In a pinch, they are fine, however, for general cleaning there are more effective methods.
Posts: 10780 | Location: Test Tube | Registered: 27 February 2001
Other than a quickie in the field or range, they are useless.
I use now IOSSO paste bore cleaner and a Parker-Hale type jag. It is unbelieveable the amount of carbon fouling that IOSSO removes, especially from the throat, after you're done cleaning with any solvent you care to name.
Posts: 2206 | Location: USA | Registered: 31 August 2002
I personally love the Bore Snake. I use a cheap cleaner to get the powder residue out, followed by Wipe-out, and it works fantastic. I've ruin more than one barrel by cleaning it to much and improperly. I doubt I will ever run a cleaning rod down a barrel again, unless its to remove a stuck case. The boresnakes do require frequent cleaning, but thats a small price to pay in my eyes.
This question comes up a lot. I've used the Snakes exclusively for four years on my personal guns......in fact on rifle has not had a rod through it since I pushed out the chambering chips....
Go HERE for a discussion on another board, where I said,
quote: Of all the various gimmicks, attachments, tools, and accessories that's been patented for the firearms trade the Boresnake has my vote for the most useful and valuable I've ever used.
I, just this morning, was cleaning seven rifles shot on varmints last week.
All shot nothing but moly-coated (Neco process) bullets and all were shot at least a hundred rounds without cleaning except with a couple pulls of a snake, with a hint of Shooters Choice on the loop, every 20 to 50 shots or so.
Using a rod and patches with CR-10 showed NO blue and no chunks of powder fouling. The CR-10 cleaning was a waste of time.........but I feel better by trying, anyhow.
BTW-- Only one of those barrels was a factory tube. That was a 527 CZ K-Hornet. No fouling there either.
Until you actually TRY the Boresnake you have no idea how good they are. They ARE NOT the same as a string pull through with a patch on the end. VERY different and REALLY useful
I have a couple more diameters to go before I have a full set.
To me, the Bore Snake is a quick expedient and a cute gimmick, but it's not a serious cleaning instrument. I bought a couple of these when they first became available, and found that the Bore Snake simply doesn't cut it for proper barrel cleaning.
Here's a test: Buy a Bore Snake and use it on any rifle you'd like. After you think you have your barrel as clean as possible, go back in with a conventional cleaning rod, patches, etc. and see if you don't end up getting out a great deal more fouling and gunk that the Bore Snake didn't touch.
As I posted above, I've been running your suggested test for 5 years.
The conclusion is that moly bullets in a good barrel never needs a rod. I have two sub .4 rifles, one with 1780 rounds through it and the other with nearly 200 that've never had a rod through them *except* to test. So-far there's been nothing to clean after the Snake.
Obviously some guns don't do well with them but mine (and my shooting partners) do very well with nothing but the Snake.
JBelk - The operative word here is "Moly" fouling. Bore Snakes are fine for general cleaning in a moly bore - That is, if you don�t mind dragging fouling though your bore on a string.
However, attempt to use a Bore Snake on a copper fouled bore and all you do is waste your time.
Posts: 10780 | Location: Test Tube | Registered: 27 February 2001
With the modern cleaners, I don't feel it is necessary to scrape the copper out with a wire brush. Granted, you are pulling through previous foulings withe the boresnake, which is why they need to be cleaned often, but I fear that metal rod more than I do any fouling. Like I have said, I have ruined a couple of barrels by trying to clean to much using the rod, brush, and patch method (Yes I was using a bore guide). I don't intend to ever put another rod down my barrels.
quote:Originally posted by Barry Winner: ...What is the regiment for cleaning with these? How about copper removal?...
Hey Barry, Find someone you REALLY dislike and give them the BoreSnake. Maybe you can sell them to belk. They only thing they do well is make you hate con artists, because they DO NOT remove any copper.
Of all the various gimmicks, attachments, tools, and accessories that have been patented for the firearms trade, the BoreSnake has my vote for the 3rd worst PT Barnumed fiasco ever devised.
It only trails behind: #2 fiasco. The $100 joke which resizes the Pressure Ring on belted cases. #1 fiasco. Aftermarket triggers which people have been hoodooed into believing are SAFER than a clean, properly adjusted, mechanically sound, factory Remington trigger.
Posts: 9920 | Location: Carolinas, USA | Registered: 22 April 2001
Go hunt high in the Tyrolian (wet) Alps. Go ahead. Oil up that bore and watch what happens to the first (and only) shot you might get on a Class I Gamsbock trophy. Or oil it each night and drag the boresnake through the next morning.
Wouldn't leave home without it.
Posts: 108 | Location: Star Meadow, Montana | Registered: 30 April 2003
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