I only use a bore snake on my 15-22 & take advantage of the design to use both a solvent and a lubricant. I put a few drops of Hoppe's #9 ahead of the built in brush and a few drops of lubricant after the brush. Then the long tail wipes it mostly dry. I do this twice every 500 rounds or so.

I too am more concerned with the gunk on the bolt face and chamber. I use much more solvent there with pics & brushes.

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