Guys,

I have a question, today i wanted to use my new boresnake for the first time but i ran into a problem.

Is it normal that i have to pull so hard that i'm thinking i'm gonna rip it apart? I had it in for about an inch then i didnt have the guts to go further because it was so hard. I even have small ropeburn marks on my hands, that cant be good.

(oh yeah it does say 22 on the brass weight

I dont own a bore snake yet but plan on getting one. You have to be carefull not to snag it on the ejector

spray a little oil on the cloth part. then drop the weight through the barrel. wrap the excess cord around one hand and hold rifle in the other then pull with some force. it will feel tight but that's ok, the end result is a nice clean shiney barrel. when i do it it looks like i'm drawing a bow while "sky-ing" the arrow...not a good form for archery but fine for this application. just be sure not to snag the cloth part of the boresnake on that pesky ejector thingy.

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M&P 15-22 Fanboy

+1, a little oil, make a wrap around your hand and pull steady and firm. Feed it carefully from the breech so it doesn't snag on anything, especially the ejector.

New ones require considerable force.

ah ok.

I saw some video's on the boresnake and the ejector had been on my mind, but wow it's tight.

I've been using boresnakes on my shotguns for probably 5-6 years. When new the pull is tough. It'll get better; you won't break the pull cord. Ever so often I still use a rod and attachments, but the boresnake is great for a quick cleaning swab or two. I also have boresnakes for all my rifle calibers as well.

Hog

Mine pulls really tight, too.

I drilled a small 1/4" hole in a piece of 1"x4" by 8" long wooden board.

I drop the weight thru the barrel, let the weight go thru hole in the board and then step on the board with my foot. That secures the one end of the boresnake.

Then I have both hands to handle the barrel (lift up) and make sure that the boresnake doesn't mess up the ejector.

Sure ya got the right one for the caliber of yer rifle? My .22 pulls tight. Better scrubbing I suppose.

That sounds like yours is just as tight as mine.
I do have the right caliber, it says 22 on. The weight

A little off topic, but I read somewhere to remove the copper brush, to avoid any damgage to the crown, any thoughts on that?

My thought is that if your crown is softer than the integrated brush in a boresnake and it's getting scratched from it, you've got bigger problems than your choice of cleaning device.

Been using Boresnakes for a lot of years and yeah they can pull hard. I've had some that I had to step on the string and pull up on the weapon to get it through the first few times. It seems to loosen up after use. They work well. I always use CLP in front of the brush, then some after the brush as well. I leave the back end of the snake dry, and this seems to make things real shiney.

My .22cal boresnake is tight to say the least and like others I thought I was going to break the rope trying to get it through the bore of the barrel. While I still have my boresnakes for several guns I have switched and started using the Otis cleaning kits for most all my gun maintenance. There is no real advantage with the Otis kit over a boresnake but the kit is small and easier to store in my range box or pack in the backpack when I am out of the house. The patches for the Otis are a little expensive but you can make your own out of a old t-shirt if you have a little time.

I've yet to try my .22 Bore Snake, but have had no difficulties with my .38 and .32 snakes. They certainly are convenient, but I just use them for a quick clean and do a thorough job later.

I've found an easy way to "pull" the bore snake. After the brass weight is through the barrel,let it drop to the floor then stand on it with one foot and then pull the gun. Slides right through and no rope burned hands.

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Living a dream - S&WCA #2364

Great idea doggie, I'll have to try that myself! I have also sprayed a little Rem Oil on the cloth part to aid in pulling it through the bore.

I also use a piece of automotive vacuum hose to cover the ejector with to avoid getting it tangled with the bore snake..

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JR

gonna try it again tonight, but i'm still kinda scared, it was stuck and i had to pull so very hard.
I'm afraid that i'm stuck with a useless gun if the rope breaks.

It really does get easier with use.

just my 2 cents, but i took a tactical paramedic class from ex FBI swat guys and master armorers, and they were dead set against the bore snakes because once they get really dirty, they take all the copper in your barrel and scrape the edges and grooves off of your barrel. kinda scared me away from em, but then again.. what do i know... just a heads up because 22 ammo is sooooooooo very dirty..

that's an interesting theory...not very likely though. you can clean the boresnake as well and if you maintain them they will last a long time with no detriment to the bore. i use mine as a finishing tool anyway. the very first thing i always hit my bore with is the #9 and phosphor brush. then it's a couple of clean patches, then the 40-X, then the snake with a light coat of oil.

been doing it that way for years and all the bores on all my guns look new or better.

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M&P 15-22 Fanboy

I thought I had bought the incorrect boresnake when I first got my rifle, but it turns out that it will be a tight pull for the first 1000 rounds you fire through it. Over time, the boresnake will be easier to pull through as your barrel breaks in. I also put some Hoppes on the brush part of the snake to ease its passing through the barrel. It is easier to detach the upper from the rifle and pull it through. If it is hurting your hands to wrap it at the beginning, you can just step on the metal weight part of the cord and pull the rifle up to get it to go through. The only thing I stress to you is to make sure it doesn't catch on the extractor. Slow and steady wins the race.

Good idea with the board. I have been just stepping on it with my foot.

AND, after several years using boresnakes, I finally learned the caliber is stamped on the metal weight. I had been using a homemade "cheat sheet" with the different colors on it..... the stamping on the weight is much better.

AND I still LOVE the smell of Hoppe's No. 9 Nitro Solvent

I throw my boresnakes into a rolled up sock and run them through the clothes washer. Seems to work, and keeps them from getting tangled in anything

If you think about that for a few minutes, I'm pretty sure you'll realize it's nonsense.
They said that tiny bits of soft copper embedded in a squishy piece of fabric being pulled slowly through a hardened steel barrel can scrape off your rifling when used a few times a month? Then your barrel should be smooth as glass after firing a few hundred rounds of copper-jacketed ammunition wrapped around a lead bullet at 1300-3200 fps.
It's not.

They are pullin' your leg. Soft copper doesn't harm hardened steel like they claim. Just like glass doesn't cut diamonds.

If that instructor was serious, then i would not trust the other information they were providing in the class.....

First pull is always the hardest. Each subsequent pull gets easier and easier.

I don't apply CLP to my snake. I liberally soak the barrel with CLP. I then clean everything else first. After everything else is clean I hit the barrel with a little more CLP and drop in the snake. Keep in mind that the 22 cal bore snake is meant for .223 which is a little bigger than 22lr bore diameter. Eat your Wheaties and pulling it through shouldn't be a problem.

I have a bore snake but don't use it because I found something much better! It is called Knockout and consist of a weighted pul through cord with a threaded recpitical on the other end. A threaded brass brush as well as a threaded cloth "snake" portion come with it. Screw the brush to the cord and pull it through or thread the cloth portion to the cord and use it-you have the option. Most of the time I only need to use the cloth part. The big thing is it is a LOT EASIER to pull through than the Bore Snake and does a good job. The companies phone number as when I bought it years ago was listed as 888-304-6125. Address: po box 211061 Bedford Texas 76095.

I put CLP on both ends of the bore snake. First it cleans it and at the end leaves a slightly lubricated clean barrel. Works so quick I should have bought one years ago.

Ok, so two questions on the bore snake: (1) it's ok to clean it regularly, and what do you clean it with, and (2) has anyone tried using two of them...first one to clean and second one to lube, or do you just use oiled patches to lube after cleaning with the snake? I think I'm hitting Wally world after work to pick one up...

What rtquig said....all in one ....I use Hoppes #9 or CLP...a few passes and she cleaned and lubed until next round.

I few thing have been mentioned here, so I thought I would make it easy to go through:

1.I put a cleaning solvent onto the brush brushed, ussually CLIP.
2. I then coat the fat part of the snake with Weopon Shied.
3. becarefull not to to snag anything I run the bore snake chamber first.I do this twice.
4.Toothbrush the bolt face in the bolt and rifle with CLP.
5. wipe down the bolt,springs with CLIP, ur done.

pretty simple for any gun,but great for th 15-22.

Though I have never used a boresnake, the above post are all very valid. Sounds to me like you are trying to pull a "dry" boresnake through the barrel. Try a little Hoppes no.9 or equivelant, then pull like a man, watching to make sure it doesnt catch on anything. Unless you get one for a 17cal. you cannot use the wrong one, obviously you cant drop a larger caliber snake into the bore, the copper part will NOT fit.
Maybe off topic but I make my own snakes, take a peice of heavy weedwacker line, cut 12" longer than barrel. Simply melt the end with a lighter untill you have a glob, let cool, cut the other end at an angle so it is pointy. Take 22cal patches, standard round toothpick and poke a hole in the patch. Slide patch onto pointed end all the way to the melted glob which will hold it in place. Dunk said patch into Hoppes or equivelent, feed pointed end of line into chamber untill it comes out, grab on wrap around hand and pull it through. Replace the patch with a new clean one, reapeat untill patch comes out clean, one last patch with a drop of good quality bore lube and your done.
Nylon string trimmer line cannot hurt your bore, no possible way, clean patch everytime, no dragging dirty anything back through your bore. Most match 22lr shooters will tell you cleaning harms far more barrels than shooting. 22lr is slow and soft, my opinion is a brush is almost never needed. Frequent cleaning with this freebee string trimmer "snake" will probably surprise the heck out of most of you.
I make them up and put them with patches and a toothpick in tiny ziplock snack bags, always ready when you need emm, darn near free if you have a weedwacker.
Hope someone benifits from this idea, I like to pass on free tips.
Enjoy your shooting , Rigby

I may have to try your weedwhacker line trick. After my first day at the range, I come home, set about cleaning the 15-22, and what happens? The string on the Boresnake decided to snap and pull out of the plastic junction between the string and the shoelace-like part. Ruined. Useless. Went back to cleaning the old-fashioned way: rod, brush, and patches. Love the smell of that #9!

Taranwanderer, you really should try the trimmer line. I use green color, cant remember the diameter of it, I used to landscape for a living and had a 100yd spool leftover. Therefore my "snakes are free except for the patches. As I said most will find if you do this everytime after shooting you will not get a buildup of anything, one tip, let the Hoppes do its thing for a min or two. Then procede with a fresh clean patch untill the patch comes out clean. I have done this with my 10-22 racegun for over a year now, thousands of rounds and it just gets MORE accurate, I have never put a brush through it. Which is actually how I came up with my "snake" I will never clean from the muzzle end. I had to either get a boresnake or make one, to clean from the breach end.
If anyone tries this and like it I do have a trick to make the same one work for ANY caliber, also for free, just ask and I will let the secret out. LOL
Anywho shoot on, Rigby

The string trimmer trick has been around for many years. That's how my father cleaned his guns 50 years ago. (although not with weed wacker string since thar hadn't been invented yet) Amazing how things keep coming full circle. 8-)

My Dad told me the same thing...I will stick with my synthetic rods and patches--if it aint broke dont fix it

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Overkill is Underrated

Your rifle, do whatever you want with it.
But soft copper bits embedded in a squishy cloth will not harm hardened barrel steel.

It's sorta like spaghetti etches the plate its on... No Way.

Bottom line is "Hardness wins."

Took the broken Boresnake back to the gun shop, they exchanged it, bought a can of CLP, we'll try it again! Gotta love the local gun shop, those guys are awesome.

I picked up the optional bumper 'extension/attachment' cord for my snake. Hooked it to the car and clamped the gun in the garage vice. By the time I hit the end of the driveway I'm sure the barrel was spotless. If I could find the gun. Need also to pick up a new vice. Actually, I use the bore snake on all calibers and find it a perfect cleaning tool for after shooting maintenance. My .38 snake has been used so much that it really is too easy to pull through now, I guess I need a new one. I just hand wash them in the kitchen sink with a little dish soap and they are good as new. I also clean my rod mops the same way.

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Endeavor to persevere. <><

Lube the new bore snake with your solvent --- old Hoppe's No. 9 or CLP. I let the weight drop through the barrel, then clamp it in my gun vise. To ensure the flat braided cord loop DOES NOT catch the ejector, I place a finger over the ejector to guide the bore snake as I pull the upper away from the vise.
No vise? No worries, you can use a C-clamp, Spring Clamp, Bar Clamp, etc...

Aim small,

tat

Yep, the CLP did wonders. I'm not sure I like it as my primary cleaning agent, but for a quick pre-clean, it sure beats the brass brush. I still did the final clean with Hoppe's 9 and the Hoppe's oil, but it took less time to do it after the Boresnake.