I would like to know how guys clean with them? Do you add CLP before the bristles? then run it a few times? I have heard some guys place a Patch Soaked in CLP around the Bristles and then bushed thru 3 times? What do you guys do? thanks

I never liked them. You're cleaning dirt with dirt after a few uses. I use Tipton Carbon Fiber rods exclusively.

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Save time, see it my way. LP

Hi , I use hopps #9 before the bristles on a bore snake(I dip it right in the bottle) and run it threw 3 times then after the barrel is clean of build up I put CLP down near the end of the bore snake and run it threw once to leave a light coating, when the bore snake has been used a few times I wash it.

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M&P15-22’s Tupperware for Guys

Hi , I use hopps #9 before the bristles on a bore snake(I dip it right in the bottle) and run it threw 3 times then after the barrel is clean of build up I put CLP down near the end of the bore snake and run it threw once to leave a light coating, when the bore snake has been used a few times I wash it.
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Ditto. Only I use traditional gun oil at the end rather than CLP.

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Randy
Provenance nerd

I use Ballistol. With my 22 rifles I just run the snake through twice. Sometimes I spray a little Ballistol on it.

With my SD9 that gets a lot dirtier? I spray the bore with Ballistol and let it soak for awhile. Then I run the snake through a couple of times.

Note: boresnakes are washable. Put it in a pillowcase and throw it in the washer when it gets dirty.

That is true, but I'd be on permanent couch duty if I ever did that.

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Save time, see it my way. LP

I put CLP on the head of the snake, make three passes through the barrel.

I ditched the rod/patch cleaning long ago and see NO difference in the cleanliness of the bores on any of my firearms.

it seems most add a little cleaner/oil (CLP) before the bristle and run a few times and then was the boresnake after a few cleanings! simple enough. thanks.

I could not have said it better myself. Exactly.

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SWCA #2601

I used to use them now i dont, Cant beat the rod.

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Aim small miss small

Always used rod

I put Hoppe's #9 on and before the wire bristles, after running it from the bore to the muzzle 3 times I run it through with Red Line motor oil (20-50) on the tail-end of the snake.

The 'snake' may get dirty over many uses but there is never enough dirt left behind to create reliability issues if the bore looks shiny.

I don't do this every time but I will use a Q-tip soaked in Red Line motor oil to coat the chamber if I plan to store it for a longer period. (any brand of motor oil is better than none at all)

If were to use the old rod method I would only use a brass rod cleaning kit to eliminate the possibility of scratching the bore.

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Maker of The TALON Video Mount

For light duty cleanings I spray the barrel down with Ballistol, let it soak a few hours and run the bore snake though it a few times. Clean as a whistle and the ballistol residual protects the bore. Faster and just as effective as a rod on light duty cleanings. Heavy cleanings and getting lead out I use the rod method.

You might consider placing a plastic straw or rubber tube over the Extractor before pulling the BoreSnake through the barrel. This will prevent the BoreSnake from getting caught on the Extractor. This is particularly useful when the BoreSnake is new and you haven't used one before.

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Boz

And I clean so many barrels that over the years I simply don't have the time to fuss that much. I'm using the Boresnake more and more on everything.

I don't worry that much about "dirt after dirt" either. I used to, but now I've just moved on to other things to worry about. Besides, with the snake, there's no concerns about the rod or tips scratching or doing damage.

Bore cleaning seems to be one of the most controversial topics in all of gun-dom. And I certainly have found that I can only be so AR about this. I recommend Boresnakes highly--especially for .22's and 17's.

And then you start getting into 'old barrel; new barrel', so if you're like me, you're also cleaning old barrels on vintage Winchesters and such that are long past their prime. For those I probably would switch back to rod and patch, especially if it's a .30 cal or larger--shotguns, etc. And for older, less valuable guns, I find I use up products that I have on hand that maybe I don't favor so much.

Then you get into--"Why clean at all?" Frankly, with today's ammo, I consider that to be a fair question. I think it's only old habits that keep me doing the chores. And they really are chores, especially when you come home with six or ten guns to clean. And that's where the damage can be done, when you start going about it in assembly-line fashion. Try as I might to convince myself that I'm getting some kind of satisfaction out of cleaning, it is still a chore. No where near as fun as the shooting. I'm not sure I could blame a guy for saying' " to heck with it".

Fold over at break in bristles, dip in Hoppe's. Run through until clean.

I just got a boresnake for my 15-22, and it was extremely tight when I tried to pull it through. I stopped since I didn't want it to get stuck. Is this normal, and OK to keep pulling hard on it? It is marked as 22 on the weight.

I put mine in a sock then throw it in the wash.

Yea after a few uses they get easier.

After the head softens a little, it will pull through easier. Just needs to be broken in a little.

Always used a rod, brush, and jag. It's what dad used. I don't think easier equates with "as clean".

I do have a 12ga. boresnake, though. I don't clean the bore of my shotguns with it, however. I clean the shotguns with the old rod, brush, and jag. What I use the bore snake for is getting the dust/lint out of the end of the bore, when I get it out of the safe/soft case.

I was born in the fifties, though. I'm not one to go in for "new-fangled" things.

Good advise. I let my gf clean her rifle with the boresnake (her first time). And I forgot to tell her to watch the extractor. She got is caught pretty good....I spent 20 minutes or so cutting it free.

I was born in the early 40s and I'll Jump on anything new that makes my life easier. And I get the same results with the BoreSnake as I did with the rod and patches.

I do still use a rod and patches if faced with copper fouling in one of my center fire firearms.

Bummer. But I have found that simply paying attention to what one is doing often eliminates the need for solutions looking for a problem.

How about snubbies? Heck, a q-tip and patch seems to be all I need. How about polygonal rifling? Cleaning that type of rifling seems almost too easy.

I use them mainly as a last pull thru to remove excess oil and solvent after cleaning, and during .22 range sessions when lead becomes built up.

Makes no difference. I use BoreSnakes on all my pistols, too - revolvers, semi-autos and single shots.

They certainly are the best. A great invention.

Thanks for the feedback on getting the boresnake to go through . Will give it another try.

I now use. Bore snake on all my guns. Makes cleaning the rifle much better. I run it through 3-4 times, then put Liquid Frog Lube on the tail and pull it through. That works like a charm.

Do not use one of your wife's GOOD pillow cases...ask her for an old one or buy your own to use just for boresnake cleaning. Can also clean shop rags in there .
I use 2 snakes one for cleaning and one for lube. The lube snake doesn't require washing as often as the cleaning snake.
Gary

Good idea!

For all of my guns, hand guns, shotguns, lever guns, .22, AR15's I use nothing but a bore snake on the barrel.

For the 15-22 I take the upper off, point the barrel down in a orange home depot bucket, shoot some break free powder blast into it and let it drain out into the bucket (lean it against the wall).

Now I take apart the bolt carrier and hit is with powder blast (metal parts). This almost cleans it totally.

Go back to the barrel and hit it with CLP, a good amount, and let it drain down the barrel into the bucket.

I then use CLP and brushes to clean/lube the bolt carrier. It is done at this point. I wont wipe off the CLP unless its dripping. I like a nice coat.

Now I clean around the chamber and the rest of the upper with paper towels, q-tips and CLP. Last step run the bore snake through 1 time and visually inspect with light. I dont put anything on the bore snake. The two cleaners have done most of the work and the snake is going to pull out any chunks and leave a light coat of CLP.

The whole thing takes 15min at the most. Rods and patches for the most part are gone for me. I may...may use a patch with #9 once a year, after the power blast drain before the CLP drain down the barrel.

This is the same method for all of my guns. Once or twice a year I will wash the bore snake in the kitchen sink with dish soap and hang it dry. I replace them once every 2-3 years.

Same here. Wash them in the sink once in awhile. I like the idea of machine wash, but I never seem to get around to it.

Been thinking about buying bore snake, and now I am going to get two for every caliber.

When I got my 15-22 I used a bore snake for the initial cleaning. All I did was put some FP-10 on the brush part of the snake and pull it thru Made it squeaky clean. I didn't add any lube as it won't be sitting to long but I'll use Frog Lube on the bristles and tail end going forward

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M&P 2.0 9mm-Shield9-Shield45

Ok, first use of the bore snake. There is no way i can get the head to go thru..and im pulling extremely tight. Its just so bunched up at the head, and will not even get started in the bore no matter how hard i pull, wonder if i got a bad bore snake?

How often are you guys cleaning your .22 bore? I can't remember the last time I have....I pull the bolt assembly and wipe it down with Weaponshield (Fancy CLP) wipe the receiver and put the bolt back in.... my 22's never seem to need bore cleaning.

I clean all my guns after each use. It's relaxing, and I actually look forward to the whole process.

As far as the boresnake goes, I usually find that 3 passes is good enough. I pour a little frog lube down the breech end, and then pass the boresnake from breech to muzzle until it looks like a mirror inside. I run a patch through it after that to make sure it's nice and dry.

You can put the boresnake in a sock and run it through the wash.

Once the barrel was all leaded up and I had to use a little hoppes and proper rod to break it loose. Then I did the usual boresnake thing to make it nice and shiny on the inside.

Are you trying to do it dry? Use CLP or other cleaner on the head of the snake and compress the sides a few times. It takes a few times to soften the head. Also, remember that the snake is designed for a .223/.224 bore and the .22 LR bore is .220/.221.

It's been years since I "scrubbed" a .22 bore. The last couple of years I have used the BoreSnake on everything. Since every outing involves 600-1,000 rounds, I make two or three passes through the bore with the snake, blow out the lower with an air compressor and run a baby bottle brush in the upper. A cleaning of the bolt face pretty much ends the cleaning.

Boresnakes for cleaning? I very much like them. I have been using various caliber Boresnakes since at least 1996 in everything from revolvers, pistols, rifles and shotguns. In my experience they are very effective.

When it comes to a .22 LR rifle, I very rarely clean the bore. I have found that I get more consistent results on target by establishing a bore condition and maintaining it. I brush/clean/wipe out the mechanism of the rifle and remove any bits of debris. I do the same for the bolt face, etc. I do not routinely dismantle the action unless it has gotten particularly nasty.

I shoot my S&W 18-3 a lot. Because of the nature of the design of a revolver, I find a more detailed routine cleaning is necessary, depending on the brand of ammunition being used. Some brands leave a good bit of soot, etc. requiring that the cylinder be brushed out approximately every 50-100 rounds. Other brands all one to keep shooting with no difficulties chambering or extracting up to say 350 rounds. For cleaning at home I will wipe out the bore w/ a damp patch using CLP. I'll of course clean the rest of the revolver in the normal manner.

For semi-automatic .22 LR pistols, I do a similar cleaning routine. At present I have only one such pistol, a Marvel .22 LR conversion unit for my 1911. I leave the barrel alone. Everything else gets wiped down to remove soot, grease and other firing residue. Then it is lightly oiled and stored.

For rifles ... it depends. I dearly enjoy shooting vintage military rifle matches using 1903, 1903-A3 and M-1 Garand rifles. After a match I will wipe out the barrel in the normal manner using Shooter's Choice w/ a rod, jag and patches. Because I shoot cast lead bullets in the 03 and 03-A3's, I wipe out the barrel between relays w/ a dry bore snake. The result is that the first round of a string always goes into the group. With the M-1 Garand I use a boresnake to clean the bore after a match. I do not take the rifle down except at the end of a season of shooting. This has allowed me to not have problems rezeroing my rifle in preparation for matches, etc. My M-1 Garand match rifle is a 5.9 Springfield (1956) that was rebuilt at LEAD in 1966 w/ a new SA barrel, etc. It routinely puts the first round from a clip of ammo into the group. I do not take it apart for routine cleaning for the same reason I don't take a bolt-action rifle apart for routine cleaning... it is not necessary/needed unless the rifle has been exposed to inclement weather.

Shotguns? I can't remember the last time I cleaned the bore of my shotgun. It is a 870 given to me by my parents in 1970. I have used it for all manner of shooting in all kinds of weather and conditions. Today it is in excellent condition. I've occasionally brushed the trigger group and wiped it down with a oily rag. From time to time I pull a Boresnake through the chamber and bore. But I can't say it is because the bore is fouled.

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<><

I like using bore snakes . That said I have 2 things to share. Both relate to old postings, from I believe dfariswheel.

First, the suggtion to use of copper Chore-Boy to clean lead or deposits gave me reason to really look at my 357 cylinder holes. The bore snake did not take the hard residue ring from shooting 38 specials.

Second, there was a posting of his, I believe, of a bore snake breaking in a barrel (no details as to length, caliber, as of snake, etc.). Apparently it could not be removed and the "patient" did not survive.

I think that I'll not recycle the bore snake so often. They aren't so expensive that I want to risk an old one breaking in a barrel. I can imagine one breaking in one of my 22lr and not being happy.

This is an excellent idea. I actually have a piece cut off of a red large straw in my cleaning kit that I slide over the extractor when I use my bore snake. This is also beneficial when using a rod as it protects the extractor from getting marred as well as keeping the extractor from shaving pieces off of your rod.

Major, is it really neccessary to disassemble the bolt when cleaning?

Was told by Hoppe's customer service that a very small amount of bore cleaner should be placed on it just before the brushes. Contrary to what most people would think liberal amounts of cleaner or oil makes it harder to pull thru the bore. The liquid soaks into the fabric and swells it. Now before anyone disputes this remember I am only relaying what Hoppe's said.

I use boresnakes on my larger calibers, 9mm, and up. On my .223 and .22lr guns I use a set up that i dont remember the name of, but it has a flexible plastic coated stainless steel cable, with brass ends. You slide the cable in the barrel from the front sight, when it comes out the bullet end, screw on your brush end dipped in your favorite cleaning solution, pull it thru, I do this 3 times, then add the swab tip and pull swabs thru til clean. Follow this with an oiled swab once and good to go.

NOW in order to keep harmony with she who must be obeyed, I use a bucket of HOT water and some DAWN liquid soap to soak my boresnakes in, then rinse with cool water and hang to dry.

UNLESS your investing in a divorce, never, never get your stuff with cleaning solvents and oils near the washing machine. That goes for diesel spills on shirts too.

Chuck

I think you guys would be referring to the ejector not the extractor.

Gotta love the bore snakes though.

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Sappers Lead The Way

Who said anything about disassembling the bolt?

Pull the BCG from the upper and use CLP and a toothbrush on the bolt face to remove powder residue. Blow out the firing pin channel with compressed air. Put a drop of CLP on each bolt rail and put the BCG bac in the upper. Five minutes, tops.

Keeping the bolt face clean is more important than the barrel.

Exactly what I have been doing.