Bore Snake vs. a Traditional Cleaning

[Coots]

A friend and I were chatting today and I became curious about the differences any of you have experienced between these two.

1. The traditional rod / brush cleaning system. You know, send the brush down to loosen the gunk, take the clothes in clp etc. run it through, repeat until clean etc.

2. Soak the bore snake in CLP, swipe it through the barrel a couple times and be done with it.

My question is, does the bore snake actually remove and get rid of the grit and grime of shooting, or is it just a quick fix to get by until you can actually do a 'deep cleaning'.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[SU17]

Hoppe's bore snake does it all. Its just a new advanced cleaning tool does the same purpose just faster. I has bronze brush on it as well


Hoppe's 9 - BoreSnakes

 

[BeginingOfTheEnd]

I used a bore snake for the first time a couple weeks ago and am wishing I would have started using them years ago. Two swipes and it doesn't get any cleaner than that. I plan on buying some more here soon.

 

[Coots]

I know this is a lazy question, because I could google it or read about it. But do you use the bore snack from the breach / chamber area out of the barrel like the round travels, or do you pull it through in reverse order. From the tip of the barrel toward the breach / chamber.

 

[SU17]

you always want to clean from chamber out same why how a round travels out.

 

[DaveFJ80]

I'm lazy, but I also don't feel like finding a very thin rod & brush to clean out the 15-22 barrel. I don't mind using the small brush I have for my GSG 1911 .22 pistol barrel, since I can clean out the entire insides from both sides. But the rifle barrel is much longer and requires more effort.

 

[mrasgt]

Old Fashion

I've been using rods, brushes and patches for 35 years.

I got a bore snake a few weeks ago, {yea, I know}.

Anyway, I love the snake. Like everyone said, pulls a bit hard
at first, but I think that's good.

I'm still learning how much CLP vs. oil, when and where.

But I love it and don't mind not having to chase after rods.

Just be careful to not snag it on the way through.

 

[Coots]

It looks from what I read the first poster to say, he has a bronze brush on his? From the pictures I've seen online, I don't see a bronze brush on any of them. Or is part of the snake itself just a hard part that rubs the barrel hard?

 

[corpulent]

There's a brush "embedded" in the first few inches of the snake. The more expensive "Viper" version has a larger one, I believe.

 

[gsxunv04]

The first 3" section of the snake has 2 bronze brushes inside of the snake so the bristles stick through the nylon. Bore snakes are convieient, but I still give my barrels a good rod/patch cleaning most of the time.

 

[Coots]

Thank you guys for the excellent comments and replies. I really appreciate it. I'm thinking I'm going to snag a couple up and try both for a bit and see what shakes out.

 

[Crazy88Fingers]

I first picked one up to clean a .22 revolver I have. Rods and brushes in that tiny barrel just weren't working for me.

Long story short, I'm probably going to be getting one for my .38 as well.

 

[OKFC05]

As to how well a boresnake cleans, there is good news and bad news.
The bad news is it does not leave a barrel completely clean.
The good news is that a barrel does not have to be completely clean to shoot well.

It is still a good idea to use a copper solvent periodically as needed to insure the copper does not build up from jacket deposits. If you're not sure there is copper, put some copper solvent in the barrel and let it sit a few minutes. That green stuff you wipe out is from copper deposits. A copper fouled barrel looks clean, just a little dull.

 

[Ranger98]

If you use a snake,it doesn't hurt to slip a piece of small,automotive type vacuum hose over the ejector to avoid snagging when using it on the 15-22 rifle

 

[reelman]

I've used both and when it comes to a .22 I don't see that it matters very much considering if you're cleaning the barrel more than every 5,000 rounds or so you're not doing anything other than taking chances at damaging your barrel for no gain.

 

[MMA_FAN]

For my m&p 15-22 I use a bore snake on the barrel. One pass through with my bore solvent does the job. No extra brushes or patches needed. It gets clean as a whistle.

But for my Ruger 10-22 and Remington Speedmaster 552, I use the rod & patch kit. It just seems to work better for those.

The Smith is a dream to clean. Infact if you do not like to clean guns or think cleaning your rifle is just a hassle well the S&W 15-22 is just the rifle for you because it is soooo easy to clean.

Use CLP to clean and lube every moving part, and with a little solvent in the bore using a snake and you will be good to go. Quick easy and in my opinion the fun part is getting them dirty to clean again.

 

[hdfinder47]

I now use them for every caliber I shoot from 22 to 12 ga. Why I waited 30+ years I do not know. When brushes wear down, I use them for the next smaller caliber (within reason). No downside yet.

 

[TwistedCreations]

I've used both and when it comes to a .22 I don't see that it matters very much considering if you're cleaning the barrel more than every 5,000 rounds or so you're not doing anything other than taking chances at damaging your barrel for no gain.

Wow, guess I am just destroying my barrel......Whether I shoot 50 rounds or 1,000 rounds, my guns get cleaned that same day when i get back home

 

[Smitherines]

Wow, guess I am just destroying my barrel......Whether I shoot 50 rounds or 1,000 rounds, my guns get cleaned that same day when i get back home

Same here. I don't shoot all that often, so it feels strange to leave a gun dirty for weeks/months at a time.

 

[stickbug1]

If cleaned properly with the correct equipment you can easily clean your bore and not damage it.
If your a knuckle head, or careless it is possible to have detrimental effect on things.
All you current and ex military service men and women???? how many times did you clean your firearms? and what did our favorite uncle teach you about proper firearm care intervals?