bore snake

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Thats not a bad price. I paid $14.99 for mine at Gander Mountain.

It's an awesome piece.
Makes quick work of cleaning your barrel, although it can be tough to pull through.

IMO, it's worth it to have. Plus if you have an AR, it'll work on that too.
 
The original Boresnake is Hoppes and it works great. Just take care not to snag the ejector when pulling it through.
 
I think the weak part would be where the shoe lace styled cord meet`s the braided part. The braided part is alot longer than the barrel, so at the very worst you would have to grab one end or the other with a pair of pliars. AS mentioned before be care not to snag the ejector.
 
I have the newer one, the "Viper". Thing was super tough to run through the first 3 times but now it's not extremely hard to pass through! The cord didn't snap off like I thought it would. It has the plastic guide so it slips in easy. I would always watch the ejector to make sure the snake didn't catch but now I don't worry about it anymore, no problems.
 
theres also a "viper" thats $5 more that is supposed to be more effective than the original, thats the one I got from gander for $19.99. I had one hell of a time pulling it though, I almost thought it was going to rip the string in half i had to pull so hard. If you have some gun oil, put some drops down into the barrel to lube it up. Remember "always use lube".
 
Think I read somewhere it's recommended to run it through, step on the brass so it'd be easier on your hands if you wrap it around them. Thing does a great job but after some suggestions from "the lounge", I bought a 3-pack of brushes and a rod from Hoppes
 
people will always tell you the "old method" is more effective because, well most people just don't like change. I won't argue about it, but I can say that its alot less likely that you'll damage your barrel; unless you can shove that rod down there at a perfect angle.
 
I've owned these things for years, and sorry, but for me, they just do not clean as well as brass brush and patches. I use good solvents, let it soak in, and make multiple passes with the Boresnake. Then I'll use a brass brush, and am always amazed at how much I get out on the next patch...

I think they are good to take to the range to clean out the heavy crud during extended shooting sessions, but if you really want to have a clean bore, the brush and patch is the way to go... I like that the Boresnakes go through the breech, but if you take care, a regular cleaning rod will not harm you barrel in your lifetime, and probably several other lifetimes. If you are very hung up on cleaning from the breech, the Otis system works well, but is much more laborious to use, compared to rod/brush/patch.

YMMV, but that's my 2 cents.
 
I've owned these things for years, and sorry, but for me, they just do not clean as well as brass brush and patches. I use good solvents, let it soak in, and make multiple passes with the Boresnake. Then I'll use a brass brush, and am always amazed at how much I get out on the next patch...

I think they are good to take to the range to clean out the heavy crud during extended shooting sessions, but if you really want to have a clean bore, the brush and patch is the way to go... I like that the Boresnakes go through the breech, but if you take care, a regular cleaning rod will not harm you barrel in your lifetime, and probably several other lifetimes. If you are very hung up on cleaning from the breech, the Otis system works well, but is much more laborious to use, compared to rod/brush/patch.

YMMV, but that's my 2 cents.

+1, well put
 
do yourself a favor, dont worry about cleaning the bore every time you shoot it.. clean the chamber with a q-tip and bore cleaner.. clean the rest of the gun as normal.. this has been beat to death on this forum and every other. if you ask an army guy or marine how to clean his rifle the first thing he is going to do is run a brush down the barrel, now ask an olympic target shoot if he will let you near his barrel with a rod and brush..(you may get hit).. bore brushes and patches do a great job of cleaning but you can also damage the crown very easily.

shoot copper wash ammo and dont worry about the bore untill you start seeing build up in the barrel (2000 rds or so) then soak it (in bore cleaner) and run a snake threw it or even a brush and patch. a 22 will shoot tighter and tighter groups untill the barrel fouls out then clean it and start all over...

i think i have made this statement before.. look at it like your car.. you know if you buff it out with compound it will look shiny and new and if you do it again the next day it will look new all over again.. but if you knew every time you buffed it you took a chance on burning threw the paint(aka damaging the crown) would you buff it every day or just do it when it needed it..

hope this helps, but its your rifle clean it however you feel it should be this is only my .02 cents
 
you know if you buff it out with compound it will look shiny and new and if you do it again the next day it will look new all over again.. but if you knew every time you buffed it you took a chance on burning threw the paint(aka damaging the crown) would you buff it every day or just do it when it needed it..

So, we're not supposed to use polishing compound every time we clean our rifles?
 
i think i have made this statement before.. look at it like your car.. you know if you buff it out with compound it will look shiny and new and if you do it again the next day it will look new all over again.. but if you knew every time you buffed it you took a chance on burning threw the paint(aka damaging the crown) would you buff it every day or just do it when it needed it..
hope this helps, but its your rifle clean it however you feel it should be this is only my .02 cents

had to say it cuz i do auto detail work professionally, but you do have a point. The clear coat layer is only so thick before the layer comes off. Granted it takes a lot to remove it, (multiple wetsandings etc.) but it will get weaker and thinner and thinner.
 
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gotcha i have cleaned my 20 gauge everytime i shot regardless of how many shots, so i figured i would do the same with the 22, rod n patch, but i never thought of using q tips (blond moment) Thanks all
 
now ask an olympic target shoot if he will let you near his barrel with a rod and brush..(you may get hit).. bore brushes and patches do a great job of cleaning but you can also damage the crown very easily.

Go to any bench rest match, or the BR Nationals, and you will see the people that are most interested in extreme accuracy cleaning with patch and brush every 10-15 rounds. You will not damage the crown if you use the proper kind of rod and a bore guide. A spotless bore = accuracy. Its true some medicore bores and factory barrels, may shoot better dirty than they do clean, but not a true match grade barrel that has been properly chambered and set up. Now 22 rimfire is a different story all together. 22 RF doesn't need cleaning as oftet as long as you are using the same lot # of ammo.
 
ok i didnt mean that you could wear it out by cleaning it in any way, what i ment with the car comment was that a simple mistake like setting in one place to long with a buffer or rollin the edge of the pad over and getting into the plastic or steel part of the buffer on the paint

and yes i agree if you have the proper guide and rod you can protect the crown and clean the bore with no chance of damage..

and ive been going to matches since i was 8 yrs old and ive never seen not one person break out a wire brush and run it down there barrel(patches yes but not a wire brush, ive even seen the stiffer plastic brushes)..

we are not talkin about a match rifle here that needs the barrel swabbed every few rounds we are talking about a gun that the more you shoot it the tighter it will group till a point...

with that in mind and the fact that im sure alot of the people here bought a 22 cal cleaning kit from wall mart. that doesnt have a bore guide,so there is a chance of damaging something for no reason.. not that they will damage it, just that they might

its his rifle and yours is your rifle and if you wanna tear it down and clean the crap out of it every time you shoot it then by all means do it. i wasnt trying to say that he or anyone else was in the wrong by cleaning the bore of the rifle... what i was trying to point out is that its not worth loosing sleep over and that it wont hurt a thing not to butt floss your rifle every time its fired it..

if you have the time ,do it, but be mindful of the points inwhich you can damage..
 
Mind me asking what part the "crown" is located at? I'm new to firearms in general haha so I just want to know how to be careful with my hoppes rod.
 
I have a Bore Snake for every single caliber I have, and use them often. I have about 15 different bore snakes and have been using them for quite a few years now. They work great, each pass is said to be equal to about 12 passes without the bore snake. Just run it through 2 or 3 times with a little gun solvent on it and the bore is clean.

I have never had one break on me. Also, they are very easy to clean. After quite a few uses, just hand wash them or follow the instructions the the package on how to machine wash them.

Overall, an essential tool you MUST have if you are going to do lots of shooting and hate spending more than 20 seconds cleaning your bore.
 

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