Boresnakes are worthless....

[Kanewpadle]

I swallow one every six months then when the string shows itself, I give it a good pull...sure beats hydra-colon therapy...

Your one of a kind Sip.

 

[MJS5678]

I carry three in my gun show kit, 22,38,and 45. They have always worked well for me.

 

[Walter Rego]

I was skeptical of their efficiency and suppose I still am when it comes to centerfires and shotguns, but I use one on my Ruger Standard Auto pistol and on a couple of Colt Woodsmans. I don't like field stripping those guns so a Boresnake and a few cotton swabs & solvent to clean the breech face, feed ramp and chamber area and I'm good. I expect that the rifle length Boresnake would be just the ticket for my ol' 10/22 as well.

 

[roundgunner]

I use them all the time. When they get real dirty I run them thru the washer. If lead shows up I have an Outers electronic lead remover. Love that too.

 

[Hunt200]

......You're in all probability doing more harm than good by using a bore brush and solid rod more than 2x/year or possibly quarterly.

I hear this every once in a while and I ask if the person has any documented proof that over cleaning with the proper tools harmed a gun. No one has shown me any.

I have been using a rod and brush on the same guns after EVERY shooting session for well over 30 years and see no wear or lack of accuracy from doing so.

 

[pinduck]

i have a couple of boresnakes I received as a gift but haven't tried them yet. i have been using a rod and bore brush and cleaning patches on my guns for some 60 years now and have never seen any ill effects on the bores.
Glen

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I use the boresnake to clean out the oil I put in the bore for storage. One quick pull and I am ready to go shooting. It also gives a physical verification that nothing is in the barrel.

 

[cmort666]

A Boresnake's fine for general purpose cleaning. The stuff it won't get will not affect practical accuracy. You're in all probability doing more harm than good by using a bore brush and solid rod more than 2x/year or possibly quarterly.

Clearly, you're not a competitive shooter, especially not service rifle, across the course rifle or long range rifle.

 

[cmort666]

I clean all of my handguns and rifles with Dewey coated rods, bore brushes and GI cloth patches.

I don't know a single serious rifle shooter who would consider cleaning his service, across the course or long range rifle with a bore snake.

 

[chief38]

I do not think they are useless, but I do not use them to really clean a gun. For me they are strictly a "quick field clean" so that when I get home the real cleaning job is a bit easier. They are also good if you are not going home ( if you are camping out on a hunting trip) and there is no room for a full sized cleaning kit. Usually when you are hunting there are actually very few shots fired, and you do not need to do a heavy duty cleaning; just a quick wipe through with the bore brush and you are good to go for the next days hunt, or until you get home and are able to do a proper cleaning job.

chief38

 

[ErnieDeBord]

No way would I even dream of putting on them things thru a barrel of mine

 

[VonFatman]

They work great for a quick swipe after shooting in bad weather...just to make sure the water is gone from the bore.
When we would finish quail/pheasant hunting...a quick swipe was always in order.
Bob

 

[Engineer1911]

Boresnakes work -- with limitations!

Everyone has an opinion. Gun cleaning is like a vasectomy -- once is enough.

 

[senecaap]

I love mine for moderate work. I use it every time I shoot. After about 200-300 rounds, I do a traditional clean. If you use the BoreSnake after each session the normal rod, brush and patch doesn't take nearly as long. It should not be the only thing you use to clean with, but it is an acceptable tool.

 

[senecaap]

One advantage of a people using only a BoreSnake is when they get a barrel moderately dirty and accuracy starts suffering they say "The barrels shot out" and you can pick a great gun up for a song and a good cleaning. Don't down the snake too loudly, you'll mess up a good thing.

 

[eclector]

You'll wear the damn gun out by cleaning too much. They shouldn't look like they have never been fired unless its for sale. Just clean them enough to prevent corrosion, and shoot them a lot!

 

[medic15al]

I like to use them at the very end of cleaning my handguns to remove as much solvent/oil as possible so I my load them back up without worrying about ammo contamination.

 

[jbouwens]

You'll wear the damn gun out by cleaning too much. They shouldn't look like they have never been fired unless its for sale. Just clean them enough to prevent corrosion, and shoot them a lot!

Amen!!!
As to a previous poster-- almost every M1 Garand, 1903, and M1 Carbine I have seen has muzzle damage mainly from having to clean them (especially the Garand) from the muzzle with the dreded steel multiple piece cleaning rods supplied with those rifles. I try to use the pull through method as much as I can or use an aluminum rod to clean from the muzzle. I have a couple of snakes, I mainly use them as the "oil" stage-- I keep them in a ziplock bag to keep the dirt off of them. A dirty snake will definitely damage the bore. That is why mine are for the oil stage, keep em dirt free.

I know some of my pals us them in there Rem 7600s, Win and Marlin lever guns for ease of cleaning, it's not much fun to break down those guns.

 

[Viss]

I admit I didn't read the entire thread. However I will never go praire doggin without one, they work great while shooting and trying to gain a little more accuracy.

 

[Moonman]

I've got a Camp Perry WINNER that uses a Rifle Snake to clean a pistol, 4 times the cleaning for about the price of 1 with 1 pull. You can completely do a tear-down when you have a few more moments.