Cleaning with Boresnake

[CB3]

When I attend a multi-day class with round counts above 250/day, I'll snake my bore each evening and get rid of any other obvious buildup with a toothbrush and solvent. I do a field strip inspection for wear. Lube. Three minutes.

I'll do something similar if I'm taking the same gun out within a day two, say for a personal shoot and then a Thanksgiving fun shoot around with family.

My guns run fine dirty. I do full cleanings with chemicals, rods, brushes, patches when they need it. A .22 may only go 100 rounds. A 9mm or carbine 4-500. A hunting rifle or shotgun 20. A target shotgun 200+. More frequently when under wet or very dry, dusty conditions.

Snakes are good for quick cleans to get some crud out of a barrel (maybe 70-80%) and leave a light coat of oil. They are not for deep or effective cleaning. Not for superbly accurate guns. I find them handy.

I've never heard of one breaking in a barrel. Given the braided nylon construction it would have to be very old and show obvious signs of fraying. A <caliber-sized wooden dowel or a real metal cleaning rod should push it out fine. This is a very minor concern for a $15 item.

 

[H Richard]

I use one in my trap and skeet guns at the range while still warm. May use it 5-6 times then the barrels get a good cleaning with solvent and brush's.

 

[mauser9]

Good to hear the negatives and positives. They sure sounded like a shooters dream come true for ease. In fact gonna try running one through tonight in my 22 mag and one through my .270 and then pass a patch through to see how much residue is left.

 

[Walter Rego]

I only use a .22 Boresnake on a couple of .22 LR autoloaders like a Colt Woodsman or Ruger 10/22. And that is only if they have had 100 rounds or less through them. .22 rimfire bores don't really need thorough cleaning that often, and the Boresnake allows easy cleaning from the breech without even having to fieldstrip a gun like a Woodsman.
I use an eyedropper to apply just a few drops of solvent on the brush part of the Boresnake.

I follow up with some solvent and cotton swabs on the breech face, especially on the feed ramp and extractor cut and also on the bolt face and under the extractor claw. .22 rimfires often leave a lot of fouling in the chamber area.
I hose the Boresnake with some GunScrubber after use to keep it relatively clean.

For more thorough cleaning I use the standard rod, bronze brush and patches. I never use a Boresnake on a revolver and don't own one in any centerfire rifle or pistol calibers.

 

[sigp220.45]

I like them. They work great for me and I've never had one break in the barrel, or even heard of it happening until. I have managed to get a bristle brush stuck in a bore or two using a regular cleaning rod.

 

[max503]

I've recently started using weed eater line with a patch on the end and really like it. Next step is to attach a bore brush. I feel better not having a rod of any kind abrading my gun bores. I still use rods but not as often.
In case you're wondering, you melt the end of the line and form a glob. Then you push the line through a hole in the patch, apply chemical, and go to town.

 

[dfariswheel]

Do some reading on the gun forums and you'll see posts asking how to extract a broken bore snake.

Here's one case.......

Bore snake stuck | 1911Forum

Pushing one out with a cleaning rod doesn't work..... ever try to push a piece of string?

Other attempts that don't work....
Shooting it out with a blank.
Shooting it out with a lightly loaded live round.!! Honest to God someone suggested it.
Shooting it out with a primed case.
Forcing it out with a hydraulic pump.
Forcing it out with a grease gun.
Using bleach, acid??, or something that dissolves?? nylon.
Blowing it out with compressed air.
Using a cleaning rod and hammer to drive it out.
Heating the barrel red hot to melt the nylon.

The telling point is that the bore snake manufacturers have no recommended method of extracting one that gets stuck.
This is why the military stopped using the old thong and brush that used to be in butt stock traps...... they got old and weak and broke off in the bore.
A tight nylon bore snake is FAR worse to extract then a brush.

If you insist on using them, I recommend not washing and re-using them over and over, and don't use them in small caliber barrels. The smaller the bore the thinner the snake and the more likely a stuck snake.

Anytime you're depending on a line or cord to pull through a bore, it's a risk.
I know of at least two cases where the high quality Otis pull-through cleaner and gotten stuck in the barrel after the end broke off.
If a quality Otis can fail, a home brewed pull-through made of fishing line is a wreck waiting to happen.

 

[9mmPatriot]

As with anything weapons related, proper maintenance and inspection is a must. Using a frayed cord on a boresnake is foolhardy at best.

The previous post is most certainly a worst case scenario and certainly not the norm.


A slow steady pull is all it takes. Jerking it or trying to set a new boresnake speed-pull record will lead to problems.