Interesting topic...
You DO want to get/have conventional cleaning equipment... I have a 1 piece Tipton carbon fiber rod and a generic bore guide. All my attachments that go on the end of the rod are nylon - brush, jag, slotted patch loop, etc. You also want a good nylon brush, some cotton flannel patches, and a good general solvent like Hoppe's #9. Having said that, I only use "conventional cleaning equipment" in a "Precision Rifle" relatively rarely as I want to get to a point of "copper equilibrium" in the bore. Because I can not bring myself to shoot my rifle and not do something to "clean" it - this is what I use a bore snake for. After a day of shooting, I take my rifle home and remove the bolt... I stand the rifle on its muzzle on a rag on the floor and flood the chamber with WD-40 and let it run down the barrel to the muzzle... I let it "soak" for 5 minutes... then I lift the rifle off the rag and thread a (dry) boresnake and make 2 passes with it. That's it for cleaning the bore. I dry the chamber with a dry mop and then brush the bolt face and wipe down the bolt with a lightly oiled cloth. I then use a toothpick and some quality lube (I like Wilson Ultima Lube Universal) to lightly and carefully lube the friction points on the bolt... I then replace the bolt back in the gun and then store until the next outing. So far I have not needed to do any "agressive" copper removal. I wonder how many rounds I will run down the barrel before I think that it is necessary... time will tell.