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Posted: 9/10/2010 6:24:38 AM EDT
| I tried a search and didn't find any threads that mentioned the pluses and minuses of using a boresnake for your main cleaning "rod". So my question is, are boresnakes only good for a quick cleaning when you're at the range or could it be used as your main bore cleaner? Reading how using a cleaning rod without a rod guide could damage your barrel makes me wonder if using only a boresnake might actually be better than using a rod without the guide. |
| For starters, you should not damage your barrel with a cleaning rod, especially if it is chrome lined. The cleaning rod is of much softer metal than the barrel. The way you would damage anything is if you were not careful and "slapped it around". Second, I personally do not think a Bore Snake will do as good a job as using a good rod, a jag, and quality cleaner. |
| Now for more details, do you soak the bore with cleaner first? and do you put some kind of oil on the front or rear of the boresnake so you leave a thin layer of oil in the barrel? I also would assume that when it gets dirty, you soak it in something to remove powder and oil and wash, and if so what do you use and how do you wash? |
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I use the bore snake for a "quickie" cleaning, but I use the conventional cleaning rod/method for a more thorough cleaning. This. As for cleaning the boresnake, about every six month or so I'll put mine in one of those zippered mess bags my wife uses to wash delicates. Throw it in the washer with a regular load and you're done. Just be sure to have a new mesh bag ready to replace the one you ruined or you'll find yourself in a pie-free zone... |
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Bore snakes are the "good enough" cleaner. They are not meant to be a perfect clean...and in ARs outside SPRs, a perfect clean doesn't help and can only hurt the life of the barrel.
Strong solvents with amonia combined with stiff brushes and rods that flex will shorten the life of your barrel while providing no actual benifit in terms of performance. For my CL barrels, I just hose them out with CLP and pull the bore snake through a few times. Use a chamber brush and swab the chamber clean. |
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I have 1. Don't use it. Why? Because everything I have read & been told has said it's not meant for main cleaning. A rod & patch are. The bore snake is used at the range to quickly do a once through down a dirty barrel for better accuracy.
So why am I going to use something that not designed for the job I think is intended to do? I'm better off with the standard rod/patch. |
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Now for more details, do you soak the bore with cleaner first? and do you put some kind of oil on the front or rear of the boresnake so you leave a thin layer of oil in the barrel? I also would assume that when it gets dirty, you soak it in something to remove powder and oil and wash, and if so what do you use and how do you wash? I have 2 bore snakes but have not used that much because I thought that the powder and stuff would pack up and be brought back into the barrell again. I never put solvent on it. I guess I should not. Since I shoot so many old battle rifles with corrosive ammo I have to clean after I shoot. Just to confirm, the boar snake is for a quickie, not thorough cleaning. And can you really toss a dirty bore snake into a washing machine with other clothes and not make the other clothes filthy with gun powder? Or should I just wash in the sink? Can somone clarify this? I appreciate your time. |
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And can you really toss a dirty bore snake into a washing machine with other clothes and not make the other clothes filthy with gun powder? No, tie it up in an old pillow case, and throw it in the washing machine, by itself. Do not put it in the machine with other clothes. |
| I got one and didnt trust it. So I fired 100 rounds that day went home to clean. Used said bore snake 2 times and didnt think the barrel could be clean that quick and easy, so then I ran a clean patch down barrel expecting to see dark spots on the patch. I was shocked that the patch came out clean. Its not my end all be all but it does a good job. I still use a chamber brush on the chamber and a brass brush down the barrel and then pull the bore snake down the tube. |
| I've been using a bore snake only on mine. I've probably put around 1,000 rounds through it, and have cleaned/lubed it each outing Today, however, I had my first malfunction. A stuck case. When I took it apart, I found that the bore snake wasn't cleaning the chamber out very well. It does a great job on the bore, but I'm going to start using a brush on the chamber each cleaning, just so I don't have another stuck case. |
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And can you really toss a dirty bore snake into a washing machine with other clothes and not make the other clothes filthy with gun powder? Or should I just wash in the sink?
I would use a sink. I accidentally mixed in a rag with gun cleaner, lube & grime in my towel wash. Took the color out of all my towels. 
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Thanks everyone for your replies, I have a brand new spikes and I was just researching how best to care for it and I read about break in procedures etc. and started leaning toward doing less instead of more. The consensus seemed to be that too much cleaning has more potential to damage the barrel than under cleaning. To me it seemed that a LITTLE extra cleaning at first would be a good thing but most break-in guides warned against over cleaning especially without some sort of bore guide to ensure that the rod doesn’t damage the barrel, and yes, I know, rod metal is softer than the lining of the barrel but I am still worried that I might hurt my baby. Another thing mentioned in these break in articles is copper fouling that can occur from using copper jacketed rounds, so it seems best to soak the barrel with some sort of copper solvent ever so often before cleaning to strip the barrel of this copper build up.
So far, I have taken a modified approach, I shot about 5 rounds, ran the boresnake down the barrel a few times, shot 5 more, boresnake, shot 10, boresnake, shot 10, boresnake and now only clean the barrel after each “session”, my sessions so far have consisted of 40-60 rounds. I do have one question though, assuming I am using copper jacketed rounds, how often should I soak the barrel with copper solvent before cleaning? Also, I saw that Hoppe’s now has a boresnake that has 50% more bronze brushes. http://www.hoppes.com/products/ca_boresnake_viper.html So I am thinking about modifying my approach a little more for my cleaning procedure. I could run the regular boresnake down the barrel a couple of times and use the boresnake viper for a clean final pass with a lubricant to the tail section for a thin layer of protection. |
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+1 on the boresnake. To apply bore cleaner I use a childrens medicine syringe and shoot Carbon Killer down the barrel, let it sit and run the boresnake through couple times. Followed by a oiled patch or two. Takes a few minutes, clean as clean can be. Wraps up nicely and a couple can fit in an Otis kit (which I now only use for the nice cable / swabs). FWIW - I wash it by soaking in soap / water for awhile, rinse and let it dry. |
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Quoted:
Bore snakes are the "good enough" cleaner. They are not meant to be a perfect clean...and in ARs outside SPRs, a perfect clean doesn't help and can only hurt the life of the barrel. Strong solvents with amonia combined with stiff brushes and rods that flex will shorten the life of your barrel while providing no actual benifit in terms of performance. For my CL barrels, I just hose them out with CLP and pull the bore snake through a few times. Use a chamber brush and swab the chamber clean. This. Spent a LOT of time cleaning barrels in the past, and when i found the boresnake I was hooked. Yes, it does not get every little grove, but it does a great job, good enough that I've never noticed a difference between the cleanliness with rod vs boresnake. Someone is bound to chime in and say that "well you dont see all the stuff you are missing." Fine, but i still hit my target, I still have no FTF's and my barrel gets cleaner, faster. Flame on. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
And can you really toss a dirty bore snake into a washing machine with other clothes and not make the other clothes filthy with gun powder? No, tie it up in an old pillow case, and throw it in the washing machine, by itself. Do not put it in the machine with other clothes. Or your wife will likely murder you. 
EDIT: bucket, dishwashing detergent, HOT water, soak, rinse, repeat, dry also works well. |
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Here's a little experiment to try:
Clean barrel to your content with brush, jag, patches––until patches come out white. Then, run a clean Bore Snake through the clean barrel a few times. Now, run clean patches through––and the suprising result: The patches won't come through clean. Conclusion: A Bore Snake will clean up crud traditional cleaning misses. |
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I use it 1st after firing to clean up the caked on carbon and oil.
Then I start my normal bore cleaning process using patches and rods. The BS will have some benefits to patches and rods ie time. Patches and rods will have some benefits to the BS ie thoroughness. Problems lie when someone tries to use one as a substitute for another. |
| Personally I use both. For the most part I use the Bore Snake but then about every 6 months I do a complete teardown and go traditional with the rod and patches. I usually put about 500 rounds through my AR and about the same through my .40's every month, the Shotty well my shoulder has had enough at about 20 rounds a trip so maybe 40 a month. |
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