This is a pretty old idea, but haven't seen it in the "search" section.

Obtain some of the largest Weed eater string you can find (usually about .080) and cut off a piece about six feet long.  Place the middle section of the string across your vice or hard, smooth surface and hammer the string flat for about 1/2".  With an Exacto knife or similar sharp blade, slice the hammered section length wise about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch.  Push a cleaning patch through the sliced section with a screw driver.  Pass the end of the string through the barrel from either end until it comes through the other end.  Soak the patch with your favorite cleaning solution and pull the string and patch through.  Just keep changing the patch as needed.  I've been using the same piece of string for a couple of years now.  They're tough.

Hoppy

I made the same thing with a lenth of 60# nylon braid fish line.  Just tie a loop mid way.  Use that canned air to blow it through the bore.

All that instead of a $7 bore snake. :)

The bad part about a Bore Snake is once you use it 3 or 4 times it's ready for the trash, sometimes less than that if your weapon is realy fouled up.

Besides, with mine 1 size fits all.  I just use different size patches.

You can use a boresnake a hell of alot more than that. To clean them, put your boresnakes in a nylon stocking and take them up to the closest laundry mat. After that you have clean boresnakes[;)]

$7 buys a lot of Weed Eater line and patches.

Maybe even a bottle of Hoppe's ;)

Hoppy

More like a $15-25 Bore Snake around here, or from the online sources I've seen.  But your point is still taken.

Steve

I don't know.  My BS still looks somewhat new.  But, all I shoot is LC or 31A.  

Another approach to the weed-eater line...take a lighter to one end of it to soften it, then push it against a flat surface to "flatten out" the end.  Sharpen the opposite end to pierce the patch, and slide the patch to the flattened end.  6ft of line is a lot...I use 3-4 feet.

Works great on my 10/22 (only way to clean from the chamber end without removing the action from the stock)...should work fine on anything else!

--Otter

I use Bore snakes for several different calibers. They are great while out hunting or at the range when just a quick cleanup is sufficient. But I always follow up with a rod and rod guide from the breech with all the chemicals before putting them up for storage - except for the 10/22's.

A few passes and a little oil on the last one and they are good as new. Then I just throw them in the wash with whatever other garage/gun washing needs doing and they are good as new.

Well I am a bit confussed about this whole cleaning issue. Everyone made it sound like Bushmasters chrome bore cleaned right up. Well the other day it took about two dozen patches to get my M4 clean. That was following FP-10 instructions. With no brush. SO I by a Bore Snake today. $15. Shot only 30 rounds. I hear guys say run it through once or twice and you are done! Well I put some FP 10 on the front and run it through. Then I run a clean patch through with the rod. It was BLACK. The Bore snake was clean. So I use the snake a couple times and it still looks clean. O.K. try a patch. It comes out black. O.K. I add Hoppes to the snake and swab the bore with Hoppes with a patch. Then snake if a few times. Total it was about a dozen patches and at least a dozen passes with the snake to get the barrel clean. I was useing Lake City 2002 Ammo. My .308 with dirty Izzy or Port cleans up easier than this AR does with good ammo.

Very interesting information. Do you know for a fact that it was spotless before shooting a round off?

Insofar as the BS, when I use it, I honestly don't expect the bore to be spotless. Just cleaned up sufficiently until I can clean it with a good rod, brush and chemicals.

If it's sunny, you can see the powder and copper residue it pulls out. Again, for me it's just a stop gap to use intil I can really scrub it or for a touch up between groups/lots of ammo.

Hoppy:

Interesting idea.

Not to quibble terms, but what you’ve got is less a boresnake as opposed to a plain old pull through cleaning system.  I know the British military at one time used this type of system, though it didn’t have the elegant simplicity (and low cost!) of your idea.

I’d be inclined to swap out the weedwacker line with some frequency – which should be very easy to do.  I’d be a little afraid that abrasive particles might become embedded in it over time and might damage the crown.