Bore snakes?

[DadSmith]

Does a cleaner gun mean a cleaner shot?

With 15 years’ experience as a Benchrest competitor and champion, Dan Killough knows how to extract maximum accuracy from a rimfire barrel.

eley.co.uk

I found this and thought it was an interesting read on rimfire barrels.

"Every barrel loses accuracy once it becomes dirty, although the point at which it loses accuracy is different for each barrel. In almost all rimfire competitions, somewhere between 25 – 100 shots are required before a competitor can easily clean their rifle. I also have not personally seen a rifle that could not shoot at least 100 rounds before losing accuracy due to fouling. So, we settled on 90-100 rounds in between cleanings. "

 

[JohnP82]

Love boresnakes, use them all the time.
Great for a decent quick clean. Gets them clean enough to put away and ready to shoot again. I still give a more thorough cleaning once or twice a year depending on volume of shooting.

 

[gcoop]

I have found them very useful in 22caliber rifles, for a quick barrel cleaning at the range shooting different brands of ammunitions.

 

[jerrob]

They're all I use.
For some reason, the .22 caliber Bore Snakes tend to wear out faster (for me), I recommend buying extras.
My 9mm and 12 gauge BS have held up very well (years).
So much easier to take to the range too.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I'm a big fan of bore snakes. Super convenient to throw in your range bag and gives the ability to clean from chamber end on all guns.

 

[nipprdog]

I use them for basic cleaning, but every once in a while I get out the cleaning rods and give the firearms a good thorough going through.

Same here

 

[wcd]

Same here

Picked one up tonight at the local place. Going to give it a test drive shortly.

 

[Cameramonkey]

My 10/22 will start spreading out around 300-400rds shot through it. For instance with Eley force it shoots around .75" avg 10 shot group. However, after about 300-400rds it will open to around 1" to 1.25" 10 shot groups. Is that about the normal for the 10/22?

Same with my 22/45 after 100 rounds or so. So I keep the snake in my bag and when it starts opening up I run it throught. Then its back to normal.

 

[eric001]

I figured out a trick for really filthy barrels (cheap ammo tends to be cheap for a reason)--I dip the leading end of the bore snake (before the bristles) into Hoppes, try to get most of the excess to drip back into the bottle, and run it through a couple times. Usually leaves the barrel in great shape. If not, one more time usually gets it squeaky clean. This has worked on everything from my 10/22 all the way up to 12 gauge... Works about as well as going after it with the brushes with way less effort.

 

[scout5]

I carry one in my hunting gear. Things happen and being able to wipe the barrel clean in the field can keep you hunting.

 

[John Trap]

They work great for shotguns.

 

[armalitesheepdog]

I just recently started using them. Not sure why I waited so long. I love them

 

[actaeon277]

I still run a brush through on a rod. And hoppes 9.

But the bore snake takes the place of the little cuts of cloth used to scrub it up.
The cloth stops cleaning when it is saturated.
The snake has a LOT more surface area to saturate.

 

[GhostofWinter]

I find that they are useful for cleaning when you just want to do a quick clean. I use them pretty much all the time. occasionally I will break out the rod and brush, but that is only when I feel like doing a deep clean. You can't beat the speed and ease of a bore snake

 

[BigRed3588]

Useful or not so much? I never really thought about using them before especially for handguns, but I must say the idea does,sound appealing.

Thoughts

Thanks

I love them for rifles but very much prefer Clenzoil Bore Stix for handgun calibers. I always save a few rounds for a mag dump at the end of each range session to heat up the barrel and then give it a few passes with a bore stick. It’s basically a big pre-soaked cotton swab so you don’t have to worry about the rifling and they collect a lot more fouling than a boresnake in my experience. Clenzoil is also a protectant, so you don’t have to worry about it sitting in the barrel in the event you can’t clean the gun right away.

 

[2tonic]

Use em at the range.
Rods, jags, and brushes at home.

 

[XbigcheezX]

I like bore snakes, too. I stopped buying the branded ones a long time ago and switched to the cheap knockoffs on ebay or Amazon - they work identically and have held up for years.

+1 on this one

Still break down for full cleanings every 6 months or so, just to spend time with them

 

[BrassBandit]

Some people claim they destroy barrels…? But I’m not buying that. I use them for a final swab sometimes since they’re a firm fit to bore to clean out any residual stuff I may have missed with patches. Nice to quickly swab on the range when breaking in a barrel, but don’t use them for routine cleaning.

 

[BE Mike]

They are good to have around at the range when shooting a lot. If the chamber gets real dirty, one pass with the snake will often keep the gun running. I don't use them for routine cleaning at the work bench. I don't think the very stiff bristles are good for the bore, especially .22's. I don't see how pulling something clogged with filthy grime can be good for the bore.

 

[DadSmith]

They are good to have around at the range when shooting a lot. If the chamber gets real dirty, one pass with the snake will often keep the gun running. I don't use them for routine cleaning at the work bench. I don't think the very stiff bristles are good for the bore, especially .22's. I don't see how pulling something clogged with filthy grime can be good for the bore.

I wash mine in the wash machine in one of those laundry bags. When they fall apart I toss it, and get a new one out.
Definitely a range, hunting, hiking, tool. Should not be replaced with actual cleaning techniques.