another dumb question about cleaning...

A

Anthony66

Moderator
what are your opinions about the Bore Snake? In the past, I just used a pink wooly mop to swab down the barrel of my 1100. Thinking about a Bore Snake for my 20 gauge O/U. Don't know much about them though. When I do the correct cleaning I use Hoppe's #9 to clean and FP-10 to lightly lube afterwards.

Any suggestions for better cleaning is appreciated... :confused:
 
I prefer fuzzy sticks. I try to avoid using a metallic brush in my shotguns unless there's something stubborn that doesn't want to come out with the fuzzy. The Bore Snakes I've used incorporate a brush.

I find biggest problem with shotguns is the accumulation of wad plastic in the choke area. I've had good luck with soaking the chokes in Shooter's Choice solvent.

Back in the day, when you mentioned Hoppe's #9, everyone knew exactly what you meant. These days Hoppe's #9 has become a trade mark for several products, including an air freshener. That being said, Hoppe's #9 Bore Solvent has been my general purpose go-to cleaner for decades.
 
Zippy, WD-40 does a great job on choke tubes. 1 or 2 short sprays and in 5 minutes max, the crud is gone! Then I very lightly lube with FP-10 on both inside and out. Worked great on my 1100!
 
I use bore snakes a lot, especially on things like guns I compete with where I don't want to clean them after every single time I shoot them. THere are some snakes without metal brushes although rare, but I don't think a brass brush is going to wear a steel barrel at a rate that worries me. You CAN'T scrub with them like with a cleaning rod, so it just passes once per pull.
 
Often I use a dry snake for a quick pass through the barrels right after shooting. If I wait until things harden up, #9 and some elbow grease are required.

Can't hurt the barrels.....
 
They are nice when you are traveling and do not have room for you regular cleaning stuff, but they really don't do as good a job on the large bore like they do on rifles.

For removing stubborn plastic or cleaning choke threads, I like brake cleaner - no waiting, it blasts the gunk out immediately, then a dab of grease and all is good. If the barrels are coated with residue from the powder, then some shooter's choice on a patch wrapped around a brush chucked into a cordless drill will get it clean in about 20 seconds
 
Remember that bore snakes are useful for cleaning ONLY if they themselves are clean. After using them a few times, they are no longer clean. That's why I don't use them. There are better options.
 
They don't get it perfect and they don't clean super well after used a few times, but the will remove the majority of thing from the barrel. You can rinse them of course. It isn't an end all solution, but if you are shooting a gun 3 times a week it will get you to where you only have to do a real cleaning ever week or week and a half.
 
For cleaning I like Shooters choice...

http://www.shooters-choice.com/shotgun-and-choke-tube-cleaner

but if I'm in the field ...or at a tournament away from home ...I'll squirt some solvent in the bore and run a bore snake thru it. When bore snakes get dirty ....all you have to do is run some hot water in a stainless sink ...throw some liquid dish cleaning soap in there... thrash the bore snake around a little ..rinse it off ...and hang it up in the garage / or outside to dry.

I think Bore Snakes are a good product.
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I always take the barrels off - to clean them. I use some Q tips and a patch - with some solvent to clean the breech - and the ejectors, etc.

I always re-grease the ears on the receiver that have contact with the barrel ( the point it swivels on - in an O/U )- and where the forend locks in under the barrel at the receiver to barrel connection - especially the big cross bolt lug that holds the barrel....and the lug that locks the forend in. I like Rig Grease. I use break free on the choke tube threads ...and the ejectors.

About every 6 months I take the stock off the receiver ...and clean and "very lightly lube" the firing pins, springs, etc inside the receiver. Some guns get more blowback than others around the firing pins...some used guns have not had their stock off ever...but even on a new gun, out of the box, I take the stock off to make sure all the preservative, etc ..is cleaned up in there.

If I ever shoot in heavy rain or snow...( torrential rain - when you get caught outside in a tournament or hunting is the worst - even if you have a soft case with you - water gets everywhere..)...then I remove the stock to let everything dry out ...and clean and lube it before I put the gun back together.
 
They are nice when you are traveling and do not have room for you regular cleaning stuff, but they really don't do as good a job on the large bore like they do on rifles.
Click to expand...

Me too - works fine on the range between matches or if you won't be able to clean your gun anytime soon. I keep one in my POV along with some gun oil and rag. I also keep a fuzzy stick in the gun case for use if the bore is not too gunked up.
 
I use bore snakes. I like the assorted sizes and lengths ranging from rimfire pistol to 12 ga shotgun. I know they can leave some deposits behind. But they do have a place and purpose and should be included in anyone's range bag or included among whatever cleaning gear one may have. I tend to always use them after shooting, but then later on other days or weekends, when I have more time, I use the regular cleaning gear to get what the bore snake misses. I will add this though to counter what one person posted about being "dirty". Yes, the crud does build up on the bore snake. And yes it does look dirty. But you take a filthy barrel, and pass a soiled bore snake through it, the barrel looks pretty well cleaned. Oiling is different for me. When it comes to oil, I use those screw-on mops on the end of a regular cleaning rod for that. Only thing that goes on my bore snakes is solvent.
 
:)
I have 3 Hoppes Viper Bore Snakes for my 12 gauge shotguns.
I have 3 so one is always clean.
After I use them I wash them out with soap and water and hang them up to dry.
Had the same 3 for about 2 years now with plenty of use and still working fine.
Fred
 
I picked up an idea from a video and questions posed here long ago about what to do with a filthy bore mop. I am talking about using a mop just for oiling a clean barrel.

What the guy recommends is that you oil one side of a clean patch and then lay it oily side down over the muzzle end and then take the mop to push the patch through and out the other end. The result is the mop stays nice and clean.
 
First, I love the Bore Snake! I do have normal cleaning supplies, and sometimes get insane on my collection, but for the most part my guns get a wipe with an oily rag and a pass or two with the snake.

Second, I always cleaned my Bore Snakes by tossing them (1 at a time) into an old sock, loosely knotting the top, and throwing it in the washer... Works great every time.
 
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