Are "Bore Snakes" bad?

P

P. Mall

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I called one of the local gun shops and asked if they had any "Bore Snakes" available, as my son uses them and he has high praise for their efficiency in cleaning. I hardly got the words "bore snake" out before the person I was speaking to launched into a rant about how he "refused to carry them because they were bad for the weapon, and I would know as soon as I got one stuck in the bore."

Now my son uses bore snakes in various cals. and he has never had a problem. Has anyone here ever had a "bore snake" get so bunched up you couldn't remove it, or had it break inside the bore where it could not be removed?
 
I use them for "quickie" cleaning and I think they're great. Frankly, I can't imagine getting one stuck in the bore. I would think that the "snake" is going to be sticking out of either the muzzle or the breech. Just grab it and pull. Otherwise, a decent ram/cleaning rod should push it out handily.

If there is something "bad" about "bore snakes", I haven't figured it out yet. I think I wouldn't use one for an all-out cleaning job on a gun before I put it in storage for a while, but for most run-of-the-mill cleaning, it works fine. ;)
 
They are good for a quick, but not especially thorough, cleaning. Never had a problem with one. You have to clean them after use (and then keep them clean) so they don't collect grit which IS very bad for your bore. I clean mine in an old mayonaisse jar full of hot water and dishwashing detergent. Shake shake shake, then rinse and hang to dry.

They're especially good for .22's, IMHO.

Regards and welcome to TFL,

Ledbetter
 
I finally succumbed to the bore snake temptation. Frankly I don't think they're worth the money, and they're not as efficacious as I thought they would be, but they're "okay" and certainly not harmful in any way.

I get guns cleaner the old fashioned way. But hey, now I have them...
 
Bad for the weapon? Stuck in the bore? I take it you do business with the local drug addict-owned gun shop?

A bore snake for a rifled barrel will not replace a proper cleaning. A bore snake is a great way to do a partial cleaning job on your barrel to remove a lot of the build up - especially right after shooting. I keep one in my range bag for that purpose. I find that cleaning out the build up while everything is still warm will expedite cleaning later. Whether that is real or just a perception on my part, I don't know, but it seems to help.

For smooth bores like shotguns, I rarely use anything else. It seems to handle the whole job just fine. No rods, no patches, just some CLP on the body of the snake and a few passes later the bore is shiny like new.
 
The only one I have (so far) is for my 357's. It's great for a quickie clean after shooting a few rounds but as others have said it's no substitute for a good thorough cleaning after a long range session.
I like the idea about the mayonnaise jar, think I'll go empty one out!
 
I have one for nearly every caliber of handgun and long gun that I own. The only problem I have with any of them is that my .270 is a really REALLY tight fit on my 700 in that caliber.

REALLY tight. I thought I was going to rip a couple of my fingers off pulling it through the first couple times. I just put a bit more FP10 now when cleaning that particular gun.
 
...the person I was speaking to launched into a rant about how he "refused to carry them because they were bad for the weapon, and I would know as soon as I got one stuck in the bore."
Click to expand...

That's what he gets for trying to poll a .40 caliber Bore Snake through a .30 caliber bore.:p

I have one for every caliber I own. I've never had one get stuck.
 
Windex w/ammonia, boresnakes, and squirt of WD40 are my milsurp rifles and handguns first line of defense against corrosive ammo in the Houston humidity. And believe me, I have seen rust start forming in mere hours in this climate.

The guns will have to be cleaned correctly anyhow within a day or so- I don't believe allowing WD40 to build up is good for actions.

Boresnake cleans up fine in the kitchen sink with a little detergent and hot water.

Kurt
 
A boresnake has been the quickest, easiest and most efficient way to clean my rifles and pistols that I have found.

Getting one stuck in the barrel is a comment from a fellow that wants to sell you somthing else.
 
I use boresnakes for my "field cleaning"...but, word of advise, NEVER use one on a HOT bore!!! :eek: ;) :) - unless you want melted nylon in your barrel. :) For things like 10/22's and such (can't be breech cleaned with rods without removing the barrel), I like the idea of using a boresnake...however, I would still use a 1-piece rod/muzzle crown protector for when you need to thouroughly clean them. - just my .02
 
Add me to the list of people who use a boresnake for a quick cleaning after use. I have found that if you do a quick cleanup right after you are through shooting, that most crud comes out easily and makes a more thorough cleaning later on that much easier. The boresnake is great for this.
 
We use them at our range for our rental guns all the time. If it weren't for the boresnake we would not be able to keep up with the cleaning cycle we have. We try to clean all rentals at least once a week, personally I have nothing bad to say about them and they are easy to clean when necessecary.
 
I know someone(not me really:) )that got one stuch in his rifle.Wasn't watching what he was doing and tried to pull thru the wrong size.:eek:.Worst thing about then is you really need to properly clean your gun later.A good quick cleaning, but less than perfect.
 
I must be a fuddy duddy then

I don't have a Boresnake.

I've been using a Otis pull through Kit for ...whew a long time.
from .22 to 12 ga. - In one small kit. On the range with students, etc I have what I need. Afield I take what I need for the firearm being used.

As a wee lad before these Otis kits, the old gunny made these out of leather, candle wax hardened one end, a slit in the other. We used these on rimfire and saw the usefulness for lever actions. Slip knot b/t brush and leather, remove and patch in slit.
I cut up old T shirts and keep in kit.

Big No No to get caught using a rod from the muzzle with gunney, especially if one didn't cut a wooded thimble as a muzzle protect.

He remove bolt from rimfire rifle once, made that poor kid run laps with the rifle. NOT me but the lesson stuck. Muzzles and metal a no no.
 
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