Bore snake damaging the bore?

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ohioguardsman88

New member
I bought a hoppe's bore snake for my 22lr rifle, and another one for my 40 s&w handgun since I heard lots of good things about them and how they can save your time by make cleaning easier..etc.

However; when I am actually using it; it is very hard to pull through the bore and kinda make me worry that I am actually damaging the bore itself?!:confused:

I usually dispense some solvent into the bore and than pull the bore snake to the direction the bullet would go.

What do you think?
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In God We Trust
 
What Bill said..the bore of your firearm is either steel or chrome...the boresnake is copper. There is no way that the copper could damage the bore of your guns.
 
Bore Snake use

I have been using the bore snake on all of my firearms for manny years now and never had any issues with them marking up the bore etc, I have always had good results in their doing a great job on the bore to remove any copper or lead deposits :)
 
Plus one, as what was stated above. The bore snake can't hurt your bore. The only problem that I've come across is that the bronze bore bristles don't seem to last long. Also, sometimes it is necessary to carefully maneuver the, "snake" around components (extractors/ejectors etc...). Otherwise it's a great and time saving cleaning accessory.
 
thats waht i thought

yeah! bore snakes, what the heck, got one for my 20 gauge shotgun and i was like did i buy the wrong size? no??! its freaking hard to pull thru when its brand new is what it is, that attached string can really take the tugging though.
 
...

Well...I guess that I am just paranoid then.
It is pretty darn hard to pull the thing through the bore tho:o...

thank you for your inputs!

ps.HOW DO YOU CLEAN YOUR GUNs?
 
Hi Ohio!... :)

As long as you don't drop it in sand the bore snake will do its job quite well. If it's a bit tight try a little Breakfree CLP in front of and on the brush. Clean it occasionally and it will serve you for many years... :D

Milspec
 
The snake itself will not harm the bore, but you`re just dragging all the crud that you are trying to remove back through the bore again.
 
I have Hoppes Bore Snakes in 22LR, 9mm, and 45.

You really need to be sure that when you thread it, you aren't snagging other parts. Also, the part with the bristles on it is stiffer, so help it out by being sure to align it with the bore when you get to that section. This is especially so on the 22LR since the hole is so small. On the 45, it's much more forgiving.

I also have a Bore Snake in 50 cal, though it looks like maybe it was for a 50 cal rifle (though, should it matter?). I cannot get it through my S&W500.... it starts in, but is stuck on the first knot beyond the force I'm willing to pull it.
 
On another question, is it SAFE and okay to pull the snake back and forth through the barrel, or should we only pull it in one direction and repeat? I have been backing it up a few times on the initial clean to loosen any dirt, then running straight through on final cleanup. Any risks here?
 
Yeah jg001, moving it back and forth might be a problem. I've never got a bore snake stuck, or known someone personally who has, but what you're suggesting would be a recipe for just that, I think. I believe they're made to pull straight through (and repeat as necessary).
 
jg

I would never move anything back and forth in the barrel. Cleaning swabs, snakes, etc should only travel the same direction as the bullet.
 
Always pull anything with a brush on it all the way through the bore in one direction only. Once the brush is completely out you can pull it back in the other direction (although doing so is pretty silly since you never want to pull dirt and crud in the direction of the action, unless you like making more work for yourself). Doing otherwise can potentially damage the barrel. When the brush is pulled through in one direction all the bristles will be angled back from the direction of travel and they are just sliding along and scraping the barrel clean. When you reverse direction with the brush still in the barrel those bristles have to change they way they are angled and in doing so the very sharp and needle like ends of them will be forced straight into the barrel. Even if they are bronze this can still cause damage due to the amount of pressure being concentrated on the tip of each bristle. Think of the piece of straw being driven through a fence post by a tornado. With the right force and the right angle the difference in hardness losses it's meaning.

I like my boresnakes. I saturate the front of the brush area with CLP and slightly dampen the end of the tail to leave a fine coat of oil behind. Three passes and done. Wipe down outside of firearm (especially where fingers touched) with a .357 patch with CLP, wipe dry with old t-shirt (AKA cleaning mat) and done.
 
Why worry? I have a Winchester Model 57 .22 rifle made in 1928. Was my Dad's first, then I started shooting it about 1948. Been shooting it and cleaning with very aggressive action bore brush every since. And I mean so many thousands of rounds I have lost track. BTW, still original springs.

Bottom line...the inside of the barrel looks new, and shoots great.:)

Give your rifle another 100 years or so and maybe you could start to worry.:D
 
Bore snakes are ok for a quick clean, such as when in the field and a rain storm has just occurred. They do not replace proper cleaning with proper tools.
 
When you reverse direction with the brush still in the barrel those bristles have to change they way they are angled and in doing so the very sharp and needle like ends of them will be forced straight into the barrel. Even if they are bronze this can still cause damage due to the amount of pressure being concentrated on the tip of each bristle. Think of the piece of straw being driven through a fence post by a tornado. With the right force and the right angle the difference in hardness losses it's meaning.
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I would like to see some evidence of this obsurd statement :confused: Steel is much harder than copper or bronze. Regardless of the force appled, the brass/bronze will not damage the steel :p
 
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