Bore Snake Stuck in the Barrel

"Boresnake" brand bore snakes get pulled all the way though the bore. In one end, out the other. None of them have a looped handle which will pull through the bore. I have 5 or 6 of them, the ends are spliced into a loop, and go right through no problem.
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Correct . They are to be pulled straight through - completely - and not back and forth.

The poster who thinks bronze brushes will not dimple bores when reversed has apparently not had access to a bore scope. Here's an experiment for you. Take a flat piece of good steel and a pencil with a rubber eraser. Place the steel on a table and over a period of 15-20 minutes just raise the pencil several inches and, using your fingers as a guide, drop the pencil and let the rubber eraser bounce off the steel. Let the eraser hit the same spot repeatedly and then look at the steel plate with a good magnifying glass or low power misroscope. You will see a crater froming where the eraser was landing. Wind can drive a piece of broom straw deeply into or through an oak tree. Seems to defy physics but it does happen.

PS: The instructions that come with bore brushes and bore snakes state DO Not Reverse Direction with the brush in the bore. That is for a reason.
 
bore brush

The instructions that come with bore brushes and bore snakes state DO Not Reverse Direction with the brush in the bore. That is for a reason.
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I'm pretty sure that the reason is because of the structure of the brush more than anything else. If I reverse a "normal" bore brush, it will get stuck. There are other brass bore brushes, such as muzzleloader bore brushes, which can be reversed without sticking.
Pete
 
There are other brass bore brushes, such as muzzleloader bore brushes, which can be reversed without sticking
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Worn brushes and/or undersized brushes will reverse fairly easily in a barrel as well. However, new brushes can be a problem. Even when they do roll over after reversing them in the bore it bends the bristles and the brush is no longer as effective. Also, most bronze is tougher, harder, and stiffer than brass.
 
Notch A Cleaning Rod

If you cut a notch in a rod (like the nock of an arrow) and sharpen the edges you can twist and cut and tear the thing out a few threads at a time. It will take awhile but does the trick. Had to do it when i was 13 and the string broke leaving a patch in a rifle. A snake is alot more junk but i expect patience is all it will take. Obviously-some measures to protect the rifling is helpfull.
 
Still at the gunsmith... He doesn't think he can get it out without harming the barrel. I'm probably going to pick it up and try to use MEK on it. I'm out of any other ideas.

-SS :(
 
Has anyone ever contacted the manufactures of the 'snakes' and see if they have any recommendations for removing them if they get stuck in a barrel?
 
Along homer's idea, it would probably be easiest to make a worm out of a twisted wire brush, on a cleaning rod; most of these are made from wire that has been twisted with bronze bristles in between the two main wire strands of the brush. if you were to cut the brush off at the tip, you could unwind the main wire strands and sharpen the ends to make a worm of sorts, but you would still have to work at it for a while to get enough out to grab it with some pliers.
 
JWT: I did call the manufacturer about a month ago, and after a few of their guys conferred, they suggested I take it to a gunsmith. They had no suggestions.

In better news, the smith just called me and said he has it out and the barrel is ready for pickup!!!!! :D :D :D

I'll ask him how he did it and share once I know.

-SS
 
The bore snake was the right size for the barrel. Yes the string is broken off. The problem is that the bore snake got pulled too far into the barrel.
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Well---ah---now I'm REALLY confused. I thought a bore snake was a
"pull through" system.
 
Take a flat piece of good steel and a pencil with a rubber eraser. Place the steel on a table and over a period of 15-20 minutes just raise the pencil several inches and, using your fingers as a guide, drop the pencil and let the rubber eraser bounce off the steel. Let the eraser hit the same spot repeatedly and then look at the steel plate with a good magnifying glass or low power misroscope. You will see a crater froming where the eraser was landing.
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Come on!!! With that logic, How could anyone drive a car for more than a couple of months, The wind and airborne debris would errode the car away.

While I have to agree that just because the brass is softer than the steel, I know that if you use a brass hammer on a piece of steel, you can mark the steel, but concider that you are exerting a lot of force when pounding with a hammer.
 
The gunsmith let the snake sit long enough to dry out. He then welded a brass "drywall screw" onto the end of a brass rod and screwed it deep into the snake. He said it took several tries, but once he snagged it he was able to pull it straight out.

Barrel had no visible damage at all.

-SS
 
Good for you! Sounds like the best $70 you'll ever spend. I have to say the suspense of this thread has been intense, glad you guys kept at it.
 
Man, I'm too late. I used to repair brass and woodwind musical instruments, and one of the more common "repairs" that I ran into was that of the silk bore swab that had gotten stuck in the bore of an oboe. That is the exact fix that I would use. I made a tool by brazing a small wood screw onto a long brass rod. I would chuck the screwless end of the rod into a bench motor (power off) and then carefully insert the rod into the bore and hand turn the chuck. The screw would bite in to the swab and you could pull it out the way it came in. I only charged $15.00 though. Glad you were able to get the issue resolved.
 
Once again, you're not going to make a "pit" in a barrel with a brush made of a softer material than the barrel is made of, any more than you're going to drill a hole in a receiver with a drill made out of a green bean. You may end up smearing lubricant or left-over jacket material around (making it APPEAR to be a pit), but that's a far, far cry from either "pitting" or "ruining" a barrel.
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+1 says me and my machinist

I can't remember what Rockwell number brass is, but I know that barrel steel is much higher. a couple reversals here and there shouldn't hurt it.

and when using my boresnake--i NEVER reverse it-- it comes out the muzzle, out the muzzle, out the muzzle.... you know :)
 
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