I use a bore snake in two ways. When doing a long day of training, several hundred rounds, I will run it through the barrel 2-4 times at lunch. Otherwise, I use it as a final swipe or two through the barrel after I have done my normal cleaning. This removes any last pieces I may have missed but have been loosened and it also serves to make sure all the left over or excess cleaner/oil etc. is sufficiently removed. Bore-snake is not a panacea cleaner, however