Ode To Boresnake

Will Beararms

New member
I shot my new Remington 710 which was very accurate despite the rough bolt and numerous negative postings on TFL last week. Shortly thereafter, I went on a mission from Mrs. Boss to Wally World and a Boresnake, on sale for $8.00, slithered into my cart while executing my orders.

I took it home and fumbled with the traditional rod and patch ordeal while first cleaning my $318.00 wonder------------bummer. Next, I used the Boresnake. Where have you been all my life! What a tool that must rank up there with disposable diapers and sliced bread----------------at least in my world view anyway.

Get yo'self a Boresnake if you don't already have one.
 
I like it too, but

don't confuse a bore-snaking with a good cleaning.

For a demonstration of what I mean, use your bore snake and then clean your rifle with a bronze brush and some good solvent.

I use the bore snake between good cleanings with some CLP on the brushy part and the part that goes in first. I only make three passes, then I wash the bore snake before using it again. They pick up grit.
 
Ledbetter,

Do you honestly believe that the grit (composed of very small amounts of copper and powder residue) are some how more destrutive to the bore as the soft compressable cloth of the Bore Snake picks it up and carries it away than a metal (even if coated like the Dewey rods) cleaning rod? More rifle bores have been destroyed by metal cleaning rods (and some gimp with a big jar of jb bore paste :p ) than could ever be harmed by a Bore Snake.

Will Beararms,

I like my Bore Snakes better than cleaning rods now. Most folks won't like them as much because it takes a little longer to clean the bore with one because you can't push-pull them like a metal rod.
 
blades67

Between brushings, I wipe off my graphite cleaning rod and clean the bronze brush off with brake cleaner. I refresh the solvent with each brushing.

Repeated boresnakings in one cleaning session mean you are using a dirty boresnake and dirty solvent by the time you are done. I admit it is a minor point, but I treat my rifle bores as if they're made of gold.

For a quick bore cleaning, I use a CLP treated boresnake for three passes after I've gotten as much out of the barrel as I can with solvent soaked patches run through on clean wooden dowels. After three or four range sessions, I will use the brush on the graphite rod to apply copper and lead removers to the bore and patch them out.

If you want to hear from some folks on the effect of boresnake use on accuracy go to RimfireCentral.com. Some of those very knowledgable rimfire shooters go so far as to remove the brushes from their boresnakes to avoid trapping grit.

Regards.
 
Bore snakes are good for between stage cleanings at the range. A gun should be thouroughly cleaned once a shooting session is over. A bore snake can't do what a good solvent, good bore brush, and many cleaning patches can do.

To use a bore brush as your primary barrel cleaning tool is a mistake unless you wash it after every pass through the barrel.
 
Back
Top