Bore snake

mesaman said:

Will the bristles on bore snake scratch your barrel

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No

Bristles are made out of brass, the snake part is cotton. Neither of these will harm the steel in the barrel.

Otis makes them for different calibers.

https://otistec.com/ripcord

You could add a CLP to the bore snake, you'll need to use a cleaner on it after. Something like gun scrubber or brake parts cleaner.

mesaman said:

Thanks but other problems I have the snakes are so tight I'm afraid of breaking the string. Only way I can get it through the barrel is wrap the string around the bolt and pull really hard

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IF you are using the correct caliber snake for your rifle, it cannot damage it. That would put the company at liability.

Just so you are aware, there are different bore snakes for different calibers. IT should be tight but not so tight it gets stuck or requires a ton of force to pull through.

mesaman said:

the snakes are so tight I'm afraid of breaking the string

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STOP USING NOW. GOOGLE- "boresnake stuck in barrel"

All brush diameters need measured, before starting it into the barrel. Some are oversize. If forced into barrel, can not be pullet back. May have to hammer it to the muzzle.

How about a nice cleaning rod, brushes, jags and patches?

I’m surprised you are having to hook up a tractor to yank the snake through the bore. I have a bunch of different sizes, and almost all of them needed me to wrap some strands of all-copper Chore Boy around the bristles to give it more of a scrub: .
Are you sure the bore snake is a .22 caliber? Some of mine are sort of tough to read, and if I grab one too thick and run it through a bore it is very tough to pull out (done that a tine or two!).


.27, .40, .24, .35, .45 etc.

Hopefully you can find the one(s) that aren’t a real chore to use. Bore snakes are handy little things to have when a rod and patches aren’t convenient.

Stay safe.

I prefer not to use them, but still do occasionally. Even with the correct size bore snake there is still the possibility of breaking the pull string and getting one stuck in the barrel. Granted it doesn't happen often, but it happens just enough that don't like to use them. Especially in rifles. In shotguns, or short pistol barrels the odds of a problem are far less.

I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I always soak the “nose” of the bore snake with solvent, and the tail with some oil before I pull it through a pistol or rifle barrel. Seems to make the going easier and it may help clean the bore a little.

Like in between groups and groups using different powder

I have never owned one and don't intend to. If it would get everything in one pass it would be OK but after that first pass you are pulling a dirty piece of material through your barrel. I'll stick with traditional patches that can be changed and I have never had a stuck patch. I have read quite a few complaints of stuck snakes over the years. Might be the snake's fault or the user choosing the wrong size but that does not change my opinion of them.

Several GREAT answers but IMHO it's post #10 for the win THNX Rio

I never thought about wrapping a few strands of the choreboy copper on the bristle portion of the snake! Fab!

Also for the OP or whoever, sometimes yes the bore snake can seem, perhaps, a bit snug? Double check that end metal piece caliber designation (again thnxs Rio!). I do use them occasionally, a suggestion would be not to pull the boresnake through, but anchor the handle end onto something, like wrap around your vice. Then, pull the FIREARM.

Also for the OP, there are pistol boresnakes & rifle, if you are running a 22'' rifle snake through a 6' pistol barrel, surprise yes it would seem more difficult

Everyone have a great day, clean away!

I have been using them for years for all my pistol calibers I have never had to yank them as hard as you are saying. I use them at the range as soon as I am done shooting while the gun is warm saves me some time cleaning the bore. Check to make sure you are using the correct one.

LV Gun said:

I have been using them for years for all my pistol calibers I have never had to yank them as hard as you are saying. I use them at the range as soon as I am done shooting while the gun is warm saves me some time cleaning the bore. Check to make sure you are using the correct one.

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Ditto here. I frankly cannot understand how string breakage occurs if the proper labeled size is used, and an additional thank you, Riomouse911 !

(Unless there was a tangle or knot in the final cleaning section or somehow the leader string got past a real bore obstruction. I use them on both handguns and rifles.)

It's true that prior dirt can remain, but they are washable in a laundry bag or by hand in a bucket with good (good) rinsing. Only time I'd worry more about residual dirt is if I've used it after corrosive ammo. Bore inspection after proper use will reveal a nice clean bore and grooves with normal SAAMI level ammo. Sometimes with unjacketed or gas-checked lead ammo a real scrubbing with rod and tough bristles may be needed. If this is so, use harder casting metal and cut down the velocity. I used to use gas checks on my handgun ammo but I didn't load to escape velocity and excessive leading did not occur.

mesaman said:

Will the bristles on bore snake scratch your barrel

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Nope

I spray foaming bore cleaner in the barrel, let it sit for a minute or so. Then pull the bore snake thru.

I like being able to run the snake up the magazine well and drag it across the feed ramp of a pistol, ramp and chamber are what I want clean.

My .22 snake is harder to pull than 9mm or .45.

I like them and have been using them for decades. I do occasionally get one that seems very tight. With use, those ones tend to get a bit easier. I do like to spray some WD-40 or Ballistol onto them, for cleaning effect and to ease the pull-through.

I avoid the use of "bore snakes'' due to hearing too many stories of difficulties brought on by their use.

A high-quality rod, jags and brushes, cotton patches, and bore solvent are still the "gold standard" for properly cleaning bores—never did understand the need to reinvent the wheel when the first one has been perfectly round all along.

Only time I use bore snakes is when I'm away from home hunting, and only then if there's a reason I need to clean the bore like if it was very bad weather that day. I consider them an emergency backup, and I keep a small cleaning kit in my camping supplies just for general emergency maintenance, so the snake is better there than my solid long coated cleaning rods at home.

The only problem I have ever had or seen with one, was one that was floating around an arms room that was old and frayed. It broke inside a bore and had to be hammered out with a rod.

I keep and use them for bores which I am not very picky about. For high-precision rifles I use more traditional rods, jigs, brushes, and patches.