Bore Snake

On advise from my buddy, I picked up a Bore Snake for my model 11 in .223 yesterday. After a great trip to the range with my daughter, I thought I would try it out for the first time.

First off, I read the directions. I then pulled the bolt and fed the brass weight into the chamber. It was like trying to get a cat into a carrier. I played with it for a few minutes and finally managed to get it out the muzzle. At this point I pulled it through the bore. Well, I tried to pull it through the bore. I was afraid I would pull the cord off the brush part. After a while I managed to get it through the bore.

I know the videos say it will be tight. I didn't expect it to be this tight. Do they free up some with use? It was extremely difficult to pull through. I ended up wrapping the cord around my hand, and pulled really hard. It would slide an inch or two and stop.

Yes, I did check and make sure it was the right sized for my caliber.

The video by Hoppes shows the guy just sliding it right through. I know he was doing a shotgun, but did he use a stunt Bore Snake?

After running it twice through the bore, a patch with a little Frog Lube came out clean as a whistle. It took a whole lot longer to do this than it would have taken me to run a whole bunch of patches down the bore. I'm OK with that, if it cleans a lot better, but I really didn't think it would be that difficult.

Yes, they are suppossed to be tight.
But, did you put any solvent on the snake? You should saturate the snake, forward of the brush part, with solvent.
That should help some, but having to wrap it around your hand is normal. Once you get it moving, don't stop.

A bore snake in my opinion is a desperate measure to somewhat clear a bore when no other options are available... If you have the proper gear (good quality one piece rods and a bore guide) use them.
Quite possibly a better use for a bore snake would be to tie a slip knot in one end and loop the opposite end through the slip knot , this way your significant other will have a nice leash for her cat..

My 223 was the same. I use it after normal patching. It has gotten easier to pull now. I bought a 308 also but it pulled.like a shoe lace so I use it for my 7mm rm and got another 308 which fits better.

They seem to be most useful cleaning 22 semi auto and lever actions here.

Boresnakes will be tighter than rods and patches but after a lube or a few times through it gets easier. I find they clean a lot better than a jag and patch or brush.

I absolutely LOVE the Boresnakes. Fast, effective, easy to keep up with, and I can carry it easy in my stock pack... nuff said!!

DK

Bore snakes have a use (I assume) but it isn't cleaning rifles....

As you can see everyone has an opinion. It goes the same for how often people think you should clean and how to clean. Pick one youre confident in doing and do it.

I used keep one in a ziploc in each of my rifle cases for use at the range and on hunting trips. Easy way to clean the bore. Then I wound up with a long seated bullet stuck in the lands when I ejected a cartridge while clearing my rifle. I was on a hunting trip 300 miles from home. Now I keep a cleaning rod as well as a bore snake in my rifle case.

Why would want to pull something dirty thru your bore when you are trying to clean it?

twarren is spot on. How many times do you use patches before throwing away? Treating a boresnake the same would be a step in the right direction.

I use the "Viper" bore snake. It's better quality than just a regular bore snake. Have one for every caliber gun I own. Do a lot of clay shooting and after a hundred rounds or so it's nice to break it out and pull it through the bore. Plus you are pulling it from the chamber to the muzzle as opposed to the other way around with a rod. I'm not saying the rod, brush and patch is not the proper way to clean a weapon but a Viper bore snake is well worth the investment.

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Originally Posted by Blue Fin

Plus you are pulling it from the chamber to the muzzle as opposed to the other way around with a rod.

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Huh?

BillPa beat me to it....I hope for Blue's sake he's not pushing the rod from the muzzle end...

Only time i push towards the chamber with a rod is when i got a stuck round.

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Originally Posted by shooterfpga

Only time i push towards the chamber with a rod is when i got a stuck round.

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Or on a lever or autoloader ....

On the brass tip is a stamp of the caliber the Snake is for. Do you have the right Snake?

Darrell

I had the same exact problem with mine. In fact on two of them I broke them in the bore and these were vipers. I found the trick is to put some oil or a LOT of solvent on the snake forward of the brush right at the point the cord turns into the snake part. I also find the easiest way for me to pull it through is to first drop the weight through the chamber to the ground. Then after I get the cord through I step on the weight or even wrap it around my foot and lift the rifle barrel down until the snake falls free.

It feels odd at first but I don't have that cord cutting into my hand. At first I didn't like the snakes now I have one for every caliber and like them

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Originally Posted by DT400

On the brass tip is a stamp of the caliber the Snake is for. Do you have the right Snake?

Darrell

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Yes, it's the right one.

I tried wrapping the cord around a metal flashlight barrel to give me a better purchase. It seemed to help. Still awfully difficult to get through. I tried it through my Ruger Mark I. Went through quite easily.

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Originally Posted by shooterfpga

Only time i push towards the chamber with a rod is when i got a stuck round.

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A DCM instructor once said to me/us, almost in passing:"Clean from the muzzle, it's far easier to re-cown than to re-chamber."

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Originally Posted by joeb33050

A DCM instructor once said to me/us, almost in passing:"Clean from the muzzle, it's far easier to re-cown than to re-chamber."

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that's why you use a bore guide?

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Originally Posted by emtrescue6

Or on a lever or autoloader ....

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I dont have one of those :-p id love me a lever action though in 45lc.

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Originally Posted by boostless

that's why you use a bore guide?

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Winner winner chicken dinner...crowns are far more susceptible to damage than a chamber...and damage to the crown generally has greater impacts on accuracy.

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Originally Posted by emtrescue6

BillPa beat me to it....I hope for Blue's sake he's not pushing the rod from the muzzle end...

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Rod and brush cleaning method. You have to get the brush down the barrel some way, no ? Have I been doing something wrong all these years ? :confused: Granted some guns (i.e.; shotguns, pistols) you can field strip the barrel and some you can't, well just as easily that is (i.e.; AR's, M/N's, 10/22's). School me gentlemen. Not looking to start an argument here.

Anyway, I've been using Vipers for the past few years and I think they work great for a quick cleaning at the range. Never had one break either. I always pull one through the barrel of every gun I shoot before firing. That's just me though. Around these parts gotta keep everything well oiled.

Rather than write some war-n-peace length post on barrel cleaning, I figured it might be better to just give you some links to some reading material. Short version is that for most bolt guns such a Savage you can pull the bolt, stick in a bore guide, put a 'boot' or other protective cover over the cheekpiece of the butt stock and clean from the breech, and on guns like an AR, you'd pop the rear take-down pin, pull the charging handle and BCG, insert the bore guide thru the upper receiver into the chamber and again clean from the breech end. On a 10/22 I'd either pull the barrel (drop the stock and then loosen the two bolts) or clean from the breech with a bore snake. Guns like an M1/M1A or most lever actions you don't have much choice other than to use a snake or clean from the muzzle.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/techn...and-materials/
http://www.accurateshooter.com/techn...eaning-debate/
http://www.accurateshooter.com/gear-...m-bore-guides/

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Originally Posted by memilanuk

Rather than write some war-n-peace length post on barrel cleaning, I figured it might be better to just give you some links to some reading material. Short version is that for most bolt guns such a Savage you can pull the bolt, stick in a bore guide, put a 'boot' or other protective cover over the cheekpiece of the butt stock and clean from the breech, and on guns like an AR, you'd pop the rear take-down pin, pull the charging handle and BCG, insert the bore guide thru the upper receiver into the chamber and again clean from the breech end. On a 10/22 I'd either pull the barrel (drop the stock and then loosen the two bolts) or clean from the breech with a bore snake. Guns like an M1/M1A or most lever actions you don't have much choice other than to use a snake or clean from the muzzle.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/techn...and-materials/
http://www.accurateshooter.com/techn...eaning-debate/
http://www.accurateshooter.com/gear-...m-bore-guides/

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Much appreciated. Thank you. Learn something new everyday.
My Model 10, which I recently acquired, is my first bolt action rifle aside from an M/N that I don't shoot (I've been told it's rare and collectable).
I do have another rifle but don't shoot it too often. Been mostly into handguns for many years so the rifle area is new territory.
Thanks again for the kind and informative reply.

I keep bore snakes in my hunting gear for each of my hunting rifles. I can put a snake in my hunting pack and it takes up zero room. If for some reason I get dirt or foreign material in my bore while hunting, I may be able to clear it right there with the snake. It may save me a trip back to camp for a rod.

EDITED TO ADD-- I forgot I do use snakes on some of my blackpowder cartridge guns. They are easy to use and clean up afterwards. To clean the snakes you can just put them in a laundry baggie and drop them in the washing machine. --

For cleaning at home or the range, I use 1 pc rods and the appropriate nylon brush/brass jag. I always clean from the breach end, and yes, use a bore guide in the action. I do still use a snake on a couple of semi-auto 22 rifles I own. But all of my bolt actions and break actions get the cleaning rod.

So to me, there are uses for both.

I have 2 of each caliber. One is kept "Wet" with solvent, the other is kept dry. It is no big deal to wash at home by hand with Dawn dishwashing liquid, then hang to dry in the sun. I will pull the wet snake through the bore at the "1 minute call" at the range. Let it soak while I check targets during the break, then run the dry snake through once the range is Live again.

I recently picked up Cabela's knock off of the Otis flex system. What is really nice is I can feed it through from muzzle to breech, attached the brush, then pull it back through the barrel. I plan on getting set of the "Squeegee" style plungers to pull through. It may very well replace my boresnake.

I do a proper full clean at home.

+1 pinsnscrews....while I don't much like paying the price, the Cabelas kits with the pull cable are great. All the standard stuff for the rod works and easy to pack in the case or backpack if I'm out and about. One note, if you shoot a 223, get the AR kit, you get more bang for the buck.

FYI:
Chemtool - $3 at autoparts will remove carbon, but with any of these products pls be careful and use in well ventilated space
do you own research on carbon removal and auto products will work great.
Scrubbing - I am still lost on this, I scrub my infant daughter's bottles with a nylon brush, I don't understand how there is junk left behind in a barrel that just split out a bullet in excess of the speed of sound a blast of super heated gas at similar velocity...

I clean my bore snakes with warm water and dish soap by shaking them in a milk jug...

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Originally Posted by Stockrex

Scrubbing - I am still lost on this, I scrub my infant daughter's bottles with a nylon brush, I don't understand how there is junk left behind in a barrel that just split out a bullet in excess of the speed of sound a blast of super heated gas at similar velocity...

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Are you saying you don't believe that there is stuff that needs scrubbed, or don't understand the mechanism (i.e 'how')?

For the latter... my understanding (possibly flawed) is this: yeah that super-heated gas goes down the bore, but not all of it makes it all the way out before cooling and collecting on the bore surface. The bullet of the next round will push some of it out of the way (or squeeze it into the corners of the grooves), but otherwise it gets pressed into the pores and pits of the bore under extreme pressure as the barrel passes... also leaving more of the same behind it. At some point you need to remove those layers of build up, whether via chemical or mechanical means. What freaks me out, and thankfully I've never directly encountered (that I know of) is the formation of a carbon ring in front of the chamber...