Bore Snake

I have removed quite a few stuck in barrels. I have had them stuck in a couple of 17 cal barrels and could not get it out at all using conventional techniques. Had to recut the barrel to 22 on one and managed to burn it out on the other.. Aside from the stuck issue I just don't see the point of them. A scew together brass rod is far more useful for removing mud, snow, moisture etc and used carefully does no damage. I have carried a segmented rod for decades and I think I have used it no more than a few times to remove an obstruction in someones barrel or to dry a rain soaked barrel. I have always used tape or a rubber over the end of my barrel, debris and water aren't an issue on my barrels. I have never done enough shooting while out hunting to need to clean a barel, if we go high volume gopher or Pdog shooting we take proper cleaning rods and gear. Like I said, to me they do nothing well when it comes to cleaning debris out of a barrel and they sure aren't a quality cleaning tool.
 
I use them through the shotgunning season. Its easy to pull them through after a mornings hunt. I also have one for my varmint rifle to pull through every 30 or 40 shots. I'll dip the leading end in a container of solvent and then pull through a few times. I soak them in a bucket of soapy water to clean them. I don't rely on them to "clean" a barrel as much as remove excess fouling.
 
Caliber specific, 2-3 pulls here as well - I put a little CLP/oil on the front of the "snake." I used to run them dry but had one get stuck in a .223, that was fun (added oil, let set, tied it to the hitch and pulled right out).

I use them for post-range/field use to knock the dust out and put a little something on the bore.
 
I use them (dry) on my muzzle loader after each shot in the field.....looking through the barrel at the residue those sabots leave after a shot always surprises me. I also use them after general shooting of my other calibers just to remove any left over debris.
 
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slas said:
I use them (dry) on my muzzle loader after each shot in the field.....looking through the barrel at the residue those sabots leave after a shot always surprises me. I also use them after shooting just to remove any debris.
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So you are pulling the breech Plug after every shot? Would seem to be a lot easier just to put a patch on the end of the ram rod and use that.
 
Dean2 said:
So you are pulling the breech Plug after every shot? Would seem to be a lot easier just to put a patch on the end of the ram rod and use that.
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I am pulling the breech plug. Easy on my cheap CVA Wolf, just unscrews off quickly and back on.
 
Pmacc60 said:
I use bore snakes at the range and I use them dry, I feel they have their place . I don't not use them for a do all barrel cleaning . I have had one bad experience with a bore snake (correct caliber) jamming in the barrel and it was so stuck I had to have a gunsmith remove it. It has only happened once but it did happen so be aware .
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Perhaps if you ran them wet as the instructions indicate it would not have jammed in your rifle's barrel.
I occasionally use them to actually to relube a rifle that has been in my safe and not shot in a while.
I simply take a light spray of Rem oil place it on the copper bristles of the bore snake and swab my barrel and replace my rifle in the safe.
Never had one break, not even close, and just performing a little preventative maintenance.
Mind you I am working on a previously cleaned weapon that has been stored unfired in my safe, and in my opinion could benefit from a little maintenance.
However, I have taken them afield as part of my kit when the permit is in hand and I find myself again on a trek.
For myself, It is a fast and efficient way to perform a routine maintenance chor.
To that end, I think that spray lube is the key to prevent any bore snake of the proper caliber from sticking in your rifle barrel.!
 
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just_jon said:
I really wanted to like bore snakes, but having two of them break during use cured me of that. Both were brand new out of the box and were used in the correct caliber barrel.
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223? Only ever had a problem with this caliber the bigger ones never gave me any trouble
 
Blackhawk said:
Perhaps if you ran them wet as the instructions indicate it would not have jammed in your rifle's barrel.
I occasionally use them to actually to relube a rifle that has been in my safe and not shot in a while.
I simply take a light spray of Rem oil and swab my barrel and replace my rifle in the safe.
Never had one break, not even close, and just performing a little preventative maintenance.
Mind you I am working on a previously cleaned weapon that has been stored unfired in my safe, and in my opinion could benefit from a little maintenance.
However, I have taken them afield as part of my kit when the permit is in hand and I find myself again on a trek.
For myself, It is a fast and efficient way to perform a routine maintenance chor.
To that end, I think that spray lube is the key to prevent any bore snake of the proper caliber from sticking in your rifle barrel.!
Click to expand...
I will keep that in mind but I think this was a defective bore snake. Thanks however for your input , observations and the experience of others on this site is always welcomed .
 

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