Hoppe's Bore Snake for 9mm and .45

[SDM44]

Is there a bore snake size that will fit through both the 9mm and .45 barrels and clean them both well? Will the .44/.45 bore snake even fit through a 9mm barrel? Will something in the middle, say a .357 bore snake, work for both 9mm and .45 barrels? Or do I just need to shell out the extra cash and buy both?

Just seeing if it's possible to save some money instead of buying 2 things that are relatively the same thing or in similar size.

[owenriquez]

I JUST NEED A HOOK UP FOR CHEAP BORE SNAKE... ANYBODY from CGNs
I need .357, .45, 9mm, .223, .22 & .270
PM me please

[Bullwinkle]

Afraid you'll have to fork out the money.

Does a 9mm bore brush scrub a .45 barrel? Of course not. Same thing here, except the brush is embedded in the snake rather than separate. [And heck, to be honest, a 9mm bore snake barely scrubs a 9mm barrel, so I think they're intentionally trying to prevent you from doing this sort of thing.]

Can't squeeze a .45 bore snake into a 9mm barrel either... or even into a .40 barrel (was up a creek w/o a paddle once and had to actually try to do that, but no dice).

FYI - 9mm & .357 use the same bore snake (#24002, labelled ".380,9mm,.38,.357CAL").

[Rekrab]

If you want to clean properly you'll need to get the right snake I'm afraid. I'm sure you COULD do both with a .40, but it would be hard to pull through your 9mm and your .45 wouldn't be clean.

I suspect you wouldn't have to worry much about scratching though, since the brass is softer than the steel.

[Cyc Wid It]

In this hobby there are lots of ways to save or or compromise as needed. This is not one of those instances. You save what $15 max?

[Munk]

9mm is approx .36, which is why it works great on .357 and other similarly sizeded calibers , and you'd have a helluva time cramming anything larger down the pipe. Hell, some people have trouble pulling a boresnake through the barrels of the guns they're intended for.

You could just get a regular pistol cleaning rod, and get brushes for each one... then you'd be able to do a proper cleaning.

Is the boresnake awesome? Hell yes. Is it the BEST clean you can get? Not quite. When i'm lazy i just boresnake, and i don't feel so bad about it. When i've got time to kill, i'll to a full proper brush n swab to keep things good.

[vta]

357 is not in the middle of 9mm and 45acp. it IS a 9mm. maybe a 40 cal would work but most likely it would clean both calibers poorly. too tight for the 9mm and too loose for the 45acp. just suck it up and buy both.

[mblat]

9mm is approx .36, which is why it works great on .357 and other similarly sizeded calibers , and you'd have a helluva time cramming anything larger down the pipe. Hell, some people have trouble pulling a boresnake through the barrels of the guns they're intended for.

You could just get a regular pistol cleaning rod, and get brushes for each one... then you'd be able to do a proper cleaning.

Is the boresnake awesome? Hell yes. Is it the BEST clean you can get? Not quite. When i'm lazy i just boresnake, and i don't feel so bad about it. When i've got time to kill, i'll to a full proper brush n swab to keep things good.

Exactly. It doesn't matter how many time you run bore snake - run patch after it and you will get more dirt out :-)
That is said I am very lazy and use patches about once a year - during "super cleaning day".

[MaxPower]

I'd buck up for both. Compare the cost to your firearms and your ammo... a drop in the bucket.

[Wherryj]

Afraid you'll have to fork out the money.

Does a 9mm bore brush scrub a .45 barrel? Of course not. Same thing here, except the brush is embedded in the snake rather than separate. [And heck, to be honest, a 9mm bore snake barely scrubs a 9mm barrel, so I think they're intentionally trying to prevent you from doing this sort of thing.]

Can't squeeze a .45 bore snake into a 9mm barrel either... or even into a .40 barrel (was up a creek w/o a paddle once and had to actually try to do that, but no dice).

FYI - 9mm & .357 use the same bore snake (#24002, labelled ".380,9mm,.38,.357CAL").

Although you CAN use a .357 snake on a .380, .38 or 9mm if that helps.

[Chief-7700]

How do clean the build up of crud off the Bore Snake after using many times?

[Bullwinkle]

How do clean the build up of crud off the Bore Snake after using many times?

Bore snakes are washable. Just stick it in the washing machine/dryer with your other gun rags. The only caveat is the bristles catch on other items, and the snake itself is prone to tangling w/other items too (especially the beginning cord); so it helps to fold it first so the bristles are covered by the snake and then wrap (& secure) the cord around the snake so it doesn't unwind in the wash.

Or just wash it by hand and air dry in the sun. Just make sure it's dried all the way through before using again.

FYI - 9mm & .357 use the same bore snake (#24002, labelled ".380,9mm,.38,.357CAL").

Although you CAN use a .357 snake on a .380, .38 or 9mm if that helps.

Isn't that what I said?

[Wherryj]

Bore snakes are washable. Just stick it in the washing machine/dryer with your other gun rags. The only caveat is the bristles catch on other items, and the snake itself is prone to tangling w/other items too (especially the beginning cord); so it helps to fold it first so the bristles are covered by the snake and then wrap (& secure) the cord around the snake so it doesn't unwind in the wash.

Or just wash it by hand and air dry in the sun. Just make sure it's dried all the way through before using again.

Isn't that what I said?

Sorry, didn't read the parenthesis quote carefully enough.