Just bought a bore snake

[Dark Mod]

im not that big of a fan of the bore snake, it gets really dirty really quickly, and doesnt seem to clean as well as patches and a bore brush. Im sure its alot easier if your a casual cleaner, but i like to make my weapons inspection ready when i clean them.

And i dont see how some copper bristles being pushed through the bore could cause more wear than an oversized copper-plated projectile traveling through there hundres of times at 1000 fps

it makes no sense

even a steel rod wouldnt cause any noticible damage to the bore unless you were really whacking that thing. If thats true then why hasnt anyone made padded cleaning rods?

I thought they counter bored muzzles to restore acuracy in a rifle thats seen hundreds of thousands of rounds, like mosin nagants and such

[ke6guj]

issues people have with the bore snake is that once you run it through the bore, it gets dirty and the next time you run it through, you are pulling that contamination back through the gun. Whereas, with patches, you just start over with a clean patch each time.

And if you get unlucky enough to break the string while pulling it through, it isn't fun to get the stuck boresnake out of the middle of the barrel. There have been multiple threads here, and on other forums, where that has happened.

[BayAreaShooter]

why is that? People often say that more wear is done through cleaning the bore than through shooting it. So if the snake is able to make more surface contact with less abrasion, then wouldn't it be the ideal way to clean the bore?

Ke6guj answers is for me. I also think they just do not clean as well. I have cleaned thoroughly with a bore snake then ran a rod through and started pulling more crap out of the barrel that the Bore Snake just could not get.

issues people have with the bore snake is that once you run it through the bore, it gets dirty and the next time you run it through, you are pulling that contamination back through the gun. Whereas, with patches, you just start over with a clean patch each time.

And if you get unlucky enough to break the string while pulling it through, it isn't fun to get the stuck boresnake out of the middle of the barrel. There have been multiple threads here, and on other forums, where that has happened.

[ke6guj]

even a steel rod wouldnt cause any noticible damage to the bore unless you were really whacking that thing.

one cleaning, probably not. But over time, it can add up. .mil guns see muzzle wear more often since they are cleaned often, and by people who don't really care about the rifle (it isn't their personally-owned rifle they are cleaning).

If thats true then why hasnt anyone made padded cleaning rods?

they do, http://www.cabelas.com/cleaning-kits...ing-rods.shtml . And they make bore guides as well to keep the rod centered in the muzzle or action, so that they would be less likely to scrape against the barrel.

I thought they counter bored muzzles to restore acuracy in a rifle thats seen hundreds of thousands of rounds, like mosin nagants and such

counterboring is normally done to fix the damage due to poor cleaning technique.

[Eljay]

Even if you want to clean the traditional way when you get home, a pass with the bore snake at the range while the barrel is still warm gets out a lot of gunk and makes the traditional cleaning much easier. And if you're concerned about gunk on the bore snake causing problems... you know you're supposed to clean them, right? When you get home just swish them around in some soapy water, rinse, hang to dry. Takes a minute.

[CSACANNONEER]

I've used boresnakes and they are just OK for a quick, half azz cleaning. I much prefer using a cleaning rod, bore guide and jag. For those who think that boresnakes get a bore clean, you need to invest in a borescope.

[Matches]

Even if you want to clean the traditional way when you get home, a pass with the bore snake at the range while the barrel is still warm gets out a lot of gunk and makes the traditional cleaning much easier. And if you're concerned about gunk on the bore snake causing problems... you know you're supposed to clean them, right? When you get home just swish them around in some soapy water, rinse, hang to dry. Takes a minute.

This.

As for other suppositions, correlation does not equal causality.

Look guys, this thread turned into an internet pissing contest in one page. Whatever truth/fact/myth/falsehood etc. that you hold onto, the purpose of this thread was to show the benefit of running a boresnake through a Ruger 10/22 after shooting a bunch of dirty bulk ammo.

If my cleaning methods mean that I have to replace my 10/22 barrel after 10k rounds as opposed to 14k, then whatever. I'll take my tighter groups

[socalocalypse]

LOL @pissing contest

I'm the only guy that owns guns that's not an expert I think, and I'm cool with that.

FWIW I run a boresnake through my 10/22 at the range as well. My thinking is maybe it'll get some junk out while its hot so its easier to clean later. If that's right or not, hell if I know, but I know the bore does look cleaner when I run it.

It doesn't look as good as it does after a real cleaning though with patches or brush.

I'm glad I read this thread, I should probably wash mine. I have them for every caliber I own. It only takes a second to run them.

I know on my 10/22 especially it's really tough to pull through and I expect the cord to break sooner than later. on the .22 Marlins it wasn't nearly as bad.

I only hope I put enough rounds in any of my guns to shoot out the barrel. At least then I can blame my bad grouping on something

maybe if I had fancy rifles I'd worry about damaging the bore.

[Kodachrome]

Bore Snake has a new version "The Viper" more brass bristles for cleaning.
These are not intended to replace conventional cleaning but it sure is handy at the range. A clean bore makes for better groups, Yes?

By the way there do make coated cleaning rods. I have a coated rod for my handguns and coated rods for my rifles, plus bronze bore guides.
Happy Shooting

[Eljay]

I believe most of the complaints of breaking have been with the "viper" version. They made the lead part thinner to make it easier to thread through some barrels and maybe overdid it a bit.

[BayAreaShooter]

Bore Snake has a new version "The Viper" more brass bristles for cleaning.
These are not intended to replace conventional cleaning but it sure is handy at the range. A clean bore makes for better groups, Yes?

By the way there do make coated cleaning rods. I have a coated rod for my handguns and coated rods for my rifles, plus bronze bore guides.
Happy Shooting

There is some debate to a clean bore making your groups better. I believe after 50-100 rounds your groups get better than after 500 or so they start to open up again. This is just my experience but it has been debated many times.

[rojocorsa]

The Bsnakes are supposed to be a quick and dirty or routine deal. Nothing more. It's probably foolhard to think otherwise.

[psubond]

bore snakes are part of a cleaning kit not a cleaning kit. it's great for the range for a quick run through and work well at home when used along side more traditional cleaning methods

[joe321]

Some people just like to do things the old fashioned way, even if it's more inefficient. I embrace new and better ways of doing things. Bore Snake FTW.