T&E: Boresnake....

Dave McC · March 20, 2001, 08:38 AM

I've been interested in getting my guns clean and protected from the elements for decades,and have devoted countless hours to same. Breathed plenty of Hoppe's fumes, even tho Wonderful Wife can't stand the smell. But, in the interests of domestic tranquility,I've been looking for a quick way to get the same effects, w/o the drawbacks. So, when someone mentioned the Boresnakes for shotguns, my old ears perked up.

The problem here was finding one in stock. They seem to sell out PDQ. But I got my hands on one and here's the results....

Having developed this new addiction to trap, I've been using the Boresnake after each range trip, several a week in fact. After maybe 500 rounds of mixed loads(AA Heavy Target, Federal Game loads, reloads in the AA cases, and the dirty shooting but effective Fiocchi Orange case cheapos), the bore of the 870 TB was pretty cruddy. A single pass got it looking good. No solvent or lube, just a straight pass,period. A finger check showed no plastic buildup at either the forcing cone or choke.

Followup was a traditional cleaning with brass brush and Hoppe's #9. Only the first dry patch showed any grunge. I'm impressed.

I also knocked out a friend's 870 Express he left with me, and Frankenstein. Frank still had the Extra full turkey tube in it, and came clean just as fast as the TB. I dismounted the tube and checked, no trace of plastic buildup and IIRC, this one had maybe 100 rounds through it since it was last cleaned.

After using this several times, the fuzzy part of the pull through is discolored grey. The front part of the brass bristles has a bit of grunge buildup. No reduction in effectiveness, as I can see.The instructions include washing, and I expect to be able to use this for quite a while.

Will it replace all my cleaning rods? Of course not. It will reduce the need for those. I see this as something to do as I leave the range, and the rods and Hoppe's as something to use at home, at my leisure.

At less than $20, this may be the Best Buy in cleaning tools since Mr Hoppe cooked up the first batch of #9....

Double Naught Spy · March 20, 2001, 08:53 AM

Aren't they great? Plus, you can just wad them up when finished. No need to worry about getting the rods being carrying them in your range bag or pack into the field.

By the way, you can wash your bore snake. I think most people do it on the gentle cycle and have the bore snake in something like a garment bag. Air dry. Me, I wash mine by hand every couple or three months, with the other dainties. Okay, just kidding about the dainties. I don't have any of those.

Destructo6 · March 20, 2001, 12:41 PM

After cleaning my CZ-75 as normal, with cleaning rods, the other day, I noticed there was still a little mung in the bore. I ran a BoreSnake through it a couple times and the mung was gone. I'm pretty impressed and will probably use them more often.

Dave McC · March 21, 2001, 06:35 AM

Thanks. A thought struck me, (tho I escaped with minor injuries), firearms that are difficult to clean from the muzzle will be easy to clean from the breech end with this. So,"Serious" shotguns with mag extensions will have less chance of muzzle/crown damage.

I may also pick up one for my Model 94, another weapon that's hard to clean from the breech end.

Romulus · March 21, 2001, 11:31 AM

Dave, is it wrong to remove the bbl each time for cleaning from the breech? That's what I do, even if it means removing mag extension and all that jazz...

Dave McC · March 21, 2001, 01:40 PM

It's not wrong at all, Rom, to avoid possible crown damage they should be cleaned from the breech end. One can and sometimes does lose zero when dismounting the bbl.

With the Boresnake, best of both worlds. Cleaned from breech w/o disassembly....

CMOS · March 25, 2001, 10:24 AM

BTW, where did you locate the Boresnake?

CMOS

Dave McC · March 26, 2001, 04:42 AM

CMOS, bought it at Clyde's Sport shop near Baltimore, one of the two shops I collectively refer to as Guns R Us. Phone # is 410-242-6108. They say they're hard to keep in stock.

I note Natchez Shooter's Supply lists them in the catalog...

gunmart · March 26, 2001, 06:04 AM

brownells has them.

btw they are a must for ar-15,m1a and ruger 10-22.it also does a heck of a job on my lever guns.my guide gun appreciates it.

only down side i can see is that after one pass you are running a dirty rag through your barrel.ohh well nothing is perfect...

Battler · March 26, 2001, 10:24 AM

Aside from dragging fresh dirt through, a boresnake can NOT fully clean a rifle barrel.

I cleaned a rifle for a while with a boresnake - one day gave it a REAL clean after the boresnaking and saw the dirt I was missing.

Boresnakes are great for a quick initial clean at the range to get the powder out. I don't like dragging a dirty one through, either.

A boresnake is also useful if you have a stage in your cleaning where you would otherwise run a lot of patches (lot of filth to bring out) - a snake is the equivalent of a bunch of patches (albeit not tight ones).

I have 2 snakes for the caliber I shoot most often, for use at 2 different times in the clean process.

Of course, for shotguns - go for it, no rifling for detrimental buildup that neads heavy cleaning - does cleaning even matter for shotguns? The boresnake will let you get rid of any powder and BLATANT lead buildup - IMHO prolly all you need.

Battler.

Dave McC · March 26, 2001, 01:55 PM

I don't see the Boresnake as a panacea for cleaning woes. I do see it as a save time tool. A fast pass at the range before the crud fully adheres, then a more thorough cleaning at a later time, or not at all in a gun shot a case of shells a week, as the case has been recently. That one gets a 1000 round teardown and cleaning so it's a monthly thing.

And, yes, it's necessary to clean shotguns.For one thing, corroded bbls don't pattern as well as polished smooth ones.

One thing, plastic buildup is worse than lead, IMO. Harder to get out also.

CMOS · March 26, 2001, 06:22 PM

I saw another brand of Boresnake at the gun show yesterday and was wondering if there is something advantageous to the T&E brand, as opposed to others??

BTW, the wife wanted a new CCW gun - hwo could I deny her? (Sig 232)

CMOS

Dave McC · March 27, 2001, 05:19 AM

Congrats on the Sig,CMOS.

Uh, T&E stands for Test And Evaluation...

March 25, 2001, 10:24 AM	#7
CMOS Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 1999 Location: TEXAS Posts: 1,417	Thanks again Dave. BTW, where did you locate the Boresnake? CMOS

March 20, 2001, 08:38 AM	#1
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	I've been interested in getting my guns clean and protected from the elements for decades,and have devoted countless hours to same. Breathed plenty of Hoppe's fumes, even tho Wonderful Wife can't stand the smell. But, in the interests of domestic tranquility,I've been looking for a quick way to get the same effects, w/o the drawbacks. So, when someone mentioned the Boresnakes for shotguns, my old ears perked up. The problem here was finding one in stock. They seem to sell out PDQ. But I got my hands on one and here's the results.... Having developed this new addiction to trap, I've been using the Boresnake after each range trip, several a week in fact. After maybe 500 rounds of mixed loads(AA Heavy Target, Federal Game loads, reloads in the AA cases, and the dirty shooting but effective Fiocchi Orange case cheapos), the bore of the 870 TB was pretty cruddy. A single pass got it looking good. No solvent or lube, just a straight pass,period. A finger check showed no plastic buildup at either the forcing cone or choke. Followup was a traditional cleaning with brass brush and Hoppe's #9. Only the first dry patch showed any grunge. I'm impressed. I also knocked out a friend's 870 Express he left with me, and Frankenstein. Frank still had the Extra full turkey tube in it, and came clean just as fast as the TB. I dismounted the tube and checked, no trace of plastic buildup and IIRC, this one had maybe 100 rounds through it since it was last cleaned. After using this several times, the fuzzy part of the pull through is discolored grey. The front part of the brass bristles has a bit of grunge buildup. No reduction in effectiveness, as I can see.The instructions include washing, and I expect to be able to use this for quite a while. Will it replace all my cleaning rods? Of course not. It will reduce the need for those. I see this as something to do as I leave the range, and the rods and Hoppe's as something to use at home, at my leisure. At less than $20, this may be the Best Buy in cleaning tools since Mr Hoppe cooked up the first batch of #9....

March 20, 2001, 08:53 AM	#2
Double Naught Spy Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX Posts: 12,717	Aren't they great? Plus, you can just wad them up when finished. No need to worry about getting the rods being carrying them in your range bag or pack into the field. By the way, you can wash your bore snake. I think most people do it on the gentle cycle and have the bore snake in something like a garment bag. Air dry. Me, I wash mine by hand every couple or three months, with the other dainties. Okay, just kidding about the dainties. I don't have any of those.

March 20, 2001, 12:41 PM	#3
Destructo6 Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 1999 Location: Nogales, AZ USA Posts: 4,000	After cleaning my CZ-75 as normal, with cleaning rods, the other day, I noticed there was still a little mung in the bore. I ran a BoreSnake through it a couple times and the mung was gone. I'm pretty impressed and will probably use them more often.

March 21, 2001, 06:35 AM	#4
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Thanks. A thought struck me, (tho I escaped with minor injuries), firearms that are difficult to clean from the muzzle will be easy to clean from the breech end with this. So,"Serious" shotguns with mag extensions will have less chance of muzzle/crown damage. I may also pick up one for my Model 94, another weapon that's hard to clean from the breech end.

March 21, 2001, 11:31 AM	#5
Romulus Senior Member Join Date: January 18, 2001 Location: Kettle Moraine country Posts: 897	Dave, is it wrong to remove the bbl each time for cleaning from the breech? That's what I do, even if it means removing mag extension and all that jazz...

March 21, 2001, 01:40 PM	#6
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	It's not wrong at all, Rom, to avoid possible crown damage they should be cleaned from the breech end. One can and sometimes does lose zero when dismounting the bbl. With the Boresnake, best of both worlds. Cleaned from breech w/o disassembly....

March 26, 2001, 04:42 AM	#8
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	CMOS, bought it at Clyde's Sport shop near Baltimore, one of the two shops I collectively refer to as Guns R Us. Phone # is 410-242-6108. They say they're hard to keep in stock. I note Natchez Shooter's Supply lists them in the catalog...

March 26, 2001, 06:04 AM	#9
gunmart Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2000 Posts: 551	brownells has them. btw they are a must for ar-15,m1a and ruger 10-22.it also does a heck of a job on my lever guns.my guide gun appreciates it. only down side i can see is that after one pass you are running a dirty rag through your barrel.ohh well nothing is perfect...

March 26, 2001, 10:24 AM	#10
Battler Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2000 Posts: 1,185	Aside from dragging fresh dirt through, a boresnake can NOT fully clean a rifle barrel. I cleaned a rifle for a while with a boresnake - one day gave it a REAL clean after the boresnaking and saw the dirt I was missing. Boresnakes are great for a quick initial clean at the range to get the powder out. I don't like dragging a dirty one through, either. A boresnake is also useful if you have a stage in your cleaning where you would otherwise run a lot of patches (lot of filth to bring out) - a snake is the equivalent of a bunch of patches (albeit not tight ones). I have 2 snakes for the caliber I shoot most often, for use at 2 different times in the clean process. Of course, for shotguns - go for it, no rifling for detrimental buildup that neads heavy cleaning - does cleaning even matter for shotguns? The boresnake will let you get rid of any powder and BLATANT lead buildup - IMHO prolly all you need. Battler.

March 26, 2001, 01:55 PM	#11
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	I don't see the Boresnake as a panacea for cleaning woes. I do see it as a save time tool. A fast pass at the range before the crud fully adheres, then a more thorough cleaning at a later time, or not at all in a gun shot a case of shells a week, as the case has been recently. That one gets a 1000 round teardown and cleaning so it's a monthly thing. And, yes, it's necessary to clean shotguns.For one thing, corroded bbls don't pattern as well as polished smooth ones. One thing, plastic buildup is worse than lead, IMO. Harder to get out also.

March 26, 2001, 06:22 PM	#12
CMOS Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 1999 Location: TEXAS Posts: 1,417	I saw another brand of Boresnake at the gun show yesterday and was wondering if there is something advantageous to the T&E brand, as opposed to others?? BTW, the wife wanted a new CCW gun - hwo could I deny her? (Sig 232) CMOS

March 27, 2001, 05:19 AM	#13
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Congrats on the Sig,CMOS. Uh, T&E stands for Test And Evaluation...