Bore Snake vs Cleaning Rod

>>31067281
you want both
boresnakes are fine for light fouling and low round counts but you need a brush for heavier work.
having a cleaning rod is a necessity for knocking out stuck empty cases

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>>31067281
I don't understand how people think they can use just one device for cleaning a bore. When you use each attachment one after another you get it perfectly clean and you can check your progress. You also get cleaner, oil, carbon and shit all over a boresnake, making it pretty useless. If you need a new brush just get a new brush, but buying a whole new boresnake every few cleans is a huge waste.

>>31067281
>I use a bore snake pretty much exclusively for the past two years and have had no problems.

Please tell me you've washed the damn thing at least once.

Me, I made up my own little pull-through. One end's weighted, the other has a female thread which I can put brushes or a patch eyelet on.

Convenience of a boresnake while still using disposable patches.

Boresnek won't damage the crown.

Get a solid brass rod for clearing the barrel of cases and squibs.

>>31067387
>Boresnek won't damage the crown.

Neither will a rod if you clean from the breech, or use a muzzle cap.

>>31067281
I would get both. Buy a proper boreguide or muzzle cap if your rifle can't be cleaned from the breech. Buy a carbon fiber rod or good nylon coated rod. Do not put sectioned rods down your gun. If you take care of your rods, they will last many, many years so don't fret about the initial upfront cost.
Be sure to take into account you'll need extra length for the boreguide.

>>31067385
LOL, I wash it after every cleaning session. No point cleaning with a dirty tool.

What I do is use a bore snake for cleaning right after shooting. Then every 2 weeks to a month I'll use a cleaning rod to ensure that its clean. With a bore snake it's kinda hard to tell if it's clean. Whereas a cleaning rod, the patches come out clear.

BTW get a cleaning rod guide so that the rod doesn't damage the bore. Lots of guys ram the rod in there like they ramming a whore with no lube. The metal on metal contact can fuck shit up

>>31067380
>you are now aware boresnakes are machine washable

Boresnakes are good if youre not at home or right after a range day. But you should use a normal brush every other day

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>>31067281
I literally only use bore-snek on rim fires and smooth bore shotguns. They only get the big crap out, and even if you run it back and fourth a million times there's still a ton on shit in the rifling.

Patches and rods and various jags are how you really clean a rifle.

>>31067281
Use the cleaning rod for serious cleaning. Use the bore snake for light cleaning at the range to keep accuracy up during long shooting sessions or anytime perfect accuarcy is needed such as dialing in handloads, zering scope, or shooting a match.

>>31067577
bullshit, my boarsnek cleans out the tiny shit and I've got one with a female loop so I can run a patch through to do a color check

I have no idea how to wash it tho, I'm a newgunz so only needed to use it twice

>>31067593
Put it in the dishwasher or wash it with your clothes (^:

>>31067593
There are some guides online. You can wash it in your sink.

How do you know when your bore is clean with a bore snake? Never used one before. I assume that the end part would be dirty from the first run through so how would you detect it's clean?

>>31067698
You don't because they don't clean deeply

>>31067698
you look through the barrel and say fuck it looks cleen, good enough.
if its really built up like a thousand rounds later the boresnake isnt going to do anything after the first pass. no matter how many additional times you pull it through

>>31067559
Like I want lead and shit in my washer.

>>31067559
>machine washable

Great, I can have lead fouling, carbon, cleaner, and oil in my washing machine! Same place I wash my clothes! Isn't that just fantastic. I've always wanted to know what cancer was like.

>>31067797
but anon we are the cancer

>>31067698
You shouldn't be cleaning to bare steel unless you shoot corrosive.

So you just go until the barrel looks clean when inspected.

If you are getting signs of significant copper/lead fouling affecting accuracy, then you use more traditional cleaning methods.

>>31067812
I thought we were the demons?

>>31067826
So your saying bore sneks are a meme and to stick to cleaning rods?

>>31067848
boresnakes are fine for light work or general lazyness they have their place
just buy both

Most of this thread is people shitting on bore snakes. But in reality they probably do a better job at cleaning than sticking a little rag and stick through the barrel.

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>>31067871
>stick and a rag

What is a b r u s h?
Fuck off, shill

What's the best way to clean in field you think?

I think it'd be like this:
A brass rod that drops through the barrel with a strong longer than your barrel, followed by a brush of your choice, followed by a short length of boresnek. Then something to clean solvent out, maybe patches that can be attached to a point behind that brass piece? Then a protective light oil soaked piece of boresnek. My
Thoughts? It'd be light and easy to pack small.

>>31067281

People who say both are spot on. A rod lets you brush for years and get 99%+ of bore contamination removed, if you so desire. You can also use products like JB bore polish, impossible with a snake. Use a bore guide or bore cap, and Crown damage is a non-issue.

Bore Snakes are fine for doing a quick, "Good enough" field cleaning; but do NOT clean the bore thoroughly, even if you pull it through 50-100 times. It also needs washed now and then, otherwise you're pulling residue through the barrel each time you make a pass with it. Otis Ripcords are the same way.

If you shoot corrosive, its near impossible to remove 100% of the fouling to prevent rust with just a snake. Likewise with leaded reloads, you'll remove "some" but will have tons of fouling remaining.

>>31067797
If you washed your clothes after a day at the range, you got lead and shit in the washer already. Hint: It washes away. If it truly bugs you, wash it in the sink.

>>31067871
Considering how poorly many guns are maintained, bore snakes are awesome. I like cleaning guns (It's relaxing) but the number of people who clean their gun once every 20 years, or only if they have a 'problem' seems to be a common thing.

I'll stick with the "sun doesn't set on a dirty gun", even if it is overkill with modern tech.

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>>31067281
I like the squeegees. But use them in conjunction with patches, boresnek, and a brush.

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anybody have hands on experience with ripcords? one of my boresnakes is pretty beat up. not sure if i should replace it with another boresnake or a ripcord

>>31067848
No, I'm saying that a bore snake is the easiest and fastest option for 99% of your cleaning needs, but you should still have a 1 piece rod, bore guide, and brush/jag set for occasional more thorough cleaning, especially if you run up high round counts on unlined (stainless or CM barreled) precision rifles.

Also for high round count shooting with lead bullets like .22 LRs or cheap pistol handloads.

Most people clean their guns far too thoroughly after everyday use.

>>31067910
>sun doesn't set on a dirty gun
with corrosive ammo, yeah, otherwise constant cleaning is only another source of wear

maybe once every 500~1000 rounds, would anyone else agree on that metric?

>>31067968
isn't the only diff between a ripcord an boresnek the brush bits embedded into the snek?

>>31067968
Get a ripcord. As long as you make sure whatever attachment you use is the right size, or you'll never get it out of the bore. Seriously.

>>31067910
You seem pretty knowledgable anon.
How often do you clean your guns?

>>31067999
I clean based on what I see with a bore scope and POI shifts.

I've got an BCM BHF AR barrel that's ~8,000 rounds old, and I've never scrubbed the copper out of it because it still shoots to POI, doesn't show any signs of increased case pressure, and has sharp rifling when you put a bore scope down it. That rifle has never seen anything other than ammunition or bore snakes down it.

My prairie dog gun (a stainless Krieger blank) needs to have the copper scrubbed out every 400 rounds or so (velocities start to get erratic, a handload that normally has an SD of under 10FPS in the BCM or in the Krieger when it's clean will open up to a SD of 15+ fps, past 600 rounds the SD opens up to as high as 25), and then it needs 5 shots to refoul it before it shoots POI again.

I use sneke for first pass through to get the bulk of stuff. Follow that with a few passes with a bore brush, then a few with wet patches, end with dry patch. repeat until dry patch comes out clean.

Does anyone else use oversized brushes?
I find myself using .38 brushes on .30 cal rifles and .40 brushes on .38 guns. If it fits then I use the biggest I can.

>>31068077
are you autistic

I just recently ran out of patches so I've been using an old Tshirt. But the Tshirt pieces soak up CLP and expand. I was cleaning a rifle barrel using a pull cord and plastic jag. The shirt got stock, I gave it some muscle, and the jag snapped. I pushed the piece out with a rod but I no longer have a jag. My nice little cleaning kit is essentially worthless.

I am think to buy a specific rifle and specific pistol cleaning kit instead of catch-all kit I have now. Maybe good idea?

>>31068174
In my experince those universal all in one kits aren't as good as specific kits like rifle only or pistol only.

>>31067793
>>31067797
Ugh I don't want to wash my clothes where there has been sweat and dirt and blood and food stains already

Your washing machine

WASHES IT AWAY

Literally dumb fucking niggers kill yourselves

>>31068188
Yea it was a Cabela's universal kit. It worked ok but it was clearly not built for longevity. The jag lasted me 3 years so I feel that was ok.

Specific kits are so expensive...but now I have nothing to clean rifles so I must buy. Any suggestion for good price?

>>31068190
Lead is a heavy metal. It stays in the crevices of the water pipes and in the washing machine itself.
C A N C E R

>>31068218
>Any suggestion for good price?
Walmart
Just buy replacement pieces for pocket change

>>31068237
Ok. I will try walmart tomorrow.

Thanks anon. Am excited now. I haven't shot because unable to clean. I like to keep care of my guns.

>>31068174
Tipton makes an excellent jad and brush set that's reasonably priced.
https://www.amazon.com/Tipton-444777-Ultra-Jag-Brush/dp/B001F6ITFG
I also recommend 1 piece rods. You'll need 3, one for pistol, one for rifle, and 1 for shotgun. If you go Carbon Fiber, you'll need 4, because carbon fiber rods have more flex, so a small bore rod is not suitable for rifles larger than 7 mm.

Anyone's brand is honestly good enough. Mine are Tipton, Hoppes, and Birchwood Casey.

That Tipton kit doesn't have jags or brushes for shotgun.

Get a snake in each caliber as well.

>>31068226
No, it doesnt

>>31068226
Yeah, I don't eat or drink my clothing, and I can't remeber the last time I vaporized them and inhaled the smoke.

Lead is bad news, but it can't crawl out of a machine and get you. Unless you ingest or inhale it somehow you will be fine.

>>31068251
Ya Walmart a good idea to replace specific parts. I agree, rifle specific cleaning kits are expensive af

>>31067889
Why is this better than the brass bristles on the boresnake? Genuinely curious.

>>31068344
Because it's a coil of loops, not just brass bristles, and you can be more thorough, and it also fits tighter in the bore.

The main thing though is the value of a fresh new patch every pass vs a rope that carries the fouling with it.

>>31068371
At the end of the snake is a loop, can I just tie two patches to it and go off their cleanliness, yes I know ill bring some residue back with each pass but there still has to be some transition on the patches to cleaner and cleaner. The only other "cleaning kit" I have is a "m16" sectioned screw together rod that another anon said never to put down your barrel.

>>31068417
>can I just tie two patches to it and go off their cleanliness,

No. You'll get the patches and rope stuck and you'll tear the fucker trying to pull it through and you'll have to use a rod and a mallet to push the stuck mass out.

Ask me how I know.

Second, unless you are shooting corrosive ammo through a unlined plain steel bore, your rifle isn't going to be ruined because you didn't get all the fouling out. You won't need to get it any cleaner than a bore snake will get it, certainly not often enough that you'll not be able to save up the $25 a 1 piece rod with bore guides and a 1 caliber set of jag and brush will cost you.

>>31068455
I thought if you leave fouling on any bore it would damage it and cause rust? was that just dad lore anon?

>>31068519
depends on what the fouling is and storage conditions
if you just got done shooting corrosive or live in a damp or humid area stuffs going to rust

>>31068519
Only if you're shooting ammo.

>>31068703
CORROSIVE**

>>31068519
>>31068572
>>31068703

Fouling in bore leading to rust and damage is really only a major concern when shooting corrosive ammo. Some "noncorrosive" ammo has corrosive primers, and this is of less -- but still significant -- concern. Modern, US made smokeless ammo doesn't cause rust, pitting, or other damage if the gun is left uncleaned. Still, it's good policy to clean guns after a trip to the range.

I find bore snakes are good for most cleaning sessions. I only pull out the rods after about 1000 rounds