Do Boresnakes harm rifles?

[Lando]

On a recent hunt, my friend broke out a bunch of fancy equipment to clean his custom rifle--some sort of gadget that went in the action to keep the cleaning rod aligned, a carbon fiber cleaning rod (was told not to use anything else by customer maker), no brushes and jags with patches only in the barrel ever. He said the maker of his rifle told him to never use a boresnake or anything other than the above items or it would harm the high-quality barrel.

I have used boresnakes quite often and never had a problem that I know of. Does anybody know if this is legit advice from the rifle maker?

 

[rclouse79]

I have a hard time believing they would harm a barrel. I use them as well with no issues I have been able to detect.

 

[Lawnboi]

Iv used bore snakes. But don’t anymore. Few reasons why

-what happens if that string breaks? Your screwed.
-after the first pass, If your not cleaning it, your pulling whatever your trying to get out back through your action, chamber and barrel.

 

[WeiserBucks]

There's plenty of deeply held beliefs about cleaning barrels, some are snake oil salesmen and some are easily proven. No one will ever sort through it all to reach a 100% conclusion.

My advice is simple: clean the damn thing however you want and replace it once it's worn out.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I bought a few in different calibers and I have used them mainly on pistols. I was wondering about them myself.

I recently asked a deeply experienced gun smith - school trained, with 40+ years of Gunsmithing and shooting - and he says he doesn’t like them, especially for precision guns. His key issue is that they accumulate lead, copper and whatever from barrels and MOST importantly he thinks they end up picking up other shit when they inevitably come into contact with the bench/floor/ground while being used. I had to agree that mine get into contact with the bench and sometimes my shop floor while I use them. His view is that unless you keep them completely pristine, you are going to be dragging grit / sand / whatever through your bore which will increase wear. He concedes that for most shooters that will probably never matter but if you are interested in maintaining and prolonging your barrell life and function, stay away from bore snakes.

 

[ElPollo]

We are supposed to clean these things? Jeeze, that’s why I switched from black powder.

 

[hiker270]

Everyone has a different way and different product to clean a rifle barrel. They are made of steel so it takes something drastic to damage the barrel. Possibly affect accuracy by not cleaning properly though.

 

[Sled]

I use them a lot on shotguns and think they are great for after a couple boxes of shells. With a rifle I use them when it's been raining or I don't have a rod. I don't shoot bench rest and don't clean rifles often. I do wash the bore snake by hand on occasion and hang them up to dry. I try not to over think the simple things that won't result in bodily harm.

 

[Lando]

Everyone has a different way and different product to clean a rifle barrel. They are made of steel so it takes something drastic to damage the barrel. Possibly affect accuracy by not cleaning properly though.

That was my thinking.....how can a fabric snake and a few soft metal bristles damage a rifle made of steel?

 

[WeiserBucks]

That was my thinking.....how can a fabric snake and a few soft metal bristles damage a rifle made of steel?

The same way you damage the paint on your truck with a sponge, the sponge can be full of abrasive crap that you don't notice beforehand.

 

[Lando]

The same way you damage the paint on your truck with a sponge, the sponge can be full of abrasive crap that you don't notice beforehand.

So if you handwash your snake occasionally, and keep it stored in a ziplock like I do, they're fine?

 

[TxLite]

Primal Rights did a video on the effects of cleaning steel barrels with a bronze brush along with a follow up video of how his rifles are shooting after.

Not saying it’s right or wrong, but I use a bore snake and haven’t noticed any adverse effects in my rifles.

 

[BigNate]

I keep a couple in my truck for the oopsies. I've used it once for myself, and have loaned it out a couple times. It's great for saving a hunt after a fall or similar where snow or mud get in the muzzle.

I also agree that a dirty bore snake is a very effective means of dragging crap into the barrel.

 

[WeiserBucks]

So if you handwash your snake occasionally, and keep it stored in a ziplock like I do, they're fine?

Likely so, though I don't have any real evidence either way.

 

[grappling_hook]

So if you handwash your snake occasionally, and keep it stored in a ziplock like I do, they're fine?

Bits of carbon can build up in a bore. Carbon is far harder than steel. The bore snake can break them loose on the first pull through, and they will lodge in the fabric. If you do a second pull through without washing the fabric, you will be dragging tiny carbon bits across the steel and potentially introducing microabrasions/scratches from the throat to the crown, especially if combined with an abrasive cleaner; and that can introduce wear to shorten barrel life and/or accuracy. At least that's the theory as I've seen it argued. Will it matter for your purposes? I doubt it for most cases.

But then the other question would be is cleaning at all going to matter for most cases. Probably not, especially for a hunting rifle.

 

[SDHNTR]

A clean Boresnake is not going to harm anything. Clean being the operative word. The effectiveness of a boresnake is a whole other matter tho. All they do is give the rifle a quick swipe. They might remove a little loose carbon after shooting or excess oil from storage prior to shooting, but they are not a substitute for a proper cleaning job. They certainly will not remove any stubborn carbon fouling or any copper fouling. Clean your barrel properly from time to time.

And that some sort of gadget your pal had is called a bore guide, and along with a coated rod, you should be using one too.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I use them and will continue to use them. I’ve had no issues doing so.

 

[Lawnboi]

A clean bore snake is only clean on the first pass. Would be like using the same patch.

 

[Marbles]

Can cleaning technique increase wear? It makes sense that they can. Next question, is it enough to matter? Probably not. You blast hot, high pressure gas down the barrel with a sold chunk of copper/lead in front of it which will undoubtedly place more engraving force on carbon deposits than a brush/patch/boresnake. If one was to measure the difference I'm willing to bet it would be well under a 5% change in barrel life, probably closer to 1%.

So, shoot the thing, and if spending a lot of time and money on cleaning makes you enjoy shooting it more, then do that too. But, that time would likely be better spent shooting and the money better spent on a new barrel as it will wear out regardless.

Obsessive cleaning comes from black powder/corrosive primers and steel that is rust prone. Avoiding both is probably more productive.

 

[MallardSX2]

Been using one in my shotguns for 20 years. Barrel looks perfect still.