Whats your opinion on bore snakes?

[WoodsWalker270]

Do they clean as well as traditional cleaning rods and brushes? Do you bother carrying them in your pack on a hunt?

 

[Browtine]

I carry a chunk of weedeater line in my pack for emergency cleaning only. I always use rods at home.

 

[AXEL]

No, I really do not care for these and I carry an old sectional steel rod with a jag, brush and pre-wetted patchs, usually just use Ballistol. This, is a very light rod and has worked well for me since 1989, so, I am good to go in the future.

I also have an early Otis kit, usually keep this in camp and it is "OK", but, I do prefer the rod....made by that "K" firm who make cleaning supplies.

I have 35 rifles left from my collection and they are all higher end, so, I am dam*ed careful about maintenance here in BC's wet climate.

 

[WestDan]

i carry a boresnake with me when hunting because you can stuff it in a pouch pretty easily and I have unfortunately had to use it when my rifle fell off my pack muzzle first into the dirt. The boresnake cleaned the barrel out nicely. I wouldn't use a boresnake to do a traditional cleaning of my rifles however, just for emergencies in the woods. cleaning is left to the rods/boreguides/jags/etc.

 

[Sam Millard]

I just shoot the dirt out

I like them for autoloader .22 rimfires. Use them a lot for that... Use bore guides/rod for my rifles once a year.

 

[charvey9]

They are handy for shotguns, but nothing is better than a good rod and jag.

 

[JG358]

Do they clean as well as traditional cleaning rods and brushes?

No

Do you bother carrying them in your pack on a hunt?

No

 

[rayporter]

google stuck bore snake. the rifle is almost ruined if this happens.

plus you cant push out mud with it like a piece of weed eater line can. i clean my rifle daily.

 

[Ruskin]

I took one this past year. Had a bunch of rain/ice on the trip. Ran the bore a couple of times and felt better.

In hind site a piece is scotch tape over the end out have been just as good.

 

[duchntr]

No



No

Yup X2.... I do use them on my shotgun though

 

[Ironman8]

With reports of them breaking and getting stuck in the bore, I won't use em. I tape my muzzle when I'm in the field so that I don't have to worry about in-field maintenance, but that weed eater line trick sounds interesting.

For cleaning at home, I like Tipton one piece rods and jags. And prefer to use a bore guide. Then again, I don't clean my rifles very often to begin with.

 

[Nuke Man]

I like and use them. They are great for what they are designed for. Run them through dry when you need to clean out your barrel in the field or in between detail cleanings. However they are definitely not designed for detail cleans. For that a coated one piece rod and jag with a bore guide are what you want.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Great for field care or quick clean but if I am cleaning to put away for awhile rods are the way to go.

 

[husky390]

Handguns yes, rifles no. I keep an Otis kit with me in camp.

 

[GKPrice]

this question has been floating around in the back of my mind for a week or so - I've been using them for a long while now, not for actual cleaning as I'm as old school as it gets with that but I've been using them for breaking in new barrels and I keep one in camp and drag it through the bore once or twice each evening (even though I've taped my muzzles for many seasons now) BUT .... WHAT IF THE STRING BROKE ON ONE OF THOSE EVENINGS IN CAMP ?
Some years back I used to wrangle for an outfitter for the first season to pay for my pack in fee to hunt the second season - in the 5 day layover, one evening I took my bolt apart to clean it and ran the end of a twisted rag into the bolt body where it got jammed in so tight I was having a heck of a time getting it back out and it got me thinking, in the back country far from help and close to opening day is not a time or place to have gun troubles of any kind, especially self imposed troubles - I'm not sure if I'll trust Bore Snakes any more .....