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Is a boresnake enough for cleaning pistol barrels?

Paleoman

Paleoman

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I have .45 and 9mm, and have been using CLP and a boresnake for cleaning the barrel. Will this be adequate, or do I need to periodically use a brush, pads, and Hoppes or similar? Salesman at the gun shop, when I bought my first pistol said the boresnake is enough by itself.

I shoot copper plated bullets only. However have seen friends reloading with coated (polymer?) bullets, like those from Precision. Would the coated bullets require less cleaning (hoping to hear from someone who has practical experience with them)?

Lastly, what's a good way to,tell if I'm getting a buildup of copper in the barrel?

Thanks in advance!
 
Depends on how clean you want it.

They make the other, more-intensive tools for a reason.

Do this test: Boresnake it as usual, then run a clean patch through it. See what it looks like.

Every barrel is different, and reacts to every bullet type differently. One that rougher, even if not visible to the naked eye, will scrape more off the bullets traveling down it.

If you're getting a buildup of copper that will not come out with a bronze brush, and it's causing a problem, there are chemical and electro-chemical removal methods.
 
I pull a boresnake through once and call it good. This was with ibejihead poly coated bullets. A lot people do more damage over cleaning than not cleaning
 
for quick cleaning job I usually put some patches on a loop, push through the barrel and spin them around the chamber a bit. then i cleanup the breech face and around the extractor. probably a boresnake alone would be sufficient but to me a boresnake is more helpful with a rifle, especially a rifle where one cannot easily clean from the breech -> muzzle.
 
I use a boresnake to clean out the big junk at the range when I am all done shooting.
 
Supermoto said:
I pull a boresnake through once and call it good. This was with ibejihead poly coated bullets. A lot people do more damage over cleaning than not cleaning
Click to expand...

Reminds me of the sign on the gunsmiths counter my dad used to use.
I fix more clean guns than dirty guns.

It may or may not be right but for many many years all I have done was when done at the range I will run a patch/jag soaked in clp through the bore.
Let it sit 5 minutes or so a few dry patches then a final clp patch if the bore will sit unused for some time... I will give a bore a good scrub after a few hundred rounds, once a year or when every accuracy drops.
Keep the chamber clean and the bolt face and give your gun a good wipe down no and then and you should be fine.
 
CLP won't touch the metals. If I'm shooting copper, I let the chemicals (Hoppies) do the work. I have a rifle that's got a foul-o-matic barrel and is coppered after 20 shots. I just pull a wet patch through every 5-10 minutes until they stop coming out blue.

I just started shooting 9mm coated bullets from Precision. It leaves coating gunk around the outside of the muzzle area that I seems to only come off with a light bronze brushing, so I give the bore 2-3 passes of the brush if it's had a lot of rounds through it, but I'm not sure that's necessary.
 
Supermoto said:
I pull a boresnake through once and call it good. This was with ibejihead poly coated bullets. A lot people do more damage over cleaning than not cleaning
Click to expand...

I have much higher standards than Supermoto, I run the snake thru 3 times every time I clean my gun, which is bi-annually.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I use just patches and ballistol to clean my pistol barrels and pretty much everything.
I spray the barrel first, clean the frame, then the slide, and then come back to the barrel.
I spray, brush, then run wet patches with jag (about 3 times) till they are mostly clean. Then a dry patch or two to remove the lube.
I use patches with plastic picks to clean everything else.
I clean a pistol after 400-600 rounds which is one two trips to the range. I don't mind cleaning and a dirty gun bothers the hell of of me. I'll clean my carry gun once every 1-2 months or after I shoot it.

I use a bore snake for my .223/.556 rifles because running patches is a pain.
 
Squib308 said:
for quick cleaning job I usually put some patches on a loop, push through the barrel and spin them around the chamber a bit. then i cleanup the breech face and around the extractor. probably a boresnake alone would be sufficient but to me a boresnake is more helpful with a rifle, especially a rifle where one cannot easily clean from the breech -> muzzle.
Click to expand...

+1
agreed...
I especially like the viper version of the boresnake on my 10/22,
but I do use a bore snake on all of my firearms.
 
http://www.schuemann.com/Portals/0/Documentation/Webfile_Barrel_Cleaning.pdf

"My Personal Practice has become to never clean the bore of my barrels. I do use a brass rod
to scrape the deposits out of the chamber. But, I've learned to leave the bore alone and it very
slowly becomes shinier and cleaner all by itself. Years ago I occasionally scrubbed the bore with
a brass bore brush. But, doing so always seemed to cause the bore to revert to a dirtier look with
more shooting, so I eventually stopped ever putting anything down the bore except bullets... "
 
I only use a bore snake on my revolver cylinders and hunting guns that didn't get fired on a hunt (to get the water and debris out). To me the bore snake is no easier than a rod and patch when actually cleaning a dirty gun. And there is no way in hell a bore snake is cleaning a lead or copper fouled barrel like a brush rod and solvents. The guy that told you that is a total moron.......it depends on how much fouling there is.

Everyone wants the "magic solution" to to just about every chore these days.

My advice on how to clean guns is:

Dont clean them that often for starters

When you do clean em:
Clear the guns.......
keep the ammo separated.......
get out the kits and go to the garage.....
grab a cold beer from the fridge......
and enjoy some quality time......ALONE.
 
Last edited:
spcantwell said:
Wait... your supposed to clean them? But you can just put them in the dishwasher though? Right?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm with you. I shoot so much (3 times a week) if I cleaned em every time I'd never have time to shoot. I'm a hunter and the hunting irons get a wipe down on the surface to get the rain and debris off.....bore snake and back in the safe for the next day. About once a month I go through the carry and bedroom gun. Milsurps I clean after each use (corrosive surp ammo). Everything else......well......not so much. No rust on any of my guns either.

I've put at least 10k rounds through my 10-22 and at least 5k through plate shoot guns...... Function like a swiss watch! When I do clean them about every 6 months it's a chore....brushes and solvent and even a little x 40 lead remover........but that's just how I do things
 
Last edited:
MisterHappy said:
Depends on how clean you want it.

They make the other, more-intensive tools for a reason.

Do this test: Boresnake it as usual, then run a clean patch through it. See what it looks like.

Every barrel is different, and reacts to every bullet type differently. One that rougher, even if not visible to the naked eye, will scrape more off the bullets traveling down it.

If you're getting a buildup of copper that will not come out with a bronze brush, and it's causing a problem, there are chemical and electro-chemical removal methods.
Click to expand...

I'll give it a try and see how clean it looks.

Currently, I clean with the boresnake, after each range trip, where I shoot 50-200 rounds (depends upon how many guns I'm using). I did get a rod and patches, and some Hoppes. I guess I could try doing it now, after they have been cleaned already, to see how it looks.

I'm curious as to how clean (or dirty) people's barrels are, from using olymer coated bullets. It seems that the bullet prices are competitive with the copper plated Berry's that I have.

Regards,
 
BrianWilson said:
http://www.schuemann.com/Portals/0/Documentation/Webfile_Barrel_Cleaning.pdf

"My Personal Practice has become to never clean the bore of my barrels. I do use a brass rod
to scrape the deposits out of the chamber. But, I've learned to leave the bore alone and it very
slowly becomes shinier and cleaner all by itself. Years ago I occasionally scrubbed the bore with
a brass bore brush. But, doing so always seemed to cause the bore to revert to a dirtier look with
more shooting, so I eventually stopped ever putting anything down the bore except bullets... "
Click to expand...

Very interesting article, especially with the indications of the effects of chemicals. Interesting about the polymer coated bullets. Wondering if others are experiencing the same results...
 
Lastly, what's a good way to,tell if I'm getting a buildup of copper in the barrel?
Click to expand...
you'll know, your guns will start glowing an erie green color.

i'm a lazy gun cleaner as i've gotten older. i discovered the bore snake a year or two ago and that's all i used. i'm paying for it now, everything needs a good scrubbing and degunking.
 
I use a bore snake on all my firearms and follow up with patches until they come out clean.

I also am not one of those guys that cleans after every trip to the range. One night I'll just decide to pull out my pistols and clean them. Everything gets a detailed cleaning x2 a year.
 
cockpitbob said:
CLP won't touch the metals. If I'm shooting copper, I let the chemicals (Hoppies) do the work. I have a rifle that's got a foul-o-matic barrel and is coppered after 20 shots. I just pull a wet patch through every 5-10 minutes until they stop coming out blue.

I just started shooting 9mm coated bullets from Precision. It leaves coating gunk around the outside of the muzzle area that I seems to only come off with a light bronze brushing, so I give the bore 2-3 passes of the brush if it's had a lot of rounds through it, but I'm not sure that's necessary.
Click to expand...
Good to know, about the coated bullets.

I'm thinking maybe to continue with my boresnake, but do only one pass, when shooting a small number of rounds, and then maybe every few months give a good cleaning with rods, with extra attention to making sure it gets dried out well in all cases, as it sounds like the chemicals can be detrimental too.

If I switch to polymer, it sounds like I can reduce the barrel cleaning significantly.

I'll do,a quick check first with the Hoppes and patches and see how dirty the barrels are currently. I probably have 1500-2000 rounds through each one, except the .45, which is newer.
 
Paleoman said:
Wondering if others are experiencing the same results...
Click to expand...

I would guess someone pushing undersize lead up a crappy pitted barrel with a light load of dirty powder is going to have a much different cleaning experience than someone running a high pressure load of Vitha Vuori under a coated or jacketed hollow point through a high quality barrel.

I also think we get a little carried with the whole how to clean thing. I mean,before you got home and sat down to clean, when you were at the range, you were cramming a metal slug a couple thousandths bigger than the hole up the barrel with thousands or tens of thousands of pounds of fire.

For what little it's worth I am in the swipe or two with the boresnake camp, works for me, but dont think there is any harm in some modest brushing, or the normal chemical cleaners if used in accordance with the directions.
 
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My Hi Standards like to be dirty and punish me with decreased accuracy when they are clean. With those guns I've adopted a "Happy as a pig in S**t" attitude " and only clean when functioning decreases. I usually clean everybody else after 3-4 range trips. Everybody also gets a monthly wipedown regardless of use (maybe 2-3 weeks in summer) B/C of humidity on the Cape.

I like bore snakes B/c of their compactness and use them on rifles.
 
durask said:
Hm, so it seems that it would be best to avoid bore cleaners.

What about good old WD-40? A while back I ran into some old timers who only used WD-40 to clean their guns.
Click to expand...

hopes #9 for cleaning.

if lots of lead fouling use remington x40 bore cleaner.

WD40 is not a great cleaner in my experience. Hopes #9 dissolves carbon very well.
 

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