Hoppes Bore Snake?

[fguffey]

After that they were left with bump sticks causing a problem with the taper at the muzzle? The kit at the time was soldier proof, gravity pulled the lead sinker through the barrel and the sinker was smaller in diameter than the bore. And then there was the brush, the brush only got smaller as it was used and from the start it was small enough in diameter. I have a few of the old cords that still work. But again, I make bore cleaners, they are impossible to lock up, jam or cause an obstruction, even if they did I can take them apart while in the bore.

And then there is that part about having nothing to remove an obstruction.

F. Guffey

[John Sukey]

While I use cleaning rods, all of my Enfields have a pull through in the butt as well as the oil bottle. (brass for the No1's and plastic for the No4's)

[BlitzKrieg]

Gents,

This poster is trying to leverage you out of the dark ages and get your attention: The Otis approach is the way to go. Forget about Pull Thru devices issued to troops, you are concerned about bore maintenance to preserve your bore and accuracy for a life time. For your purposes and mine, taking best care of bores is the end state.

I retired all my Dewey rods and brushes ten years ago. I use the Otis cables and patches to clean my bores
and I use state of art chemical to dissolve fouling and copper. Every 300 rds, I pull a patch of Patch Out (Midway and others sell this liquid), through the bore and let sit over night...it takes out about 90% of copper and all carbon from bore. My rifles like a bit of copper in bore for accuracy. Yes, I could run another patch of Patch Out in the bore if I wanted bore to be surgical clean but as said I like a bit of copper in bore. After such a treatment and right up to the next 300 round count fired, I merely pull a wet patch of CLP or Ballistol down the bore after range firing and leave it. Pull that out with 3 or 4 dry patches with the Otis cable before I head to range and shoot.

This is simple. This is fool proof. This has zero risk to bores and muzzles. Consider the Otis cable and
this approach.

Bore cleaning : this is a ritual that is hard to change minds about. Doing things the old way ...rodding bores and dragging brushes and ill fitting patches....yeah, you can and probably will but really, theres a simple easy way if you will open your minds.

Of course the Hoppes , Eds Red, Sweets 762 etc etc crowd will roll up and shout "Heresy"...but they're the same crew that denied gravity, round earth, sythetic engine oil and probably scotch tape. An open mind goes a long way.

As to the bore snake...half great idea if you think about it but my mind is closed on them: saw one break on a soldier in Iraq and his M4 was inoperative...... not something wonderful at all !! Won't happen with a Otis cable or an old fashion ram rod. Bore snakes have risk in my opinion and I won't chance a wad of crap stuck in any bore of mine and to prevent that, I won't consider a bore snake whatsoever.

and Yes, in Iraq, I used a Otis cable , CLP and since I had no Patch Out, I did pull a brush down bore but that was in a combat zone. Nowadays, my rigor in shooting is hauling weapons from truck to firing line and I don't have to make do with what basic tools the military issues , I have a choice and use better tools to clean my weapons. Choice is a wonderful thing.

So...stop the Voo Doo and rituals...Otis is the way to go.

[JohnMOhio]

I agree, Otis is the way to go.

[S.A. Boggs]

Gents,

This poster is trying to leverage you out of the dark ages and get your attention: The Otis approach is the way to go. Forget about Pull Thru devices issued to troops, you are concerned about bore maintenance to preserve your bore and accuracy for a life time. For your purposes and mine, taking best care of bores is the end state.

I retired all my Dewey rods and brushes ten years ago. I use the Otis cables and patches to clean my bores
and I use state of art chemical to dissolve fouling and copper. Every 300 rds, I pull a patch of Patch Out (Midway and others sell this liquid), through the bore and let sit over night...it takes out about 90% of copper and all carbon from bore. My rifles like a bit of copper in bore for accuracy. Yes, I could run another patch of Patch Out in the bore if I wanted bore to be surgical clean but as said I like a bit of copper in bore. After such a treatment and right up to the next 300 round count fired, I merely pull a wet patch of CLP or Ballistol down the bore after range firing and leave it. Pull that out with 3 or 4 dry patches with the Otis cable before I head to range and shoot.

This is simple. This is fool proof. This has zero risk to bores and muzzles. Consider the Otis cable and
this approach.

Bore cleaning : this is a ritual that is hard to change minds about. Doing things the old way ...rodding bores and dragging brushes and ill fitting patches....yeah, you can and probably will but really, theres a simple easy way if you will open your minds.

Of course the Hoppes , Eds Red, Sweets 762 etc etc crowd will roll up and shout "Heresy"...but they're the same crew that denied gravity, round earth, sythetic engine oil and probably scotch tape. An open mind goes a long way.

As to the bore snake...half great idea if you think about it but my mind is closed on them: saw one break on a soldier in Iraq and his M4 was inoperative...... not something wonderful at all !! Won't happen with a Otis cable or an old fashion ram rod. Bore snakes have risk in my opinion and I won't chance a wad of crap stuck in any bore of mine and to prevent that, I won't consider a bore snake whatsoever.

and Yes, in Iraq, I used a Otis cable , CLP and since I had no Patch Out, I did pull a brush down bore but that was in a combat zone. Nowadays, my rigor in shooting is hauling weapons from truck to firing line and I don't have to make do with what basic tools the military issues , I have a choice and use better tools to clean my weapons. Choice is a wonderful thing.

So...stop the Voo Doo and rituals...Otis is the way to go.

When our son's Ranger unit was deployed I sent him my cleaning kit, a complete Otis with a bottle of Kroil #9 and Sweet's 7.62. He said the kit came in handy many times. I tossed everything I had the first time that I used my Otis, it is almost idiot proof[nothing is 100%].
Sam

[bigedp51]

I use bore snakes at the range and when home I use foam bore cleaner - spare the rod and spoil the bore.

The main problem with a bore snake is not keeping it clean and not pulling it straight and rubbing the end of the bore. The armourers on the Enfield rifle would call this damage cord wear, meaning the dirty pull through or bore snake can act like sand paper when dirty.

The British pored two pints of boiling water down the bore to remove the carbon and corrosive salts from the primers after shooting. Then the pull through was use to oil the bore, of note the armourers decided when to use copper solvents to remove the copper in the bore.

I keep my bore snakes in zip lock bags and wash them frequently.

Below a fishing line bore snake for air rifles.

Air rifle barrel cleaning - easy, quick, cheap and effective

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6HtNnfNOUg

[XLF30]

I just came back from the CMP Advanced Maintenance course. They told us to be very careful with bore snakes (they recommended against them) because they've seen several instances of them breaking off in the bore and becoming lodged in the bore. IIRC, there have been instances where nothing could remove them from the bore, and the barrel had to be replaced. I think that is because once the cord breaks, the only way to get them out is with a rod. Using a rod then can pack them more tightly in the bore, making them irretrievable.

[Merc]

I no longer use my bore snake because I didn't think it was a good idea to keep pulling all that dirt and fouling it picks up on the previous pass through the bore. I used rods until I got my hands on the Otis pull-through system. It's does a nice job and is much faster than rods. It uses coated steel cables instead of cords as the puller and the terminal ends are threaded so separation is nearly impossible unless the user forgets to tighten them. There's nothing to bunch up and become lodged inside the bore so the terminal end could theoretically be tapped out with a rod if separation did occur (never tried it).

[Chris F]

What is Kroil #9? Google turned up nothing...Is it a mix your own (like Ed's Red) of Kroil and Hoppe's #9? What proportion and with what benefit? Always looking for something less smelly that Butch's or Shooters Choice.

[Merc]

What is Kroil #9? Google turned up nothing...Is it a mix your own (like Ed's Red) of Kroil and Hoppe's #9? What proportion and with what benefit? Always looking for something less smelly that Butch's or Shooters Choice.

I found this information on Kroil, but nothing on #9. Try www.kanolabs.com. It’s a penetrating oil so it will probably have an ability to react with metal fouling.

[bruce]

Have routinely used Bore Snakes on my rifles. They work very well. Not designed for be all to end all cleaning. But, do fine for wiping out the bore between relays, etc. Keep one in my pocket when out hunting. Years ago, took a slip down a bank into some water/mud. Hard to clean a barrel w/ no rod, etc. Was carrying a M-1 that morning. Got it clean enough to finish the day with a very nice deer. Afterward, always have cleaning materials in zip lock bag. The Otis system is fine. No knocks against it. But, simply don't see any need for a full cleaning kit when out in the field or at a match. The Bore Snake works fine. It is no bother to use. Put it in the washing machine at the house and it comes out nice and clean. If the cord gets worn, it's no big deal to throw it away and buy another one. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

[fguffey]

Want to guess what they used to clean Enfield rifles? Only back then they were called "pull throughs"

There was a time they used lead on the end of a string to get it started and that still works, And then there were rifles that came with a soft metal chain, I still have a few of those.

F. Guffey