Boresnake?

[oktx]

How well do they work? Anyone ever use one on a Mini 14?

[PBFrijoles]

i have several and i think they do a good job never used one on a mini 14 though

[Kodiakk]

Great for quick cleaning!

[glen]

I use them for most of my guns and just pull it through after every shot to keep everything consistant. Works great in my opinion.

[grizzman]

I have a couple for my rifles and they do a good job of field cleaning, but only a part of a really thorough cleaning, IMO. I still use rods , patches, and solvent when I'm cleaning them to put up after hunting season.

[Dahmer]

They do a decent job for a quick field cleaning, but can never replace the old rod, jag, and patch combination. Personally I don't care for them because I can do a better job with the above mentioned tools.

[PSD Ryan]

I only use it for shotguns. Works great for smooth bore. Not sure id use it on my rifles.

[texanhoyt]

I love them I have one for every caliber rifle and shotgun I own, well worth the 10 to 15 bucks

[JBS]

They are great for dragging dirt and grit through your bore. Here is the problem. When in a spotless clean environment you don’t have to control the other end of the snake, but in the real world what is the other end of the snake rubbing on, laid on, or getting dragged through. All that dirt and grit that it picks up is going into your bore. If you look at issued arms of the past with non chrome bores where the cleaning kit was a draw cord you find that the throat and muzzle are washed out in a cone from the grit and dirt covered cord being pulled and fed at an angle to the bore.

The GIs love them for cleaning their arms but, they have chrome lined bores and that makes a difference.

[Reaper]

They are great for dragging dirt and grit through your bore. Here is the problem. When in a spotless clean environment you don’t have to control the other end of the snake, but in the real world what is the other end of the snake rubbing on, laid on, or getting dragged through. All that dirt and grit that it picks up is going into your bore. If you look at issued arms of the past with non chrome bores where the cleaning kit was a draw cord you find that the throat and muzzle are washed out in a cone from the grit and dirt covered cord being pulled and fed at an angle to the bore.

The GIs love them for cleaning their arms but, they have chrome lined bores and that makes a difference.

valid points, sounds like you wouldn't use them on rifles, what about shotguns though?

[erix_GE]

i use one on a 1942 izzy mosin nagant and it get her clean after running it 3 times. i love them they work great. i am not sure about using it on a expsive chrome bore rifle but an old war rifle or a shot gun they work great.

[JBS]

valid points, sounds like you wouldn't use them on rifles, what about shotguns though?

Sorry, I just don't use them or recommend them to my customers.

[Bonesplitter]

Im betting you wont see gunsmiths or benchrest shooters using it on their rifles. I prefer a bore guide, dewey rod and brushes and jags.

[oktx]

They are great for dragging dirt and grit through your bore. Here is the problem. When in a spotless clean environment you don’t have to control the other end of the snake, but in the real world what is the other end of the snake rubbing on, laid on, or getting dragged through. All that dirt and grit that it picks up is going into your bore. If you look at issued arms of the past with non chrome bores where the cleaning kit was a draw cord you find that the throat and muzzle are washed out in a cone from the grit and dirt covered cord being pulled and fed at an angle to the bore.

The GIs love them for cleaning their arms but, they have chrome lined bores and that makes a difference.

Ok, I bought my son a Mini do I need to dismantle it every time I clean it as not to shove junk from the bore into the action.

[JBS]

The problem is all the garbage the snake picks up while it is flopping around on everything but in the bore. This is an old trick I have used for 37 years when cleaning arms that must be cleaned from the muzzle. Cut a fired case off at the first step of the shoulder. Mark the base red with a red permanent marker. Put the shell in the chamber and close the chamber on the shell. This will prevent junk from getting the breach area from a dirty patch. When finished with the bore remove case and with a gun brush clean out the breach area. I will detail strip something like a mini every 250 to 400 rounds to completely clean the bolt and breach area.