The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Does anyone use one of them new fangled bore snakes for cleaning out their Mosin after shooting milsurp ammo? Seems to me that it is a pretty quick operation and much less mess than dragging out the cleaning kit I use.

They would work fine if you wash them after each pass to remove the salts that will become imbedded into the tail of the snake.Otherwise you would be reintroducing the salt at each pass. I would stick with a rod and patch at least for the water based stage of cleaning for corrosive ammo.

What millman said. I use one too, but I will say they don't work on Mosins anywhere near as good as they work on my shotguns. With my shotguns I don't use anything but a bore snake anymore. With my Mosins, I still have to use a brass brush and patches along with the bore snake.

I don't use them and don't like them for mosins. I tried one but nothing beats a good rod and some hot water.

I agree. Not for Mosins. I use one on my M1A Scout Squad just because I don't like cleaning it from the muzzle end.

They are quick especially when you are not at home, but I think they don't do the job a regular patch and brush do.

THEY ARE NOT GOOD FOR EASTERN BLOCK AMMO

Your bore should be treated to Ed's Red or something similar.

Hell, windex the bore before you leave the range?

I sue a bore snake on mine. I use a little clp down the barrel and a good bunch of passes with my two snakes... ive never had any issues

Run a patch down the bore after you do the bore snake and see if you don't change your mind.

I use them on all my firearms. They seem to clean better than just brushes alone if the upkeep has been done. If you are buying a rifle that is very dirty and rusty, I would not use the bore snake and would use a cleaning rod and brush to get the heavy stuff and then I would run a bore snake down the bore. I usually soak the front end of the snake in Hoppe's along with the brush and run it through a couple of times then I soak just the tail end of the snake with Ballistol to lube the bore. Never had any issues with rust coming back using the bore snake. I do not clean the snake every time I use it either. I will check and see how dirty it is and then clean it. I do not worry about transferring salts from the bore snake to a bore of any rifle because the Hoppe's I soak it in neutralizes the salts. With the Hoppe's and Ballistol, I do not think rust is going to form.

James

I have one in my range bag. I use it before I leave the range and then go home and use a coated rod.
Clean it often in a sink with warm soapy water.

I use a Hoppes soaked one for cleaning out newly purchased rifles that have a lot of crap in them, once there clean then I run patches.

srv1 wrote:I use them on all my firearms. They seem to clean better than just brushes alone if the upkeep has been done. If you are buying a rifle that is very dirty and rusty, I would not use the bore snake and would use a cleaning rod and brush to get the heavy stuff and then I would run a bore snake down the bore. I usually soak the front end of the snake in Hoppe's along with the brush and run it through a couple of times then I soak just the tail end of the snake with Ballistol to lube the bore. Never had any issues with rust coming back using the bore snake. I do not clean the snake every time I use it either. I will check and see how dirty it is and then clean it. I do not worry about transferring salts from the bore snake to a bore of any rifle because the Hoppe's I soak it in neutralizes the salts. With the Hoppe's and Ballistol, I do not think rust is going to form.

James

For about the 400th time, Hoppes will not neutralize the salts from corrosive ammo. Water will and the hotter the better then clean as usual. Telling possibly new member the wrong information may just cause them a rifle. I use bore snakes on any firearm without corrosive salts and they are great for .22s

Bore snakes of any kind and no matter how careful you are with them are like moping the kitchen floor in a pair of muddy boots. Too easy for me to never want to use them! Bill

I have a 12 ga. Bore snake and a 22 cal bore snake. I love them for that purpose, but I have a different method for milsurps that includes using a one piece cleaning rod. I would have no problem with a bore snake in milurps when shooting handloads or modern ammo.

Longcolt44 wrote:

srv1 wrote:I use them on all my firearms. They seem to clean better than just brushes alone if the upkeep has been done. If you are buying a rifle that is very dirty and rusty, I would not use the bore snake and would use a cleaning rod and brush to get the heavy stuff and then I would run a bore snake down the bore. I usually soak the front end of the snake in Hoppe's along with the brush and run it through a couple of times then I soak just the tail end of the snake with Ballistol to lube the bore. Never had any issues with rust coming back using the bore snake. I do not clean the snake every time I use it either. I will check and see how dirty it is and then clean it. I do not worry about transferring salts from the bore snake to a bore of any rifle because the Hoppe's I soak it in neutralizes the salts. With the Hoppe's and Ballistol, I do not think rust is going to form.

James

For about the 400th time, Hoppes will not neutralize the salts from corrosive ammo. Water will and the hotter the better then clean as usual. Telling possibly new member the wrong information may just cause them a rifle. I use bore snakes on any firearm without corrosive salts and they are great for .22s

Thanks Chuck. You saved me quite a bit of typing. +1 to all you said.

I use a bore snake on my mosins but I flush the barrel with hot water first and use the bore snake as a last step after using a brush and patches on a cleaning jag. It is mostly just to oil the barrel more than clean it. I have found that an 8mm one works better than a .30 cal one. It has a tighter fit and really helps get the barrel clean.

That is what Ed's Red is for, and Ed's Red w/ 10% industrial strength ammonia (for copper removal) based on Frankford Arsenal formula used on '03's & M-1's when the USGI was using corrosive primers.

We don't have that many '20 - '50's National Match shooters around that shot the USGI ammo back then, and they would agree on hot H2O, as well as other additives, before oiling their bores.

This ain't rocket science just good practice when using corrosive primers, which have been around longer than I have.

Longcolt44 wrote:

srv1 wrote:I use them on all my firearms. They seem to clean better than just brushes alone if the upkeep has been done. If you are buying a rifle that is very dirty and rusty, I would not use the bore snake and would use a cleaning rod and brush to get the heavy stuff and then I would run a bore snake down the bore. I usually soak the front end of the snake in Hoppe's along with the brush and run it through a couple of times then I soak just the tail end of the snake with Ballistol to lube the bore. Never had any issues with rust coming back using the bore snake. I do not clean the snake every time I use it either. I will check and see how dirty it is and then clean it. I do not worry about transferring salts from the bore snake to a bore of any rifle because the Hoppe's I soak it in neutralizes the salts. With the Hoppe's and Ballistol, I do not think rust is going to form.

James

For about the 400th time, Hoppes will not neutralize the salts from corrosive ammo. Water will and the hotter the better then clean as usual. Telling possibly new member the wrong information may just cause them a rifle. I use bore snakes on any firearm without corrosive salts and they are great for .22s

This is the reason why I asks so many questions on here and why I do not take someone's word always as fact regardless of one's knowledge. I emailed Hoppe's and asked them. Here is the copy of my email:

From: no-reply@bushnell.com [mailto:no-reply@bushnell.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2013 9:44 PM
To: CustomerSupport
Subject: Hoppe's: New Contact form submitted


The following inquiry was submitted via the Hoppe's website:

First Name

James

Last Name

XXXXXX

Phone Number

xxxxxxxxxx

Email


srvanddt@gmail.com

Comments or Questions


Can you set the record straight and tell me if your Hoppe's #9 removes corrosive ammo salts? If I use your Hoppe's #9 on my older rifles I shoot corrosive ammo out of, will it clean it correctly? Thanks, James

REPSONSE:
CustomerSupport <customersupport@bushnell.com>

6:21 PM (1 hour ago)

to me

James,

It absolutely does dissolve and neutralize the corrosive salts. Thank you

Hoppe’s

I also will throw into this now. There was a test of all cleaners. Even windex and noithing including hoppes, and water won the test. Plain water. (highly noticeable less corrosion over period of test) Yes maybe hoppes works but water is cheaper by far. Conducted by surplus rifle a while back.