cleaning hoppes bore snakes

[Dench]

i have 2 bore snakes, ones for my .223, and another is for 2 7.62 rifles.
i read on the packaging that you can clean the boresnakes out by washing them.
i just put my .223 boresnake in the sink and began to wash it when some white, slighty oily paste/cream starting to come out of it. this makes me think that i shouldnt be cleaning this boresnake, becuase im under the assumption this white stuff is ment to help cleaning the barrel and the bore.

i stopped cleaning it, and am now letting it dry withwhatever the hell the white stuff is. i have never put anything in the barrel besides hoppes #9 and bullets. i have no idea how that stuff could of gotten on the snake if it didnt come like that from the factory.

what should i do? should i continue hand cleaning it or stop?
the 7.62 one hasnt been cleaned at all yet...

advice?

 

[kevin9]

Assuming you use hoppes #9 with the bore snake, I dampen the area in front of the bristles with MP-7, then I suspect what you're seeing is the residue from that. Otherwise maybe it's just the water being aerated as it works through the snake along with the powder residue it's picked up. I've never heard of bore snakes being specially treated in any way; go ahead and wash away.

 

[Dench]

Assuming you use hoppes #9 with the bore snake, I dampen the area in front of the bristles with MP-7, then I suspect what you're seeing is the residue from that. Otherwise maybe it's just the water being aerated as it works through the snake along with the powder residue it's picked up. I've never heard of bore snakes being specially treated in any way; go ahead and wash away.

i dont use any MP-7, i just soak it in hoppes #9
hmmm... i wonder what it is

 

[kevin9]

i dont use any MP-7, i just soak it in hoppes #9
hmmm... i wonder what it is

I bet it's powder & carbon residue plus whatever hoppes #9 might be left in it. Go ahead and wash it.

 

[SKS Ray]

They're ok to clean and have no cleaning or protectant chemicals in them when new.

I usually fill an old pot with warm water and dishwashing soap, swish my bore snakes around in it, let them soak for a few minutes, then rinse the hell out of them and hang to dry.

Since I spray Break Free on mine before using them, they tend to pick up and soak in a lot of crap but it all comes out with a quick wash.

 

[Dench]

wow, i just "cleaned" it out, it looked like mash potatoes were coming out of the thing, it was incredible. it had a hoppes like smell, but felt a little oily to the touch, very very strange...

hopefully when it dries out this mystery sludge wont be coming back.

 

[terraformer]

i have 2 bore snakes, ones for my .223, and another is for 2 7.62 rifles.
i read on the packaging that you can clean the boresnakes out by washing them.
i just put my .223 boresnake in the sink and began to wash it when some white, slighty oily paste/cream starting to come out of it. this makes me think that i shouldnt be cleaning this boresnake, becuase im under the assumption this white stuff is ment to help cleaning the barrel and the bore.

i stopped cleaning it, and am now letting it dry withwhatever the hell the white stuff is. i have never put anything in the barrel besides hoppes #9 and bullets. i have no idea how that stuff could of gotten on the snake if it didnt come like that from the factory.

what should i do? should i continue hand cleaning it or stop?
the 7.62 one hasnt been cleaned at all yet...

advice?

Sounds like congealed oil to me.

 

[vellnueve]

I thought the proper way to clean a boresnake was to stick it in a sock, tie the sock off, and toss it in the washing machine.

 

[rep308]

I run mine through the dishwasher when the wife isn't home. Remember that the caliber of the snake is stamped into the brass leader on the snake.

 

[Scrivener]

I run mine through the dishwasher when the wife isn't home.

Sounds like a stellar way to introduce lead into your diet.

Which is NOT a stellar idea.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Sounds like a stellar way to introduce lead into your diet.

Unless he does what I do and runs a full load of only bore snakes and Glock frames with no dishes.

 

[Jay G]

Dench, I've been using boresnakes for years and I've seen that same white gunk come out. I'd assume it's just a combination of Hoppes + GSR + lead/copper/etc.

 

[Scrivener]

Unless he does what I do and runs a full load of only bore snakes and Glock frames with no dishes.

Better, but not great.

Why use a dishwasher at all, still less all that water and energy for such a minute load?

One bucket of hot wash water (Simple Green, Spic & Span, whatever), one bucket of hot rinse water, wring out and air dry.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Better, but not great.

Why use a dishwasher at all, still less all that water and energy for such a minute load?

One bucket of hot wash water (Simple Green, Spic & Span, whatever), one bucket of hot rinse water, wring out and air dry.

Minute?

I think you're underestimating the number of Glocks and boresnakes that I own.







I'm joking of course - I mean, who cleans a Glock?

 

[Dench]

Dench, I've been using boresnakes for years and I've seen that same white gunk come out. I'd assume it's just a combination of Hoppes + GSR + lead/copper/etc.

thanks for the input jay.
i washed my 7.62 snake and nothing odd came out of it, which i thought was strange becuase i used that one to clean my mosin, were the barrel hasnt been cleaned since 1945.

the 5.56 snake was used twice on my M4A3, and all that weird stuff came out.

as long as its nothing out of the ordinary and crazy, im happy!

 

[Scrivener]

Minute?

I think you're underestimating the number of Glocks and boresnakes that I own.







I'm joking of course - I mean, who cleans a Glock?

Indeed.

It's the AK of handguns; designed to be used and abused by those who have a generally forced and often limited knowledge of firearms (cops and troops).

 

[Jaxon]

Indeed.

It's the AK of handguns; designed to be used and abused by those who have a generally forced and often limited knowledge of firearms (cops and troops).

Legal humor... always a gas....

 

[Cross-X]

Dench -- I know what that white stuff is -- your Bore Snake is a male!

 

[Nickle]

Indeed.

It's the AK of handguns; designed to be used and abused by those who have a generally forced and often limited knowledge of firearms (cops and troops).

Scriv, I know that YOU know, but some folks don't know.

Folks, the Glock was originally designed to be used by the Austrian Military.

Gaston Glock made Sewing Machines before making the G17.

That must be why they run like a Singer.

And, EC, yeah I clean Glocks. Pull the slide, wipe the built up dust and related crud off with a rag and reassemble. All you need, and only needs to be done every year or so.

 

[dwarven1]

I thought the proper way to clean a boresnake was to stick it in a sock, tie the sock off, and toss it in the washing machine.

Only when your wife is not home!

It's the AK of handguns; designed to be used and abused by those who have a generally forced and often limited knowledge of firearms (cops and troops).

Ooo, that's a three-pointer for the counselor.

 

[Dench]

It's the AK of handguns; designed to be used and abused by those who have a generally forced and often limited knowledge of firearms (cops and troops).

just because a glock or a AK are hardy firearms, doesnt mean all the people that use them have this "limited knowledge"...

how dare someone use a low maintenance gun?

 

[Scrivener]

just because a glock or a AK are hardy firearms, doesnt mean all the people that use them have this "limited knowledge"...

And no-one in this thread made any such assertion.

Learn the difference between "all" and "many."

 

[EddieCoyle]

And, EC, yeah I clean Glocks. Pull the slide, wipe the built up dust and related crud off with a rag and reassemble. All you need, and only needs to be done every year or so.

I've actually seen a Glock that repeatedly malfunctioned due to lack of cleaning.

I was shooting one day at my range and a LEO came down to practice. His Glock (I don't remember the model) was frequently failing to feed, extract, and go into battery. After watching this for a while, I offered to take a look.

I asked him how often he cleaned it. He replied that he didn't even know how to take it apart, and that he hadn't cleaned it in the 10 years he'd owned it. However, he compensated for the lack of cleaning by "spraying it real good with WD40" after each use.

I field stripped the thing, and it looked like somebody baked pudding into it. After I cleaned it (with a stick, some torn up ammo boxes, and gasoline) it worked just fine.

 

[Nickle]

However, he compensated for the lack of cleaning by "spraying it real good with WD40" after each use.

That's worse than leaving it as is.

My experience with a Glock is my ex's G19. She didn't care much for it, so I bought her a .22 pistol which she liked more.

I had little trouble from the Glock, but then again, I'm also smart enough to not over lubricate with "dirt attractant".

 

[Dench]

And no-one in this thread made any such assertion.

Learn the difference between "all" and "many."

oh ok scriv, lets play the lame ass word games as usual. whether you ment it or not you came off with "LEOs and troops have limited knowledge of firearms".

take a big deep breath and let your blinding arrogance out the room for a second before you write me another reply based of off word play.

 

[Nickle]

Dench, you're a Vet, Army at that.

Do you REALLY trust a 2nd Lieutenant with a complicated pistol? Not the Infantry LT's, the support pukes, like Ordnance and Quartermaster.

I know I damned sure didn't, while I was Regular Army, and I still don't trust some in the Guard. And that's with M9's, which are pretty easy to shoot (I have had a Btry Cdr that took 5 tries and STILL couldn't qualify).

And, Glocks and AK's were actually for foreign conscript armies where the troops may or may not have proper prior firearms knowledge, and usually it's NOT.

Communist countries liked rugged and easy, and Austria isn't known for high numbers of gun owners.

 

[Dench]

blah.

 

[jkelly]

...you came off with "LEOs and troops have limited knowledge of firearms".---Dench

I'ts been my experience that most LEOs and troops do have a very limited knowledge of firearms, some however are very sharp.


Respectfully,

jkelly