doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Sage & Braker Bore Snake?

Hey all, has anyone used this bore snake (for shotguns)?

Looks to be a good for a quick field cleaning.

Any comments welcome

Stay well my friends

Greg

Probably good as any bore snake. My question is really about field cleaning in general. Why clean the bores in the field? Except in rare situations is there any compelling reason to clean the bores before you get back to the house/lodge/camper?

I will wipe off the exterior metal surfaces with an oily rag before casing the gun but I have never cleaned bores before getting back home, or to camp.

Just curious as to your motivation, Greg. I've never seen bores deteriorate before I got back to camp, or home.

Best, SRH

Greg,
I use bore snakes when hunting with a blackpowder rifle - which is the majority of my big game hunting. I do not do it with a shotgun because I am rarely far from a truck and if actually needed "in the field," it probably would not suffice. The only time I have ever needed anything when hunting with a shotgun is when a fall or slip ends with a muzzle being plugged. At that point, your type of snake is probably useless. Willows, cattails, and Phragmites are usually abundant and sufficient.

But if I was going to carry a snake, I would either use a plastic-coated cable snake, or I would make one from the heaviest gauge weed-trimmer line. The latter is what I use with my rifles. The line is stiff enough to push through many obstructions, though I think it would not be hard to find snow or mud that would be too stiff for it to overcome. At the other end, a brass washer and pierced foam earplug or similar will work as a jag. I skewer a cotton patch with the sharpened tip of the line. The patch can be soaked in water or whatever you like. With bp rifles, I like to keep them clean of fouling asap rather than wait until I get back to camp.

Anyway, maybe something in those comments would be useful, but I think it really revolves around what your motivation is for using one in the field.

Hey all, just in Case of a bbl obstruction. That's it pretty much
It.

You never know what can happen, especially duck hunting.

For some reason, this one just caught my eye

Stay well my friends

Greg

I have used bore snakes, they work ok, no issures.

My preference when traveling is the vintage pull through. Over the yeaors I have acquired several different 12 ga versions, plus a 16 and 20 versions.

As for barrel obstructions, i keep a brass rod for popping out stuck wads in my my truck box. i think I picked it up at my skeet range proshop

I use the Hoppe's bore snakes for some quick cleaning but they will not clear a bore obstruction, you need a rod for that.

Hey all, thanks for the comments. I guess what I mean by obstruction, is not a wad or plug of muck being stuck. Rather the after crap when the main obstruction is cleared.

Thanks again folks!

That makes sense, and there often is a bit of detritus left after a snow ball or two has been punched out with a stick or stalk.

One other thing about braided rope snakes is that they accumulate fouling which ends up on your hands and clothes, or you have to wash them. The weed trimmer line will not do that to the same extent. Maybe this is a nonfactor with smokeless fouling, but with black powder, something that is easily cleaned it a big plus. Just pulling the line through a clean patch gets that job done quickly, and it won't get your vest or pocket dirty when you return it to storage.

A consideration could be, the pictures of that bore snake do not have the appearance of a best product. You could pick up a comparable, if not identical, one for likely half the price. In your hands it could be different, but they can be handy for some types of shooting and arms, and certainly dirty or clean, they should be kept in some sort of sealable packaging. There are other widgets that might be accumulated, that could see far less usage. Good bore rods can be a pain to care for, outside of the home bench.