Originally Posted by
jhilde
On the subject of cleaning, what are the pros and cons of using the various "boresnakes"? They seem to do a fantastic job on the bore and then the action and so forth can be cleaned as always--I really like the idea that the first section cleans out chunks and general gunk before the brass brushes go thru and then the long tail removes what the brush loosened up. I would think that if the tail section had just a slight bit of oil on it that a couple passes would be a pretty good barrel cleaning--yes,-- no?k If no, why not? A lot of you guys are pretty sharp and have years of experience so I'd like some opinions----John
Boresnakes are the best things to hit the firearms market in a lot of years. A little Hoppes #9 on the bristles, and a couple squirts of WD-40 on the rest of it, and in a couple of passes you've got a clean bore. Rifle, shotgun, handgun - I use Boresnakes on all of 'em. Us shooters and hunters are a gullable bunch. We're willing to buy anything that says its "better". As an example, just look at all the camo at one of the big retailers. I just laugh when I see all the cleaning products on the shelves now, and laugh even harder when I see the prices. To people just geting involved in the sport, my advise would be to keep it simple. Don't waste money on gimmicks. Some Hoppes, WD-40, the right Boresnake, a toothbrush and a soft cotton rag is all you will need.
gonewest - anyone can make a mistake. Hopefully it isn't too bad. I know what that first blemish on a new stock feels like. A good rule of thumb is to keep any kind of oil or solvent off the stock as much as possible. I don't know about all the new products, but Hoppes #9 is very forgiving of wood and finishes.