Well, I bought one for my .223 and only let it touch the carpet. I thought it cleaned it very well. Mine has a little bit of brass wire on it. I wouldn't think, if I was careful, it would be any more harmful then a rod.

It's your gun, have at it.

I use them for interim cleanings. Works great when the bore is still warm. I have removed the bronze brushes from mine and I don't drag them around in the sand. Put a couple of drops of CLP up near the start, it makes it pull smoother. Wets, then mops it dry.

Abrasive foreign objects. That's funny. What foreign objects are you talking about? Same stuff going through the bore but its going 1 fps rather than 3000 fps with a huge flame behind it. Some of you crack me up.

Kel, you have the right to be an idiot also. No one's telling you not to use the damn thing

Thank you for your assessment of my mental capacity. No need to get personal.

For goodness sakes, it's a rifle barrel! Hot gases, powder, primer crud, copper, lead, all kinds of alloys at extreme pressures and temperatures and the thought of what amounts to a long bore mop scares you. Wow.

I have one piece stainless rods for both large and small bores. I have several barrels that cost me in excess of $300 ea. Until someone can show me (with a Borescope) that this device, with careful usedoes any damage, I will not fall for this flawed logic. It is not, nor will it ever be my cleaner of choice but like I said before, as an interim cleaner it does OK.

No matter how many times they are repeated, continuing torepeat internet Urban Legends does not make them true.

Calm down, goober. You don't need my permission to use a bore snake.

I have a few of them but after having one break off in the barrel I won't use them anymore . It was a new one and maybe just a fluke but not for me .

I'm using mine on a semi auto that you can not clean from breach to muzzle with a cleaning rod... As for bolt action rifles I would only use a good quality one piece cleaning rod...

I have one for one of my shotguns, and one for a .270. I got them both on clearance when one of the local chain stores where liquidating firearms and supplies. I like how they work, seems to get about 90% of the junk out in one good pull with a dab of #9 at the front of it. My only complaint is how hard it is to pull the darned thing through. I worry about it breaking off. I dont use it all the time, but when I need a quick clean it works in a pinch. As far as worrying about it ruining the barrel, if used properly and kept clean it is no different than running a brass or copper brush through your gun. You do more damage with jacketed bullets fired through your gun than with one of these thing. Heck, I bet our ancestors would have loved to have had these available 100 years ago when they where using rope and swabs to clean thier guns with.

From my view, on semi autos and pump rifles they are terrific. I soak 'um in Butches and clean 'um. I have a soaker and a cleaner with no brushes. I know of no finer/easier system in a pump or semi. I only have a 10/22 that needs the snake, but you would not believe what people bring me! Regards, Rick.