Boresnake from Hoppe's - Rifleman

Guns Magazine, Nov, 2002 by Dave Anderson

By now you will probably be familiar with Hoppe's "Boresnake." It offers such a quick and simple method of cleaning, I felt compelled to see how well it really worked.

I recently tried the Boresnake on a Kimber 84M .22-250 that had been fired 25 times since it was last cleaned. The design has a fluffy floss area that goes through the bore first to remove any loose debris, followed by the bore brush to loosen hardened deposits and then the main floss area.

After one pull-through, with a few drops of Hoppe's No. 9 on the Boresnake, I locked the Kimber in a rifle vise and ran a patch soaked with No. 9 through the bore as I normally would, using a bore guide and Dewey coated rod.

Some powder fouling showed on the patch, but much less than would normally have been expected. After two more passes with the Boresnake I pushed a second patch through. This one showed just a few traces of powder fouling.

Clearly the Boresnake does an effective job of removing the fouling. The main floss area remained remarkably clean but as necessary the Boresnake can be machine washed.

The rifle accuracy fanatic will likely continue to use a high quality cleaning rod with bore guide and various powder and copper solvents at home. For these enthusiasts the Boresnake is ideal for cleaning in the field after every 20 or 30 shots, to prevent fouling buildup, maintain accuracy, and make after-the-hunt cleaning less onerous.

On a big-game hunting trip a Boresnake kit tossed in the duffel bag may come in handy and takes little space.

Hunters who shoot their big-game rifles only a few times annually, if they clean at all, often use soft aluminum multi-piece rods without a bore guide. Most times these cheap rods do more harm than good. They rub the barrel throat, or bend under pressure and scrape against the rifling.

These occasional shooters would be much better off with a Boresnake. It's also easy to clean lever, pump, and semiauto rifles from the breech end as they should be, rather than from the muzzle.

The Boresnake can be purchased separately in sizes to fit most calibers and gauges. Popular calibers can be purchased as a kit with Hoppe's solvent, gun oil and Weatherguard cloth stored in a neat plastic "snake head" case.

Butler Creek Packer Stock For 10-22

The Packer[TM] stock from Butler Creek converts the popular Ruger 10-22 into a handy takedown, using the standard slim Ruger barrel. The Bullpacker is identical in operation but its forearm is designed to fit Butler Creek's heavy, .920 inch diameter barrels. Both are equipped with studs for sling swivels. I found fitting the stock on a 10-22 action quite simple, following the clear and concise directions provided.

The heart of the design is the Cam-Lock system. There's a locking button on the front of the forearm. Initially it was rather difficult to release but it smoothed up after half a dozen operations.

Press the release button, fold the forearm down, and the Cam-Lock system releases the barrel. The barrel can then be slipped out of the receiver for cleaning or storage. The operation takes just a few seconds. Reassembly is just as quick and easy.

Butler Creek also offers a nylon Packersack with compartments for the barrel and for the stock/receiver/scope assembly, which rolls up and ties into a compact bundle. It's ideal for slipping in a backpack, or storing in a canoe, boat, bush plane or any confined area.

I used the Butler Creek 18-inch Featherweight carbon fiber barrel which gave a nice snug fit in the receiver and locked solidly in place when the forearm was raised. In keeping with the compact/lightweight theme I'd normally fit a compact scope or even a reddot sight, but for accuracy testing I fitted a Leupold VX-II 6-18x scope.

Using Winchester match .22 ammunition, five-shot 50 yard groups ran from 3/4 to 1 inch, this with a heavy trigger and a cold trigger finger. Butler Creek literature indicates that 3/4 inch groups at 50 yards are typical of what can be expected from their Featherweight barrels with match ammunition.

They expect their steel and stainless steel barrels to group consistently into 1/2 inch at the same distance. Functionally the unit proved completely reliable. Removing and replacing the barrel did not change point of impact to any significant degree.

Both stock and barrel are nicely made, quality products that function as advertised and provide very good value.

Premier Swivels

Uncle Mike's never seems to run out of ways to improve sling swivels. The Premier swivels are easy to attach or detach. They fit Uncle Mike's and most factory standard studs. When the screw is turned down they are very secure.

These swivels are quiet, with nothing to squeak or rattle. When the sling is in place the swivel cannot strike or mar the wood of a fine stock. They are made to fit 1 inch slings.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Michaels of Oregon Co.,

[503] 655-7964

www.unclemikes.com.

At 14, Dave Anderson acquired his first centerfire rifLe -- a .303 Lee Enfield with which he took his first whitetaiL. Despite a distinguished record in competitive pistol shooting, the sporting rifLe remains Dave's first Love.