Real Avid has stepped up its game when it comes to bore cleaning devices. In side by side comparisons I have found that 2 or 3 passes that can be accomplished in a minute or so does as good a job of cleaning the bore of a firearm as 10-15 minutes of fumbling around with a standard cleaning kit. Thankfully, the manufacturers have listened: Enlarged trigger guards allow you much more room around your trigger, making sure you can fire your AR-15 with maximum comfort and precision. An additional note for the southpaws out there: While it is possible to purchase an AR-15 oriented for a left-handed shooter, it is much more practical to install an extended or ambidextrous magazine release on a standard AR-15 lower. It is compatible with your standard AR-15 platform, so this part is ready to go right out of the package. High Velocity. That's good, right? Cons- May not be the right choice for people with small hands.- Some users may find the grip to be thicker than what they want.- It could be hard to push the release button even with the cutout. Also, despite its excellent gripping ability, some users do feel that it could be a bit softer to make the overall package great.Pros- Heavy-duty build with reinforced polymer.- Unique diamond shaped pattern prevents twisting.- Easy and convenient magazine changes.- Slim profile.
The Troy Industries magazine release offers quick and easy installation. Hoppe's also offers the Bore Snake as a kit that also includes bore cleaner and a handy ballistic nylon carrying case for some dollars more. If you know or are related to someone heading out to the Middle East for the first time or going back for another tour do them a big favor and get them a Bore Snake sized for .22 caliber to take with them. The disadvantage was that with a standard charging handle design and the offset roll pin - the additional friction as I worked the bolt it would move the weapon around and, sometimes, it just plain got stuck and I had to go back to the old method. In the past gun cleaning long barreled firearms necessitated the assembly of a 3 or more piece cleaning rod, sorting out the proper jag for the caliber or gauge (brass brush, patch jag etc.) One would install the patch jag make a few passes to dampen the bore, switch to the brass brush to scrub the barrel and then back to the patch jag to remove loosened residue and dry the bore. Knowing that the son-in-law of a friend is headed to Baghdad for a fifteen month tour in a few days, I stopped by Wal-Mart and bought one for him to take with him.
A few passes with a Bore Snake and most barrels are as clean as they are going to get. The Bore Snake is a cleaning device that consists of a weighted on one end rope with a bore brush embedded in cleaning floss. To use it one simply applies their preferred bore scrubber to the floss just ahead of the bristle area, drop the brass weight down the barrel (from the chamber end if possible) and pull it through from the over end. And if you’ve just purchased a beautiful Smith & Wesson 686 revolver, www.zotero.org the last thing you’d want is to damage its accuracy by manhandling a cleaning rod down its muzzle end. I found the last one they had in .22 caliber behind about a half dozen Bore Snakes for 12 gauge shotguns.(Sometimes it pays to do a little looking) If I couldn't find one I was prepared to give him my own slightly used one in the same caliber just to be sure that he had one. For the last year or so I have been using Hoppe's Bore Snake for some of my various center fire calibers and shotgun gauges.
In doing some on-line research for this missive I also encountered a website called “Project Bore Snake”. September 2005 regarding Project Bore Snake. The one glaring drawback that I see to the Bore Snake being beneficial in the field is something that has yet to happen to me (Knock on wood). They blame the cheap rifle and/or the “cheap bulk ammo”, but neither one of those is entirely correct. Most “bulk” ammo is H.V. The bulk ammunition that I use shows a muzzle velocity of 1260 feet per second. What I am telling you is that with high velocity ammo, don't expect a lot of precision beyond 50 yards with it. So many times people will take their inexpensive .22 to the range, load up with bulk ammo, shoot really nice groups at 50 yards, then have something that resembles a nasty shotgun blast when they stretch it out to 100 yards. She asked me to put a low power scope on it, not because she might need it in Rimfire Challenge, but because she wants the .22 to mirror her Stag 3-Gun rifle. It might just be getting overloaded because Fox News finally got around to talking about it.