Boresnake® Viper - Pistol and Revolver

I purchased this for my father for Father's Day. I already own this product in many calibers and I have always preached the merits of owning one to my father. Well, he never bought one, so I picked one up for him. The reason I mention my father at all is because he is a novice shooter with limited time and/experience taking apart guns and cleaning them after a shoot. Typically he would go shooting with me and then jam his handguns back into the cabinet without ever taking the time to clean them. So, in ten minutes time, I successfully showed him how to disassemble/reassemble and clean the weapon with the Hoppe's Bore Snake. He found this process to be so easy, compared to the old days of brass rod and threaded cleaning tips and all the extra swabs and steps. You see, with a Hoppe's Bore Snake, all you need to do is let the brass weight fall through the barrel, grab ahold of the string, and pull the swab through the entire length until is is free of the barrel. The swab has several brass wires built in, so you get scrubbing action to clean the stuck on powder/debris and the swab cleans the residue that remains. Its so easy, my 6 year old nephew can use it. A few squirts of Rem Oil and one or two passes through the barrel and you're home free. Why spend all day cleaning your guns when you don't have to? Saves Time Saves Money by not having to purchase bags of swabs. The last gun cleaning kit you'll ever buy.

I'm relatively new to firearms but I know that properly cleaned and lubricated guns are more reliable and perform better. I decided on the Hoppe's Viper Boresnake since it seemed like the easiest and most straightforward method while keeping cost low. The included instructions are sparese, but it isn't hard to figure out and if you're super desperate you can watch one of hundreds of videos to aid you. At it's most basic, you need to add your cleaning solution to the top knitted area of the snake, apply oil to the end area of the snake, drop the dangly brass piece down the barrel and pull through. In one swipe you apply cleaning solution, and built-in brushes lightly scrub your barrel, the middle of the snake dries the solution off and the end lightly oils the barrel. All this happens in one pass, and you probably don't even need to field strip if there's room for the snake to slide through the breech. All-in-all it will probably only take a minute or two to run the Borenake through your barrel, maybe an extra minute if you disassemble the gun first. The results were impressive to me. Any little bits of carbon or unburned powder that were in the barrel were gone after one pass and a nice thin sheen of oil was in its place. Granted, I'm not a gun snob, I'm not religious about cleaning or do I have a ton of other experiences to compare this with, but I like it and it's efficient which gets good marks from me.

I have Hoppe's Bore Snakes in sizes to fit every one of my firearms. They work in a pinch and are great to have in the field if you end up with dirt or debris in your barrel. They have saved me several times in the field. They are compact and fit easily into hunting bag/gear. They are also easy to clean.

I work in law enforcement and spend a lot of time on the gun range. I can't speak highly enough of these. This cuts cleaning time down to a fraction on the barrel and does an amazing job. What could normally be a tedious scrubbing process with a brush, a few quick swipes with this and the barrel is spotless. Even better is that you can wash these after they get too dirty and are practically brand new. When you're like me and spend hours cleaning guns a month, this product is a life saver and worth every penny. I've ended up buying one for every caliber of gun I own and have purchased them as gifts for relatives.

These things are amazing, but you must understand some of their shortcomings to fully appreciate them. Here's some in-depth notes: Pros: - These are amazingly simple to use. Just pull them through your barrel and almost that easily they're clean. The package doesn't include directions (this is why I took away one star from this product; you should always include directions). - Cleaning power. The Vipers are far better at cleaning than their predecessors. The 3 brushes I feel are killer for cleaning. - Ruggedly built. I own 7 different calibers of these, and have never had one fail. Use notes and directions: Directions: 1) Spray your barrel down with a good aerosol bore cleaner. 2) Spray the green portion of the Snake between the plastic barrel guide and before the first brush. 3) Spray the orange end of the Snake with a high quality gun oil. 4) Pull the cleaner through your gun 3-5 times and you're done. Notes: - This Snake WILL NOT clean your barrel as well as a good ol' rod and patch system. It just doesn't function that way. It will be very clean after using the snake, but not perfect. Don't let someone tell you that it will get your barrel 100%, but also don't let them tell you that they are junk. They are awesome, but not perfect. - There's some misconception that the Snake will pick up particles of metal in the fibers and then scratch your barrel as they are pulled through embedded in the material. Think this one through for a second, that metal is left by the bullet traveling down your barrel at high speed, pressure, and temperature. If it's bullet material, your barrel is already built to withstand that material. Metal particles won't hurt a thing. Cons: - I honestly don't have any. Overall, these things have been in my arsenal for years, and I just love them. They do a great job of getting my barrels clean and ready for the next trip to the range. I love them and recommend these to all of my fellow shooters. (In full disclosure, the one in the picture is brand spankin' new. I just got it for my new 454 SRH. So, it's far prettier than having been used for years) I hope I have helped your purchasing decision of this product. I am not affiliated with the manufacturer, seller or any other product related company nor am I under any obligation to write this review. I do this for my own fun and to help others in the Amazon Community! Feel free to comment and let me know if I have helped you, and please note below if this review was able to help. If you should have any questions, please post them below in the Comments. I try to answer all inquires in a timely fashion to the best of my ability.

I love these, FOR MY PISTOLS AND LONG GUNS ONLY. I have many different calibers, and they all work amazing. Cleans my pistol barrels in seconds! Here is the exception, IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO USE ON MY REVOLVERS. Because the revolver barrel cannot be removed like in an automatic pistol, you cannot pull the snake through at a 180 degree angle (unless you have a break-action revolver). because of the angle of approach, It frequently snagged on me at the beginning of the barrel mouth, aka forcing cone, and I was careful not to ruin the braid. Then, I tried cleaning each chamber in the cylinder with it, and the fit is so snug and tight, I thought I might damage the crane on my cylinder. I was so busy trying to properly support the crane, I did not notice it was SNAGGED ON THE EJECTOR and I had RUINED THE BRAID beyond repair as I pulled it through! Dang it!! And these things aren't exactly cheap either. The snake is still functional, but there is a long thread I cannot trim without sacrificing the whole braid. Needless to say, I will not be using these on any of my revolvers again. At the current price range, it not worth damaging the snakes, and I'll just stick to standard brushes.

Needed a better bore snake for my rifle. Perfect fit, easy to use and a nifty case. Great addition for my cleaning tools. As long as we get to keep them, haha

I can't say anything that hasn't been said before. This thing works quickly and easily. Two benefits: 1. Absolutely faster and easier than the rod and patch. It's obvious, but I will say that the barrels of my 2 9mm's looked clean and shiny after 3 passes with this thing. Obviously if they are really cruddy, you'll want to spray some solvent in there for a bit, but you would need that anyway. 2. portable. I keep it in my range bag and run it through when I'm done shooting. If I don't have time for a full cleaning, then at least the carbon and grit doesn't sit in the barrel. Bottom line, assuming this thing holds up even for 1-2 years (and it may hold up much longer) it's worth 18 bucks.