Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing bore snake stuck

Figure out what you'd be willing to pay for the gun assuming that it needs a new barrel. If that's $150, buy it, if it's less, offer them that.

Best case you are able to remove the stuck snake w/o doing any damage to the bore. Worst case you have a donor action for a custom rifle, and you can tell us what a missereable experience it is trying to remove a stuck bore snake.

I'd go the solvent route. While long drills work great for solid obstructions, I'd be concerned that a drill would just get wrapped up in the fibers of the snake and add an even more difficult to remove obstruction to the bore, or worst case the fibers deflect the bit and it starts chewing up the bore. I am almost possitive they use synthetic fibers in a bore snake, so heat is only going to melt the snake and make an ever more difficult mess to remove.

Sometimes good deals are very expensive, and the best deal is to walk away I'm just old enough to start learning that lesson.

Have read a number of posts on this subject.

There is only one way that seams to work in every case.
TAKE IT TO A GUNSMITH!
Don't under any circumstances stick anything down the bore. Especially wooden dowels. They just make the problem worse when they break. And they will break.

How will the gunsmith do it?



Bruce

Obviously, replace the barrel!

Havn't heard of one replacing the barrel yet! Most of them have experience dealing with bore obstructions and that is all this is.

This is the Chinese finger trap of bore obstructions. The harder you try to push it out, the more it wants to expand and jam tighter.

Wonder what a boresnake would do if soaked in MEK for a week. There was also a spray "gasket remover" for outboard engines that dissolved gaskets, gasket sealer, plastic and the skin off your fingers. Nastiest solvent I have ever used. Who has a worn out bore snake and feels like doing some testing?

Go back to the first page, one of the gunsmiths on here has tried to remove one without any luck.

And we do, but this is hardly a common-type of bore obstruction..

Quite a few unique ideas here. How about trying firing a primer to see if anything moves and maybe a small load of black powder.

Grogel; You've come to the right place. There are people on this site that can suck that thing out. Be patient.
Seriously, like Crossfire implied, there's got to be some stuff that would dissolve that thing.

Run the tip of an Oxyacetylene torch in it....O2 only for oxygen....no flame

I would not recomend that option... IF,,,, IF you managed to get this to work, you would be creating uncontroled heat.. Hot spots in metal...

Got this off the web....
Oxygen is safe to use, in the right conditions. If you follow these guidelines, you will have a safe environment in which to use your oxygen.

Oxygen will not explode or burn, but it will cause things that are burning, to burn hotter and faster. Because of this, when storing or using your oxygen, you should keep it at least 10 feet from open flames, space heaters, large windows or any other source of heat.

If you are cooking while wearing oxygen, you can:

Secure the cannula over the ears and behind the head, instead of under the chin.
Secure the tubing to the side of your clothing with a large safety pin (making sure not to puncture the tubing). This will keep the tubing away from the heat source.
Never grease or oil oxygen equipment. Grease and oil are flammable materials, and are contained in hand lotions, hair lubricants and Vaseline. Aerosol sprays, such as hairspray are also flammable, and should not be used near oxygen equipment.

Do not permit smoking in the same room as your oxygen equipment. You can place a "No Smoking" sign on the door of your residence. You may be in a large room (such as a restaurant) where smoking is permitted, without being at risk.

Do not place your concentrator in a small area. The extra heat generated by your concentrator could damage the unit and/or other materials if placed in a small area. Be sure that the unit is well ventilated and protected from being knocked over.

Never use oil-based face creams, a hair dryer or an electric razor while using your oxygen. It is possible for the appliance to spark, causing the oxygen and face cream to ignite, resulting in burns on your face. Always use water-based cosmetics or creams.

How about filing some teeth in a piece of brass tubing as close to bore diameter as possible and cut it out a little at a time??

Oxygen WILL most definitely explode.

What was in the rack next to it? Either side, just pick one.

OK heres what I'd do....offer them $100.00, take the rifle home and rebarrel it.

$150 for a great action!

Buy it, re-barrel it and tell us how well it shoots.

Keep the old barrel and !~@#$%^& around with it all you want trying the methods listed above!


Mike

I've been using Bore Snakes for awhile, mainly on pistols, but now I'm a little worried!!

Looking at a Bore Snake makes me wonder if you could concentrate on the 'other' end, that is, the one with the 'loop'. Might you be able to use a hook of some kind to catch that loop and pull it out that way?

It's not clear which end is which. Meaning did they pound on the end with the broken pull rope or the other end? That would have a bearing on the problem and the possible solution.

I NEVER and will NEVER use a bore snake!

Had one come into the shop just like that. It was a savage 110 and the owner had messed with it enough that it was pushed into the middle. The "snake" was closer to the chamber end so I pulled the barrel and left it in the barrel vise. I ground a small hook at the end of a rod of cold rolled steel and hardened it. After most of a day with it and a stylus pen light it came loose enough that I could tie a knot on it. The barrel was facing the mill so I tied a cord onto the mill bed and the knot. I cranked the hand feed and pulled that "snake" and about 12" of a cleaning rod out. The owner had hammered the rod in and turned it enough that it unscrewed a section. He never did mention this which is to bad because he trashed some rifling and the gun had to be rebarrel anyway,plus he had to pay for the days work.I used quotes around "snake" because I'm not 100% sure it was a boresnake brand. I am sure that the guy did use the wrong caliber "snake" though.

I enjoy barrel obstructions as they are a challenge and make for some laughter in the shop. Had a fella bring in a S&W last week with a barrel full of 38's and one stuck in the forcing cone so the cylinder couldn't be opened. The bullet at the muzzle end was flattened and the cylinder still had 2 live roundnose in it so we knew he had shot some out. 8 bullets in that barrel!!!!!