SIGforum
.40 cal bore snake through a .38 revolver
August 09, 2020, 05:01 PM
LincolnSixEcho.40 cal bore snake through a .38 revolver
Grabbed the wrong boresnake today when cleaning my Smith 38 special. I thought it was pretty tight when pulling it through, but it did pull through without a ton of force required I suppose. Anyway, I know I’m overthinking it, but could this in any way damage the inside of the barrel using a bigger boresnake?
I would think the bristles just bend and compress the braided nylon material and just maybe scrape the inside of the bore a little more vigorously, but I can’t imagine it could damage it right? It was not a brush on a rod sothe bore snake has some give, despite being tight it did pull through. I went breech to muzzle as well as you are supposed to. Heck it’s only about 2 hundredths from the 9mm one right?! And that one pulled through without even tugging making me think the 9mm one isn’t even cleaning it well. The force of a 38 caliber bullet I would think would still be about 100 times more pressure than even a larger brass bristle bore brush.
August 09, 2020, 05:02 PM
280noslerNo, you will not experience any damage to the barrel, but your boresnake may be be as useful in a 40 cal anymore.
The bristles are softer than the steel. Just got a good cleaning.
August 09, 2020, 05:04 PM
mrvmaxYour bore is much stronger than the bore snake, you are fine.
August 09, 2020, 05:07 PM
sns3guppyNothing to hurt, though eventually an oversize bore snake will break, usuually somewhere a little ahead of the brush section.
August 09, 2020, 05:20 PM
architectJust get her drunk and kiss her a little bit first, won't be no problem.
August 09, 2020, 05:22 PM
LincolnSixEchoThanks guys. Yeah it’s funny I never thought about it but I’ve had this 40 caliber snake for probably about 15 years and it has probably been worn down a tiny bit from what it was when I first got it so maybe that’s why it fit OK. Either way good to know that nothing was hurt and maybe it’s time to get a new boresnake!
August 09, 2020, 09:58 PM
RightwireIt's likely this didn't do any damage to the barre this time. I know quite a few competition shooters that believe unless you clean the bore snake after each use, you're just pulling all of the garbage from each successive cleaning through your barrel.
Patches are one and done. No risk of accumulation of debris being dragged through the tube.
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There are three types of mistakes; Those you learn from, those you suffer from, and those you don't survive. August 09, 2020, 10:52 PM
TXJIMquote:
Originally posted by architect:
Just get her drunk and kiss her a little bit first, won't be no problem.

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August 10, 2020, 08:07 AM
DaBigBRI use an older .40 boresnake in all of my 9mm barrels.
August 10, 2020, 08:44 AM
sigcrazy7quote:
Heck it’s only about 2 hundredths from the 9mm one right?!
Almost exactly the same as a 9mm, and a little over four hundredths from the 40. The bore size of a 38 special is .357 inches. This goes back to the cap and ball beginnings of the 38 bore size, and keeping a familiar name when cartridge loading required a reduction of bullet size to .357. It’s the same reason that a 44 Russian/Spec/Magnum has a .429 bore size.
A 40 cal bore snake shouldn’t hurt a 35 caliber barrel.
Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus August 10, 2020, 10:20 AM
bubbatimeI have found that a .40 caliber bore snake is the right size and cleans the cylinder better than a .357 size bore snake. I still use a .357 bore snake for the barrel. But a .40 bore snake for the cylinder is ideal.
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August 10, 2020, 11:07 AM
Jimbo54I use one bore snake for all of my .38, 9mm and .40 guns with no issues at all. I have a separate one for 44 mag, 45 LC and 45 ACP.
Jim
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August 10, 2020, 12:28 PM
Sigmundquote:
Originally posted by bubbatime:
I have found that a .40 caliber bore snake is the right size and cleans the cylinder better than a .357 size bore snake. I still use a .357 bore snake for the barrel. But a .40 bore snake for the cylinder is ideal.
Yep. I have several 38s and use a 40 cal snake for the cylinders only.