Hoppe's, Boresnake® Viper - Pistol and Revolver

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 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.

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 used to be one of those lazy Glock owners. "It's fine, Glocks are indestructible, I don't need to clean it every time." This product has changed everything. It's best to keep your barrel as clean as you can, in particular when using high pressure rounds like the 10mm for my Glock 20. I use Seal 1 CLP with this bore snake. Even when I'm feeling lazy, I come home from the range, lock the slide back, put a little Seal 1 on the beginning and end of this bore snake, and run it through the barrel 2 or 3 times. It is so fast and so easy I do it every time now. Fantastic product, and my Glock thanks me.

THE VIPER SERIES OF HOPPES BORESNAKE IS AN EXCELLENT BORE CLEANER, FOR A QUICK, AND EASY CLEANING OF YOUR BARREL. SIMPLE TO USE, AND VERY EFFECTIVE, EMPLOYING BOTH BRUSH AND PATCH EFFECTS OF BORE CLEANING, ALL WITH ONE MOTION. SAVES TIME, AND PROVIDES AN EASY WAY TO CLEAN BORES FROM THE BREACH END OF YOUR WEAPON, WHICH IS THE PREFERRED METHOD OF BORE CLEANING, NOT GIVING MUCH OF A CHANCE OF DAMAGING THE MUZZLE AND BARREL CROWN.