If you are a responsible firearm owner, you understand that proper care and maintenance of your firearms is essential if you want to maintain them at peak accuracy and functionality throughout their lifetime.

Cleaning the firearm after use is one of the most important parts of maintenance, particularly if you own larger or more complex pieces, such as an AR-15.

There are two popular methods available for cleaning: bore snakes and cleaning rods. Does one offer superior performance over the other? Let’s investigate:

Cleaning Rod:

Using a cleaning rod is the preferred approach when absolute precision is required, as using a rod will more thoroughly clean the barrel of the firearm than compared to a bore snake. However, this does not mean that a cleaning rod is the correct choice for every cleaning situation. If extreme care and caution are not taken, the rod actually can damage the muzzle or crown of your firearm. This can, in turn adversely impact the accuracy of the AR-15 to a large degree. In terms of sheer cleaning power there really is no comparison; using a rod will remove more of the fouling and foreign matter out of your barrel than a snake ever will.

Bore Snake:

Bore snakes are the preferred approach for cleaning in the field, as they are easier to employ overall and there is much less risk of a risk of damaging your gun, though it is certainly possible to snap a snake whilst still in the barrel, which can be a huge hassle. Whatever you do, don’t shoot it out! Bore snakes can also be a great solution for regular use on rifles where pinpoint accuracy isn’t a concern, such as shotguns. They are also much quicker to use than a wet clean rod.

So as you see, both rods and snakes have their place and can be employed, but it looks like, in general, that:

• Cleaning rods are the best choice for precision cleaning of your AR-15.

• Bore snakes are the superior choice for field use, or is time/convenience is your primary concern.

Stag Arms offers a bore snake cleaning kit to fit the needs of AR-15 owners. The kit will work with both 5.56 and 6.8 barrels.