A Paracord Boresnake Alternative

Learn how to make a boresnake alternative using 550 paracord in this video by the thKGB65 channel. This boresnake alternative is a great money saving alternative to buying a pre-made boresnake.

Making a boresnake alternative is a simple and cost effective way to clean your guns. This article is going to discuss how to make a boresnake alternative that can be customized for any caliber. You will need 550 cord, 12-gauge insulate copper wire, a bronze bristle brush, a toothpick, a torch, scissors, a lighter, needle-nose pliers, and cleaning patches.

First, cut a length of paracord that will be long enough to get through the bore and still have enough for you to wrap around your hand at least one time to pull it through. You could estimate this by measuring the length of your bore and adding two or three feet. Cut a piece of the 12-gauge wire that is as long as your barrel.

Remove the inner strands from inside of the paracord. You will not need them for this project so you can either chuck them or save them for another project. After you have removed the inner strands from the paracord, work the 12-gauge insulated wire into the paracord. This may take a bit of time, working a little bit on at a time and then pulling it down the wire.

Once you have the wire all the way in and flush with the end of the paracord, take a .22 shell and put it on the end. Using your torch heat the .22 shell just long enough slightly change the color of the shell, to melt the paracord on the inside. Be cautious as the paracord will release gases as it melts, which will try to pop the .22 shell of the end.

Next take a bronze bristle brush and thread it into the other end of paracord. This may seem weird, but the thread of the brush will catch the “thread” of the paracord and act like a Chinese finger trick, getting tighter the more you pull on it. Take the toothpick and create a hole through the paracord, far enough from the end with the bronze bristle brush so that you could grab it between the bristle brush and the hole if necessary. Stick the needle nose pliers through the hole stretching it out a little. Grab a cleaning patch and put the corner in the tip of the needle nose pliers, and pull it halfway through the hole. You can add as many cleaning patches as you would like.

And that’s all there is to making your own boresnake alternative. You are now ready to clean your gun using a homemade boresnake.