Frequently Asked Questions

We recommend using a Bore Guide, such as the Sinclair AR-15 Guide. There are many Bore Guide products on the market. We personally recommend using these on any smaller bore firearm where the rod can easily contact the barrel.

What is particular nice about using BarrelBuddy with the Bore Guide is that the BarrelBuddy just drops neatly into the Guide slot, as you can see here:

Yes, we love using them coming off the range!

BUT… it’s important for the barrel to be cool to touch before using. This is good practice no matter what cleaning apparatus you may be using. BarrelBuddy should never be used in a barrel whose temperature exceeds 170 F.

Instructions are on the back of every BarrelBuddy package and can be found on our website at https://barrelbuddy.com/legal/instructions-and-disclaimers

You can use any means that you are comfortable with to push the BarrelBuddy through the barrel. We recommend the proper size jag for the barrel you are cleaning, mainly to ensure that the pushing element is wide enough to engage the majority if the bottom of the BarrelBuddy. To say it another way, you want to have a pushing element that pushes on most of the bottom of the BarrelBuddy. Using a pushing element that is much more narrow than the bottom of the BarrelBuddy, may allow the rod to push through or push past the BarrelBuddy, and that is not a desired action for your barrel.

No, you do not have to impale the BarrelBuddy. Some jags have a spear-tip and some do not. The jag only needs to serve as a “platform” to push the BarrelBuddy through the bore. What is important is to select the proper size jag for the bore size you are cleaning.

If you do have a spear-tip jag, gently twisting the BarrelBuddy onto the spear is a great way to clean, because you can dip the Buddy into solvent and easy manipulate it. This works best with the larger size Buddy’s. The RED and ORANGE size Buddy’s are more difficult to impale.

Depending on the size of the order, we would definitely try to accommodate any reasonable request.

Future plans are brewing to produce combo packs (“EveryBuddy”) that will offer mixed sizes in each bag. There may also be bags centered around gun type – rifle, pistol, and shotgun. Keep an eye out for this future announcement!

Absolutely! Any gun bore is fair game for BarrelBuddy. We have had hunters tell us they have put some 500 rounds through a smooth bore shotgun and cleaned it with 4-5 Buddy’s producing a barrel as clean as when they bought it.

We have tested BarrelBuddy with most of the commercially available popular cleaning solvents and oils. BarrelBuddy is designed to resist these types of chemicals and any degradation effects. Although we are very confident in our testing and material design, we cannot test every chemical on the market. If you are unsure or uneasy about a particular chemical, we recommend testing for yourself before use. Simply drop a BarrelBuddy into the chemical and wait for about an hour. Remove the BarrelBuddy and inspect it for degradation.

You can use any means that you are comfortable with to push the BarrelBuddy through the barrel. We recommend the proper size jag for the barrel you are cleaning, mainly to ensure that the pushing element is wide enough to engage the majority if the bottom of the BarrelBuddy. To say it another way, you want to have a pushing element that pushes on most of the bottom of the BarrelBuddy. Using a pushing element that is much more narrow than the bottom of the BarrelBuddy, may allow the rod to push through or push past the BarrelBuddy, and that is not a desired action for your barrel.

No, you do not have to impale the BarrelBuddy. Some jags have a spear-tip and some do not. The jag only needs to serve as a “platform” to push the BarrelBuddy through the bore. What is important is to select the proper size jag for the bore size you are cleaning.

If you do have a spear-tip jag, gently twisting the BarrelBuddy onto the spear is a great way to clean, because you can dip the Buddy into solvent and easy manipulate it. This works best with the larger size Buddy’s. The RED and ORANGE size Buddy’s are more difficult to impale.