Project Bore Snake Has Ceased Operations

In September 2008, after raising over $210,000 and shipping nearly 32,000 bore snakes, "the Project" was informed that the U.S. military procurement system is now satisfying requests for bore snakes. Accordingly, we are no longer processing orders for Bore Snakes. US troops may order bore snakes using these National Stock Numbers (NSN):

.223 Cal.	1005015238701
9mm	1005014770932
.30 Cal.	1005014782261
.50 Cal.	1005014782263
12 Ga.	1005014770933
More Information

 
We sincerely appreciate the ongoing encouragement and support we have received. We must express our special appreciation for the personal support received from Rotary. Special thanks to some people that took time out of their lives to help us help our troops. New friends, Daniel Bonyhadi, Dave Holden, Bruce Kleckner and many Club Presidents adopted the effort to help. On several occasions, the National Rifle Association (NRA) contributed financially and with advertising in their magazines. After four years supporting our brave and loyal combat troops, we have found the connections for these worthy men and women to get "snakes" for them from the Dept of Defense through the GSA system. We have done our job and we now need to take a rest from this concentrated effort.

We will return any monies received going forward and any residual funds currently in hand will be "washed out" by sending bore snakes to organizations that have ordered from us in the past. No cash refunds will be made. Checks will be returned and Charge card donations are now blocked.

We praise the Lord for allowing us to perform this work and we pray each night for the safety of our men and women in the service of our country around the world.

The site will continue for some time to allow emails to ensure any inquiry will be received and responded to.

Thank you and God Bless America.

Jim Kochheiser Project Director		Judy Kochheiser Shipping & Receiving
Karen Kochheiser Shipping & Receiving		Mike Haas Webmaster

	How many people draw a salary at Project Bore Snake? None. For more information on those individuals and organizations that have donated time, effort and resources to make Project Bore Snake a reality, please visit our Who We Are page.
	What percentage of donations goes to directly purchasing, packaging and sending "Bore Snake Kits"? 100%
	What percentage of donations goes to other than directly purchasing, packaging and sending "Bore Snake Kits"? 0%
	Who is eligible to receive a "Bore Snake Kit"? Any combat serviceman in Iraq or Aghanistan. Due to delivery delays and other concerns, we ask that visitors only nominate servicemen with at least 45 days remaining on their tour.
	Who is eligible to nominate someone to receive a "Bore Snake Kit"? Anyone whose name will be recognized by the nominee. We display your name on the outside of the package - if it is not recognized by the recipient, the package may be discarded for security reasons.
	If I nominate someone to receive a "Snake Kit", how do I know when or even if they are sent one? Unfortunately, we can no longer support email notification on shipping. Please coordinate with your nominee if package delivery confirmation is required Please note that in each kit we do request feedback (as conditions permit, of course) regarding our service and encourage you as nominator to do likewise in your personal correspondence with the serviceperson.
	Will Project Bore Snake ship "Snake Kits" to Soldiers and Marines who are about to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan? Yes, if the request is accompanied by a donation that covers the requested number of "Snake Kits". We established a policy early on that places those currently in theatre in either IRAQ or AFGHANSITAN at "top priority". This is necessary because our funds are limited and our task is large. We do run out of money from time to time and do not want to turn down a deployed Patriot in deference to those who won't actually face the need for weeks or months in the future. Accordingly, we accept requests for Snake Kits that are not supported with an accompanying donation only for troops that are currently deployed. However, we do allow pre-deployment Patriots to be nominated for a "Snake Kit" if accompanyied by a donation. (Our special, well-below-retail price for a kit of 8 bore snakes is $56). This policy insures that Snake Kit will not be missing from our inventory for long. In this case, we request that the nominee's family pay these costs as we try to never ask our brave warriors for money.
	Is it true that soldiers can now get "bore snakes" through normal military supply channels? No, not at this time. We would love to know that our brave and loyal combat troops could order these state-of-the-art gun cleaning tools through their supply chain but so far, that's not the case. We presently donate (every penny of your tax-deductible donation is used to buy and ship kits) 40 to 50 hours per week packaging and shipping these tools and an additional 10 to 20 hours per week in fund raising efforts. We would enjoy the additional free time if the U.S. government would step up and meet this important need. We beg the Department of Defense - please put us out of business!
	What are your shipping policies? Can I move my nominee to the head of the line? If an order is prepaid (fully paid) at the time of the nomination, we will order and ship materials ASAP and fill that order ASAP (consistent with our ability to obtain the materials to meet the need). If a nomination is made without a supporting donation, the nominee if placed in a first-come, first-serve queue with other non-funded nominees, serviced when pre-paid orders are completed.
	What is a "Bore Snake"? Bore Snakes, and the need for them, are described here. First-hand evidence of how much our fighting men appreciate these simple, inexpensive tools is available on our testimonials page.
	What exactly does each nominee receive? Eight Bore Snakes, calibers selected by the nominator. The intention is to support the nominee and a number of 'buddies'. This enables us to equip more servicepersons while shipping fewer packages.
	What caliber bore snakes do you provide? Those who nominate a US Serviceman for a "Snake Kit" choose 8 bore snakes in all - in support of the nominee and a number of buddies (or they may be provided to the unit armorer). The 8 Bore Snakes may be comprised of any combination of: -  5.56mm (.22 Cal.) Bore Snake (for M16/M4 series weapons) -  7.62mm (.30 Cal.) Bore Snake (for M14/M40/M60/M240b series weapons) -  9mm (.35 Cal.) Bore Snake (for M92 sidearm) -  11.5mm (.45 Cal.) Bore Snake (for M1911A1 sidearm) -  12.7mm (.50 Cal.) Bore Snake (for .50 BMG weapons) -  12 Gauge Bore Snake (for shotguns) If we are out-of-stock of a requested size, we will eventually substitute and ship. We try to provide exactly what's asked for, but will not hold a prepaid order for materials which might delay an order for an unreasonable time. We suggest each nominator specify at least 2 different sizes of bore snakes so that if a substitution is necessary, the nominee still receives a useful caliber. Where is the oil and solvent?Previously, we included commercial solvent and oil with the kits, but the MIL-SPEC lubricants and cleaners that the troops have been issued are excellent and quite compatible with "Bore Snakes". Accordingly, we've decided to save the cost of those items by no longer including them. As a result, we are able to provide "Bore Snakes" to over 30% more soldiers and marines!
	Can I donate if I don't know anyone in the service? Yes, of course, and THANK YOU! Just visit our donation page. (You would just not be able to identify a serviceman or woman to receive a package.)
	What happens if you receive more nominees than donations? Unfortunately, donations are our only source of funding. In that unfortunate situation, once our inventory of materials is exhausted, delivery of "Snake Kits" to nominees would be suspended until more materials can be purchased. Due to generous bulk donors and those that support their nomination with a contribution (most), we hope that will not be a problem.