Keeping your firearms clean SHOULD NEVER BE a matter of choice.
If you’re into firearms, you’ll keep them as clean as possible because it’s part of being prepared.
Being ready for anything.
It’s also a part of being a responsible gun owner.
It’s a matter of maintaining the effectiveness of your survival tools.
Whenever you shoot a gun, explosives, and heat are expelled through the barrel.
If allowed to remain, this debris can harm the status of your gun’s barrel and chamber.
First, this buildup can mess with the accuracy of your guns.
It can also wear the weapon’s condition down significantly over time.
Finally, it also makes firearms less safe to use.
That’s why we highly recommend you clean your gun after every use. And even during shooting sessions if you’re using high-pressure ammunition rounds.
Guns left dirty after many uses are dangerous, irresponsible, and inaccurate.
Yeah, this is serious.
You need to clean your firearms for proper accuracy:
The point is, keeping a cleaning kit with your guns is almost as important as keeping ammo with them.
Cleaning kits and regular firearm maintenance are essential parts of owning a gun.
But the market is full of them – so finding the BEST gun cleaning kit can be a real challenge.
That’s why today we’re going to cover the following topics:
**Note: If you want our top recommendations, feel free to SKIP AHEAD HERE.
The internet is a difficult place to shop because it is so full. It’s overwhelming to sift through all the possible options. All the different models, varieties, and prices.
We scoured the internet to find the best gun cleaning kits. So, without further ado, here they are:
If you like to clean your firearms immediately after use, invest in a portable gun cleaning kit.
And since you you’ll be taking your cleaning kit with you, every ounce matters.
Real Avid Handgun Cleaning Kit
This is one of the best gun cleaning kits you can find when it comes to affordable, packable, and versatility.
It functions to clean and service .22, .357, 9mm, .38, .40, .44, and .45 caliber handguns. It comes with the following:
- 2-part 9” cleaning rod with a swivel tip
- several wire brushes for the different calibers
- 50 cleaning patches
- a compact weather-resistant travel case
This kit is designed to make cleaning your gun easier and more convenient than ever before.
No matter where you are, what you are doing, or how dirty your gun is, this kit has what you need to clean your pistols.
HOPPE’S Elite EGCOTG Gun Care On The Go Kit
The HOPPE’s Elite Gun Care Kit is highly rated and extremely portable.
It comes with ALL the following:
- Five assorted bore brushes are included
- Lockable gun case
- One foam gun pad
- One multi-section cleaning rod with a Folding handle
- One lint-free gun cloth
- Contains Hoppe’s Elite Gun Cleaner and Hoppe’s Elite Gun Oil with T3 in convenient single-use pillow packs
All at a very affordable price point.
Otis Tactical Cleaning System for Rifles, Pistols & Shotguns
The Otis Tactical Cleaning Kit works for all rifles/pistols/shotguns. It uses either 2” & 3” cotton patches.
This kit includes six bronze bore brushes with the brush size marked on each brush stem (.22/.223, .270, .30/.308/30-06/30-30, .38/9mm, .45 cal, 12 ga).
Use the 8” or 30” aircraft-grade flex cables and thread connectors for proper muzzle cleaning.
The 34” aircraft grade cable (5-40 thread) with slotted tip is small enough to clean .17 caliber firearms.
Small & large obstructions are removed with ease, such as mud, snow, and stuck casings. The Otis is considered by many to be the best gun cleaning kit around. Why? Because of its ideal portability and versatility.
Real Avid Gun Boss Pro Universal – Cleaning Kit
The Real Avid Gun Boss Pro Kit helps you stay organized and protect your firearms.
This kit has labeled storage to help you find your brushes, jags, and mops. It also has a handy kickstand to display the tools at an angle.
The cleaning rod is made of brass so that it won’t damage the barrel. The rods screw together with a tight fit.
No adapters are needed because all the brushes, jags, mops, and slotted tips fit the rods.
Unlike most kits, the slotted tips and jags are tough and flexible by being made of nylon. This gun cleaning kit has 2 slotted tips and .22 to .45 cal jags.
It also has a tap hammer surface for punching pins, a rotating receiver for cleaning rifling, and a fixed receiver for detail cleaning.
Maybe you’d prefer to clean your firearms on a bench in your workshop.
If this sounds like you, focus on getting one of these full-service gun cleaning kits.
GLORYFIRE Elite Gun Cleaning Kit
This is an excellent all-in-one universal kit.
Use it to clean your shotguns, rifles, and pistols.
It includes a compact case designed to keep you organized. Plus, it has two spaces available for your choice of gun oil and solvents.
This kit only uses quality materials, no cheap plastics. All the slotted tips and cleaning jags are made of brass and nylon plastic.
This comprehensive kit includes the following:
- 3 solid brass rods for 17-270 caliber rifles
- 3 solid brass rods for 30 caliber rifles, pistols, shotguns, and muzzleloaders
- 14 brushes
- 9 mops
- 12 spear-pointed jags
- 1 black power jag
- 4 slotted patch loops
- 3 utility brushes
- 3 muzzle guards
- accessory adapters
- 50 – 3×1 1/2″ cleaning patches
- 50 – 3×3″ cleaning patches
- 4 polishing cloths
Ultimate Firearms Survival Guide.Click Here To Get Your FREE Copy Of It.
As with any survival tool, there are some qualities you should be on the lookout for. This goes for your gun cleaning kits as well.
Some cleaning kits are bulky. Some are heavy; others are oddly shaped and nearly impossible to pack into a hunting pack or survival backpack.
Luckily, this is not a new problem. Soldiers have had to use “field cleaning kits” for as long as guns have been around.
When your life depends on your survival firearm, you damn sure better keep it clean.
You need something sleek, efficient, packable, and tough. You need a high-quality gun cleaning kit.
Yes, it seems obvious, but you should try and get the highest quality gun cleaning kit that you can afford.
I have broken my fair share of cheap gun-cleaning tools.
And while it’s not that big of a deal at home, in survival or combat, you’ll only have one gun cleaning kit. And if yours breaks in the middle of nowhere – you’ll wish you’d spent an extra buck on upgrading to a higher-quality kit.
Guns come in all different shapes, sizes, and calibers. And, naturally, gun cleaning kits do as well.
There are different cleaning kits for different calibers. There are various kits for pistols, rifles, and shotguns.
Versatility is critical to a gun cleaning kit because it lets you clean several guns with the same set of tools.
When you are in a survival situation, you need to have a versatile gun cleaning kit, especially if you own more than one type of gun.
You can buy a vast 100-piece gun cleaning kit. It’ll be versatile and comprehensive. But it will also be pretty cumbersome when it comes to survival.
You can’t pack something like that in a bug-out bag. So it may not serve you well in a survival scenario.
All things being equal – smaller is always better!
So long as you don’t sacrifice quality or versatility for size – it’s a delicate balance but an important one.
A good gun cleaning kit should include some essential components.
Any kit without ALL the following parts is an incomplete one. Take note:
If you are a gun owner, this should already be ingrained in your brain. But in case you’ve forgotten – cleaning your firearms is essential to ownership.
Not only because it keeps your firearms rust-free, makes them function better, makes guns last longer, and gives you an understanding of how your firearm works.
By cleaning your weapons, you’ll get to know them.
The inside and outside of them, and exactly how they function. This helps you in the future with troubleshooting your firearm if ever there’s a problem.
That’s why we have included the following step-by-step firearm cleaning guide. It’s full of useful tips, tricks, and knowledge for cleaning your guns:
This is undoubtedly the most critical safety measure. You must triple-check this before cleaning your firearm.
Take the magazine off, and cock the gun several times to ensure no stray rounds are hiding in the chamber.
After you’ve done that, double-check the chamber to ensure there is nothing in there.
For pistols, this usually means breaking it down into the core components:
You typically don’t need to field strip your gun to clean it properly. However, field stripping will increase your understanding of how your firearm works.
You do not want to get gun oil and lube everywhere because it stains things easily and permanently.
Layout some cardboard or a few sheets of newspaper.
Ensure the cleaning space is also well-ventilated, as some chemicals can be toxic if inhaled excessively.
Using the rod and gun patches, push a solvent-soaked cleaning patch through the barrel. Always try to work from the back of the barrel toward the front.
When the patch exits out the muzzle, remove the cleaning patch and pull the empty rod back through.
To achieve maximum cleanliness, alternate the use of cleaning swabs with the bore brushes.
This process scrubs gunk off the inside of the barrel and loosens it up.
And for any ‘brush-a-probes’ out there, you won’t damage your barrel with brushes – see the video below for proof:
Once you can run a cleaning swab through the barrel and it comes out clean, you can move on to lubrication.
Put a few drops of gun oil onto the cotton mop or a cotton swab and run it through the barrel with the cleaning rod.
You only need a light layer of lubricant on the inside of the barrel, so do not get carried away.
Using your utility brush, brush all parts of the action down with solvent until they are clean.
When you’ve finished that, dry the action with a paper towel and then apply lubrication.
Again: you only need a light layer of this.
Using a luster cloth removes any remaining debris or smudges from the outside of the gun. Polish it until it shines like new!
You should clean your gun after every use, especially after a trip to the range where you have been firing lots of ammo.
The explosion leaves residue and sediment inside the barrel whenever you fire a round. These residues can cause severe problems if left unaddressed.
Even if you only fire once, you should clean your gun afterward. It’s a good habit to build.
Of course, if you’re a serious gun enthusiast, you may want to build yourself a full-fledged Gunsmithing cleaning station.
If so, check out this video to get started: