Gun Cleaning

[Dennis]

I would like to give a nice gun cleaning kit as a gift for Christmas. He currently has a miscellaneous bunch of stuff. He recently broke his cleaning rod but seems to be covered on brushes and jags. I need to cover these rifles: several .22s, .243, and 30-06 & 30-30 (both are .308 I believe...), 12 and 20 gauge shotguns, a .54 cal muzzleloader (black powder) and a .40 cal Springfield Arms XD pistol. I would like to do either an all-in-one type kit or get a box/case/cradle type of thing and get the pieces to fill. Would like this to be good, quality stuff but do not, for instance, want to buy him separate Tipton rods for each freaking caliber - trying to keep it around say $100. Thoughts from the gun owners? Edit: Was hoping to get this all from one source. Anyone familiar with the Otis systems?

Thanks -
Dennis

[joel]

Get him an Otis kit. Have 'em, love 'em, it's the only thing I'll use.

[Dennis]

So it looks like they make a combo Otis kit that would cover most of the calibers except maybe the muzzleloader. I am not familiar with this system - I use the typical brass rod, patches, Hoppes #9 etc.... on my shotguns. What should I pick up in addition to the kit as in does it need extra patches, solvents, etc...

Thanks Joel -
Dennis

[joel]

So it looks like they make a combo Otis kit that would cover most of the calibers except maybe the muzzleloader. I am not familiar with this system - I use the typical brass rod, patches, Hoppes #9 etc.... on my shotguns. What should I pick up in addition to the kit as in does it need extra patches, solvents, etc...

Thanks Joel -
Dennis

Depends on the specific kit. I'd read what quantities it comes with, then decide if you feel he needs more.

[Dennis]

Heh - this is the kit I was looking at.

[joel]

Heh - this is the kit I was looking at.

That's a mighty big kit... I have just the small round one. It looks like it only comes with 20 patches, but personally I don't use the otis patches, as they are kind of a pain in the butt, and they are more expensive, so I just use the cheap ones I get at the gun shop.

I'd let him use the 20 patches it comes with, and make up his mind which he wishes to use.

[Dennis]

It is a big one but other wise they make a pistol kit, a rifle kit, a shotgun kit, and a pistol/rifle kit. I wish a smaller one would do but I would have to look into the differences. Maybe the rifle/pistol kit plus a couple of brushes would cover everything... I'll do some looking I guess. -- Dennis

[Intruderdriver]

I guess I would ask whether he cleans his weapons in the field or at home? The Otis kits are great for field use--nothing better. But I can't be bothered with them at home. Nothing beats a good quality full-length cleaning rod--especially for rifles. That Midway site you linked to has just about everything---I swear by the Tipton Universal cleaning kit and range box.

But you say he's covered for jags and brushes--and broke his cleaning rod? I'd recommend a high quality rod or two. I know that personally I always get rods that are too cheap, and would greatly appreciate some really nice ones as a gift. You could always throw in one of the smaller Otis kits as well.....

[iron maiden]

I always liked the 1 piece Dewey rods. If it were me, I'd get a .22 a .30 and a larger .45 cal rod which could be used for the shotguns and the muzzleloader. You can get these from Dillon Precision Products.

[Dennis]

Hmmm. OK. So let's back up a little. If you had to start over with your cleaning kit, what would you do? I looked at the Deweys - they had coated nylon, stainless, and brass. People were mixed on the coated (coatings came off, don't work with muzzle guides), the stainless can knock the bore if you are not careful, the brass are pretty good but carbon is still the best. I am not familiar with the Otis system and wonder why you might not like it as a bench kit. My experience with cleaning guns is solely with my shotgun. An inexpensive Outers kit, Hoppes, generic cotton patches, nylon tips, and misc Remington solvents and Dri-lube. I was going to pick up something for me when i bought this as well.

Dennis

[_JP_]

While I don't have any brand names to offer, I do stress using a one piece rod for bore cleaning. The screw together types can trap stuff that might be more prone to scour the bore over time. They work OK for shotguns, but rifled bores require something more precise.

[iron maiden]

On my Deweys, the only one which had the vinyl coating come off is the one I use to clean my M1 Garand. Since this rifle is normally cleaned from the muzzle, the bore guide doesn't seem to do as well.

As far as hurting anything, I'd consider a few flecks of vinyl to be the least the barrel has to bother with due to all the other dirt and grime in there.

As far as doing any differently, I'd get a couple more of them back when I was a kid because they were cheaper then.

I've used Dewey's for over 20 years myself, and my dad still uses the first one our family bought him almost 30 years ago. It has not had any vinyl come off.

[Dennis]

Just to update, I went with (sigh) Tipton carbon rods (on sale at Midway) and a universal (much smaller than the Elite kit above) Otis kit. Looked at the Deweys but decided to go with carbon fiber. No additional solvents, no patches, etc... I figured he could use nice rods to cover the range of guns and try the Otis kit to see if he likes it. Thanks for the suggestions all - I hope he likes the gift.

Dennis

[bonusmarple]

Get him an Otis kit. Have 'em, love 'em, it's the only thing I'll use.

Another vote for the otis. Might give him some MP-7 along with it if he is not in to the whole kerosene-based cleaner thing (Hoppe's).

[Jimro]

An Otis kit is a great place to start, Dewey or Tipton coated rods are a must have for serious cleaning.

And for a homemade gift, make him some "Ed's Red" http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm

Jimro