Best Gun Cleaning Kits

Part of being a good gun owner includes a chore we all love to hate: cleaning our guns. I know some of you probably don’t mind it all that much, but when you shoot as much as I do, it almost seems like you spend more time using gun cleaning kits, more time sending patches down barrels than you do bullets.

It is a necessary evil though, and a vital part of being a safe and responsible gun owner, especially if you own firearms for defensive reasons.

Thankfully, there are a number of great products out there for getting your guns as close to factory clean as possible. The problem is, there’s also a lot of crap out there that doesn’t really work.

We poked around online and found the best all-in-one gun cleaning kits available, tested a few of the best, and found out which ones were really worth the money, and which ones were just a waste of time. Let’s take a look at the best gun cleaning kits.


Choosing a Gun Cleaning Kit

First, let’s quickly talk about how we chose gun cleaning kits, and what separates them from their competitors.

The first thing we look at is the quality of components. The whole point of buying an all-in-one kit, as opposed to buying parts and consumables individually and assembling your own, is to avoid multiple trips to the store buying this and that. We want everything together, in one convenient place, and that means we need solid equipment that isn’t going to break or not get the job done.

Next, we have to look at completeness. Ideally, we want gun cleaning kits that comes with consumables (patches, oil, lube, etc) as well as a variety of brushes and cleaning rods to support all our firearms.

Now no kit is going to be perfect, but there’s enough variety out there that you should be able to find one that meets your needs, whether you occasionally shoot only one firearm to stay proficient, or shoot several different firearms regularly for training or competition. Try to be realistic about how much you shoot and buy just enough kit for your needs.

Finally, make sure your kit has the brushes and rods you need, as some will only include common sizes, and may not have brushes for certain niche calibers (big-bore rifles in particular).


Best Gun Cleaning Kits

With all that in mind, and after way too much money spent, here are the best gun cleaning kits I’ve found. These are the ones I’d recommend you start your search with, and I’ll point out the ones I use in particular as we go along.

1. Old Reliable: Hoppe’s No. 9 Deluxe Kit + Universal Accessory Kit

Product

HOPPE'S No. 9 Deluxe Gun Cleaning Kit

Top Overall Pick

  • Made for universal cleaning
  • Lubricating oil
  • 3-Piece brass rod
  • 4 slotted ends
  • Silicone cleaning cloth
  • An extremely versatile kit packed in a heavy-duty presentation...

Our rating

Details

  • Made for universal cleaning
  • Lubricating oil
  • 3-Piece brass rod
  • 4 slotted ends
  • Silicone cleaning cloth
  • An extremely versatile kit packed in a heavy-duty presentation...

If you’ve spent any time at all around guns, you’ve definitely heard the name Hoppe’s and come across their No. 9 line of products. For many shooters, particularly those who remember the Nixon administration, Hoppe’s No. 9 is the standard lubricating oil and cleaner to turn to when it comes time to clean a dirty gun.

Today, Hoppe’s still holds a good piece of the market share when it comes to firearm care and maintenance products, and the distinctive orange bottles of lube are almost ubiquitous in every junk drawer in a gun owners garage. The oil also works great for certain fiddly mechanical things and is actually good for certain rust-prone jewelry such as meteorite as well (speaking from experience here).

Gun Cleaning Kit

This Deluxe Kit and the separate Universal Accessory Kit are both great for anyone that is already used to the Hoppe’s No. 9 line of products. The Deluxe Kit comes in a fairly handsome little wooden box and includes a lubricating oil, solvent, a three-piece brass rod, four slotted end for holding patches, five bronze brushes (.22, .30, and .38 caliber as well as 12 and 20 gauge), and a short pamphlet on using everything that’s included.

The Universal Accessory Kit is designed to supplement the Deluxe kit and includes a number of things to make your life easier and to round out the original kit. For $30 more, you get nine additional brushes ( .22, .270/7mm, .30, .357/9mm, .40/10mm and.44/.45 calibers, along with 12 gauge, 20 gauge and .410) plus, five swabs (12 gauge and 20 gauge and .35/38, .22/ .270,.40/45/calibers) and finally four additional slotted ends to fit .410 bore to 20 gauge, 16 and 12 gauge, .30 caliber and .22 caliber.

Overall, these two kits will cover the basics for almost every caliber you’re likely to have on hand if you’re a casual shooter or hunter, and the included gear is solid enough to last you a while, save the consumables like oil and solvent.

I personally have used the Deluxe Kit as a field-cleaning kit for years (minus the pretty wood box) and it lives in my hunting duffel in whatever cabin or basecamp we’re in when I’m out and about. It’s not the most complete, or the best for dirtier semi-autos, but for hunting rifles and shotguns, it’s more than adequate, and for a classic, can’t be beat.

2. My Personal Favorite: M-Pro 7 Tactical Cleaning Kit

Product

Marksman Precision Universal Gun Cleaning Kit - Brass Jags -...

Top Pick

  • Introducing the High Quality Deluxe Gun Cleaning Set: The...
  • ✔️ Tired of searching for the perfect gun cleaning kit? Look...
  • ✔️ Say goodbye to frustration with our Strong Brass CNC...
  • ✔️ Illuminate the way with the Super Bright Magnetic LED Bore...
  • ✔️ Experience convenience with the 100% Cotton Lint Free...
  • ✔️ Keep your optics pristine with the 12 in. x 12 in. Lint...

Our rating

Details

  • Introducing the High Quality Deluxe Gun Cleaning Set: The...
  • ✔️ Tired of searching for the perfect gun cleaning kit? Look...
  • ✔️ Say goodbye to frustration with our Strong Brass CNC...
  • ✔️ Illuminate the way with the Super Bright Magnetic LED Bore...
  • ✔️ Experience convenience with the 100% Cotton Lint Free...
  • ✔️ Keep your optics pristine with the 12 in. x 12 in. Lint...

The M-Pro 7 tops my list of the best gun cleaning kits. M-Pro 7 has been my favorite gun oil for a while now, and their universal cleaning kit is a great way to get started with their products. If you’re looking to quickly buy one kit that will most likely do everything you need for years to come, this is the product to buy.

M-Pro 7 oil is great for dirty semi-automatics (and fully-automatic weapons as well if you’re MIL/LEO) and holds up under some really rough conditions, including sub-zero temps all the way up to “you should swap that machine gun barrel” levels of heat. I’ve never had a problem with any of their products, and this kit is full of everything the average shooter may need.

You get a 4oz bottle of their oil, 2oz each of their LPX and Copper Remover, patches, a microfiber cloth and five brushes for .22/.223, .30/.30-06/.300 WM, 9mm/.357/.38/.40, .45/.410, and 12 gauge. You also get a nylon brush, and M16/AR-15 chamber brush, a shotgun brush adaptor, and the whole thing comes with a lockable plastic case and a maintenance guide.

This kit is perfect if you’re a high-volume AR-15 shooter, or just have lots of semi-automatic guns to clean. It’s probably overkill if you only hunt a few times a year, but for more regular shooters like competitors and tactical shooters.

This kit sits on my bench at home, and other than cutting up more old t-shirts for patches and buying more oil, and I think replacing the small .223 brush, I’ve been using it for about five years now.

3. The Most Complete Gun Cleaning Kit: Otis All Caliber Elite Range Box

Product

Otis Range Box - Universal Gun Cleaning Kits

Top Pick

  • Cleans all rifles pistols shotguns inline muzzleloaders with 2" &...
  • Four Firearm specific ripcords (.22/.223Cal, .30/.308Cal,...
  • Clean the bolt carrier group with the 5.56 B.O.N.E Tool. Chamber...
  • Bronze bore brushes (.17, .22 limited breech, .22/.223, .243,...
  • Small & large obstruction removers, small t-handle & stud...

Our rating

Details

  • Cleans all rifles pistols shotguns inline muzzleloaders with 2" &...
  • Four Firearm specific ripcords (.22/.223Cal, .30/.308Cal,...
  • Clean the bolt carrier group with the 5.56 B.O.N.E Tool. Chamber...
  • Bronze bore brushes (.17, .22 limited breech, .22/.223, .243,...
  • Small & large obstruction removers, small t-handle & stud...

Are you a gunsmith? Do you shoot a thousand rounds or more a month? Would you shoot that much if cleaning your guns wasn’t such a pain in the posterior?

Boy, do I have a product for you. The Otis All Caliber Elite Range Box has, no joke, everything you need to clean just about every commonly-available caliber available in North America. If you can get bullets for it at Academy or Bass Pro Shop, you can clean it with this kit. And if you have some weird caliber that’s NOT included, finding the brush you need isn’t going to be hard at all.

This range box belongs on every list of the best gun cleaning kits. You get four pull cords for different firearms, an AR-15 bolt cleaning tool, a boatload of patches and patch holders, multiple buffing ropes, and a whopping 16 bronze bore brushes (17, .22 limited breech,.22/.223, .243-.260, .270/7mm, .30-06/.300/30-30/.308, 338-.35,.375-38Cal/9mm, .40/10mm, .44/.45, .50Cal, .410Ga, 28Ga, 20Ga, 16Ga, 12/10Ga). You get a variety of Otis brand cleaners, CLP-like stuff, oils, and a metal protectant, which are all perfectly serviceable to downright great, and will certainly do the job.

You also get a number of picks, scrapers, and brushes for removing baked in carbon from awkward nooks and crannies like AR-15 bolts, and the inside of that old .22 semi-auto that you haven’t cleaned in about five thousand rounds. You know the one. We all have one.

Finally, the whole kit comes packed inside a plastic tackle box-like case that, in my case at least, has held up to far more abuse than I would have guessed.

For something you can toss in your truck, or leave in the garage and know, beyond all shadow of a doubt, that you can clean your guns, your buddies guns, and their buddies guns without needing anything but a little more oil and some patches, it’s certainly not a bad investment.

There’s also room in the case for all the other little odds and end you’ll inevitably collect to clean and maintain your firearms, and let’s be honest, even if you buy one of these kits, you’re going to end up with all kinds of other doodads, takedown tools, and cleaning supplies (stack of soon to be cut-up t-shirts perhaps?) and it’s nice that there’s space in there for that kinda thing.

4. The Most Compact Gun Cleaning Kit: Sage & Braker Bore Snake

Product

No products found.

Top Pick

No products found.

Our rating

Details

No products found.

Alright, I don’t love bore snakes, they’re just not my style. I’ve had too many of them break on me, and I’ve never found them to clean as well as a standard rod and brush set.

However, I own about six of these bore snakes. Why?

They just work. The buffing rope is detachable so you can wash it separately or use the brush and pull rope and the bronze cleaning brush by itself. The ropes are specifically for cleaning certain calibers and, I promise you, they have the caliber that you need, but you do have to buy a separate bore snake for each caliber, save for like .223/5.56 type stuff that’s basically the same as far as the brush is concerned.

Unlike other bore snakes, you can also swap the brushes out for swabs, different sized brushes, or patch holders.

I regularly get my rifles clean at the range with this compact kit, and I have a separate one just for my two .38/.357 revolvers, which are pretty much impossible to clean with ordinary cleaning rods from chamber to muzzle.

Best of all, the whole kit comes in a sturdy little canvas bag that’s just big enough to also hold some oil or CLP and looks pretty good to boot. The whole aesthetic and design is based on early European cleaning kits issued to soldiers.

I strongly recommend picking up one of these for your hunting bag, bugout bag, or what have you, just as a backup, but they’re so small and so cheap you can easily get one for all the calibers you shoot. They work well as a primary means of cleaning in a pinch, but you may want something a little more complete, and a rod-based kit if you’re looking for something to handle deep cleaning of very heavily-used firearms.


The Best Gun Cleaning Kits: Parting Shots

There’s a lot of appeal to just making one purchase and having everything you need to clean your gun or guns in one convenient place, and these kits make that possible. Keeping your firearms clean doesn’t have to be a nightmare, and it doesn’t have to take hours as you struggle to get everything together and then realize you need more patches or a different sized brush.

With these all-in-one kits, you can be sure that you have everything you need on hand, and you can store it all in one place to avoid that annoying rummaging through the garage as you look for this brush or that adapter. They also come with quality consumables to get you started on the right foot if you don’t owe allegiance to one brand or another when it comes to oil, lube, and other such products.

So, which one of the best gun cleaning kits are you going to get?

 

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By

Matthew Collins is an active contributor here at GunBacker. He’s enjoys both competitive shooting and gunsmithing. When you don’t see him at the range, you can catch him on Instagram and other gun related websites.

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