Looking for a perfect all-in-one gun cleaning kit?
Bad news…there isn’t one.
But we’ll help you get the best one for your end-use…and suggest some standalone products to truly make your kit perfect.
I’ve used a bunch of cleaning kits throughout the years and this is only a snapshot of the ones I haven’t thrown away.
Follow me as I cover what’s needed for pistol and shotgun up to precision rifle shooting. I’ll also cover my favorite cleaners/oils, cleaning rods, AR-15 specific tools, and more.
Summary of Our Top Picks
Runner Up PickAll your necessary tools plus my favorite cleaning system and oil.
Affordable OptionWinchester 32 Piece Universal Gun Cleaning Kit
Decent universal kit at a decent price.
Best Handgun KitReal Avid Gun Boss Handgun Cleaning Kit
Super compact handgun cleaning kit that has everything you need.
Table of Contents
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Best Gun Cleaning Kits
1. GuardTech Universal Gun Cleaning Kit
My current go-to all-encompassing gun cleaning kit is the GuardTech.
It comes with everything you’ll ever need from shotguns to pistols, rifles, and even rimfire.
I’m also a big fan of the stainless, brass, and nylon brushes that I use for getting the gunk off hard to clean surfaces.
Grab some extra patches, your favorite cleaning solution, and oil…and you’ve got yourself a nice cleaning kit.
Plus the newer “upgraded” kit comes with 9mm specific components and modified jag retention so they don’t pop out easily. Great idea since I’ve definitely had that happen with other kits spilling out parts when you open them up.
It’s fairly large but comes in a nice locking hard-case if you plan on bringing it to the range.
An extra perk is that GuardTech is US-based in PA.
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What do you think?
2. M-Pro 7 Tactical Gun Cleaning Kit
From my favorite gun cleaner comes their cleaning kit that has everything you need…including the oil and cleaner.
The kit rocks since it has individually packaged brushes and tips (.22 to 12-gauge) so you can keep everything tidy and the case has more pouches to add additional cleaning items.
Even comes with a silicone cloth to wipe down the surface of your guns. Throw in some Q-Tips and this kit is ready for anything.
There’s soft and hard versions of the kit but as far as I can tell it should be the same contents.
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3. Winchester 32 Piece Universal Cleaning Kit
The Winchester Kit is a good deal for $30 since it is pretty universal…covering everything from .22 to 12 gauge shotgun.
There are two sets of brass rods that won’t scratch your barrel’s harder steel and all the copper brushes are actually pretty good quality and marked with the caliber.
It also looks to have an update recently so say bye-bye to the wooden box and welcome a nicer nylon case.
There’s an ok amount of patches but you’ll need to add your own oil and gun cleaner (and there’s no room to fit it in the box). My specific suggestions at the end…but hint…it’s M-Pro 7.
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2. Real Avid Box Handgun Cleaning Kit
Only have a handgun for now…or want a super compact kit?
The Real Avid kit is great and covers everything from .22 to .45 caliber handguns.
It’s tiny since the rods are long enough just for handgun length barrels. Everything feels sturdy and the box can take a beating in your range bag or trunk.
The only fault I can find is that it doesn’t come with oil or cleaner…and you’ll be hard-pressed to fit anything in the box beside eye drop sized droppers.
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3. Green Canvas Gun Cleaning Kit
There’s a lot of this kind of kit being sold…probably one factory that makes it and a bunch of people brand it as a something else.
But it’s my go-to range kit if I don’t think I’ll actually need to clean.
It’s small, slim, and is supposed to have an empty bottle to put some cleaner or oil.
I’ve modified it through the years to have extra bronze brushes, a dental pick, Allen key, and Q-tips/patches. And yes I’ve lost the bottle but I tend to keep my cleaner and oil separately.
It’s not my cleaning kit for home since the rods seem to be steel and could damage the barrel if used a lot. But it’s great for getting things unstuck! Can’t go wrong as a backup cleaning kit for around $10.
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Best Gun Cleaner, Oil, Grease, & Copper Solvent
Everyone and their mom have a favorite gun cleaner and oil. Here’s a sample of what you’ll see if you try to find out more:
- Hoppe’s No. 9…enough said.
- They issued me _____ and I’ve been using it for _____ years.
- I can eat my gun oil…can you?
- I bought 1 gallon of (insert motor oil) and it will last me a lifetime.
I’ll admit…I started with Hoppe’s No. 9 and it’s an awesome cleaner. Problem is that I like to clean indoors and though I really LOVE the smell…I’d get dizzy and also it started eating away at my nails (now I wear gloves no matter what).
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I switched to M-Pro 7 cleaner and didn’t look back. It’s nearly as good at cleaning but without the caustic effects.
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For oil…I also like M-Pro 7, but I also like Militec 1 for the smell.
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The following are also popular ones (including some combo CLP which stands for clean, lubricate, preservative):
I also like to use gun grease for rails since it stays on longer…and I go by the old adage “oil if it turns, grease if it slides.”
Now, how about copper cleaners (for when you start seeing some accuracy degradation). I’ll admit…I almost never do this except for my precision rigs.
Additional Accessories
For my precision rifles, I like using a one-piece cleaning rod to make sure nothing scratches my lands & grooves. I stick with the ole standard…Tipton.
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Now some of you might be asking where are the bore snakes? Frankly, I don’t really use them since I don’t like the idea of running something previously dirty back through my barrel.
But some swear by them…especially as the ultimate space-saving cleaning “kit” for a range bag.
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And you’ll be sure to run out of patches sooner or later. In a pinch some cut up t-shirts or boxers will work. But I like going with Hoppe’s.
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Lastly…for the hard to clean carbon-fouled parts of AR-15’s…there’s a scraper tool that’s been a godsend. And also our AR-15 Cleaning & Maintenance Guide.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, my go-to everything cleaning kit is the GuardTech.
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And the runner-up is the MPro-7 Kit.
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That’s it on my end…let me know if I missed some kits. And if you must…your favorite oil and cleaner.
Lastly, be sure to check out our Editor’s Picks for more guns & gear that we love.
28 Leave a Reply
If you need cleaning patch (cloth). I suggest you go to a local fabric shop or order online for Diaper cloth or diaper material. Great for cleaning patches. SUPER absorbent and cheap.
Your article caught my attention. Your #3,"green canvas," far as the rods being steel easy to test with a magnet. My kit is in a steel box, no idea where they came from. Some of my rods are brass and some are aluminum. I was hoping for an opinion as to advantages of each-if there are any. A brush, nothing fancy I use a tooth brush. Q tips, confession I use them. Shown in one of the kits are wooden stick non-Q tip Q tips they are better quality lint free. They can be bought. They are better and more expensive.
Cleaning at the range? I would never do that. You drop a part, hard if not impossible to find it. My dad taught me to shoot a real long time ago. Dad said to clean the gun every time you use it. I expect with non-corrosive modern primers it is not at all necessary. My 22 semi auto pistol runs the dirtiest. It is also the easiest to disassemble. I clean it every 200 shots.
My stainless revolver, it is pretty but a pain to get and keep clean. I clean it after every trip to the range. Brass brushes. I was taught to push the brush all the way through. If, you go back and forth with the brush in the barrel, you force the wire that the brush is made of to push into the barrel and increase wear at that spot.
Otis isn't on this list? Why not?
Any thoughts about Hoppes "One Shot" dry cleaner and lube? I love it!
I buy good quality rods, jags and brushes from Dewey in the specific calibers I want. Once in a while I need replacement brushes.
You should note that many modern pistols have warnings to avoid use of any cleaner that is ammonia based (ie Hoppes #9). Walther for example says to avoid its
Use on any walther gun.
The rod in the Real Avid Gun Boss Handgun Cleaning Kit broke on the first use. Quality was B.A.D. If you like Chinese built products it's fine but I ended up throwing it away. I bought a Hoppe's rod with a quality ball bearing and it's just fine. I don't need or require kits. As far as the cleaning goes I take into the shower and use Axe body wash. Just about any cleaner and good gun oil will do the trick. Hoppe's No. 9 is my favorite because I have used it since I was a kid and the smell is divine.
Seriously, and I don’t want to hear about the price, get the Bore Tech “kit” for your ar. I’d spend hours cleaning mine, especially after a two day 3g match. There’s a tool in there with a procedure or process for every sub assembly, and it all works. Oil turns to grease, and grease turns to gunk, but this thing gets it all out from everywhere. Just buy it. You’ll be so happy you did. Oil? Crazy uncle jerry’s Lucas Extreme Duty. I’m sure someday somebody’s going to show me better. That stuff’s always evolving, but for now, Lucas is the way to go. Cleaner? I’m a Hoppes man myself, but: Simple Green PRO HD is awesome and cheap! You can get a gallon for less than a quart of Hoppes. Pour it on lol! And, I you ready for this? It’s specifically engineered to NOT induce corrosion. Spray it with Hornady One Shot or something and wipe it down, lube/grease it up and put it back together. I like the Mil-COMM grease, but I know shooters a lot better/faster than me who swear by Crisco, and it makes their rifle smell like their frying chicken. I never got the running a dirty Bore Snake down a dirty barrel to clean it either. Hope some of this helps. Love your site. Have a great day...
old tee shirt, bore snake, Hoppes lube, can of CPL. its a gun, not a babies bottom
Best response to gun cleaning I have ever read!
Agreed I use a bore snake on all my guns, quick and clean. I wash them every so often to freshen them up and let em hang dry.
I prefer the Shooters Choice (caliber-specific) kits.
They contain quality brass components that won't damage your firearm while cleaning.
Includes a solid brass rod with swivel t-handle along with a brush, mop, jag, lubricant, and patches... my favorite @ $25.
I’ll have to check those out, I liked my old M Pro kit, but gave it away as I expanded calibers, back down to 9mm and 556.
Shooters choice is my go to. Caliber specific kits.
I heard the M-Pro 7 has been discontinued by the manufacturer. Do you have any updated suggestions? I am a new owner of a Glock 19 - my first gun.
Yes, just found this same thing. The recommendations are not up to date.
Cherry Lube. Fairly new stuff and works great! When I break down my pistol after 100 rounds or so, the barrel looks like NONE of the lube has even remotely dissipated. They make several different variations...cold weather, AR’s etc.
I use shooter lube solvent and shooter lube oil and live it. No smell and it does a great job. I also have the 80 pc gun cleaning kit that they sell at academy sports. Everything is in its own container and labeled. It also has a case that I can put all my cleaners and pad in. It hold a lot. I wanted you to check them out and see what you think. The kit has brushed bore light and a lot more.
Hoppe's #9 is still the best solvent, although I feel like every time I crack open the bottle I kill a little bit of the environment. It's rumored to be bad for nickel finishes, and I believe it The stuff is strong! But when you need to clean gunk out of the crevices, this is your stuff.
I have recently switched from Break Free CLP to Ballistol, but it's more for personal preference about the light & non-greasy feel than anything related to tested performance. I can recommend either one.
Not a fan of bore snakes, especially 22 caliber. It's just a raging pain to cram the snake through the barrel, especially for longer guns, and you might even need to wear gloves to prevent scratches or small cuts on your fingers when using them. Too much work for something that's supposed to make cleaning faster and easier.
One thing that helps a lot with cleaning rifles is a brace to hold them steady. I don't do much home gunsmithing, so I don't have a vise-type setup at my house. That's why I like the Outers wooden box kit. There's another one made by Evans that looks a little more sturdy and I'm thinking about switching to that one.
I don't see the actual caliber listed in any of these kits, so what cleaning kit would you recommend for a 10mm Glock Gen4? (I'm a new owner ... first handgun)
10mm is the same as .40 Cal, so any kit that has a .40 cal or .40 S&W rod/cleaner will fit. I would recommend a do-it-all kit like the M-Pro 7 Soft Sided or Real Avid Boss, either one will fit your needs.
I'd like to see a video on cleaning a pistol. Not just the barrel and slide, but all the action in the lower part where you cannot reach with a brush or swab. What do you use? A lot of spray cleaner? Air compressor? Don't clean in there?
It depends a bit on the pistol, a plastic fantastic is really easy to get down in their with some spray and Q-tips - you generally won't get enough crud in there to start with to really need more cleaning than that. If it is a 1911 style then you likely just won't ever clean it, it's more closed off and is hard to get crud down there to start with. *If* it does happen though then taking off the grip panels and using a spray and Q-tips will do the deed.
I clean my firearms at my bench so cleaning kits aren't that important to me. Having the right cleaning solutions, brushes & rods are. "Bore Tech" and "M-Pro 7" are on the top of my list for cleaners and lubricants. Dewey rods, jags and brushes are my choice for cleaning equipment. Dewey makes a great kit (if you want to call it that) for the AR format. rifle that includes a great bore guide, rod, brushes and chamber mops.
I recommend the Otis Elite kit which cleans/covers just about everything in the common pistol, rifle and shot gun category. Add in a bore snake for some hard to reach rifles or for quick field cleaning - in the caliber of choice - and your are good to go!
I like the cable systems better than others that have rods.
That looks like a great one too!
Thanks for this article. I wonder if you would be able to do a similar article, but for caliber specific "kits". I have .22 pistols and rifles, a .380, a 223, and a 243. What would you suggest I get for those? Just a one-size-fits-all kit, or a hodgepodge of individual cleaning parts?
If you see a kit that covers .22lr and .38 anything that should be all you really need. A short rod for the .22 pistols and a long rod for the .22 and .223 rifles is all you'll need for those, the .380 will need its own, the .243 I'm not sure. You might be able to get away with using the .22 rod for it also but it might be a little loose. Loose isn't really bad bad, but it will mean it will take a few more strokes through to get it clean. If it is too loose then it won't work - .22 vs .24is kind of borderline.
I would start with a one-size-fits-all kit and then if those don't work for everything you have, add on one by one what you need. Keep it all in the same box/bag and it will be handy.
Personally, I'm a boresnake fan - both work very well though.