All posts tagged buttstock cleaning kits

The Otis gun cleaning system

It’s kind of like being in a cult when you acquire certain firearms.   The Kalashnikov crowd is a cult and so is the AR15 crowd.   AR15’s are so common now that it’s  not really as much of a cult anymore, but the furniture  you use on  your firearm and the  optics you use may put you in a certain cool category.    When I first heard about the Otis gun cleaning systems, I was wondering how someone could have devised a system that would be so much better than a cleaning rod and a cleaning patch, so I walked around at a trade show and went right up to the guy running the Otis booth.   I was lucky enough to have asked enough questions that I was given the AR15 buttstock cleaning kit and the Pistol cleaning kit.

When I got home, broke out several of my AR15 guns and a could handguns and tried to use the system.   I found the Otis cleaning kits to be very complicated but I have enough life experience to know that that just means having patience and find out why gun cleaning supplies were designed the way they are.   I have never had to use a scraper or a brush on any of my AR15 guns because I clean them so often there is really rarely any long term build ups that I missed.  I do think that the Otis Cleaning Systems do slow down the cleaning process because of all of  the fumbling I do with the accessories, but the compact bags make

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Cleaning guns, the right way

The is a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things, there are also many ways to do get the same job done, but efficiency really matters to most of us.   I do admit that I like cleaning some of my firearms, some guns are really annoying to assemble and re-assemble.   The Ruger MKII is probable the most annoying handgun I ever owned, but my tolerances for complicated things has increased and I probable should have never sold it.   The real problem with guns like that is when you haven’t shot them in awhile and the learned knowledge floats out your brain.  I’ve read several issues of SWAT magazine where excessive gun cleaning can cause damage and after watching a recent DVD from Dean Caputo on the AR15 I thought I’d bring this up.

 

 

Boresnakes are definitely the fastest and easiest to use, but it won’t do a very good job on a really dirty chamber or in the bolt carrier of an AR15.  You will still gun cleaning supplies other than just CLP Break Free and a bore snake.   The Otis gun cleaning kits that are specifically designed for the M16 or AR15 is probable  the most complete gun cleaning kit for an AR15, but they gotta be used the right way.  One of the biggest screw ups I see with the cleaning tools are the chamber brushes.   The chamber brush is only meant to be pushed down so far and the fast majority of the ones I have come across look like someone tried to jam it down the barrel.  Watch what you are doing so you don’t damage the gun doing something you aren’t suppose to be doing.

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Extensive gun cleaning and gun supplies

I recently did a walk through at a Dick’s Sporting goods store and I was recently at a Cabela’s here in Pennsylvania.   The gun cleaning kits that I had when I first got my own rifle are still being made, but I just don’t have the urge to give something like that as a Holiday present to family members.  I’m not sure exactly what is going on, but I have so many family members getting their first firearms and it’s been a lot of fun getting them setup with targets, joining gun clubs and helping them take apart and clean the guns.  It’s also been a learning experience because I  didn’t know how to do everything until I did a little research.

I still highly recommend that people have atleast one strong one piece cleaning rod for a rifle or handgun around, but that is only for clearing any bore obstructions.  Boresnakes are the easiest thing for a new shooter to use because not everyone has young eyesight and can see clearly inside the gun to know that everything has been cleaned.  For anyone getting an AR15 or knowing someone getting an AR, the Otis gun cleaning kits are probable the best gift you can give them.    Make sure you get the M16 kit because it has special brushes and tools to get into areas that a cleaning rod just won’t touch.

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